CHAPTER SIX

THE TWELVE TRADITIONS OF NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS

We keep what we have only with vigilance and just as freedom for the individual comes from the Twelve Steps so freedom for the groups springs from our Traditions. As long as the ties that bind us at bind us together are stronger than those that would tear us apart, all will be well.

1.Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends on

       N.A. unity.

2.For our Group purpose there is but one ultimate authority - a loving God

       as He may express Himself in our Group conscience, our leaders are but

       trusted servants, they do not govern.

3.The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using.

4.Each Group should be autonomous, except in matters affecting other

       Groups, or N.A., as a whole.

5.Each Group has but one primary purposeto carry the message to the

       addict who still suffers.

6.An N.A. Group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the N.A. name to

       any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, 

       property or prestige divert us from our primary purpose.

7.Every N.A. Group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside

       contributions.

8.Narcotics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our

       Service Centers may employ special workers.

9.N.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service

       boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.

10.    N.A. has no opinion on outside issues; hence the N.A. name ought

       never be drawn into public controversy.

11.    Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion;

       we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio,

       and films.

12.    Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever

       reminding us to place principles before personalities.

We come to this program from homes and apartments, offices and schools, treatment centers and jails, parks and gutters. We come from many different places, but they all share loneliness, pain, and fear. Somehow addiction draws us together in Narcotics Anonymous.

We came to this program for many different reasons. Those of us who stay, do so for the same reasonsto stop using and stay clean. After we've actually stopped, and the fog has cleared a bit, most of us take a look

around to see what this program is all about. We start trying to do the

things we see those around us doing. Eventually we come to the Twelve Steps and try to work them the best we can. The result is a degree of freedom that we never have known before. We find freedom from drugs and the obsession to use them; and in time a bit of freedom from that part of ourselves that has been destroyed.

We're taught that we can only keep what we have by giving it away. So we seek out and give our hand to other addicts who have problems like ours and want help. Usually one of the first things we try to do when we're

working with a newcomer is to get them to a meeting. After all, that's what

worked for us.

Why is this so? What is it about our meetings that's so special? Usually, about all we can say is that there is a feeling there, a feeling of strength and hope and love; an atmosphere of recovery. Our meetings are very special to most of us. They're a place where we feel safe; a place where we fit in. But what keeps it that way? One would think that any time people like us get together the results would be chaos. Groups of self- centered, self-willed, isolated individuals just can't meet together peacefully and safely; but we do. The reason that we can is that we have Twelve Traditions that help to keep our groups "safe" and free.

For most of us, understanding of these Traditions comes slowly over a period of time. We pick up a little information here and there as we talk to members and visit various groups. It usually isn't until we get involved with service that someone points out that "personal recovery depends on N.A. unity", and that unity depends on how well we follow our traditions. Because we hear about "suggested steps" and of no must" so often, some of us make a mistake and assume that this applies to our groups the way it applies to the individual. The Twelve Traditions of N.A. are not suggested, and they are not negotiable. These are the rules that keep our fellowship alive and free.

By following these principles in our dealings with others in N.A. and society at large, we avoid many problems. That isn't to say that our Traditions eliminate all problems. We still have to face difficulties as they arise: communication problems, differences of opinion, internal controversies, problems with individuals, groups outside the fellowship. However, when we apply these principles we avoid some of the pitfalls.

Many of our problems are much like those our predecessors had to face. Their hard won experience gave birth to the Traditions; and our own experiences have shown that these principles are just as valid today as they were yesterday. Our Traditions are what protect us from the internal and external forces which could destroy us. They are truly the ties that bind us together, but they don't work automatically. It is only through understanding and application that they have power.

TRADITION ONE: Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends on N.A. unity.

It makes sense that our First Tradition concerns unity and our common welfare. One of the most important parts of our new way of life is being a part of a group of addicts also seeking recovery. Our survival is directly related to the survival of our groups and of our fellowship.

