{"id":628,"date":"2020-06-12T09:37:32","date_gmt":"2020-06-12T13:37:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.randywithers.com\/?p=628---8d6392d4-127e-408e-a158-a3cbe779a2b8"},"modified":"2021-12-13T23:52:51","modified_gmt":"2021-12-14T04:52:51","slug":"lies-about-narcotics-anonymous","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/lies-about-narcotics-anonymous\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Ridiculous Myths About Narcotics Anonymous"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/lies-about-narcotics-anonymous\/#Myth_1_Narcotics_Anonymous_is_only_for_hardcore_addicts\" title=\"Myth 1: Narcotics Anonymous is only for hardcore addicts.\">Myth 1: Narcotics Anonymous is only for hardcore addicts.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/lies-about-narcotics-anonymous\/#Myth_2_You_give_a_speech_at_your_first_Narcotics_Anonymous_meeting\" title=\"Myth 2: You give a speech at your first Narcotics Anonymous meeting\">Myth 2: You give a speech at your first Narcotics Anonymous meeting<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/lies-about-narcotics-anonymous\/#Myth_3_It_has_everything_to_do_with_drugs\" title=\"Myth 3: It has everything to do with drugs.\">Myth 3: It has everything to do with drugs.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/lies-about-narcotics-anonymous\/#Myth_4_Narcotics_Anonymous_is_a_religious_organization\" title=\"Myth 4: Narcotics Anonymous is a religious organization.\">Myth 4: Narcotics Anonymous is a religious organization.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/lies-about-narcotics-anonymous\/#Myth_5_Professionals_run_Narcotics_Anonymous\" title=\"Myth 5: Professionals run Narcotics Anonymous.\">Myth 5: Professionals run Narcotics Anonymous.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/lies-about-narcotics-anonymous\/#Myth_6_Sleeping_with_your_sponsor_is_normal\" title=\"Myth 6: Sleeping with your sponsor is normal.\">Myth 6: Sleeping with your sponsor is normal.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/lies-about-narcotics-anonymous\/#Final_Thoughts\" title=\"Final Thoughts\">Final Thoughts<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/lies-about-narcotics-anonymous\/#References_and_Further_Reading\" title=\"References and Further Reading\">References and Further Reading<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>Narcotics Anonymous is a worldwide support program for people who struggle with alcohol and drug addiction. It was founded in 1953 and employs the same Twelve Stop Model used by Alcoholics Anonymous. They have over 61,000 meetings in 129 countries across the globe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>It has helped tens of thousands of people get and stay clean.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/6-Crazy-Lies-You-Probably-Believe-About-Narcotics-Anonymous.jpg\" alt=\"6 Crazy Lies You Probably Believe About Narcotics Anonymous\" class=\"wp-image-22849 lazyload\" width=\"450\" height=\"675\"\/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/6-Crazy-Lies-You-Probably-Believe-About-Narcotics-Anonymous.jpg\" alt=\"6 Crazy Lies You Probably Believe About Narcotics Anonymous\" class=\"wp-image-22849 lazyload\" width=\"450\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/6-Crazy-Lies-You-Probably-Believe-About-Narcotics-Anonymous.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/6-Crazy-Lies-You-Probably-Believe-About-Narcotics-Anonymous-133x200.jpg 133w, https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/6-Crazy-Lies-You-Probably-Believe-About-Narcotics-Anonymous-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/6-Crazy-Lies-You-Probably-Believe-About-Narcotics-Anonymous-100x150.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>6 Ridiculous Myths About Narcotics Anonymous<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The Narcotics Anonymous Twelve Steps Program is free, successful, and easily accessible to the general public. There are basically X objectives that each meeting has, all of which are positive. They are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>Teach a simple and easy-to-follow program to follow to live a life free of drugs and alcohol;<\/li><li>Provide its members with ongoing support and accountability.<\/li><li>Help members uncover the behaviors, attitudes, and experiences that led them to abuse drugs in the first place;<\/li><li>Encourage members to live by a set of spiritual principles (e.g., acceptance, honesty, trust, compassion, tolerance, and faith); and<\/li><li>&nbsp;Show members how to be better versions of themselves, so that they can increase their quality of life and teach others a new way to live.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Sounds pretty good, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>So why are there so many myths about it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the culprits is pop culture itself. TV and movie depictions of Narcotics Anonymous Twelve Steps meetings completely ignore the traditions that define them, referred to collectively as &#8220;The Twelve Traditions.&#8221; These Traditions essentially govern how the entire organization operates\u200a\u2014\u200aand by extension their meetings. Members consider them sacred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So whether the meeting is in Spokane, Washington or Helsinki, Finland, meetings are all run in the same basic way. This is how I can state with confidence that movies and TV almost always get it wrong. Usually, they are portrayed as the butt of a joke, but the bottom line is that these meetings save lives and inspire hope in people whose lives have been utterly devastated by the scourge of addiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are 6 myths that movies and television portray as fact with their ridiculous and even dangerous depictions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Myth_1_Narcotics_Anonymous_is_only_for_hardcore_addicts\"><\/span><strong>Myth 1: Narcotics Anonymous is only for hardcore addicts.