For assignment two I decided to check out a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. I chose NA because of the fact that I have had experiences with narcotics throughout my whole life with friends and family. I live in the Bronx so I thought it would be a good idea to go somewhere local as opposed to going an hour into Manhattan. I went a step further and looked for a meeting that was located in a run down part of town. The South Bronx would be the place to go for this purpose. The meeting was held on Third Avenue and 161st Street at the Bronx Betterment Center just north of the shopping district called The Hub.
The neighborhood was pretty seedy, many of the buildings were empty, and the stores were few. Across the street stood the old Bronx Courthouse, which is a huge structure that has been closed and boarded up. I did not know what to expect but went in before the meeting started. The inside of the building was not unlike most public centers in city areas. It was one level and had classroom styl
The stories that they told were all about heroin abuse. Some did use other drugs but heroin was the major topic. I found that these people had numerous reasons for using drugs and they centered on the world that they lived in here in the Bronx. They spoke of feeling like there was no point in striving for success because it would amount to nothing. They all know now that drugs are not going to help their situations and reaching the bottom is what they needed to realize that their lives were not as bad as it could get on drugs. I managed to get through it without speaking again.
I chose once again to be incognito and not tell anyone that I was observing for a class. The meeting was run just like the one I went to for AA. A leader started the meeting by telling a qualifying story about her life then everyone else volunteered a story about his or her life and experiences. I believe it is what is called an open discussion meeting. There were only about 11 people in the room including myself. The makeup was most
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