Basic Text

2018 Version
reprin
.
Copyright © 1991, 1993 by

Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
All rights reserved
World Service Office

PO Box 9999
Van Nuys, CA 91409 USA
T 818.773.9999
F 818.700.0700
www.na.org
World Service Office–CANADA

Mississauga, Ontario
World Service Office–EUROPE

Brussels, Belgium
Tel. +32/2/646 6012
World Service Office–IRAN

Tehran, Iran
www.na-iran.org
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This is NA Conference-approved literature.
Narcotics Anonymous, and The NA Way

are registered trademarks of
Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Incorporated.
ISBN 978-1-55776-130-9 English 7/19
WSO Catalog Item No. 1604

A
Resource
In Your
Community
Narcotics Anonymous is a nonprofit,
international, community-based organization
for recovering addicts, which is active in over
144 countries. Narcotics Anonymous (NA)
members learn from one another how to live
drug-free and recover from the effects of
addiction in their lives.
If you have considered recommending
Narcotics Anonymous to someone who has a
drug problem, you may have a few questions
about our organization. This pamphlet is
designed to answer those questions.
Who are members of NA?
Anyone who wants to stop using drugs may
become a member of Narcotics Anonymous.
Membership is not limited to addicts using any
particular drug. Those who feel they may have
a problem with drugs, legal or illegal, including
alcohol, are welcome in NA. Recovery in NA
focuses on the problem of addiction, not on any
particular drug.
Anonymity
The basic premise of anonymity allows
addicts to attend meetings without fear
of legal or social repercussions. This is an
important consideration for an addict thinking
about going to a meeting for the first time.
Anonymity also supports an atmosphere of
equality in meetings. It helps ensure that no
individual’s personality or circumstance will be
considered more important than the message
of recovery shared in NA.
NA meetings
NA’s primary approach to recovery is its
belief in the therapeutic value of one addict
helping another. Members take part in NA
meetings by talking about their experiences
and recovery from drug addiction. NA meetings
are informally structured, held in space rented
by the group, and are led by members who
take turns opening and closing the meeting.
NA meetings and other services are funded
entirely by member contributions and the sale
of recovery literature. Financial contributions
from non-members are not accepted.
Most NA meetings are held regularly at
the same time and place each week, usually
in a public facility. There are two basic types
of meetings those that are open to the general
public and those closed to the public (for addicts
only). Meetings vary widely in format. Some
formats are: participation, speaker, question
and answer, topic discussion, and some have a
combination of these formats. The function of
any meeting is always the same: to provide a
suitable and reliable environment for personal
recovery.
How does NA work?
Addicts helping each other recover are the
foundation of NA. Members meet regularly to
talk about their experiences in recovery. More
experienced members (known as sponsors)
work individually with newer members.
The core of the NA program is the Twelve
Steps. These “steps” are a set of guidelines
outlining a practical approach to recovery. By
following these guidelines and working closely
with other members, addicts learn to stop using
drugs and face the challenges of daily living.
Narcotics Anonymous is not a religious
organization and does not mandate any
particular belief system. It does teach basic
spiritual principles such as honesty, open-
mindedness, faith, willingness, and humility
that may be applied in everyday life. The
specific practical application of spiritual
principles is determined by each individual.
Recovery in NA is not a miracle cure that
happens within a given period of time. It is a
process, ongoing and personal. Members make
an individual decision to join and recover at
their own pace.
Rate of growth
Since no attendance records are kept, it is
difficult to estimate what percentages of those
who come to Narcotics Anonymous ultimately
achieve long-term abstinence. The only sure
indicator of our success is the rapid growth in
the number of Narcotics Anonymous groups
over the last several years and the rapid
spread of Narcotics Anonymous outside North
America.
In 1978, we had fewer than 200 registered
groups in three countries; in 1982, eleven
countries had 1,200 groups; in 1993, 60
countries had over 13,000 groups holding
over 19,000 meetings; in 2002, 108 countries
had over 20,000 groups holding over 30,000
meetings; in April 2008, 130 countries had over
50,000 weekly meetings; as of May 2018, it is
estimated that there are over 70,000 weekly
meetings in 144 countries.
NA survey results
The following demographic information was
gathered from a survey completed by more
than 28,000 NA members. The survey was
made available at the 2018 World Convention
of NA in Orlando, Florida, USA, in our
international journal, The NA Way Magazine,
and on our website:
Age
1% of the respondents were under 21
14% were between 21 and 30 years old
25% were between 31 and 40 years old
20% were between 41 and 50 years
25% were between 51 and 60 years
15% were over 60 years old
Gender
57% of the respondents were male
42% of the respondents were female
1% of the respondents were other
In the 2015 NAWS Membership Survey, our
gender breakdown was 41% female and 59%
male.
How survey respondents found

