What is CMA?

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 medication 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.

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.

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 about other programs?

We find that we relate best to other crystal meth addicts since we share the same experiences of darkness, paranoia and other compulsions that addiction to crystal meth brings. The behaviors of addiction may differ from program to program, but the principles of recovery remain the same.

Crystal Meth Anonymous is based on the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. All Twelve-Step programs share the tools of spiritual living that help us stay clean. Many of us attend other fellowships, but the feeling of identification in the rooms of CMA keeps us coming back.

How Can I Stay Clean?

We practice three basic actions for recovery:

Meetings and 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.

Sponsorship and 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 and 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.