<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the 1998 movie&nbsp;<em>Half Baked<\/em>, Dave Chappelle\u2019s character attends a meeting where he is booed off the stage because his drug of choice is marijuana. More recently, AMC\u2019s&nbsp;<em>Breaking Bad<\/em>&nbsp;depicts Jesse attending a similar meeting that is clearly populated only by heroin and meth addicts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are similar scenes in two different Showtime series,&nbsp;<em>Nurse Jackie<\/em>, and&nbsp;<em>Dexter<\/em>. There are plenty of other examples. The implication here is that Narcotics Anonymous is only for heavy drug abusers, and the insinuation is that more mainstream substances like marijuana are somehow not addictive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/co-occurring-addiction-and-depression\/\" class=\"ek-link\">severity of addiction<\/a> may vary from drug to drug and from user to user, the fact is that people from all creeds and colors abuse all sorts of different drugs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a membership study conducted by NA in 2013, participants were asked which drugs they had used habitually. 59% said Crack; 35% said Opiates, which includes heroin. Alcohol (90%) and Cannabis (68%) were the top two most commonly used drugs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Booze and weed, it seems, are what bring most people to their meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These numbers directly contradict the messages we get from the media. While I get that\u00a0<em>Half Baked<\/em>\u00a0is a comedy, the reaction Dave gets from the other addicts in the room is the most unbelievable thing about that entire movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Myth_2_You_give_a_speech_at_your_first_Narcotics_Anonymous_meeting\"><\/span><strong>Myth 2: You give a speech at your first Narcotics Anonymous meeting<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Newcomers\u200a\u2014\u200athose who are attending their first meeting\u200a\u2014\u200aare considered to be the most important person in the room. It says so in the Literature. So when Chapelle is booed off the stage for \u201conly\u201d being addicted to marijuana, or when Dexter is forced to tell his story, what you are seeing just simply does not happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The last thing these meetings want to do is scare off new members, and making someone give a speech at their first meeting is a great way to do just that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some meetings do have speakers, but this is considered a voluntary honor and is usually reserved for members with a significant amount of clean time. But even if that weren\u2019t true, the Twelve Traditions are very clear about who can attend meetings. Tradition 3 states: \u201cThe only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using.\u201d Dave Chapelle is welcome to attend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you re-read Tradition 3, you might notice two things. First, it does not mention drugs. Second, it says the only requirement is a \u201cdesire\u201d to stop using. There is nothing in the Traditions about having to speak from a podium, nor does any of the literature suggest that there is some sort of drug hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And speaking of drugs\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Myth_3_It_has_everything_to_do_with_drugs\"><\/span><strong>Myth 3: It has everything to do with drugs.<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Any number of movies and TV shows depict Narcotics Anonymous meetings as places where <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/smart-recovery\/\" class=\"ek-link\">drug addicts<\/a> gather to talk about drug use. I can understand why people would think this\u200a\u2014\u200adrug use, after all, is the common denominator. But once you start attending meetings, you learn very quickly that drugs are not the real problem. It&#8217;s also not cool to talk about them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you are trying to break an <a data-wpil=\"url\" href=\"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/category\/substance-abuse\/\">addiction<\/a> to any drug, you learn to avoid triggers. Triggers can be anything, depending on the person.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Obvious examples include the drugs themselves, the dealer who sold you the drugs, and the places where you used them. Often, even talking about using drugs can be a trigger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is for this reason that drugs are not discussed nearly as much as one might think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When any movie or TV show depicts a character speaking openly about drugs in a meeting, I cringe. I\u2019m certain the writer has never been anywhere near an actual meeting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It would be like a group of combat veterans sitting in a room explaining to one another what it\u2019s like to be in combat. There\u2019s no point. Every person in the room already knows what you\u2019re going to say. You might have one or two blowhards who love to tell war stories, but they are the exception, not the rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Narcotics Anonymous Twelve Steps Program is about living in a world where you do not use drugs as a coping mechanism. People do talk about their struggles to stay clean, but so many discussions center on the realities of life that we all face\u200a\u2014\u200ajob issues, problems with children, a friend who is sick or dying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These types of life events are much harder for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/7-things-you-need-to-know-if-you-want-to-help-an-addict\/\" class=\"ek-link\">recovering addict<\/a> because many of them have no idea how to deal with problems without using drugs. Meetings become more about the solution and less about the past. And those members with clean time share their \u201cexperience, strength and hope\u201d to the younger members, and they talk about how they turned their life over to a Higher Power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The concept of a Higher Power, which is the backbone of&nbsp;<em>all&nbsp;<\/em>12-Step programs, is the genesis of another myth that just won\u2019t seem to die:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Myth_4_Narcotics_Anonymous_is_a_religious_organization\"><\/span><strong>Myth 4: Narcotics Anonymous is a religious organization.