Narcotics Anonymous

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Nevertheless, some potential attendees might initially find this off-putting if they don’t have firm own religious or spiritual beliefs, or if they are active atheists. Working solely in the field of drug and alcohol treatment, includes specialist services for young people and access to local projects. Narcotics Anonymous is fundamentally made up of NA Groups. An NA Group is a number of NA members who meet regularly; usually at the same time and place each week. Some Groups have more frequent meetings but are considered to be part of a single Group. Groups have one primary purpose, to carry the message to the addict who still suffers. Groups are largely independent of one another and members of NA are encouraged to choose a "homegroup" to belong to, a group they attend regularly and where they will be missed if they are absent. Each Group elects any number of leaders, or "trusted servants", to serve the needs of the Group they made include a Group Secretary, a Group Treasurer, a Group Chairperson, a Group Service Representative (GSR), and an alternate GSR. This election process is carried out by the Group Conscience which is a business meeting made up of the members of the Group who strive for consensus-based decisions. With each group being autonomous, without affecting NA as a whole, the responsibilities of trusted servants vary from meeting to meeting. These responsibilities or "group policies" are contrived through the group's business meeting by inviting a Higher Power to guide each recovering person's decision, also known as a group conscience. An example of one specific trusted servant's responsibilities are, "The secretary is responsible for opening the meeting, choosing someone to chair the meeting, making sure coffee gets made, etc. He or she also arranges for purchasing supplies and keeping group records. The treasurer keeps financial records and pays the group's bills. The GSR attends the Area Service Committee meetings and represents the group to the ASC. The alternate GSR assists the GSR and prepares to replace the GSR when need be." [33] Area service committees [ edit ] The NA World Service Conference (WSC) is a bi-annual service meeting made up of the Regional Delegates of the seated Regions of the world and the members of the NA World Board. This service conference has the executive right to make decisions for the entire NA Fellowship. This includes electing members to serve on the World Board, approving all new NA Literature, service material, and making policy decisions that affect the fellowship including the organizational structure. This responsibility has been executed as recently as the late 1990s when the World Service Conference voted to re-structure the NA Service structure including the removal of the Board of Trustees, Board of Directors, and several other World Service level committees (Public Information, Hospitals & Institutions, Literature, and Translations) replacing them with a single board elected by the conference.

While the twelve-step program, and therefore the foundation of NA isn’t explicitly religious, it does refer to spirituality, ‘God’, and a ‘higher power’. Many of our members were first introduced to Narcotics Anonymous in a drug treatment facility. This pamphlet provides helpful guidance on transitioning from a treatment facility to the outside world. Some people will find NA more helpful than others, but by attending sessions and allowing yourself to get involved in an open and honest way, there is a strong chance that you will learn a lot about how to sustainably battle your addiction.The Eleventh Tradition states that NA members "need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films". Provides information, advice and support for children of alcohol dependent parents and people concerned for their welfare.

However, in the 20 years since the foundation and publishing of the Basic Text, the word has steadily spread. Narcotics Anonymous meetings started to occur in many major North American cities, and it also started to attract some international coverage.

Narcotics Anonymous; an Overview

Admittance to NA is completely free, and while consistent attendance to meetings is recommended, there is no pressure placed on you to attend when it’s inconvenient. According to the Basic Text, Narcotics Anonymous "has no opinion on outside issues," including those of politics, science or medicine, and does not endorse any outside organization or institution. The fellowship does not promote itself, but rather attracts new members through public information and outreach. Individuals can also be compelled to attend by courts or rehab programs. [7] NA groups and areas supply outside organizations with factual information regarding the NA program, and individual members may carry the NA message to hospitals and institutions, such as treatment centers and jails. [8] The nature of addiction [ edit ] An RSC is composed of the regional committee members (RCMs) of all the participating ASCs in a region. It is similar in organization to an ASC but is further removed from the day-to-day activities of individual home groups. Many of the issues dealt with by RSCs are the same ones that will come before the World Service Conference, with the RSC being the best way for local groups to help craft policies that will affect NA as a whole. In some cases, only the RCMs in a region will meet to vote on issues; in other situations, all GSRs in a region will be invited to attend an RSC meeting. The RSC elects a delegate to attend the World Service Conference. Drugsline is an independent drugs crisis, information and support charity. It provides free and confidential information and support for people with drug- and alcohol-related issues, their families and friends.

It Works: How and Why offers detailed discussion of the twelve steps and traditions. [12] and is often called the "green and gold" after its cover. The NA program attempts to avoid controversy through its application of the 12 traditions, which specify that "Narcotics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the NA name ought never be drawn into public controversy." Even so, the Basic Text points out that there are still "communication problems, differences of opinion, internal controversies, and troubles with individuals and groups outside the Fellowship", and various controversies of this type have disturbed NA throughout its history.Groups can vary as to how they want to approach any meeting-related problems. What is important is that the meetings are where each member expresses their experiences and looks for strength and hope. NA Terminology NA is simply about one addict helping another to get and stay clean. We simply share what has worked for us. Due to this well-known success, NA is often recommended to people who have come out of rehabilitation services for drug addiction.