‘Any addict can recover’: Narcotics Anonymous Gateway Group completes 39 years

The Gateway group meeting marking 39 years, which was held on May 8. Pics/By Special Arrangement

It was 39 is fine for Narcotics Anonymous (NA) Gateway Group, which marked one year short of four decades of meetings at a school near Regal cinema in Colaba, South Mumbai, on May 8. The NA is a fellowship of men and women for whom drugs were a major problem. They are recovering addicts who meet regularly to help each other stay clean. The only requirement for membership is the desire to stop using drugs.

"We have come such a long way since our first meeting here on May 1, 1987. Many in the audience today may not have been born during that year. Some may recall those first meetings. The point is that one is always a recovering addict. One is never a fully recovered addict. That is why these meetings are a valuable resource for support and sharing," said an organiser.

Only another addict understands the pain of an addict, said speakers

Some were celebrating 30 days of being clean. A few were 30 years clean, and yet, they attended meetings. At the heart of NA is a simple and powerful message: ‘Any addict can stop using drugs, lose the desire to use, and find a new way to live.' NA groups in SoBo organise regular meetings in Colaba, Marine Lines, Mahalaxmi, and Byculla.

Words of recovering addicts

>> "I had to have drugs at any cost, including stealing from the house. My sister's earrings were a target too."
>> "We are powerless over our addiction. It is always that one is too many and then, even a thousand not enough."
>> "All I could think of was drugs. I recall during a communal riot in Mumbai, a bullet literally whizzed past my ear, but that did not stop me from going out to get the drug."
>> "During the Mumbai deluge, I held my drug stash over my head and walked through floods to take it to a safe space."

Doc Talk

Dr Ashish Deshpande, psychiatrist, said, "All addictions are considered by medical professionals as a ‘disease of the brain and the mind'. The commonest outcome in substance use disorders is recovery. But unfortunately, because of a lack of awareness and taboo, help does not reach the suffering addict or alcoholic. For every person afflicted with addiction, there are loved ones who literally go through hell."

What is NA?

It is a worldwide, non-profit fellowship founded in 1953, with more than 72,000 weekly meetings in over 144+ countries. NA in India was established in 1983 and today hosts over 466 weekly meetings across the country. The first NA meeting in Mumbai was held in Mahim on September 8, 1983. Today, Mumbai has 19 groups conducting 32 meetings weekly.

Reach out
For those wanting to recover or learn more about NA meetings in South Mumbai, contact:

Helpline
(South Mumbai):99670 51119
Website: nasouthmumbai.in

May 1, 1987
Day first NA meeting was held in Colaba