Narcotics Anonymous Meetings: Ethnographic Research

Narcotics Anonymous Meetings: Ethnographic Research Study

The focus of this ethnographic research study is the examination of Narcotic Anonymous meetings. This will be accomplished through a participatory observational approach in the formation of a portrait of individuals one would occasion to meet at a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. This study seeks to answer the questions of: (1) Who attends NA meetings and why? (2) What does NA have to offer those attending such meetings? And (3) What makes NA effective?

The focus of this ethnographic research study is the examination of Narcotic Anonymous meetings. This will be accomplished through a participatory observational approach in the formation of a portrait of individuals one would occasion to meet at a Narcotics Anonymous meeting.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The research questions in this study are of the nature that seek understanding of Narcotics Anonymous meetings in terms of their value or practical application in the lives of those who are addicted to narcotics. The ethnographic study is an art form but it is also a form of science and both of these sciences are utilized in the description of a "group or subculture" as research prepares the writer for the writer's provision of a "written description of a particular culture -- the customs, beliefs and behavior -- based on information collected through fieldwork." A great deal of consideration has been given for the questions that researchers would seek to answer in this study examining a subculture so to speak and specifically Narcotic Anonymous meetings. The questions that were chosen are those as follows:

(1) Who attends NA meetings and why?

(2) What does NA have to offer those attending such meetings?

(3) What makes NA effective?

PROCEDURE/METHOD

The procedure to be used includes one that is qualitative in nature and seeks to answer questions that are experiential in nature. Therefore, the writer of this work has attended 6 Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings and has done so through 'becoming' someone temporarily that would attend these meetings. All individuals depicted in this study are protected due to no location information concerning the NA meetings and the fact that their names have been altered so as to avoid identification of participants. A short review of literature will also be included in this study in the form of supporting literature that aligns with findings in this study. As well four individuals have been interviewed in this study and that information will be interpreted as well.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Narcotics Anonymous is "the oldest and largest self-help group for the support of drug abusers." (Peyrot, 1985) The ethnographic study is a sound method in researching substance abuse and NA meetings and just such a study is reported in the work of Pierce (1996) in a study report entitled "Gen-X Junkie: Ethnographic Research with Young White Heroin Users in Washington, D.C. Pierce reports a study that analyzed various aspects of heroin addiction. The strategies for research in ethnographic studies include those of observational study and participatory study. It is stated in the work of Michael Genzuk entitled "A Synthesis of Ethnographic Research" that participant observation is a "…omnibus field strategy in that it "simultaneously combines document analysis, interviewing of respondents and informants, direct participation and observation, and introspection. In participant observation the researcher shares as intimately as possible in the life and activities of the people in the observed setting. The purpose of such participation is to develop an insider's view of what is happening. This means that the researcher not only sees what is happening but "feels" what it is like to be part of the group." (Genzuk, nd)

The experiential knowledge of an environment or culture has the ever present challenge of combining observation and participation "…so s to become capable of understanding the experience as an insider while describing the experience for outsiders. The extent to which it is possible for a researcher to become a full participant in an experience will depend partly on the nature of the setting being observed." The researcher is described as a "detective looking for trends and patterns that occur across the various groups or within individuals." Furthermore the analysis and interpretation in such a study involve "disciplined examination, creative insight and careful attention to the purposes of the research study." (Genzuk, nd)

The first ethnography in America came from Christopher Columbus "and a friar he hired on his second voyage (1493 to 1496). The task of the friar was the recording of the customs of the natives and it was noted that the Tainos of Haiti were sniffing a dust that caused them to appear drunk. The investigation of this powder resulted in the knowledge that they were using 'cohoba' "snuffed by chiefs and shamans to communicate with the spirits. It was initially believed that cohoba was merely tobacco however, fifty years later a botanist identified cohoba as a hallucinogenic drugs that came from the beans of a tree Anademanthera peregrine." (Lambert, 1990) Modern day ethnography is said to have began with Thomas De Quincey accredited with the first ethnographer to consider "opiate use in the modern industrial context." (Lambert, 1990) De Quincey wrote "At no time in my life have I ever been a person to hold myself polluted by the touch or approach of any creature that wore a human shape. On the contrary, it has been my pride to converse familiarly & #8230;with all human beings…that chance might fling my way, a practice which is friend to the knowledge of human nature." (Lambert, 1990) Lambert also writes that this is "a great quote for all ethnographers to remember. Having disdain for social classes, particularly if those classes are the very subjects of study is the basis for bias that will distort and probably destroy objectivity." (1990) It is not possible for the ethnographer to accurately depict classes if those classes are something that they view with disdain or are of the nature that they detest. Many 19th century botanists have also been drug ethnographers and this includes Richard Spruce who spent the majority of his life working on his Amazon plan collection. Spence imbibed a drink that the head hunter sorcerers drank called 'yage' which contains the hallucinogen harmine.

RESULTS/DATA

The questions posed in this study were those of: (1) ) Who attends NA meetings and why? (2) What does NA have to offer those attending such meetings? (3) What makes NA effective? The interviews which can be found in Appendix 'A' at the end of this study report revealed that individuals who attend NA meetings are a diverse group of individuals which may include plant workers, doctors, lawyers and even police officers.

The entire spectrum of adulthood age appears to be represented in the group of individuals who attend NA meetings. NA meeting participants are also diverse in terms of age, marital status, and socioeconomic classes. The religious persuasion is just as diverse as the other stated individual characteristics among participants in this study. The reasons given for attending NA meetings was varied but in all cases involved 'intervention' by a key individual in the life of the participant and specifically in this study was intervention on the part of either (1) a spouse; (2) a boss; (3) an employee; or (4) a pastor.