The History Of Narcotics Anonymous - March 2016

“The History of Narcotics Anonymous” was presented on March 22, 2016, by Chris Budnick, MSW, LCSW, LCAS, CCS, Vice President of Programs for The Healing Place of Wake County; and Boyd Pickard, Research Assistant at the Illinois Addiction Studies Archives. Narcotics Anonymous (N.A.) constitutes one of the most important addiction recovery mutual aid resources. Founded in the culturally hostile environment of the 1950s, NA now carries its message of hope at more than 63,000 weekly meetings in 132 countries, while NA’s unique history, culture, and distinctiveness are routinely obscured within references to “A.A. and other Twelve Step programs.” This presentation will review the history of NA, with a particular emphasis on the role members of Alcoholics Anonymous played in the birth and early evolution of N.A. Join these eminent NA historians to learn about the legislation that led to the criminalization of addiction in the U.S., the unique contributions Narcotics Anonymous has made and the scope of NA today.
About the Presenters:
Chris Budnick is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist. He is the Vice President of Programs for The Healing Place of Wake County, a non-profit 501(c)(3) recovery and rehabilitation facility for homeless people with alcohol and drug dependency, located in Raleigh, NC. He is also an Adjunct Faculty member with the North Carolina State University Department of Social Work, founding Board Member of Recovery Communities of North Carolina, Inc., Recovery Africa Board Member and North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program Board Member.
Boyd Pickard is a Research Assistant at the Illinois Addiction Studies Archives, which is committed to providing an exceptional resource to addiction professionals, students of addiction sciences, and all others interested in the field of addiction treatment and recovery. The Archive includes articles and items of interest ranging in dates from 1834 to the present.
Boyd Pickard and Chris Budnick are co-authors (with William White) of several papers chronicling the history and culture of Narcotics Anonymous (posted at www.williamwhitepapers.com).
Chris Budnick is a co-author (with William White and Boyd Pickard) of several papers chronicling the history and culture of Narcotics Anonymous (posted at www.williamwhitepapers.com.)
This presentation is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a free, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues. The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of chemical dependency services. For information, please see www.dawnfarm.org/programs/educ....
Filmed by Bill Hall, TalkVideo.