Narcotics Anonymous
(Respondents could check more than one
answer; only the top six choices are listed)
49% introduced through another NA member
45% introduced through treatment/
counseling centers
32% introduced through a family member
14% introduced through NA service effort
13% introduced through NA literature
Ethnic Diversity
The ethnic diversity of our membership
seems to be representative of the geographic
location. However, the 2018 survey was
made available at WCNA in Florida (USA),
in our international journal, The NA Way
Magazine, and on our website. When this
survey was conducted, 70% of respondents
were Caucasian, 13% were African American,
7% were Hispanic, 4% identified as multiracial,
2% were Asian, and 4% were other. In 2015 in
Brazil, 74% of respondents were Caucasian,
11% were African American, 6% were Hispanic,
4% multiracial, and 2% were other.
NA in the community
Volunteer committees of NA members are
formed to coordinate many services within
the community. NA accepts no financial
contributions from non-members, has no
professional counselors and maintains no
clinics or residential facilities. Below is a list of
services that NA may offer.
Community Awareness Meetings may be
conducted by NA members to inform the
community of the existence of Narcotics
Anonymous and its available services.
Health Fairs and Conferences are events
conducted by professional organizations at
which NA may have a display booth and/or
presents information at a workshop.
Presentations are often provided to churches,
parole officers, judges, counselors, nurses,
doctors, and schools, among others, for
information purposes.
Public Service Announcements can provide
information about NA distributed to
the public via the media (press, radio,
television, billboards, bus signs, and
posters).
Phoneline Services may provide local meeting
information and general information about
NA.
Meeting Lists, which are locally produced
schedules that contain times of and locations
for meetings in the community are generally
available.
Services to Hospitals & Institutions are provided
by local committees through meetings/
presentations to introduce those people
attending to some of the basics of the Narcotics
Anonymous program. They carry the NA
message of recovery to addicts who do not have
full access to regular NA meetings. Meetings or
presentations are provided to hospitals, jails,
addiction treatment facilities, detox centers,
and other institutions.
Literature Services include a variety of books,
booklets, pamphlets, audio, large-print, and
ePub editions. Narcotics Anonymous literature
is published in English and several other
languages.
How to contact
Narcotics Anonymous
In many communities, Narcotics Anonymous
is listed in the white pages of the telephone
directory. Many phoneline numbers and
meeting locations can be found on our website
at www.na.org. Phonelines are staffed by
recovering addicts, or by a service that can
contact recovering members. Phone services
are primarily designed to help addicts find
meetings close by. Other information may be
available through the phoneline, as well. A
phoneline call is a good place to start if you
have further questions about NA.
If there is no phoneline in your community,
or if you have questions about Narcotics
Anonymous, contact NA’s World Service Office
at the address shown below. The World Service
Office can provide information about meetings
or other services, as well as a catalog listing all
of NA’s recovery literature.
NA World Services, Inc.

PO Box 9999
Van Nuys, California 91409 USA
Tel: (818) 773-9999 Fax: (818) 700-0700
Website: www.na.org

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2018 Version

Copyright © 1991, 1993 by

World Service Office

World Service Office–CANADA

World Service Office–EUROPE

World Service Office–IRAN

This is NA Conference-approved literature.

Narcotics Anonymous, and The NA Way

ISBN 978-1-55776-130-9 English 7/19

WSO Catalog Item No. 1604

How survey respondents found

NA World Services, Inc.

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