Welcome to Narcotics Anonymous
What is our message? The message is that an addict, any addict, can stop using drugs, lose the desire to use, and find a new way to live. Our message is hope and the promise of freedom.

“When new members come to meetings, our sole interest is in their desire for freedom from active addiction and how we can be of help.”
It Works: How and Why, “Third Tradition”
Is NA for me?
This is a question every potential member must answer for themselves. Here are some recommended resources that may be helpful:
Need help for family or a friend?
NA meetings are run by and for addicts. If you're looking for help for a loved one, you can contact Narcotics Anonymous near you.
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Never before have so many clean addicts, of their own choice and in free society, been able to meet where they please, to maintain their recovery in complete creative freedom.
Basic Text, “We Do Recover”
Recovery Quicklinks:
Service Quicklinks:
Narcotics Anonymous sprang from the Alcoholics Anonymous Program of the late 1940s, with meetings first emerging in the Los Angeles area of California, USA, in the early Fifties. The NA program started as a small US movement that has grown into one of the world's oldest and largest organizations of its type.
Today, Narcotics Anonymous is well established throughout much of the Americas, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Newly formed groups and NA communities are now scattered throughout the Indian subcontinent, Africa, East Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. Narcotics Anonymous books and information pamphlets are currently available in 49 languages.
Information About NA
Daily Meditations
Just for Today
July 31, 2025 |
Freedom from active addiction |
Page 221 |
“Narcotics Anonymous offers only one promise and that is freedom from active addiction, the solution that eluded us for so long.“ |
Basic Text, p. 106 |
NA offers no promises other than freedom from active addiction. It is true that some of our members meet with financial success in recovery. They buy nice houses, drive new cars, wear fine clothes, and form beautiful families. These outward signs of prosperity are not the lot of all of our members, however. A great many of us never achieve financial success. This does not necessarily reflect on the quality of our recovery. When we are tempted to compare ourselves to these other, seemingly more affluent members, it is good to remember why we came to the rooms of Narcotics Anonymous. We came because our lives had fallen down around us. We were emotionally, physically, and spiritually defeated. Our Basic Text reminds us that “in desperation we sought help from each other in Narcotics Anonymous.” We came because we were beaten. For addicts, even one day clean is a miracle. When we remember why we came to Narcotics Anonymous and in what condition we arrived, we realize that material wealth pales in comparison to the spiritual riches we have gained in recovery. |
Just for Today: I have been given a spiritual gift greater than material wealth: my recovery. I will thank the God of my understanding for my freedom from active addiction. |
A Spiritual Principle a Day
July 31, 2025 |
Simplicity Is Key! |
Page 219 |
“Clarity and simplicity are keys to our message Narcotics Anonymous, all by itself, is enough. We promise freedom from active addiction.“ |
Guiding Principles, Tradition Ten, Opening Essay |
Tradition Ten is pretty simple: Addicts have opinions, but NA does not. Topics like politics and religion create unnecessary controversy and conflict. While civic involvement and participation in our faith communities may certainly help us as individuals to get and stay clean, NA is mute on these topics. To maintain an atmosphere of recovery for everyone, we do our best to leave potential distractions at the door. Relatedly, here's a good one that we've heard often: “Narcotics Anonymous is a simple program for complicated people.” And then there's this gem: “Opinions are like belly buttons. Everybody's got one–but that doesn't mean they're useful.” While that statement may ring true, it's not an NA “opinion,” so let's move straightaway to the NA message. Our NA message is clear and simple. Any of us can stop using and stay stopped. Our obsession to use will dissipate. And we can find a new way to live our lives. Freedom from active addiction is our only promise. The program of NA has enough to keep us busy–no need to overcomplicate it. We have Steps, Traditions, and Concepts–twelve of each. We have spiritual principles. We have service, literature, and our Higher Power. We have a vision of making NA accessible to addicts around the world. And we have each other. We need each other to stay clean and to find freedom from active addiction and the complicated mess that goes along with it. Keep it simple. One disease, one program, one promise. |
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NA is enough to keep me clean and free. I'm grateful for all my human complexities, for the outside support I may have, and for the activities and worlds I engage with. But I need to keep my recovery simple. I can commit to that for my own healing–as well as for everyone else who's seeking freedom in the room with me today. |
Do you need help with a drug problem?
“If you’re new to NA or planning to go to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting for the first time, it might be nice to know a little bit about what happens in our meetings. The information here is meant to give you an understanding of what we do when we come together to share recovery…”
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