Nar-Anon: Help for Wives & Families

Addiction is a family disease and it impacts everyone it touches. If you have a loved one who has struggled with drug abuse, you deserve support and healing just as much as they do. There’s no need to face it on your own. Just like there are 12 Step fellowships for people who abuse drugs and alcohol, there also are 12 Step groups for their family members. Could Nar-Anon provide help for your family?

What is Nar-Anon? 

Nar-Anon is a 12 Step program for the family and friends of people with substance use disorder. It is a free resource and the only requirement to attend is a friend or family member who struggles with substance abuse. Members of Nar-Anon follow their own version of the 12 Steps to find healing:  

1. We admitted we were powerless over the addict — that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

What Happens in a Nar-Anon Meeting?

Doing the work of going through the steps often happens outside of the meetings themselves — either working with a sponsor or in a 12 Step group. Instead, a typical meeting consists of a group reading, discussion, and time for fellowship. You can participate as much as or as little as you like. Expect to hear stories from other people who are struggling just like you — and to maybe learn tips for coping.

Other 12 Step Fellowships for Families

There are other useful 12 Step fellowships for families. Al-Anon is a 12 Step fellowship focused on the families of people who abuse alcohol. CODA is for people who have codependent relationships — often with loved ones who abuse drugs or alcohol. And, ACOA (Adult Children of Alcoholics) is for children of alcoholics who have grown up but still struggle with the impacts of their parent’s drinking.

Get Help for an Addicted Loved One

If your loved one is struggling with drug or alcohol abuse, entering residential addiction treatment could be the best thing for them — and for you. In drug or alcohol rehab, they will heal the causes of their addiction and learn the skills to live successfully. Meanwhile, you will have the time to pursue your own healing. Call our caring team to learn more about what that journey could look like. We’re happy to provide resources as you make your decision — even if your final decision is not for your loved one to attend Sunflower. The best thing that we can do is plant the seed of hope for recovery in your heart. Start today.