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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.

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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.

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Daily Meditations

Just for Today

July 08, 2025

The “G” word
Page 198
“It is important for you to know that you will hear God mentioned at NA meetings. What we are referring to is a Power greater than ourselves that makes possible what seems impossible.“
IP No. 22, “Welcome to NA”
Most of us come to Narcotics Anonymous with a variety of preconceptions about what the word “God” means, many of them negative. Yet the “G” word is used very regularly in NA, if not constantly. It occurs 92 times in the first 102 pages of our Basic Text, and appears prominently in a third of our Twelve Steps. Rather than sidestep the sensitivity many of us feel toward the word, let's address it head on.

It's true that Narcotics Anonymous is a spiritual program. Our Twelve Steps offer a way to find freedom from addiction through the help of a spiritual Power greater than we are. The program, however, doesn't tell us anything about what we have to think about that Power. In fact, over and over again, in our literature and our meetings, we hear it said, “the God of our understanding”–whatever that understanding may be.

We use the word “God” because it's used in our Basic Text and because it communicates most effectively to most people a basic understanding of the Power underlying our recovery. The word, we use for the sake of convenience. The Power behind the word, however, we use for more than convenience. We use that Power to maintain our freedom from addiction and to ensure our ongoing recovery.
Just for Today: Whether I believe in “God” or not, I will use the Power that keeps me clean and free.

A Spiritual Principle a Day

July 08, 2025

We Give What We Can with Gratitude
Page 196
“Every act of service, no matter how small, is a contribution demonstrating our commitment and our gratitude.“
Guiding Principles, Tradition Seven, “Word by Word”
The Seventh Tradition is confusing at first to most of us. The basket is passed, and our reaction ranges from surprise (because we thought this was free), to guilt (because we have nothing to put in), to shame (because people see we don't), to resistance (because do we have to?), to indignation (because hell no).

In time, we absorb the meaning of Tradition Seven, appreciating the importance of our contributions as a demonstration of our gratitude and our commitment to self-support. We give what we can, when we can, and sometimes more than we thought we ever could or would–not just with our money, but with our skills, our passion, our empathy, and our time. And we also come to understand how contributing to NA demonstrates our commitment to the program and gratitude for its impact on our lives.

Beyond the basket, it's tempting to assume that service that requires an election, gives us a title, or takes a lot of time has the most meaning. A member aptly shared this: “We are often asked if a glass of water is half-empty or half-full, but I'm not concerned with how much water is in the glass. I just want to know how good the water tastes. The quality of NA work we do is more important than the quantity. Every bit of love and gratitude we contribute has value.”

Sometimes momentary acts of gratitude have lifelong meaning to another addict: remembering a newcomer's name or saying “welcome home” to a member returning after a relapse.

And then there are those acts of service we use to occupy us so that we can endure the terrible awkwardness we sometimes feel. They can help us stall long enough to get up the guts to ask someone to sponsor us. They keep us busy until we are ready to receive hugs. At times, just having something physical to do before or after the meeting can help us keep it together when our insides feel like they are ready to spill out. These contributions are self-supporting in a different way. We're grateful that they get us through challenging moments.
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What time, talent, or treasure can I contribute to NA today to show my gratitude? What can I do to make an addict feel more at home, even if that addict is me?

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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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