Narcotics Anonymous is a global, community-based organization with a multi-lingual and multicultural membership.NA was founded in 1953, and our membership was minimal for the first twenty years as an organization. Since the publication of our Basic Text in 1983, the number of members and meetings has increased dramatically. Today, we have 72,200 meetings in 143 countries. We offer recovery from the effects of addiction through working a twelve-step program, including regular attendance at group meetings. The group atmosphere provides help from peers and offers an ongoing support network for addicts who wish to pursue and maintain a drug-free lifestyle. Our name, Narcotics Anonymous, is not meant to imply a focus on any particular drug; NA’s approach makes no distinction between drugs, including alcohol. Membership is free, and we have no affiliation with any organizations outside of NA, including governments, religions, law enforcement groups, or medical and psychiatric associations. Through all our service efforts and our cooperation with others seeking to help addicts, we strive to reach a day when every addict in the world has an opportunity to experience our message of recovery in his or her own language. Please read “Who, What, How, and Why.”
Is NA for me? Every potential member must answer this question for themselves. It may help to read I.P.# 7, “Am I an addict?”I.P.# 22, “Introduction to Narcotics Anonymous,” and I.P. #16, “For the Newcomer.”If you are an addict, NA can help. Narcotics Anonymous offers recovery to addicts around the world. We focus on the disease of addiction rather than any particular drug. Our message is broad enough to attract addicts from any social class or nationality. When new members come to meetings, our sole interest is in their desire for freedom from active addiction and how we can help.