Before coming to N.A., most of us tried to clean up or stay clean on our own. Many of us sought treatment or professional help. These efforts were unsuccessful for us; it wasn't until we came to Narcotics Anonymous that recovery seemed possible. This program can do for us what we could not do for ourselves. We came and saw this program work in the lives of other addicts. Their recovery gave us hope for ourselves. We became part of a group and found that we could make it, too. We also learned that those who did not continue being an active part of the Fellowship faced a rough road and often relapsed. Most of us agree that without N.A. we would be in real trouble. We know we can't do it alone, and nothing else ever worked for us. For our own good we try to do what is best for the group.  This isn't to say that the group is shoved down the individual's throat.

Most of us had never experienced the kind of attention and personal care that we found in the program. We are accepted and loved for what we are; instead of "in-spite" of what we are. The individual is precious to the group, and the group is precious to the individual. No one can revoke our membership or punish us, or make us do anything that we don't choose to do. We are taught this way of life by example rather than direction. We share our experiences and learn from each other. In our addiction we consistently placed our personal welfare before anything else. Here we found that in the long run what's best for the group was usually good for us. We chose to conform to the common good because that's what worked for us.

Our personal experiences while using differed from member to member. However, as a group we found many common themes in our addiction. One of these shared symptoms was our need to prove self-sufficiency. We convinced our selves that we could make it alone and proceeded to live life on that basis. The results were disastrous, and, in the end, each of us had to admit that our self-sufficiency was a lie. We found that we could no longer control our using, nor could we manage our own lives. This surrender was the starting point of our recovery, and is a primary point of unity for the Fellowship.

Not only are these common themes in our addiction, but we find that in recovery we also have much in common. We share a common desire to stay clean. Each of us has learned to depend upon a Power greater than ourselves, which is our source of strength. Our purpose is to carry the message to the addict who still suffers. We have our Traditions, the rules that protect us from ourselves. We share many things, and each is a point of unity for us.

Unity is a reality in Narcotics Anonymous. This isn't to say that we don't have our disagreements and conflicts; we do. Whenever people get together there are differences of opinion and impressions. However, when the chips are down we pull together. Time and time again we've seen this; in times of crisis or trouble we set aside our differences and worked for the common good. How often have we seen two members who usually don't get along very well working together with the newcomers? How often have we seen a group doing menial tasks to pay the rent for their meeting hall? How often have we seen members drive hundreds of miles to help support a new group? These activities and many others are commonplace in our fellowship.  They must be, because without these things N.A. could not have survived.

Without N.A. few of us would have survived, and fewer still would have found recovery.

TRADITION TWO: For our Group purpose there is but one ultimate authority a loving God as He may express Himself in our Group conscience, our leaders are but trusted servants, they do not govern.  

In N.A. we have a great concern in protecting ourselves from ourselves. Our Second Tradition is another example of this. By nature we seem to be strong-willed, self-centered people, seeking self-gratification in the realms of money, power, and sex. An important part of our recovery is learning how to live with these drives; how to realign our misguided instincts, how to stop acting out our insanities, how to disarm our self-destruct mechanisms, and how to re-channel our energies toward constructive ends. In other words, we have to replace our "dying program" with a "living program". Early in our recovery we learned that we did a pretty poor job with our lives. One of our sayings is "Our best ideas got us here". This seems apt, as we look back and see how many times our schemes and plans got us into trouble despite their original intent. We were powerless over our addictions and could not manage our own lives. Now we find ourselves thrust together in N.A., mismanager all, not one of us capable of making consistently good decisions. When we realized this had related to our new group oriented way of life we often experienced a sort of gut-level panicky feeling.

At this point our old timers usually come forward to reassure us. "Don't worry. God takes care of fools and addicts. This is a spiritual program and He won't let us screw it up" they say. They go on to explain that in N.A. we rely on a loving God as he expresses Himself in our Group conscience rather than on personal opinion or ego. In working the Steps we need to come to depend on a Power greater than ourselves. We continue this relationship and utilize it for our Group purposes. If we each turned our will and our lives over to His care and seek to do his will, he will express Himself on a group level. When a decision needs to be made for a group, each of the members should take the time to meditate on what is most beneficial to our common welfare. If we do this, then the results will truly be an expression of the spiritual concept of our Group.  We know that this is a fact for our Fellowship, but sometimes we are confused when it seems our decisions don't work out very well. We forget that we are not perfect, and that we are only experiencing spiritual progress. When personalities and self will creep into our efforts then the results suffer. We must be constantly on guard that our decisions are truly an expression of God's will.

