Marijuana Anonymous

Marijuana Anonymous (MA) is a twelve-step program for people with common desire to maintain abstinence from marijuana.[1]

History

Marijuana Anonymous (MA) formed in June 1989[1] to address compulsive use of cannabis. Since its inception, the MA fellowship has followed the Twelve Traditions and suggests practicing the Twelve Steps, both of which originated from Alcoholics Anonymous.[2] Among the founders at the first MA conference in Morro Bay were delegates from Marijuana Smokers Anonymous (Orange County, California), Marijuana Addicts Anonymous (the San Francisco Bay area), and Marijuana Anonymous (Los Angeles County). Other existing fellowships from Seattle and New York (1974), enfolded into MA later.[3]

Marijuana Anonymous set up in London UK in 2000.

Meetings

Meetings are a vital part of the MA program. This is where fellowship members go for support, for literature, and mark and celebrate their abstinence from marijuana. There are regularly scheduled (typically weekly) in-person meetings[4] across the globe, as well as online meetings.[5] Those with a desire to quit marijuana use may also participate in an online discussion forum.[6]

Various meeting formats exist. These include, but are not limited to: speaker, participation, book study, candlelight.

Literature

Life With Hope

The full title is Life With Hope: A Return to Living Through the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Marijuana Anonymous.[7] Similar to AA's book, Twelve Steps & Twelve Traditions, this book describes the steps and traditions of the program as they relate specifically to marijuana addicts. Similar to The Big Book (Alcoholics Anonymous), Life with Hope contains personal stories of recovery. The full text is available in PDF format [8] and an audio version[9] is archived online.

A New Leaf

A monthly newsletter published by Marijuana Anonymous. It contains stories and sobriety anniversaries of MA members along with the occasional article from the board members.[10]

Pamphlets

Like most twelve step programs, MA also has informative pamphlet literature which it gives away for free. Pamphlets topics range from Why Marijuana Anonymous, Detoxing From Marijuana, Working the Program, etc.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 Wetzstein, Cheryl (1997-11-12). "Addicted to weed, boomers abandon life-ruining `herb': Marijuana Anonymous tries to help". Washington Times.
  2. ↑ Vaughan Rees, Jan Copeland and Wendy Swift (1998). A brief cognitive-behavioural intervention for cannabis dependence: Therapists' treatment manual (PDF). University of New South Wales, Australia.
  3. ↑ "Why Marijuana Anonymous?". Marijuana Anonymous. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  4. ↑ "In-Person Meetings". Marijuana Anonymous World Services. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  5. ↑ "Online Meetings". Marijuana Anonymous World Services. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  6. ↑ "Forum". Marijuana Anonymous World Services. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  7. ↑ Marijuana Anonymous World Services, Inc. (2001). Life with Hope: A return to living through the twelve steps and twelve traditions of Marijuana Anonymous (Paperback ed.). Van Nuys: A New Leaf Publications. ISBN 0-9765779-0-9.
  8. ↑ "Life With Hope". Marijuana Anonymous. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  9. ↑ "Life with Hope (audio)". A New Leaf Publications. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  10. ↑ "A New Leaf". A New Leaf Publications. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  11. ↑ "MA Pamphlets". Marijuana Anonymous. Retrieved 23 August 2012.

External links

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