Hey Look at My Narcotics Anonymous Key Tag, I’m a Drug Addict « What Winners Do

Hey Look at My Narcotics Anonymous Key Tag, I’m a Drug Addict

Posted on May 29, 2010

Anyone who has gone to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting knows that just as they do in Alcoholics Anonymous they celebrate lengths of sobriety. There is just one difference. Instead of giving you a nice little chip that you can keep in a private place and be proud of like you get in Alcoholics Anonymous, you get a key tag. A florescent colored, sometimes glow in the dark, hey look over here, key tag.

Am I the only one that thinks this is a little strange? Don't get me wrong, I appreciate everyone acknowledging that I have been clean from any mood altering substances for a certain amount of time. It's a great idea. I just don't see anyone actually using this to hold their keys on. Do you?

I just think it's funny. Out of everything that they could have picked they chose an item that would be out in the public eye a lot of the time. I know, I can hear it already, "What would you have picked instead Mrs. Know it all?".

Let me think here for a moment. Bottle opener? No, that's not a good idea, kind of sends the wrong message. Umm...I know a little vanity mirror! No, no that could be used as drug paraphernalia (you former coke users out there know where I'm going with that one). Wow, this is harder than I thought. Ok, ok. I give up. I can't think of anything better than the key tag.

Hey no one ever told me I had to put my keys on it anyway. I guess I'll just collect them like I do the chips. That is my favorite part of the meeting. Everyone really gets into it and applauds other people for their hard work and their success. Even though I'm just getting a plastic key tag I feel like I'm accepting an award. Hey, maybe they really do know what they are doing at these meetings huh?

Filed under: narcotics anonymous/alcoholics anonymous Leave a comment

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nevermind3z3(aka) Kiely
April 18th, 2007 - 15:50

hmmm never been to a meeting but my mom wants me to. If I got one of those things, id be a little embarassed to actually use it as a key tag too

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- Joe
  June 12th, 2010 - 11:21
  
  no u wouldnt u would be very proud of urself just like i am to carry all my tags around i have every one of them conected to each other plus 2 multiple years tags cuz i have 3 years clean
  
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Friend of Jimmy K
October 12th, 2007 - 09:58

You know for some of us NA works regardless of your opinions. Society will be happy to know that because of NA your homes, your posessions and your daughters are safe from me today. What a blessing that is to so many. We each find our own way to get and stay clean. Knocking any other program that helps people has nothing to do with recovery, spirituality or living by spiritual principles. Today I can tolerate you biased adn prejudiced opinions with grace. God bless you.

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Erin
October 14th, 2007 - 11:16

Not sure what you were reading…but I didn’t knock NA in any way. I find humor in things, this is how I cope. I see you don’t cope in the same way which is fine, but don’t say that I have biased and prejudiced opinions when that is just not true.

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Erin
October 14th, 2007 - 11:27

This is just in addition to my comment above directed to Friend of Jimmy K – I was in no way knocking NA when writing the above post. This was written on April 6th which was very, very early in my recovery. Laughter is a way of me coping…so just know that I was not knocking any program, only make light of my new experiences.

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Jeff
November 19th, 2007 - 20:03

I’m a recovering addict that is damn proud of all my key tags!I’ve worked hard and long to get them and with the help of God,family and real true friends I intend to get one every year.I’ve had people ask me about them and I don’t even think twice about telling them all about them in hope that my story may help save the life of a fellow addict or give hope to a family member or friend of a suffering addict.Clean date 9/18/05

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acewldr
November 25th, 2007 - 02:23

I think erin was just commenting on the social stigma of putting something out there that may be kept private by some (in public), then i think of jeff’s comment and imagine a suffering addict seeing his keychain and asking about n.a. thus enabling jeff to help that person,which would be f$#@ing outstanding. An intentionally lighthearted discussion in my opinion. can you dig it? by the way, 2 yrs. plus,rock on jeff, i look up to you and those like you,you are a credit to the program.

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Erin
November 25th, 2007 - 10:44

Acewldr – thank you for realizing that this post was meant to be taken lightheartedly.