There is often a vast difference between Group conscience and Group opinion, powerful personalities, or popularity. Some of our most painful growing pains have come as a result of decisions made in the name of "group conscience". Our experience has shown that there had been nothing spiritual about some of our decisions. "We took a Group conscience and decided that..."Wait a minute! We don't take Group conscience, we take votes. One group decided that members must be graduates of a specific treatment program, another felt that only heroin addicts should attend, another accepted only Christians. Another decided that residents of a halfway house could attend if they promised not to talk. Another let others sit in on their group only if they would contribute to the collection. Another, decided to pay its officers wages.  One group promised that anyone who attended their meetings would be able to get a job at a local counseling center and so on and so on. We've made a lot of bad decisions and pawned them off as Group conscience. This worries many of US. How can we really tell if our decisions are really Group conscience or not, and how do we prevent painful mistakes?  There is one truth which helps guide us. True spiritual principles are never in conflict; they always complement each other. The true spiritual conscience of a group will never contradict any of our other spiritual principles. Whenever we are faced with a group decision, we first try to eliminate personalities, prejudices, and self-centeredness. Then we review our decisions to make sure they are not in violation of any of our Twelve Traditions. If we take another look at our decision and try to resolve it.  This approach isn't foolproof, but it has helped to prevent problems many times.

The Second Tradition also concerns the nature of leadership in N.A. We have seen that we try to rest authority in the spiritual conscience of the group. In keeping with this, we make a special point of trying to prevent authoritarian leadership. We have learned that for our Fellowship leadership by example and by selfless service works, and that direction and manipulation fails. The way we designate our trusted servants insures this. We choose not to have presidents, masters, chairmen or directors.

Instead we have secretaries, treasurers, and representatives. These titles in themselves imply service rather than control. Our experience shows that if a group becomes an extension of the personality of a leader or a certain member, then it loses its effectiveness. Newcomers don't stay, and members stop coming. The group must then change or die. This is sometimes a difficult and agonizing process. Those who stay grow through the experience; but what happens to those who leave? An atmosphere of recovery in our groups is one of our most precious assets; and we must guard it carefully lest we lose it to politics and personalities.

Those of us who have been involved in service for a long time or in getting a group started and keeping the doors open through the hard early days sometimes have a hard time letting go of the reins. Sometimes our egos get in the way, sometimes ungrounded fears get in the way, and sometimes the group gets in the way. Most of us come with a poor self-image and low self-worth. With time and some successes we begin to recover somewhat and develop healthier egos. We enjoy these feelings for they are healthy for us.

We like recognition and attention and we often deserve them. However this sometimes gets out of hand. We begin to pursue these things as ends in themselves and find ourselves in trouble. With more time and maturity we grow in humility and learn to deal with these new feelings in a more realistic and spiritual way. Another situation which often causes us problems is fear. We sometimes fear that there is no one else who can serve the group as well as we. We are afraid that if we turn over the responsibility to new members, something terrible is going to happen. We may even have tried to get others involved before without success. It doesn't matter whenever we are unwilling to take a chance to let the group grow on its own, or when we become afraid of change, we are playing God. Our friends may tell us to let go and work the Third Step, but sometimes we are deaf to their love.

In these cases it is ourselves who must go and grow. But again, what about those we lose in the process? Still another situation which causes leadership problems is when senior members are thrust into positions of power. Sometimes a group or part of a group will be afraid to let their leaders step down gracefully. The members time and time again draft the same leaders; demanding that they perform, demanding that they rule the roost. In these cases change is especially hard because it seems that only a crisis will do the job. Usually, the leader himself must refuse to serve.  This goes against the grain because we've been told never to refuse an N.A. request, and this has been a valuable part of our program. To refuse to lead because it's not what's best for the group requires a lot of maturity and humility.

Most of those involved with service sooner or later have to deal with these problems. At first they are unaware. They run on good feelings, the notoriety, and the attention. After a while, they may begin having mixed feelings. Part of them revels in the spotlight, while another part is very uncomfortable because they know they are just another member. This period is often followed by a period in which they deny their leadership and value to the group. Eventually and gratefully they find a degree of humility which allows them to accept themselves and their places in the Fellowship.  They accept that they are truly just a part of a greater whole, that they in themselves are not indispensable or dispensable. Along with this they also accept that they do have special and valuable experiences which can benefit the group. They become a resource for the group; seeking neither to control the group-not to set themselves apart. It is at this time that their long service truly contributes the most. They encourage us, inspire us, and teach us by example. Even though their services are less dramatic than when their group was struggling to survive, they provide a foundation of stability, strength, and experience upon which our Fellowship can grow.

