For the Newcomer

The promise of freedom from active addiction
and a new way of life.

"If you are like many of us when we attended our first NA meeting, you may be feeling pretty nervous and think that everyone is focusing on you. If so, you are not the only one. Many of have felt the same way. It has been said, 'If your stomach's all tied up in knots, you're probably in the right place.' We often say that no one comes through the doors of NA by mistake. Nonaddicted people don't spend their time wondering if they're addicts. They don't even think about it."
[© 1986, 1987 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc.]

"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 a jail sentence to get help from NA, nor is addiction a hopeless condition from where 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."
[© 1983 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc.]

Staying Clean on the Outside
IP#23

"Come early and stay late at the meetings. Start, as soon as possible, to establish contacts with recovering addicts."

"If we are to receive the benefits of the NA Program, we must work the Twelve Steps. Along with regular meeting attendance, the steps are basic to our recovery from addiction. We have found that working the steps in order and continuously reworking them keeps us from relapsing into active addiction and the misery that it brings."
[© 1987, 1988 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc.]

Sponsorship
IP#11

"What is a sponsor? A sponsor is a recovering addict in the program of Narcotics Anonymous; someone we can trust to share our life experiences with (both good and bad); a person to whom we can go with our problems that may be too personal to share with the group. It is suggested that a sponsor be someone who has practice in working the Twelve Steps and is involved in the program. Primarily, a sponsor is a guide through the Twelve Steps of recovery."
[© 1983 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc.]

Another Look
IP#5

"We keep and expand freedom through daily practice; this is the creative action that never ends. Goodwill, of course, is the beginning of all spiritual growth. It leads to affection and love in all of our actions. These three goals, freedom, creative action and goodwill, when shown in service in the fellowship, without seeking personal rewards, bring about changes whose ends we cannot predict or control. Therefore, service is also a Power greater than we, and has significant meaning for all."
[© 1976, 1984, 1992 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc.]

What NA is Not

NA is not a religious movement, an employment agency or a social service organization. We have no paid social workers. NA does not prescribe or pay for treatment for addicts, and does not run hospitals, recovery houses or any other outside enterprises. We are here to help any addict who wants to stop using.

NA Membership

The 3rd Tradition of NA states that the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using. The decision to become part of our fellowship rests with the individual.

What Can I Do?

I can attend meetings on a regular basis. I can get phone numbers from other addicts, call them for support and ask them for rides to meetings. I can do my best to listen for the similarities rather than the differences. I need to remember that it is my responsibility as a newcomer to listen and learn, to talk to other addicts and ask questions. Then I can take the NA steps of action and apply them to my recovery.

Clarity Statement

At NA meetings we introduce ourselves as addicts. We refer to our time in the NA program as clean time or recovery. We do this because with the first step of NA we have shifted the focus off any specific drug and onto the recovery process. Any labels which imply specific drugs or more than one disease dilute that focus. Our identification as addicts is all-inclusive, allowing us to concentrate on our similarities rather than our differences.