What is clean and sober, according to CMA

Bill C. had two models to choose from when setting up the fellowship of Crystal Meth Anonymous, those of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.

Narcotics Anonymous was started because many of the members of Alcoholics Anonymous considered drug use an outside issue, the discussion of which in meetings detracted from the singleness of purpose outlined in AA's traditions. This made for controversy and discomfort for drug addicts who needed the 12-step model, and Narcotics Anonymous was started.

Narcotics Anonymous literature uses the word "clean" instead of "sober" to connote abstinence from all mind-altering substances, but it is unequivocal in its insistence that alcohol is a drug. Although the burgeoning of crystal meth as a drug of choice prompted Bill C. to start a new fellowship, this terminology was adopted in our own literature. At the beginning of each meeting, we read a paragraph adapted directly from NA's How It Works: "Thinking of alcohol as different from other drugs has caused a great many addicts to relapse...we cannot afford to be confused about this...alcohol is a drug, period. We are people with the disease of addiction who must abstain from all drugs in order to recover."

The Third Tradition also states "the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using." It does not state that someone is required to have stopped using or drinking, for that matter, in order to come to meetings. Many people come to the decision to stop over time, often because they were exposed to the support and recovery available to them in meetings.

However, what constitutes "clean time" in Crystal Meth Anonymous, as far as that which is acknowledged on a group level in the form of chips and birthday cakes, is clear. It is abstinence from all non-medically prescribed drugs, including alcohol.

Mark O.