TRADITION THREE : The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using.

This Tradition is very important for both the individual and the group. It relates directly to many of the basic ideas of our program. Desire is the key word in this Tradition and desire is the basis of our recovery.  In our story and in our experience of trying to carry the message of recovery to the addict who still suffers, one painful fact of life has emerged again and again. An addict who does not want to stop using will not stop using. They can be analyzed, counseled, reasoned with, prayed over, threatened, beaten, locked up or whatever; but they won't stop. using until they want to. The only thing we ask of our members is that they have this desire. Without it, they are doomed, but with it miracles have happened.

This is our only requirement, and rightfully so. Addiction does not discriminate, why should recovery? Our disease does not recognize race, religion, sex, age, occupation, economics, or any of the other lines people draw to separate themselves. "An addict is a man or woman whose life is controlled by drugs." The newcomer is the lifeblood of N.A. and when one comes to us seeking help we welcome them with open arms. We don't care who or what they are or even what they used. As long as they want to stop using there's a place for them in N.A., and this Tradition guarantees them that place. Every clean member of N.A. could have been rejected by some kind of membership requirement or another. Many of us would not be alive today if we hadn't found a program which accepted us when we wanted help. We originally came to this program for many reasons, but those of us who have stayed have done so for the same reasonthe desire to stop using. Many of us didn't even know that addiction was a problem. Many of us could not visualize a life without drugs, let alone want it. Many of us had reached the point in our addiction where we felt there was no hope for us, we only wanted a little relief. It wasn't until after we came to N.A. that we found out that we had a disease and that recovery was possible for us.

Membership in N.A. isn't automatic when someone walks in the door; it isn't every automatic when the newcomer has a desire to stop using. The decision to become a part of our fellowship rests with the individual. Any addict who has a desire to stop using can become a member of N.A.

We are Narcotics Anonymous and our problem is addiction, other fellowships deal with other problems. Most newcomers are led to the fellowship which best suits their needs. Individuals come with problems that express themselves in various ways. They don't clearly fit into our fellowship.  Many of these people become valuable and active members of several fellowships while others single out the fellowship with which they are the most comfortable. Our primary purpose is to carry the message to the addict who still suffers; where they find recovery is not our basic concern. We know of members with a history of drug abuse who have found recovery in other fellowships. We support these members and rejoice in their recovery, any addict who has found freedom and recovery anywhere is a friend of ours.

Although we would welcome them in our groups, we do not seek them out or force them to join N.A. This would not be in keeping with our spiritual aims. The twelve step fellowships do not compete. We are mutually supportive and cooperate for the common good. For us recovery is more important than membership. However, some newcomers seem to have trouble finding a fellowship or fellowships in which they fit. We encourage them to shop around, to attend various meetings and find out where they most fully identify. They might ask themselves: "Where do I hear about problems most like my problems? Where are there members who are living the kind of life I would like to live?" and "Where am I most comfortable?"

We have also met members who are uncertain about where they really belong. We suggest that they ask themselves three questions: l.-What message do you carry? (What is the nature of your recovery and what have you recovered from?) 2.-Who are you trying to carry this message to?

3.-Where are you trying to carry this message?  We suggest that the answers to these three questions should not be in conflict; we cannot give away anything we haven't got. We cannot carry any message that is not our own.

The choice of membership rests with the individual. We feel the ideal state for our fellowship exists when an addict can openly and freely come to an N.A. meeting; wherever and whenever they choose and leave just as freely if they want to. We realize that there is nothing we can do to make an addict stop using. However, we have learned that recovery is a reality and that life without drugs is better than we ever imagined. We open our doors to addicts hoping that they can find what we have found; but knowing that only those who have a desire t stop using and want what we have to offer will join us in our new way of life.

TRADITION FOUR: Each group should be autonomous, except in matters affecting other groups, or N.A. as a whole.

