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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:

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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”

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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

March 06, 2026

Rationalizing away our recovery
Page 68
“As a result of the Twelve Steps, I'm not able to hold on to old ways of deceiving myself.“
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We all rationalize. Sometimes we know we are rationalizing, admit we are rationalizing, yet continue to behave according to our rationalizations! Recovery can become very painful when we decide that, for one reason or another, the simple principles of the program don't apply to us.

With the help of our sponsor and others in NA, we can begin to look at the excuses we use for our behavior. Do we find that some principles just don't apply to us? Do we believe that we know more than everyone else in Narcotics Anonymous, even those who have been clean for many years? What makes us think that we're so special?

There is no doubt, we can successfully rationalize our way through part of our recovery. But, eventually, we must squarely face the truth and start acting accordingly. The principles in the Twelve Steps guide us to a new life in recovery. There is little room for rationalization there.
Just for Today: I cannot work the steps and also continue deceiving myself. I will examine my thinking for rationalizations, reveal them to my sponsor, and be rid of them.

A Spiritual Principle a Day

March 06, 2026

Honesty and Reality
Page 68
“Honesty is a commitment to reality.“
Guiding Principles, Tradition One, “In Service”
If honesty really is a commitment to reality, then we addicts definitely need help in this arena. Many of us gamed reality for as long as we can remember. A member shared, “We tend to not see things as they are. We see them as we are.” Often our version of the past isn't necessarily reliable. Today we can be confused about how much to say that's on our minds and who to say it to–and then end up oversharing or being needlessly brutal in our truth-telling.

By working the Twelve Steps, we address our past and present commitment to reality. Through that process, one truth becomes apparent: No matter how hard we try, we can't make something true that isn't. Denial can be fierce and keep us running for years, but ultimately, it's not more powerful than reality. The member quipped, “Reality will always catch up with you. Hopefully it's just your spouse, a government agency, or a pair of handcuffs, not the morgue.”

We carry our commitment to reality with us as home-group members and in service. Tradition One tells us to consider NA's common welfare, not just our own. Our commitment to reality can be complicated by having to consider the realities of our fellow group members. Does this mean then that we'll all have the same perspective on how to put our common welfare first? In a word, no. But what we can do is stay committed to spiritual principles in our group work.

There will be communication problems and differences of opinion. We can start by being real about that and accepting our responsibility as committed NA members to face these challenges. As individuals, we can commit to admitting when we're wrong or when we don't know something. We can be candid about caring deeply about the outcome of a particular decision. We can be real about the fact that we don't remember every single detail about the past and we can't predict the future.

When we can make an honest self-assessment and realize that our self-centeredness is working against our desire to serve, then we have taken a great step toward shedding our denial and embracing reality.
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Today I acknowledge my commitment to seeking and expressing the truth, respecting others' perspectives, and staying real.

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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