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.

Click here to view a series of short videos that will showcase some of the valuable resources available on na.org.
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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. 

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”

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.

Daily Meditations

Just for Today

June 03, 2025

Direct and indirect amends

Page 161

We make our amends to the best of our ability.

Basic Text, p. 40

The Ninth Step tells us to make direct amends wherever possible. Our experience tells us to follow up those direct amends with long-lasting changes in our attitudes and our behavior–that is, with indirect amends.

For example, say we've broken someone's window because we were angry. Looking soulfully into the eyes of the person whose window we've broken and apologizing would not be sufficient. We directly amend the wrong we've done by admitting it and replacing the window–we mend what we have damaged.

Then, we follow up our direct amends with indirect amends. If we've acted out on our anger, breaking someone's window, we examine the patterns of our behavior and our attitudes. After we repair the broken window, we seek to repair our broken attitudes as well–we try to “mend our ways.” We modify our behavior, and make a daily effort not to act out on our anger.

We make direct amends by repairing the damage we do. We make indirect amends by repairing the attitudes that cause us to do damage in the first place, helping insure we won't cause further damage in the future.

Just for Today: I will make direct amends, wherever possible. I will also make indirect amends, “mending my ways,” changing my attitudes, and altering my behavior.

A Spiritual Principle a Day

June 03, 2025

The Simplicity of Tradition Eleven

Page 160

Our message–that any addict can stop using drugs, lose the desire to use, and find a new way to live–is all we have to give, and it is sufficient to change the lives of addicts all over the world.

Guiding Principles, Tradition Eleven, Opening Essay

Simplicity is an essential principle of Tradition Eleven and of our entire program. Our approach to public relations is to inform the world about NA and let our simple message of freedom from active addiction lead the way. We trust that to be attractive enough. NA doesn't run special promotions: Stay clean for one year and all your dreams will come true! We don't promise financial stability or a happy marriage. Lifelong problem-free serenity is not guaranteed as a result of meeting attendance, stepwork, and service.

Our simple offer of hope and freedom is enough. According to one member: “We don't need a complicated message to attract people. We are complex enough! Our message isn't simple for the sake of simplicity. It simply works.” Both NA's message and our primary purpose are identifiable, relatable, and digestible. They're also adaptable, not bound by the specifics of a single language or culture. Since our message is applicable for addicts all over the world, dare we say, it's universal?

The simplicity of Tradition Eleven is a relief for most of us. When we do public relations, we let folks know who we are, what we do, and how we do it. With H&I, sponsorship, or speaking from the podium, we don't have to do more than share what's worked for us. We share the message just as it was shared with us. We lean forward and witness its impact–on our own lives, for those near to us, and those far away.

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Our message works. So how will I share it 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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