The autonomy of our groups is one of our most precious possessions. This sounds great but what does it mean? What is it to be autonomous?  Webster's defines autonomous as "having the right or power of self government", "undertaken or carried on without outside control", "existing or capable of existing independently", "responding, reacting or developing independently of the whole". Autonomy is all these things to us and more.  Our groups are truly self-governing and are not subject to outside control.

Each group can exist on it's own if it must. Each group has had to grow on its own and stand on its own two feet. One might ask: Is this really true, are we truly autonomous, what about our service committees, our offices, our activities, our hotlines, and all the other things that go on in N.A.? The answer, of course, is that these things are not N.A. They are services that we can utilize to help us in our recovery and to further the primary purpose of our groups. Narcotics Anonymous is a Fellowship of men and women, addicts, meeting together in groups, and using a given set of spiritual principles to find freedom from addiction and a new way to live. All else is not N.A. Those other things we mentioned are the result of members caring enough to reach out and offer their help and experience so that our road may be easier. Whether or not we choose to utilize these services for the benefit of a group is up to us, they are not thrust down our throats.

Some have taken offense to this, they say that when they started out they were told they had to register their group. This may be true, but many groups exist that have never registered. We ask groups to register because we can't recognize them unless we know that they exist. Once a group registers they are sent a starter kit. This contains many suggestions and is one of the ways we share our experience to help the group.  Whether or not they take our suggestion is their decision. In this starter kit it says that we must abide by the Twelve Traditions in order to call ourselves Narcotics Anonymous. This is also true, but these Traditions are part of the set of spiritual principles that are N.A. Without the Traditions, N.A. does not exist.

It really is up to the group, in the end they must choose for themselves.. They are autonomous.  But we said that for N.A. autonomy was more than this, and it is. For us in Narcotics Anonymous autonomy is also creative freedom. It gives our groups the freedom to act on their own to establish their atmosphere of recovery, to serve their members, and to fulfill their primary purpose. It is this aspect of autonomy that makes it one of our most precious principles. It is for this reason that we guard our autonomy so carefully.

We are autonomous; and from what we have said it would seem that we, in our groups, can do whatever we decide to do, regardless of what anybody says. Well, yes and no. Each group does have complete freedom except when their actions become a threat to other groups and the rest of N.A. This is the other half of Tradition Four and the way we use our autonomy is just as important as autonomy itself. Like group conscience, autonomy can be a two-edged sword. In the past group autonomy has been used to justify the violation of other Traditions. This should never be allowed to happen because as we have said spiritual principles are never in conflict with other spiritual principles. If a conflict or contradiction does exist that means that somewhere along the line we have somehow slipped away from the true principles.

When we use our autonomy for the good of our group we must be careful that our actions do not hurt other groups or N.A. as a whole. Again we are given a simple rule of thumb. If we check to make sure that our actions are clearly within the bounds of our Traditions, if we don't represent anyone but ourselves, if we don't dictate to other groups or force anything upon them, and if we take the time to consider the consequences of our actions ahead of time, then all will be well.

TRADITION FIVE : Our primary purpose is to carry the message to the addict who still suffers.

"You mean to say that our primary purpose is to carry the message? I thought we were here to clean up? I thought our primary purpose was to recover from drug addiction?" For the individual this is certainly true, our members are here to find freedom from addiction, and a new way of life.  However, groups aren't addicted and don't recover. All our groups can do is plant the seed for recovery and bring addicts together so that the magic of empathy, honesty, caring, sharing, and service can do its thing. The purpose of this Tradition is to insure that this atmosphere of recovery is maintained. This can only be achieved by keeping our groups newcomer and service oriented. The fact that we require each and every group to focus on carrying the message provides consistency. An addict can count on us if they want help. Unity of action and unity of purpose make possible what seemed impossible for usrecovery.

The Twelfth Step of our personal program also says that we should carry the message to the addict who still suffers. This is no coincidence.

Working with others is one of our most powerful tools. "The therapeutic value of one addict helping another is unparalleled." For the newcomer this is how they find out about N.A. and how they stay clean; and for the members this reaffirms and clarifies what they have learned. The group is the most perfect vehicle we have for carrying the message to the addict who still suffers. When a member carries the message, he is somewhat bound by his interpretation and personality. The problem with literature is language; the feelings, the intensity, and the strengths are sometimes lost. In our groups, with all personalities, the message is a recurring theme; an underlying reality.

