This is a question every potential Narcotics Anonymous (NA) member must answer for themselves.
Who Is An Addict?
Most of us do not have to think twice about this question. We know! Our whole life and thinking was centered in drugs in one form or another — the getting and using and finding ways and means to get more. We lived to use and used to live. Very simply, an addict is a man or woman whose life is controlled by drugs. We are people in the grip of a continuing and progressive illness whose ends are always the same: jails, institutions, and death. – Who Is An Addict?, Basic Text
It may help to read some of our informational pamphlets (IPs), starting with Am I An Addict? and Welcome to NA. Recovery literature is an invaluable source of help for members, potential members, and those who want to help addicts.
If You’re an Addict, NA Can Help
“NA offers recovery to addicts around the world. We focus on the disease of addiction rather than any particular drug or addictive behavior. When new members come to meetings, our sole interest is in their desire for freedom from active addiction and how we can help.” (It Works: How and Why, “Third Tradition”)
For The Newcomer
NA is a nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. We are recovering addicts who meet regularly to help each other to stay clean. There are no dues or fees. The only requirement for membership is the desire to stop using.
You don’t have to be clean when you get here, but after your first meeting we suggest that you keep coming back and come clean. You don’t have to wait for an overdose or jail sentence to get help from NA, nor is addiction a hopeless condition from which there is no recovery. It is possible to overcome the desire to use drugs with the help of the Twelve Step program of Narcotics Anonymous and the fellowship of recovering addicts.
Addiction is a disease that can happen to anyone. Some of us used drugs because we enjoyed them, while others used to suppress the feelings we already had. Still others suffered from physical or mental ailments and became addicted to the medication prescribed during our illnesses. Some of us joined the crowd using drugs a few times just to be cool and later found that we could not stop.
Many of us tried to overcome addiction, and sometimes temporary relief was possible, but it was usually followed by an even deeper involvement than before.
Whatever the circumstances, it really doesn’t matter. Addiction is a progressive disease such as diabetes. We are allergic to drugs. Our ends are always the same: jails, institutions, or death. If life has become unmanageable and you want to live without it being necessary to use drugs, we have found a way. Here are the Twelve Steps of Narcotics Anonymous that we use on a daily basis to help us overcome our disease.
Start with a Meeting
If you’re planning to attend your first meeting, regardless of whether you’re an addict, the IP An Introduction to NA Meetings can be helpful.
Visit our Meetings page to find an in person meeting near you or virtual meetings both local and worldwide.
Take Suggestions
Narcotics Anonymous does not have a monopoly on recovery. But we have found through the collective experience of our fellowship that those who attend our meetings regularly stay clean. While we don’t offer advice, we do have a few suggestions that we have found to work in strengthening our recovery. The first suggestions we offer are:
- DO NOT USE, No Matter What
- 90 Meetings in 90 Days
- Get a Sponsor
- Read the Literature
- Find a Higher Power
Want to know more??? Visit our For Members page to help you learn more about Narcotics Anonymous.