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Introduction to the Starter Kit:
This section of Nicotine Anonymous® on the Web emulates
the meeting starter kit that is mailed to people when they
inquire by mail about starting a meeting. Some of the material
that is mailed in hard copy is "linked" in this
section. For example, here on the web, you click onto the
hyperlink "meetings" to view the most current meeting
list available, whereas when you are mailed a starter kit,
\a printed meeting list is included.
Nicotine Anonymous is a twelve-step
recovery program adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous. The only
requirement for membership is a desire to stop using nicotine.
Our fellowship defines "abstinence" as a state that
begins when all use of nicotine ceases. There are no dues
or fees, but we are self-supporting through our own contributions.
Our program of recovery consists of the Twelve Steps and Twelve
Traditions and five "tools" - meetings, sponsorship,
literature, the phone list, and service.
We encourage you to start a meeting
in your area. The starter kit section includes suggestions
for: finding a meeting place, outreach ideas to announce the
new meeting, three samples of meeting formats, a guideline
for assembling the "newcomer's welcome packet",
and guidelines for the positions of chairperson, secretary,
and treasurer.
We are happy you want to start a meeting and we want you to
succeed. Therefore, this section includes a lot of detail
and explanatory notes. All of the following are suggestions;
they represent our collective experience.
We are assuming you are new to
our fellowship and there are no other meetings in your area.
We want you to have enough information to be comfortable in
making this commitment. If there are other meetings in your
area, review this package and visit an existing nearby meeting.
Doing so will provide first-hand experience and support.
We suggest you make a personal commitment for a minimum of
three months to keep the meeting open. Some of us make commitments
of up to a year because we have found it takes time to get
a meeting established. Most nicotine users will tell you they
will come to the meeting when you talk about starting one.
Good intentions do not always work out, and if you are the
lone person at the meeting for a while, do not become discouraged,
don't let the early excitement of your effort turn into frustration
and disappointment. If there are other like minded people
to help in the beginning, it makes things easier. Keeping
the meeting going and having it available for the newcomer,
will also help you succeed in your program of recovery.
Before looking for a meeting place, decide on a day and time
for the meeting that fits your schedule. Our meetings generally
last for one hour and are held every week at the same time
and day. Hospitals, churches, banks, community facilities
such as libraries, recreation centers, or health departments
are likely meeting places. Such locations are usually inexpensive.
Try to negotiate a flexible rent that you can afford in the
beginning, than you can increase it as the membership grows.
Some places such as hospitals might not want to charge rent.
In that case we suggest you try to arrange a periodic donation
to a department, such as Community Services. This will keep
Nicotine Anonymous self-supporting in line with our Seventh
Tradition.
1. Prepare a flyer (click here for flyer) and place copies in hospitals,
clinics, libraries and other high traffic locations in your
area.
2. Ask your local newspaper
to list your meeting in their community events section. Many
radio and public television stations as well as your local
cable TV company have the same service available and the listings
are usually free.
3. Inform your county chapters
of the American Lung Association, American Cancer Society
and the American Heart Association, as well as local smoking
cessation programs. And don't forget us - please fill out
the Meeting Directory form.
click on the following links to find out more information
about your kit.
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