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Nick
December 20th, 2007 - 03:14

My name is Nick and I’m an addict, if you’ve ever been to a meeting, you’ll know that this is how we’re introduced. It’s about identifying yourself as a person with this disease of addiction, having this on a key chain where everyone can see is like the same thing but in public. I like being strait forward with my disease and i keep my tags on my keys with pride. It might even help people get a better understanding of me in a social setting.

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Debbie
November 2nd, 2008 - 01:59

Today I have 2 years, 4 months and 25 days clean. I am VERY proud of my keychains. I do sport my keys on them, they constantly remind me throughout the day that I have accomplished another day, another hour another second of sobriety. I find no shame in my recovery.

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Kimberly Freiberger
February 6th, 2009 - 16:00

Today I have been clean for 257 days. On Feb 25th I will get my yellow keytag.. 9 fricking months worth of miracles baby!!! Because of NA, my kids are safe and loved today and I am not walking around full of rage and the list goes on and on… I am happy.. Not only do I carry a keytag with my keys on it but all of them are on there. Just to clarify, to date, that means white, orange, green, red, and blue. GO NA! NA rocks!!

A grateful recovering addict,

Kim
Clarksville, Indiana
Louisville Kentucky Area

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Ashley
February 16th, 2009 - 16:34

I agree completely! I am very proud of my clean time. I lost my kids and then earned them back. But, why would I want to walk around the rest of society with a tag that screams “Look how I fucked up!”. No one need know I lost everything, just knowing I have it back is enough. When women hook all the tags together and hook them on their purse I feel shame for them. This is their only accomplishment in life? To stop doing what they shouldn’t have done in the first place? Are these people so brain dead that can’t see having these out in the open will put an automatic bar on how far they can rise in society? Please. Clean time should be rewarded but key tags were a stupid as hell idea. Should have just stole the chips from AA like everything else.

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Isabella
February 27th, 2009 - 19:27

I’m Isabella, I’m an alcoholic addict from Seattle. True you can keep the coins from AA at home and admire them on your own time and not have to carry them around, but it is the same for the NA keychains as well. You don’t HAVE to carry it on your keys, it’s not like you’ll get arrested if you don’t have it on you at all times. If you have such a problem with wearing it out the just don’t, though I don’t know why anyone would ever be emberassed of their sobriety, seems a bit foolish if you ask me.

I have nothing to be ashamed about. Addiction is very common and I am proud that I have chosen the way of sobriety and I don’t care who knows it. I wear my keychains around my neck and whoever sees them can think whatever they’d like, because I know I am a good, fully functioning, happy, sober person.

And to Ashley, NA doesn’t mean your fucked up, it means you’re trying to live a better life. Clearly you don’t understand what it means to be in recovery.

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Mike M
April 28th, 2009 - 18:33

Its not saying “Look over here im a drug addict”, its obviously means you are a RECOVERING drug addict, and that is something to be proud of. I would love to be at a meeting if you said this and listen to every single person rip your ass apart.

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Tom B.
May 19th, 2009 - 22:20

Well it sounds like Erin set the stage for the fur to fly. Erin, I took your well written comments in the spirit that they were intended. Thank you for bringing a little levity to the process of recovery. I admire all addicts that have recovery time and take pride in it. I don’t like to see any body loose their spiritual principal of loving kindness that we all had to work so hard to achieve. There is some good and truth in every thing that was said. It enlightened me and thank you all for taking the time to express your point of view.

Warm regards to you all,

Tom B.

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Erin
May 21st, 2009 - 08:08

Thanks Tom. You get it

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ssss
June 16th, 2009 - 22:47

some people are proud of their recovery and want to show it off to everyone and are not embarassed
&&& if you are you don’t have to wear it

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Jen
July 31st, 2009 - 08:46

I currently attend NA twice a week. I have six months clean and I take a great deal of pride in my neon key tags! While in recovery we are taught how important it is to share with others the miracle of our recoveries. “We can only keep what we have by giving it away!” I know myself and others in my group are proud of those key tags and we do sport them with our keys! I have no problem with anyone seeing them because having the capacity to finally be honest with the world is the biggest step in recovery! And sharing with others not only keeps us clean but may help someone else out there find that they are not alone! I thank god “Just for today!”

