Narcotics Anonymous (NA) Meetings

General Narcotics Anonymous (NA) Meeting Information

With 100,000’s of NA meetings being held around the world every day, it’s easy for you to find local live meetings and online meetings with people from your local community in attendance. If you are in a treatment center, they will have meetings and may also provide transportation to and from meetings. Many meetings have childcare, to ensure mothers and fathers can attend meetings also.

Meetings for Narcotics Anonymous and are most often held in public places like churches, community centers, club houses and parks. During the COVID pandemic, many of your local AA meetings are still being held on the same day and time as before, but have transitioned to an online platform like Zoom. While AA groups do not affiliate themselves with any particular religion, they are spiritual in nature, with a goal of being a safe place for people with narcotic, drug and alcohol problems to meet, share their experience, strength and hope with each other, and take the 12 steps of Narcotics Anonymous to rid yourself of your drug use, clean up any wreckage you may have caused and heal yourself. The 12 steps of Narcotics Anonymous are specifically designed to help suffering addicts rebuild their lives.

Types of Narcotics Anonymous (NA) Meetings

As a general rule, there are two standard types of Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings: open meetings and closed meetings. An open NA meeting is open to anyone who wishes to attend, including people suffering from addiction, friends, family members, students, members of the community, observers, first responders, treatment providers and more. Closed NA meetings are for individuals suffer from addiction, identify as addicts, and/or have a desire to stop using. Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings are specifically intended to be a safe place for people to share their personal experiences, circumstances they may be in, and hardships related to their drug use and abuse, which are expected to remain confidential within the group. Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings provide mental, emotion and spiritual support from the other individuals attending, who have been through similar situations. The NA members of the group offer newer NA members support and guidance based on their own personal experience in an effort to give the new NA members hope that they can turn their lives around in a similar fashion. Additionally, newer NA members help the longer term NA members by helping them feel that they are doing good by giving back and helping others in similar situations.

Open and closed Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings often follow various formats including:

• Discussion NA Meetings: Possibly the most common meeting format, the chairperson or leader of the meeting will choose a topic to discuss during the meeting. These meetings may be open or closed.
• Beginner NA Meetings: These meetings are led by a veteran member who has been Narcotics Anonymous (NA) for a long period of time and may follow a variety of formats (discussion, topic, book, literature, step, etc.), while focusing on the first three of the 12 Steps of Narcotics Anonymous (NA), or it may be more of a question-and-answer type format.
• Speaker NA Meetings: NA members who have been sober for a minimum period of time may be chosen beforehand to share their past experiences and how working through “The Program,” as NA’s 12 Steps and Traditions may be referred to, has helped them get to where they are today. These NA meetings are often open to the public, many are recorded, so you can listen to your favorite Narcotics Anonymous (NA) Speakers any time you want.
• Book, Step, Tradition or Literature NA Meetings: A reading from various NA Literature is read, shared on and worked through during the meeting. These NA meetings are usually held in a rotation as the NA Steps, Traditions, Book or Literature are worked through. Individuals may use workbooks and texts during the NA meeting or for homework assignments.
• Service NA Meetings: These may be information meetings about NA service opportunities within the group or NA as a whole. Often times reports on NA service activities the NA group has performed are often provided.
• Group Inventory NA Meetings: NA members work to determine if the particular NA group is fulfilling its primary purpose and functioning effectively.
• Business NA Meetings: Generally, Narcotics Anonymous (NA) business meetings are for the NA members involved in the business aspects of the NA group. They may also include the NA group electing officers or other NA group business needs.

People can attend as many Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings as the want and are often encouraged to attend a number of meetings until they find a meeting or set of meetings they like and that have people attending who they can relate to. People are encouraged to find an NA home group which they attend regularly. This is usually a meeting you relate to, that has people who are benefiting from the meeting and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) program. They generally take a commitment at their NA home group and hold themselves and others accountable for attending.

How is a Narcotics Anonymous (NA) Meeting Conducted?

Narcotics Anonymous (NA) membership is open to anyone who suffers from addiction, identifies as an addict, and/or has a desire to stop using. People do not have to do anything prior to attending an NA meeting; they can just show up. Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meeting attendance is kept confidential, and individuals are welcome to attend as many different Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings as they desire. Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings are typically an hour, but there are also many longer meetings and some shorter in duration.

Typical Narcotics Anonymous (NA) Meeting Format

Individual Narcotics Anonymous (NA) groups may differ slightly in the way they run Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings, but in general, a typical format for an NA meeting is as follows:

• Welcome and opening
• Moment of silence and recitation of the Serenity Prayer
• Explanation of 12-Steps, expectation of confidentiality, and reiteration of openness to all and no cost for membership
• Reading from the Narcotics Anonymous (NA) Literature
• Introductions around the room (first name only, though no one is required to speak)
• Introduction of the speaker or facilitator of the meeting
• Discussion
• Announcements
• Passing of the collection plate, donations are not required although this is how the AA group sustains itself
• Closing, most likely with a Narcotics Anonymous (NA) reading and a closing prayer

As Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings are meant to be a fellowship, there is also often coffee and refreshments at some point either before, during, or after the NA meeting for networking and socializing. NA members may choose to volunteer at NA meetings as coffee makers, greeters, literature distributor, or they can get more involved volunteering as the NA group’s secretary, NA treasurer, NA chairperson, etc.

Those who have been in Narcotics Anonymous (NA) for a long period of time may become a “sponsor” for newer NA members. A sponsor is a more veteran member of the NA group, who has gone through the same difficulty you may be facing, has taken the 12-steps of the NA program, knows the literature and will guide you through the 12 steps of Narcotics Anonymous to help with your success. NA sponsors also offer encouragement around the clock, helping to provide in-the-moment support and guidance when needed, and introduce you to other Recovery Resources. NA sponsors are often available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, usually by phone, to help sponsees get through potentially difficult situations, temptations, or triggering events. NA sponsors may meet or check-in with their sponsees regularly, and lifelong relationships may be formed.

Narcotics Anonymous (NA) groups are safe environments free from drugs, and other mind altering substances, where individuals are surrounded by others with the same goal of sustained clean time and recovery. These Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings can provide individuals with a network of clean peers who can understand and empathize with each other in ways that others who are not in Narcotics Anonymous (NA) may not be able to as easily.

The Recovery HQ Team is here to help you!

It’s important to know that you and your loved one are not alone in your fight for sobriety. Whether you choose to go to Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings, take up meditation or yoga or use other resources, taking the first step toward regaining your life has begun. Contact our dedicated team and we will help find the solution which best fits your needs.