What Is the Narcotics Anonymous Program?
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 stay clean. This is a program of complete abstinence from all drugs. There is only one requirement for membership, the desire to stop using. We suggest that you keep an open mind and give yourself a break. Our program is a set of principles written so simply that we can follow them in our daily lives. The most important thing about them is that they work.
Some members describe authenticity as "being our real selves in the real world."
Addiction makes our worlds smaller. Our self-centeredness was so powerful that we found it harder and harder to show concern for what was happening around us. The Basic Text says, "We suffer from a disease that expresses itself in ways that are anti-social," and many of us eventually found ourselves living lives that involved minimal interaction with others--especially anyone who wasn't using.
In recovery, our connection to the world around us grows. No longer trapped by our obsession and compulsion to use drugs and free from the fear of being exposed as addicts, most of us are able to pursue our genuine interests in ways we couldn't before getting clean. We become involved in our own lives, in our families, and in our communities.
Whether we are exploring a new hobby, seeking further education, or serving those around us through volunteer efforts, addicts in recovery find that we can follow our passions and curiosities wherever they might lead us. As people who had been held hostage by the disease of addiction for so long, the newfound freedom to discover who we are and what we care about can lead us on unexpected journeys.