NA Meeting: Support, Community, Recovery

If you care for a loved one with a drug addiction, they can benefit from treatment, but they can also benefit from NA meetings. Narcotics Anonymous is a member-led community that provides support for people with an addiction in recovery. Here’s what you need to know to get them started. 

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About Narcotics Anonymous

Narcotics Anonymous (NA) was founded in 1953 to host meetings that support drug addicts in recovery. This nonprofit fellowship is not connected with any others, including Alcoholics Anonymous (AA meetings). Members run it. Today, meetings take place in more than 140 countries. 

The main service NA offers is its meetings. In areas with many recovery groups, NA also offers other services. These include distributing NA literature, meeting directories, a general helpline, and presenting information to treatment facilities, healthcare staff, schools, and more.  

What Happens At NA Meetings

The NA program is based on member-run meetings. Meetings are open to drug users of all types. Membership is free, and the only requirement is that you want to stop using drugs. The purpose of an NA meeting is to provide support and a community for people with an addiction on a recovery journey.

Although the purpose is always the same, the details of meetings can vary by location or even by day in the same location. These are two typical formats for an NA meeting: 

• During group discussions, members take turns sharing experiences and thoughts.
• In speaker meetings, one person, or sometimes two, has a longer time to share. 

Nonmembers are allowed at open meetings but are asked not to share. The sharing is reserved for members who can benefit from the support and community of fellow addicts. New members can share but are encouraged to spend more time listening. Members are discouraged from sharing too much personal detail, as meetings should be anonymous. 

NA meetings often end in a prayer, but there is no official religious or spiritual affiliation. Members can choose to participate or not in a prayer. 

What Are The Benefits Of Joining Narcotics Anonymous Meetings

As with other 12-step meetings, Narcotics Anonymous has proven useful for many recovering people with an addiction. Many recovering addicts say the support and community found in meetings is what helped them most. Studies also show that NA is effective in helping people achieve long-term sobriety. These are some of the most important benefits of NA meetings: 

• Peer Support. What formal addiction treatment lacks is support from other addicts. NA members benefit from the emotional and practical support of their peers. 
• A Community. NA meetings offer a built-in sober community that gives people with an addiction in recovery a place to turn when recovery is difficult. 
• 12 Steps. Although not required, there is encouragement to work through the 12 steps, which provide practical, action-oriented tasks to support sobriety.   
• Resources. NA meetings can be a starting point. The organization and other members often have resources to share to help a person continue their recovery more successfully. 

While NA meetings can be very beneficial, it’s important to remember that NA is not a substitute for treatment. If your loved one is struggling with drug use, be sure they get appropriate treatment.

How To Find NA Meetings Near You

If you think your loved one could benefit from NA meetings, they’re easy to find. You can use the NA locator for United States and international meeting information. You can also search for local NA meetings. 

For example, the Greater Los Angeles Narcotics Anonymous group has its own website with many listed NA meeting locations. It lists group meetings all over Los Angeles and the surrounding area, with options every day of the weekend at various times. 

If your area isn’t as large as Los Angeles, you can still find local meetings on the national site. Another option is to use the search tool to find a virtual meeting. These are online meetings and are great options if your loved one struggles to leave the home or if you live in an area with few or no in-person meetings. 

References

1. Narcotics Anonymous World Services. (n.d.). Narcotics Anonymous. NA World Services.
2. Krentzman, A. R., Robinson, E. A. R., Moore, B. C., Kelly, J. F., Laudet, A. B., White, W. L., Zemore, S. E., Kurtz, E., & Strobbe, S. (2011). How Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) work: Cross-disciplinary perspectives. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 29(1), 75–84. https://doi.org/10.1080/07347324.2011.538318
3. Narcotics Anonymous World Services. (n.d.). Find NA near you. NA World Services.
4. Greater Los Angeles Area of Narcotics Anonymous. (n.d.). Greater Los Angeles Area of Narcotics Anonymous. Greater Los Angeles Convention Committee.