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Kim
August 5th, 2009 - 16:55

My addiction to pain-killers started after I had my gallbladder out last July. Since I started attending NA meetings, I have been clean of opiates for a little over two weeks. Seeing that white NA ‘just for today’ key tag as well as attending meetings, has kept me from going back to opiates. This is the longest I’ve been clean and serene. It was hard as hell for me to admit to my addiction. I’m not at all embarassed about wearing an NA key tag. It’s a reminder to me to work the program.

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Dave
October 3rd, 2009 - 20:48

Welcome Kim, and thank you for your post, it inspired me to write this. You are a special person, never forget that! Ashley, keep coming back dear!

I’m Dave, and I’m a greatfully recovering addict. Today I have 771 days clean and am 47 years old. My life was filled with years of abusing myself until I decided to surrender August 22, 2007. 2 years, 1 month and 10 days later, I am clean and working on being the best person I can be. Had you told me I would be typing something of this nature 3 years ago, I would have asked you where you got such good drugs from, them take it from you.
This is such an amazing program. I ave met SO many different people…..just like me. When I take time off from work for vacation, it is planned to make sure there are meeting there. I try to do the right things for the right reasons.
I have had 4 spinal surgeries, 17 epidurals and a few fusions. All this took its tol over time with no thanks to Mr. Oxycontin and Dr. Feelgood. For SOME reason, my higher power decided I had enough and opened my eyes to NA. If there isn’t an NA meeting near, AA will do. Recovery is discovery.

I wear my tags with pride. Sh#t, I have embroidered jackets and shirts with the NA symbol and my clean date on it. My motorcycle helmet is indicative of recovery……without recovery, I would perish. I LIVE TODAY, Just For Today.

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Dave
October 3rd, 2009 - 20:55

OH, I forgot to add

Keep up the good work Ash!

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- Dave
  October 3rd, 2009 - 20:56
  
  Grrr TYPOS.
  
  My Mind is doing so many things…. TY ERIN!
  
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James Michaels
January 14th, 2010 - 13:54

I do not like the key tags. I went out and purchased NA coins that can used like poker chips. My wife has them locked up and when I reach a milestone, she gives me what I have earned.

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Kenny
February 3rd, 2010 - 21:21

I’m a addict called Kenny been CLEAN 7753 DAYS thats 21 yrs 2 months 20 days carry my keytags with pride. Many many people knew about my addiction and all the problems it caused my family and many others. So I have no problem letting people see that I am in recovery. I have had many people ask about the keytags in my time around the fellowship of narcotics anonymous and am not ashamed in any way to tell the about the life that this fellowship has given me and my family. Many of those people that have asked about those keytags are now also living a new life in NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS!!!!!!! KEEP COMING BACK NO DON’T LEAVE

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rena
May 22nd, 2010 - 00:51

i just happened to run across this post while trying to do research for a final paper. The post is about NA and the keychains. I actually proudly have my keys on my lengthy chain of key faubs. I like the faubs alot better then the coins because many times a day I see them and it makes me proud of my clean time; and it is a great reminder. my key chains have also sparked up conversation from other members who happened to notice my key faubs. So to answer your question…yes people really do use them for thier keys.

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DanN
June 18th, 2010 - 01:19

I agree that using the key tags out in public is probably not a good idea, regardless of how proud you may be of your recovery.

While we NA members may be open-minded, caring individuals who think that our recovery is something that should be celebrated, you can bet that MOST people in the “real world” do not share our view. There is still an incredible stigma attached to drug users/addicts, EVEN IF THEY ARE IN RECOVERY. Remember, NA is NOT “real life.”

If you are planning on displaying your key tags in public with NA recovery bravado, just remember: for every person you meet that gives you a positive comment about the tag (perhaps a fellow addict), there are 9 other people that are judging you negatively when they see it. That is just the ways things work. Don’t be a fool and carry around your key tags when going to a job interview, meeting new people, etc., unless you like being judged negatively. Honesty is incredibly important, but it is not necessary to reveal every aspect of yourself at all times in all situations; life is not an NA meeting.

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Chasinsanity
August 5th, 2010 - 15:30

IM PROUD OF MY KEY TAGS (and i use them too) put my keys on them, and it makes u feel good that you can easily carry it with you all the time.

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