<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Christians, Jews, Muslims, Atheists\u200a\u2014\u200ayou will find them all at these meetings. What you will not find is an actual Narcotics Anonymous meeting using religious texts in any way. Many Churches do have support groups based on the Twelve Step model, but these are not official meetings,&nbsp;<em>per se<\/em>. You will not listen to readings from the Bible, or the Torah, or the Koran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Individual members may talk about their religious faith, but the organization is very clear about this in their literature. Their Tenth Tradition even states that Narcotics Anonymous \u201chas no opinion on outside issues,\u201d and religion is definitely an outside issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alcoholics Anonymous has its&nbsp;<em>Big Book<\/em>. Narcotics Anonymous has the<em>&nbsp;Basic Text<\/em>. If anything, those two books are the Bibles of those respective organizations. And as far as God goes, He is mentioned throughout the literature, but God\u200a\u2014\u200aor a Higher Power\u200a\u2014\u200ais not clearly defined the way it is in organized religion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, members can essentially select what or who they will choose to call their \u201cHigher Power.\u201d&nbsp;For some, God may literally be the God of the Bible; for others, God is an acronym that stands for Good Orderly Direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You might be wondering why they even talk about a Higher Power in the first place. There is a good reason. The idea is that addiction, as a force, is something that we cannot face by ourselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To fight our addiction, we must enlist the help of a Higher Power, as we cannot do it alone. The Higher Power, then, is whatever helps the addict get and stay clean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the end, it\u2019s just one addict helping another that makes the program work. Which leads us to another pervasive myth about NA:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Myth_5_Professionals_run_Narcotics_Anonymous\"><\/span><strong>Myth 5: Professionals run Narcotics Anonymous.<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Several TV shows, including <em>Nurse Jackie<\/em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>Breaking Bad<\/em>, depict Twelve Step meetings as being run by mental health clinicians\u200a\u2014\u200aexperts in the field of addiction.&nbsp;While it is true that hospitals and agencies have support groups that model themselves Twelve Step programs, actual meetings DO NOT have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/smart-recovery\/\">professionals running them<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once again, their Literature is very clear about this issue. The Tenth Tradition says they \u201cshould forever remain nonprofessional.\u201d In other words, nobody is in charge. Meetings do have a chairperson, but their job is to call on people who want to share, welcome newcomers, and make coffee. Anything more than that is really pushing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is nothing wrong with attending a group session run by a psychologist or counselor. It\u2019s just not a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And once again, there&#8217;s a good reason for this. In the&nbsp;<em>Basic Text<\/em>, it mentions that many of the members had tried religion, psychiatry, medicine, all to no avail. It does not want to associate itself with any form of professional organization, because of the stigmas they sometimes carry. It is a support group, plain and simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The only professionals in the room are addicts themselves, there for the same reason as anyone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The closest thing The Narcotics Anonymous Twelve Steps Program has to a counselor-client type relationship is the one a member has with their sponsor. A sponsor is someone who has been around the program longer than you, preferably worked all or most of the steps, and has something that you want\u200a\u2014\u200anamely, their \u201cbrand\u201d of recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We all have different styles, and recovery is no different. Addicts pick sponsors to guide them through the Steps and to be their role model as they go through the process of recovery. Which leads us to our last myth:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Myth_6_Sleeping_with_your_sponsor_is_normal\"><\/span><strong>Myth 6: Sleeping with your sponsor is normal.<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Showtime\u2019s&nbsp;<em>Dexter&nbsp;<\/em>was an engrossing and well-written TV show with a curious twist. Dexter, the main character, is a forensics expert for the Miami Police Department and moonlights as a serial killer who hunts other serial killers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a fan of the show, I could accept that premise, as far-fetched as it was. But of all the bizarre things that happen in the 8-year run of Dexter, none of them are as stupid as the show\u2019s depiction of sponsorship in Narcotics Anonymous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dexter starts attending meetings for his addiction to heroin, at the behest of his fianc\u00e9 Rita. Dexter is not addicted to heroin but to serial killing, but for some reason, Dexter admits to using heroin, so he ends up in Narcotics Anonymous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shortly afterward, he meets up with a brunette bombshell named Lila who promptly becomes his sponsor. Rita is not wild about this pairing, and for good reason. They have one fight, and Dexter heads over to Lila\u2019s house, and they end up in bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rita has good reason to be upset. First, Lila is a gorgeous predator who is clearly attracted to Dexter. And second, the sponsorship relationship has rules. Opposite sex pairings, while not forbidden, are actively discouraged, for exactly this reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not like it never happens. But Dexter portrays it as the norm, which is as dumb as it is insulting to all the people struggling to get clean. