What is CMA?
Crystal Meth Anonymous is a fellowship of people for whom drugs, particularly methamphetamines, have become a serious problem. We share our experience, strength and hope with each other, so we may solve our common problem and help others to recover from addiction to crystal meth.
What we do
The members of CMA meet regularly, share support and fellowship, and create a safe environment in which to stay clean and sober.
The fellowship advocates complete abstinence from crystal meth, alcohol, inhalants, any education not taken as prescribed, and all other mind-altering substances.
Prayer and meditation are important parts of our program. Some of us are suspicious at first, fearing we will be made to believe certain things. We also may react to our past experiences with organized religion.
This is a spiritual program. We can define for ourselves the nature of our personal relationship with spirituality. For now, we accept that something has helped many people stay clean and sober. We will begin to define our relationship with spirituality as we work the Twelve Steps with a sponsor.
Frequently Asked Questions
We know from experience, that we had a lot of questions before coming to the rooms of Crystal Meth Anonymous. Am I an addict? What happens in a CMA meeting? How can CMA help me? We've compiled a list of common questions folks have about Crystal Meth Anonymous meetings, fellowship, phone lists and more. If don't find your question listed, or you've read all the answers and still have questions, we invite you to attend an open meeting of CMA or call our toll-free 24-hour Help Line.
Are you an Addict?
Only you can answer this question. For most of us who have admitted defeat, the answer is very clear. Yes, we had a problem, and no, we couldn’t fix the problem by ourselves. No one in Crystal Meth Anonymous will tell you whether you’re an addict or not. Our Third Tradition states, "The only requirement for CMA membership is a desire to stop using." We determine for ourselves whether or not we are an addict. Some of us knew we were addicts before we entered the program, and some of us weren’t sure but knew we wanted to do something about our problem with crystal meth. Visit our "Are You An Addict" page to learn whether you might be an addict.
Why One Day at a Time?
For most of us, the idea of never using again is impossible. If we focus on forever, we may lose sight of what we can do today. For some of us, that commitment had to be: I won’t use just for the next hour.” Staying in the here and now makes sobriety possible. Yesterday is gone; we cannot say what tomorrow will bring. For these reasons we say that we stay clean one day at a time.
What are the Twelve Steps?
The Twelve Steps are a set of principles designed to produce a spiritual awakening. The Steps promote actions that help us to achieve and maintain sobriety. They offer a plan for recovery that helps repair the damage our addiction to crystal meth has caused. The Steps guide us in new ways of living to create a fulfilling life in recovery. Staying clean is our primary goal. When our actions are consistent with our principles, we can have inner peace and can embody honesty and serenity.
How To Stay Clean
Meetings & Fellowship
Our experience has shown that one of the most effective tools to stay clean is daily attendance at Twelve Step meetings. For most of us, active addiction was a very lonely place. Surrounding ourselves with others who are in recovery may be uncomfortable at first, but helps with the fear, sadness and isolation that our addiction created. The Northern California fellowship of CMA offers 47 weekly meetings, including in-person, hybrid and online.
Sponsorship & Step Work
A sponsor is a person in the program who we choose to offer us guidance in working the Twelve Steps. “Working the Steps,” means understanding what the Steps mean, and finding ways to apply them in our daily lives. Sponsors share their experience, strength, and hope. Sponsors describe the way they have stayed clean, and make suggestions to help us maintain our sobriety. Sponsors don’t loan money, act as therapists, or tell us what to do.
Service & Commitments
One of the ways we keep our sobriety is by helping others to stay clean. Service in the program refers to working with others to help them stay sober. A commitment is a responsibility we take, on a volunteer basis, at a specific meeting. Commitments keep us attending our meetings regularly, help others in the program get to know us, and provide us with the satisfaction of following through on what we have committed to do. This is how we rebuild our self-esteem.
Visit the Are you an addict? page to find out if you might be an addict with some clear-cut suggestions on getting and staying sober.
How is CMA Structured?
The Inverted Pyramid
Unlike in traditional hierarchical organizations, CMA and other Twelve Step fellowships are an inverted pyramid with the groups and meetings—and the individual addicts who make up those groups—at the top. CMA relies on its service structure to keep our community connected and growing.