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 is 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.
Subscribe to NAWS Emails
Sign up to receive Just for Today and SPAD daily meditation emails, as well as NAWS News, NAWS Updates, and more.
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 06, 2025 |
“I'm sorry” |
Page 196 |
“The main thing [the Eighth Step] does for us is to help build awareness that, little by little, we are gaining new attitudes about ourselves and how we deal with other people.“ |
Basic Text, p. 39 |
To say “I'm sorry” probably isn't such a foreign idea to most of us. In our active addiction, it may have been a very familiar phrase. We were always telling people how sorry we were, and were probably deeply surprised when someone, tired of our meaningless apologies, responded with, “You sure are. In fact, you're the sorriest excuse for…” That may have been our first clue that an “I'm sorry” didn't really make any difference to those we harmed, especially when we both knew that we'd just do the same thing again. Many of us thought that making amends would be another “I'm sorry.” However, the action we take in those steps is entirely different. Making amends means to make changes, and above all, to make the situation right. If we stole money, we don't just say “I'm sorry. I'll never do it again now that I'm clean.” We pay the money back. If we neglected or abused our families, we don't just apologize. We begin to treat them with respect. Amending our behavior and the way we treat ourselves and others is the whole purpose of working the steps. We're no longer just “sorry”; we're responsible. |
Just for Today: I accept responsibility for myself and my recovery. Today, I will amend some particular thing I'm sorry for. |
A Spiritual Principle a Day
July 06, 2025 |
Moving Forward with Passion |
Page 194 |
“Passion is a lot like desperation: It is a motivating, energizing force that can propel us forward.“ |
Living Clean, Chapter 1, “Desperation to Passion” |
The gift of desperation doesn't look the same for all of us. One member quipped, “You can get off at any floor on the way down to hell.” All of us were propelled into NA by despair, pain, and fear. And–over time–we're able to harness that energy to transform it into enough passion and excitement–even joy–to help us stay clean another day, grow spiritually, and live creatively and with purpose. Living Clean reminds us: “Making the shift from desperation to passion is a First Step issue.” In desperation, we surrender to being powerless over our addiction, and ultimately surrender to the first steps on our path of a new life and to the purpose of carrying the NA message. The member continued, “After my initial surrender, the changes I saw in myself fueled my passion for recovery! I was energized by the potential of what could come next.” Like that initial surrender, this desperation-to-passion shift isn't a one-time deal. Despair still happens in recovery. But we can allow it to motivate us, driving us to make needed changes to our program and reigniting our passion to persevere with purpose. Passion, like desperation, doesn't manifest in the same ways for all of us. Our personalities absolutely play a part in how our passion is revealed–and our mood also affects how we experience it. What is burning, purposeful, and creative passion on one day–excitement for sponsorship, motivation to serve, strongly held conviction–may look more like quiet fidelity to our program or begrudging perseverance on another. Although the fires may burn differently, they all propel us forward. Our passions don't always remain fixed, either. We may revisit ones long forgotten and discover new ones. We're free to passionately pursue the things that bring us joy and nurture our spirits–both in the rooms of NA and out in the world. |
——— ——— ——— ——— ——— |
Passion isn't just a feeling. It's an energy I'll use today to move forward in my program, in my relationships, in my purpose. |
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…”
Subscribe to NAWS Emails
Sign up to receive NAWS Updates and NAWS News emails as well as Just for Today and SPAD daily emails.