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Narcotics Anonymous offers several recommendations to newcomers (like Dexter)\u200a\u2014\u200aone of them is no <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" data-wpil=\"url\" href=\"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/category\/relationships\/\" title=\"relationships\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">relationships<\/a> for a year. So right off the bat, Dexter\u2019s got a female sponsor, and he\u2019s sleeping with her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s careless writing. The show doesn\u2019t even attempt to make their relationship seem unusual. It is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Final_Thoughts\"><\/span><strong>Final Thoughts<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Unless you have been to a Narcotics Anonymous Twelve Steps meeting, you probably have no idea what they are really like. That&#8217;s true of most people, so don&#8217;t feel too bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But ask yourself this: do you know someone who is struggling with a drug or <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/i-have-a-problem-with-alcohol\/\" title=\"alcohol addiction\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">alcohol addiction<\/a>? Are you yourself the one who is suffering? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Drug and alcohol abuse is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/myths-about-addiction\/\" class=\"rank-math-link\">worldwide epidemi<\/a>c, affecting hundreds of millions of children, adults, and families. There\u2019s a good chance that at least one person in your life has a problem with drugs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What would you do if that person came to you and asked for help? You want to help them right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the only information you have is the garbage that media feeds you, you are not able to give good advice. Addiction ruins lives, families, careers, and marriages. <a class=\"ek-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/suicide-in-the-united-states\/\">And it can kill you dead.<\/a> Myths do nothing but harm those who need help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"References_and_Further_Reading\"><\/span>References and Further Reading<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.na.org\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"ek-link\">Narcotics Anonymous World Services<\/a><\/li><li><a aria-label=\"Narcotics Anonymous (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"rank-math-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.addictioncenter.com\/treatment\/12-step-programs\/narcotics-anonymous\/\" target=\"_blank\">Narcotics Anonymous<\/a><\/li><li><a aria-label=\"What to Know About the Narcotics Anonymous 12-Step Program (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"rank-math-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.recovery.org\/support-groups\/narcotics-anonymous\/\" target=\"_blank\">What to Know About the Narcotics Anonymous 12-Step Program<\/a><\/li><li><a aria-label=\"Narcotics Anonymous Meetings Can Help Drug Addictions (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"rank-math-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.verywellmind.com\/state-by-state-na-meetings-63424\" target=\"_blank\">Narcotics Anonymous Meetings Can Help Drug Addictions<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Narcotics Anonymous is a misunderstood organization. It doesn&#8217;t help that TV and films have misrepresented it for decades.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":31037,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","ub_ctt_via":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[812,972,800,44,39,45,42,43],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/29.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Randy Withers, LCMHC","author_link":"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/author\/randy-withers\/"},"modified_by":"Randy Withers, LCMHC","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/29.jpg",1600,900,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/29-150x84.jpg",150,84,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/29-200x113.jpg",200,113,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/29-768x432.jpg",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/29-400x225.jpg",400,225,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/29-1536x864.jpg",1536,864,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/29.jpg",1600,900,false],"tiny":["https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/29.jpg",60,34,false],"thumbnail-medium":["https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/29.jpg",480,270,false],"thumbnail-square":["https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/29.jpg",480,270,false],"thumbnail-portrait":["https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/29.jpg",480,270,false],"thumbnail-large":["https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/29.jpg",720,405,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Randy Withers, LCMHC","author_link":"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/author\/randy-withers\/"},"uagb_comment_info":5,"uagb_excerpt":"Narcotics Anonymous is a misunderstood organization. It doesn't help that TV and films have misrepresented it for decades.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=628"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31037"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blunt-therapy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}