I came to
learn about NA Iran
[2] through a friend whose
husband had become one of the NA members and now he is a devoted contributor and
sponsor. I have known the family for many years and I was so impressed in the
changes that I have seen with him.
During the meeting, Siamak told me
that NA Iran was formed 11 years ago by a few guys, all of whom had previously
attended NA program steps in California and had become CLEAN. Then,
when they came back to Iran they decided to start a branch
here too. In the past 11 years the center has grown very fast and Siamak
and two other friends, Farzin and Farhad, are devoting all of their time and
energy to making the Iran center one of most successful
ones in the world.
I asked permission to attend one of
the open meetings (those that non-members can attend). I was told that
there was one near my house, near park Mellat at the local Behzistie (welfare
organization) building which takes place at 6pm on the first Wednesday of every
month. I missed a couple of months but last month I was able to go to one
such meeting and I am not exaggerating how impressed I was with the whole thing.
The hall was packed. Outside
there were many young and old volunteers guiding you, answering questions or
helping to sell or offer different organizational translated books, pamphlets
etc. This was nothing compared to the great sense of unity and comradeship that
one felt so strongly inside the hall. NA works closely with Behzistie offices
all over Iran and they put notices for their
open meetings on the notice boards of these offices. There is a white pamphlet
which lists all NA regular meetings all over Iran.
There were men and women, young and
old. I saw boys and girls in their late teens there. I saw mothers, wives
who sat there quietly smiling or crying from joy or pain. It was one of the
most touching events I had been to in my life.
If you live in Iran
you know someone or someone's someone who struggles with (mostly) his or her
devastating addiction. As hope evaporates, and as the sense of alienation
with oneself and one's dreams escalates, the pain leads many to the
terrible and deadly path of addition. The false life through Hollywood or MTV or the
most unreal life through local TV channels increases this sense of being left
behind or what the hell in going on with my life. Drug addiction starts from
taking simple things for fun and then there is no limit. In
Iran despite whatever the
authorities may try to do, addiction is the cause of great social problems, and
like other places in the world it has ruined many lives and families in
Iran.
In the hall I heard a few speakers
of different ages and backgrounds called up to tell the audience their story and
how and what happened to them. The chairman of the meeting called on those
who had been clean X number of days,
weeks, months and years. Then I heard young men and women calling their name
first as an addicts and then say to the audience with joy or pride how long
he/she has been CLEAN for, X number days, weeks, years; and then everybody would
encourage them by applause. At times if he/she was clean for a certain amount of
time, he/she would receive a flower which then that person would offer to
someone whom they felt helped them most or suffered because of their addiction
most etc. Needless to say that although about 35-40% of the audience were women
most of the speakers were men.
Outside after the meeting was over
couple of hours later, I met and saw addicts on different stages of being CLEAN
looking for their sponsor/support and talked to them as they were extremely
close to that person. I met sponsors and addicts of either gender. I learned
that there are meetings for women alone and also special meetings for the
families of the addicts that take place regularly.
The Iran center follows the same
principles as the other centers and with endless zest and efforts of their
members and volunteers, they translate, produce and distribute many booklets and
pamphlets and other items as well as setting up daily, weekly, monthly meetings
all across the country. The center, due to local needs and requirements is in
the process of officially registering their NGO. The Iran office and
associate offices, like all others across the world, is completely independent
and self-sufficient and is run on donations by members and proceeds from the
sale of their books as well as their marketing items such as shirts, cups and so
on. It is a non-profit social group of men and women for whom drug addiction had
become a life-threatening problem. They meet regularly to help and support each
other in order to stay clean. I was told that at NA what the person has done, or
how much or why is not the concern. All that matters to them is that one admits
there is a problem that you wish to eliminate and they are there to give the
individual their help and support to overcome the problem.
It may come as a surprise to you
all, as it was to me, that there are over 30,000 men and women who have
successfully been on NA Iran program. There are over 750 meetings a week in
Tehran and over 3200 in other parts of
Iran. These meetings can take
place anywhere, in parks, public places such as hospitals, Behzistie common
rooms, other local authority buildings such as cultural centers. They even have
group meetings in prisons. Because of their success rate and way of thinking,
anti narcotics organizations as well as police and welfare organizations and
hospitals grant them their support and assistance in letting them to use their
premises. Some of these meetings take place as early as 6 in the morning and
some as late as 10 in the evening. Most of the meetings are closed ones, which
means only members who are addicts can part take. But there are few, mainly once
a month in most areas where it is open and non-members are allowed to go and
become familiar with the work and efforts of the organization. At such meetings
many who want to join and their families or the families of those who are
already members attend. At all these meetings nobody wants to know what is your
real name or what you do. All they want to know is what you want to help
yourself and they are there to help and support you in order to overcome your
addition. The organization believes that only an addict can help another addict,
therefore, all together we stay CLEAN.
The way the system works is that
once you choose to enter their program, you find yourself a mentor/sponsor to
stand for you and give you support as you start on your famous 12
Steps (The Twelve Steps of Narcotics Anonymous are used on a daily basis to
help us to overcome our disease) [3].
Through the program you improve your self respect and self worth and constantly
you are supported by other members and especially your chosen sponsor. As part
of the central program there is a great emphasis on practicing spiritual
principles. However, there is one rule and that is total abstinence, including
alcohol.
I was informed at the office that
the dropout rate is very low in Iran which is a good sign and shows the success
of the Iran
Center. Their hard
work has paid off most successfully. When I asked why this is so, I was informed
that the social and cultural set up and the close family relationships and sense
of sacrifice that exists in our culture helps those who take this path and
increases their chances of success. According to the Narcotics Anonymous latest
report on their website (www.na.org) there are over 30,000 addicts who have
joined the Iran program and
the Iran program has been one of the
great success stories ever since NA started up in the late
1940's.
1.
Telephone No. 88459671 & 88421408
2.
Tehran, Seyeed Khandann, Dabestan Street (opposite
Vezarate Defaa )No. 18, first floor , Apt. One post code 163166343 and
P.O.Box 14335-741
TEHRAN/ IRAN – Tel. No.
88464361
3. NA literature –
for the newcomers http://www.na.org/ips/an/an-IP16.htm