What would happen if our groups had other primary purposes? We feel our message would be diluted and then lost. If we concentrated on making money many might get rich. If we were a social club we'd find many friends and lovers. If we specialized in education we'd end up with many smart addicts. If our specialty was medical help many would get healthy. If our group purpose was anything other than carrying the message, many would die and few would find recovery.

What is our message? We hear this question answered many ways. In our groups we share our experience, strength and hope and this is our message that an addict, any addict, can stop using drugs; lose the desire to use again; and find a new way to live. Their message is hope and the promise of freedom. When it's all said and done, our primary group purpose can only be to carry this message to the addict who still suffers because this is all we have to give.

TRADITION SIX: An N.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the N.A name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property or prestige divert us from our primary purpose.

Our Fifth Tradition defines our primary purpose and our Sixth Tradition tells us some of the things we must do to preserve and protect this spiritual aim. This Tradition tells us that we ought never endorse, finance or lend the N.A. name to any outside enterprise. And then we are warned exactly what can happen if we ignore this advice. This Tradition is the basis for our policy of non-affiliation and is extremely important to the continuation and growth of N.A. Unfortunately, this Tradition has also been a point of controversy within our Fellowship.

Let's take a closer look at what this Tradition really says. First thing a group ought never to endorse. To endorse is to sanction, approve, or recommend. Endorsements can either be direct or implied. We see direct endorsements everyday in T.V. commercials. Direct endorsements can also be in writing and often appear in proposals and promotional sales material. A direct endorsement is often used to try and persuade someone to do something. An implied endorsement is one that is not stated. Although we don't usually recognize it as such, implied endorsements occur in our stories. We say, "The big kids used it and if they used it, it had to be good."

The next thing we ought never do is finance. This is more obvious;

to finance means to supply funds or to help support financially. The third

thing warned against is lending the N.A. name. This means letting someone

use the name, Narcotics Anonymous, for something that is not Narcotics

Anonymous. It also means letting an outsider mention or utilize our name for their own purposes. Several times other programs have tried to use Narcotics Anonymous as part of their "services offered" to help justify a funding proposal. Had we allowed this, we would have been letting them use our name.

These are the "ought never's" in the Sixth Tradition.  This tradition also tells us "who". A related facility is any other facility or place that involves N.A. members. It might be a halfway house, a detox center, a counseling center, a clubhouse, or anyone of a number of such places. Often times, people are easily confused by what is N.A. and what are the related facilities. Recovery houses which have been started or staffed by N.A. members have to take special care that the differentiation is clear. Perhaps the most confusion exists when it involves a clubhouse situation. Newcomers and even older members often identify the clubhouse with N.A. and N.A. with the clubhouse. We should make a special effort to let these people know that there is a difference.

The second "who" outside enterprises. An outside enterprise is any agency, any business venture, any religion, any society, any organization, any unrelated activity, or any fellowship. Most of these are pretty straight forward, except for other fellowships. Most of us would not confuse N.A.  with something like a specific religious fellowship, but when it comes to other twelve-step fellowships, we sometimes have problems. Let's face it; Narcotics Anonymous is not Alcoholics Anonymous, Overeaters' Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous, Emotional Health Anonymous, Smokers Anonymous, Parents Anonymous or any other anonymous. Narcotics Anonymous is a separate and distinct fellowship in its own right. Our problem is addiction, the other twelve-step fellowships specialize in other problems, and our relationship with them is one of "cooperation not affiliation". The use of the literature of another fellowship in our meetings constitutes an implied endorsement of an outside enterprise.

The Sixth Tradition goes on to warn-us what may happen if we do what we ought never do: "...lest problems of money, property, or prestige divert us from our primary purpose". If you say this quickly it almost sounds like "money, power and sex;" our old enemies. If you say it real quickly, it might sound like "people, places and things;" our old resentments and fantasies. Even if you don't say it quickly, they have much in common. The often become obsessions and shut us off from our spiritual aim. They are the sort of things we get involved with and run with until we are consumed.  For the individual, this type of abuse can be devastating, but for the group, even the slightest touch can be disastrous. When we as a group waver from our primary purpose, addicts die who might have found recovery.  The Sixth Tradition has been one of those just sort of read and let it go at that. It's hard to understand. But when we really take a look, when we really try to understand, it's simplicity amazes us. We can see the danger of endorsement, financial support and letting others use our name; we can see how easily things can lead to abuse of money, property and prestige; and we can for see the results of this abuse and the heartache it can bring.

