Narateen groups, which are a part of the Nar-Anon fellowship, are formed to provide support to the teen-aged family members and friends of addicts. A Narateen group is a safe environment where teenagers can share and work on their recovery.
The principles that apply in the Nar-Anon Fellowship, such as honesty, trust, confidence and anonymity, also apply to Narateen, as do the Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions and Twelve Concepts of Service.
Narateens are the younger members of the Nar-Anon Family Groups who have suffered because of the addiction problems of a loved one or someone very close to them. They have come to Narateen seeking recovery. Before recovery can take place, an environment of trust and safety must exist. It is the responsibility of Nar-Anon and Narateen as a whole to work together to maintain a healthy, loving and supportive environment.
If you’re looking for a Narateen meeting, see the meeting list
Find out more about the Ontario Narateen program in this document:
Ontario Region Narateen Safety and Policy Guidelines
20 Questions – is Narateen for Me?
Narateen is for young people whose lives have been affected by someone else’s drug use.
The following twenty questions are to help you decide whether or not Narateen is for you.
1. Do you have a parent, close friend, or relative whose drug use upsets you?
2. Do you cover up your real feelings by pretending you don’t care?
3. Does it seem like every holiday is spoiled because of drugs?
4. Do you tell lies to cover up for someone using drugs or what’s happening in your home?
5. Do you stay out of the house as much as possible because you hate it there?
6. Are you afraid to upset someone for fear it will set them off to use drugs?
7. Do you feel nobody really loves or cares about what happens to you?
8. Are you afraid or embarrassed to bring your friends home?
9. Do you think the drug user’s behaviour is caused by you, other members of your family, friends, or tough breaks in life?
10. Do you make threats such as, “If you don’t stop using, fighting, etc; I’ll run away”?
11. Do you make promises about behaviours such as, “I’ll get better school grades, go to church or keep my room clean”, in exchange for a promise that the using and fighting stop?
12. Do you feel that if your Mom or Dad loved you, she or he would stop using?
13. Do you ever threaten or actually hurt yourself to scare your parents into saying “I’m sorry” or “I love you”?
14. Do you believe no one could possibly understand how you feel?
15. Do you have money problems because of someone else’s using?
16. Are mealtimes frequently delayed because of the user?
17. Have you ever considered calling the police because of the user?
18. Have you refused dates out of fear of anxiety?
19. Do you think if the user stopped using drugs, your problems would be solved?
20. Do you ever treat people (teachers, classmates, teammates, etc.) unjustly because you are angry with someone else for using drugs?
