Narateen
Join a supportive community who understand what you're going through. You are not alone
Support & Understanding
for Teens Affected by
Someone Else's Addiction
Are you affected by someone else’s addiction? You're not alone.
Narateen, which are part of the Nar-Anon fellowship, are formed to provide support to teenage family members and friends of addicts.
A Narateen group is a safe environment where teenagers can share and work on their recovery.
By sharing experience, strength, and hope in the meetings, help and support can be found for the problems caused by addiction.
Join us and discover that together, we can find fellowship, peace and serenity.
When you come into the Narateen group you are no longer alone but among true friends who understand your problems as few others could. We discover no situation is hopeless. You can find serenity and happiness whether the addict is using or not.
It is painful to watch our loved ones slowly kill themselves with drugs. We see them deteriorate before our eyes and are powerless to stop them.
When the addicts are our parents, we may never have had a childhood because we assumed parental responsibilities at an early age. We may cover up for addicted siblings or friends; we may blame them or may excuse their unacceptable behaviour. We worry, we take on their responsibilities, we make excuses, and we try to cover up for them. This is our anxiety, and as a result, we become enablers.
We may believe we are here for the addicts and by attending these meetings we will find out how to stop them from using. We are here because our lives are affected by our loved ones’ addiction. Therefore, we can identify with Nar-Anon’s first step which states, “We admitted we were powerless over the addict – that our lives had become unmanageable.” We discover the disease of addiction affects our loved ones’ actions and behaviours. We soon learn we did not cause the addicts to use, we cannot control their actions, nor can we cure their addiction.
We find we are here for ourselves.
The following twenty questions are to help you decide whether or not Narateen is for you.
If you answer yes to one or more of the questions below, a loved one's addiction is affecting your life.
- Do you have a parent, close friend, or relative whose drug use upsets you?
- Do you cover up your real feelings by pretending you don't care?
- Does it seem like every holiday is spoiled because of the drugs?
- Do you tell lies to cover up for someone using drugs or what's happening in your home?
- Do you stay out of the house as much as possible because you hate it there?
- Are you afraid to upset someone for fear it will set them off to using drugs?
- Do you feel nobody really loves or cares what happens to you?
- Are you afraid or embarrassed to bring your friends home?
- Do you think the drug user's behavior is caused by you, other members of your family, friends, or tough
breaks in life? - Do you make threats such as, "If you don't stop using, fighting, etc; I'll run away"?
- . Do you make promises about behaviors such as, "I'll get better school grades, go to church or keep my
room clean", in exchange for a promise that the using and fighting stop? - Do you feel that if your Mom or Dad loved you, she or he would stop using?
- Do you ever threaten or actually hurt yourself to scare your parents into saying "I'm sorry" or "I love you"?
- Do you believe no one could possibly understand how you feel?
- Do you have money problems because of someone else's using?
- Are meal times frequently delayed because of the user?
- Have you ever considered calling the police because of the user?
- Have you refused dates out of fear of anxiety?
- Do you think if the user stopped using drugs, your problems would be solved?
- Do you ever treat people (teachers, classmates, teammates, etc.) unjustly because you are angry with someone else for using drugs?
Take the First Step
If any of this resonates with you, give Narateen a try. You will no longer alone.
Join Narateen South Africa and find the support and understanding you may need.
For more information or to find a meeting near you, contact us or join a meeting.