GRASS: GREEN RECOVERY AND SOBRIETY SUPPORT

Growth - Respect - Acceptance - Safety - Service 

The core values of Green Recovery And Sobriety Support (GRASS) are Growth, Respect, Acceptance, Safety, and Service. These values represent the essence of GRASS and serve as guideposts for a healthy way to live in community with our GRASSmates in and out of meetings. 

A single blade of grass has no impact on a yard of dirt, but together many blades of grass create something beautiful. 

Growth 

GRASS recognizes that personal growth is essential for recovery from alcoholism, substance use disorders, and other harmful behaviors. Personal growth looks different for everyone. There is no right or wrong way to recover. We encourage our GRASSmates to grow and change in healthy ways. 

Growth is a lifelong process. We acknowledge that change is hard, recovery is not linear, and we are all works in progress. Any steps you take in the right direction get you closer to where you want to be. We celebrate our GRASSmates’ successes, no matter how big or small. 

Growth often means trying new ideas and ways of doing things that take us out of our comfort zone. Keep an open mind and be willing to explore different paths of personal growth. What works for one person may not work for another. 

GRASS understands that everyone’s recovery is unique. We support our GRASSmates in growth and recovery by sharing our personal stories and the tools that work for us as individuals.

Respect 

GRASS believes all people deserve to be treated with respect. Though we come from different backgrounds, we share a common bond: We are people in recovery who use cannabis. 

Respect means that we treat each other with lovingkindness and compassion. We do not pass judgment on our GRASSmates’ chosen path of recovery, how they consume cannabis, or how they live their lives. 

We honor one another’s culture, race, belief system, class, age, gender, and life experiences. We avoid using any slurs, slang, or language that can be construed as harmful to specific groups of people. We also avoid potentially volatile subject matters, including politics and religion. 

If a member uses language that you find offensive or triggering, we recommend muting the person while they share. If someone tells you that you have said something offensive, we ask you to be open-minded to feedback. 

We learn to respect ourselves in recovery by treating others with kindness and respect. When we fall short of these ideals and act in ways contrary to our beliefs, our self-respect can take a hit. We grow in recovery when we are willing to examine and amend our behavior and apologize when we make mistakes. 

We respect our GRASSmates during meetings by focusing on recovery, refraining from disruptive behavior, and sharing the time. We do not speak negatively about our GRASSmates or other recovery programs during meetings and keep interpersonal conflict out of the meeting space. 

We respect the GRASS organization by upholding the GRASS Guiding Principles and GRASS Code of Ethics. We respect GRASS meetings by following individual group rules. By respecting one another, we also respect ourselves. 

Acceptance 

GRASS strives to foster an attitude of acceptance. Every GRASSmate is a valued member of our community. We honor all paths to recovery. We aim to meet our GRASSmates where they are in recovery without judgment. We embrace our differences and avoid conflict. 

Acceptance is a powerful tool in recovery. Learning to accept things we can’t control helps free us from anxiety, anger, and overwhelming emotions that can trigger us to want to escape into unhealthy substances and behaviors. 

GRASS recognizes that acceptance is not always easy. In fact, it is often a messy process. We offer grace to our struggling GRASSmates. 

Acceptance gets easier with time and practice. Accepting our GRASSmates as they are helps us learn to accept other people and situations in our lives. Learning to accept others—flaws and all—helps us learn to accept ourselves. 

Safety 

GRASS is committed to providing a safe environment to nurture your recovery. However, safety in our community is everyone’s responsibility. We encourage everyone to be mindful of their personal safety in meetings, in our online community, and when meeting GRASSmates in person.

To keep our GRASSmates safe, we honor each other’s confidentiality, privacy, and boundaries. To avoid triggering others, we refrain from on-camera use of substances other than cannabis or discussing therapeutic use of other plant-based medicines, psychedelics, or prescription drugs. 

Keep in mind, GRASS is open to people in recovery from many harmful substances and behaviors, including alcohol, drugs, self-harm, gambling, sex, and other obsessive or compulsive behaviors. Be respectful of others’ journeys.   

If you are struggling to stop using or need accountability while taking a prescription, you are welcome to share about it. We just ask you to speak in general terms, not use specific medication names, and focus your share on your feelings.

We avoid inflammatory responses, gossiping, fighting, choosing sides, or harming others. We try to resolve conflicts and live in peace with one another. 

While we believe our GRASSmates are sincerely seeking to better their lives, we recognize that people in recovery are a work in progress. 

As individual GRASS members, we are not medical or legal experts, professional addiction counselors, therapists, or life coaches. We caution against sharing personal or financial data and encourage you to be discerning when considering advice from others. 

If safety concerns arise—for yourself, for another, or for the integrity of the fellowship—seek guidance from GRASS service members.

Service 

GRASS is an all-volunteer organization. Members take turns filling service roles in meetings, committees, and Intergroup. Service in GRASS simply means helping others on an individual, group, or organizational level. Each GRASS group is autonomous and can choose its own formats and service structure. 

We find service work is important for individual recovery, meeting sustainability, and the health of the GRASS organization. Many hands make light work. Without service volunteers, there is no GRASS. 

Working one-on-one with a fellow GRASSmate promotes personal growth in recovery. Helping others allows us to get out of our own heads and shift the focus from our problems to solutions. When a GRASSmate needs help, we aim to listen without criticism or judgment. 

GRASS service commitments keep us connected to our recovery community. Holding a regular service position at the meeting level helps to build consistency in our recovery and fosters a sense of responsibility. This, in turn, builds self-confidence and helps us to grow in recovery. 

GRASS service members represent all members of our community. We do our best to ensure everyone feels welcome and comfortable. Service members strive to listen to one another with an open heart and mind and work together in a spirit of cooperation. 

If at any time we find we are unable to, we will step aside and seek help from another GRASSmate. 

Working with others in recovery can be challenging but is also extremely rewarding. Service work sharpens our recovery tools and helps us to live full and authentic lives in and out of meetings.

Approved by GRASS Intergroup December 2022