If you or someone so dear to you is recovering from drug or alcohol abuse, any stride made towards sobriety is worth celebrating.
There are several creative ways to celebrate sobriety milestones. One such method is using recovery gifts, which are typically available in coins or medallions.
Here’s everything to know about recovery coins, with a special focus on the significance of NA medallions.
Introducing NA Medallions
Recovery medallions, also known as sobriety medallions, are special coins or chips awarded to people who’ve stayed clean for specific durations. They come in diverse colors, with each shade representing certain sobriety milestones.
The first recovery medallions are typically white. Such coins resemble your initial commitment to stay away from alcohol or drugs. The colors then change progressively with each month. Chips earned after the first year, and subsequent years, of sobriety are usually bronze-colored.
Most recovery coins you’ll come across are engraved with the initials AA or NA.
AA is short for Alcoholics Anonymous, the leading global fellowship of people committed to fighting alcohol addiction. NA, on the other hand, stands for Narcotics Anonymous, a fellowship of people trying to overcome drug addiction.
Former drug addicts receive NA medallions after accomplishing certain milestones in their journey to cleanliness. These badges of honor allow the recipient to celebrate every little achievement while looking forward to a more hopeful, drug-free future.
The Significance of NA Medallions in Recovery
1. Celebrating Daily Triumphs
Achieving a complete drug-free life is a long-term process rather than overnight commitment. Even worse is that the journey is fraught with immense challenges.
Recovery medallions let you celebrate every little achievement in your quest for full sobriety. It’s those daily triumphs over drugs that ultimately count.
2. Reminding You of a Dark Past
It’s impossible to embrace the future unless we fully acknowledge our past failures.
This adage rings more true when discussing drug abuse.
Remember those evenings you lay wasted in backstreet corners after overdosing on Ecstasy? Or those close encounters with fentanyl?
While these tragic experiences may not easily escape your conscious memory, you need a physical reminder of how you almost lost your precious life to narcotics. And that’s where Narcotics Anonymous recovery medallions come in.
NA chips stand as a constant reminder of where you came from and the perils of slipping back into that state.
3. Signifying Progress
If you’ve been hooked to drugs for years, weaning off these substances from your system can feel like a long-drawn odyssey to an unknown destination. With no one around to give you some pep talk, you may occasionally doubt your resolve to stay sober.
Receiving an NA recovery coin is the surest proof that you’ve made some progress in your newfound path to sobriety.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s two years or only one day. NA medallions are a reminder that your commitment has already borne some fruit, and that there could be more rewards if you only press on.
4. Boosting Self-esteem
Narcotics Anonymous recovery coins are no longer available as plain medallions only engraved with the “NA” initials. Most of these chips are now personalized to reflect the honoree’s personality.
Some custom recovery NA medallions feature motivational one-liners like “Yes I can.” Repeating these affirmations whenever you interact with the coin might be the morale booster you needed to fend off drug cravings.
You could also have your NA recovery medallions engraved with quotes that reconnect you with your higher power, or those that encourage you to join a noble cause. A classic case is this coin, which pays tribute to God and humanity.
5. Preventing Relapse
Drug addiction has a way of rewiring the brain. Most narcotics target the brain regions that control feelings, pleasure, cravings, reaction time, and memory. Thelong-term effects can be devastating.
An NA recovery medallion may not treat brain damage caused by chronic substance abuse. But it can prevent further neurological degeneration by nudging you to cultivate a positive outlook of life.
NA recovery chips let you focus on the achievements made so far, however insignificant they may seem. Such a positive mindset can go a long way in preventing relapse.
6. Complementing Your Support System
A solid support system plays a key role in accelerating recovery from drugs.
Simply having your significant other comfort you whenever you’re battling drug withdrawal symptoms is really comforting. It’s equally heartwarming to have a colleague stand in for you when withdrawal headaches couldn’t let you get to work in time.
However, you won’t always have your social support system around to comfort and advice you. Unsurprisingly, it’s during their absence that the urge to relapse hits hardest.
An NA recovery medallion is that partner who’ll never leave your side.
Mount the coin on your pendant necklace or add it to your keychain and bring it wherever you go. You can then glance on it for an extra dose of motivation whenever drug cravings threaten to overwhelm you.
Final Word
Narcotics Anonymous medallions aren’t intended to make the recipient bask in the glory of their achievements and cast all care to the world.
It’s okay to savor the excitement of receiving and displaying your NA sobriety coins. However, the ultimate goal is to put your narcotic past behind you.
Therefore, it would be prudent to take additional measures to stay drug-free. Examples include practicing yoga and mindfulness meditation, following the spiritual principles of sobriety, avoiding people or places that trigger drug stimuli, etc.
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