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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.

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“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:

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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

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Daily Meditations

Just for Today

July 24, 2026

The masks have to go
Page 214
“…we covered low self-esteem by hiding behind phony images that we hoped would fool people. The masks have to go.“
Basic Text, p. 33
Over-sensitivity, insecurity, and lack of identity are often associated with active addiction. Many of us carry these with us into recovery; our fears of inadequacy, rejection, and lack of direction do not disappear overnight. Many of us have images, false personalities we have constructed either to protect ourselves or please others. Some of us use masks because we’re not sure who we really are. Sometimes we think that these images, built to protect us while using, might also protect us in recovery.

We use false fronts to hide our true personality, to disguise our lack of self-esteem. These masks hide us from others and also from our own true selves. By living a lie, we are saying that we cannot live with the truth about ourselves. The more we hide our real selves, the more we damage our self-esteem.

One of the miracles of recovery is the recognition of ourselves, complete with assets and liabilities. Self esteem begins with this recognition. Despite our fear of becoming vulnerable, we need to be willing to let go of our disguises. We need to be free of our masks and free to trust ourselves.

Just for Today: I will let go of my masks and allow my self esteem to grow.

A Spiritual Principle a Day

July 24, 2026

Goodwill Is the
Page 212
“Good will is best exemplified in service; proper service is ‘Doing the right thing for the right reason.’“
Basic Text, Our Symbol
When engaging in service in NA, we can get caught up in our reasons why we choose–or are chosen for–a particular commitment. How “pure” is our motivation? How involved is our ego?

A useful skill we have sometimes leads us to the “right thing.” Some of us are natural leaders or organizers, have a knack for relating to people, or are good with numbers or words. Our reason might be as simple as following the suggestion of our sponsor or another member. Sometimes we’re motivated to join a committee based on who else is involved in it–admiring the chairperson’s recovery or wanting to spend more time with friends or someone we have a crush on.

There are more spiritually oriented motivations, too. Perhaps these are even more “right.” It could be a sincere desire to give back. We’re looking for purpose. We want to demonstrate our love for NA or to broaden our minds and our spirits. Maybe we prayed for guidance and walked through the doors that opened up, finding ourselves with a new service commitment.

Maybe we just want to feel better about ourselves.

We cannot completely avoid ego. Feeling good about ourselves is not improper, nor is desiring some validation or approval from others. It’s natural and human to want to be seen positively by our peers, to want others to regain trust in us.

We place our feet as firmly as possible onto the foundation of goodwill and let our primary purpose influence our choices. Striving for an ideal of doing proper service for the right reasons is noble. But we can’t wait until the stars align and the angels sing. Now is the time.
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Regardless of anything else that motivates me, I will focus on exercising goodwill as I serve NA.

Do you need help with a drug problem?

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“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…” 

An Introduction to NA Meetings

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