TRADITION SEVEN: Every N.A. Group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.

Being self-supporting is an important part of our new way of life. For the individual, this is usually quite a change. In our addictions, we were dependent on people, places and things. We looked to them to support us and to supply the things we found lacking in ourselves. As recovering addicts, we find that we are still dependent, but our dependence has shifted from the things around us to a loving God and the inner strength we get in our relationship with Him. We who were unable to function as human beings now find anything is possible for us. Those dreams we gave up long ago can now become realities with God's help. Addicts as a group have been and still are, millstones around society's neck. In N.A., our groups of addicts not only try to stand on their own two feet, but demand the right to do so.

Money has always been a problem for us. We could never find enough to support ourselves our habits and our self-gratification. We worked, stole, conned, begged and sold ourselves; there was never enough money to fill the emptiness inside. In our recovery, money is often still a problem; we stopped trying to support our habits; we got to work and often find unexpected success. We clean up the wreckage of our past and things seem to be going our way for a change. However, financial security can still seem to run like water through our fingers. We've got a lot of growing up to do and this takes time. Common sense and responsibility are things most of us usually have to learn from scratch. Learning how to live can hurt a lot, but for most of us it's a great adventure.

N.A. needs money to run the group; there is rent to pay, supplies to buy and literature to pay for. We pass the hat to cover these expenses and whatever is left over goes to support our services and to further our primary purpose. Unfortunately, there's usually pitifully little left over after a group pays its way. Sometimes members who can afford it kick a little extra in to help. Sometimes a few get together and put on some activity to help raise funds. These efforts help a lot and without them, much that we have been given to do would have had to be left undone. N.A.  remains a shoe-string operation, and even though it's sometimes frustrating, we really wouldn't have it any other way; we know the price would be too high to bear.

Our poverty enables us to be much closer to our Fellowship. We all have to pull together, and in pulling together we learn that we really are a part of something greater than ourselves. Our policy concerning money is clearly stated: We decline outside contributions, our Fellowship is completely self- supporting. We accept no funding, no endowments, no loans, no gifts, and no handouts because we know that there's no such thing as a free ride. Everything has its price, regardless of intent. Whether the price is money, promises, concessions, special recognition, endorsement, favors or anything else; it's just too high for us. Even if those who would help us could guarantee no strings, we still would not accept their aid. The price would still be too high.  Nor will we charge for our services for to do so would distract from our spiritual purpose. We cannot even afford to let our members contribute more than their fair share. Because for us the price is paid within our groups: disunity, controversy, insanity and death. We will not put our freedom on the line again; not for "an easier, softer way", not for anything; never again!

TRADITION EIGHT: Narcotics Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but our Service Centers may employ special workers.

Some have described N.A. as a fellowship made up of the failures from other programs. To a great extent this is true; many of our members have unsuccessfully sought recovery in many other programs, in many other ways. "Jail did not help us at all. Medicine, religion and psychiatry seemed to have no answers for us that we could use." We ourselves have said, "Give us the ones you can't do anything with; give us your hardest cases. We'll welcome them with open arms." Somehow N.A. works when other programs and methods have failed. What is it about us that makes this so? We don't have any secret or special methods. We don't have any cure-all remedies.

We don't really have many of the things that others offer addicts. What is it about N.A. that makes us the most widespread and successful program for addicts in the world? Perhaps it's something simple. Perhaps it's because we don't have these things, that it is possible for us to succeed where others have failed. What do we have? We have our steps; we have mobility; we understand and care; and we are motivated; we have each other.  The basis of our program is the Twelve Steps. We got these Steps from Alcoholics Anonymous, who thought enough of them to give them freely.  A.A. got the Steps from various sources. The Steps are based on spiritual principles that have been known and followed for centuries. Most religious or spiritual orders utilize these same principles in some way. These principles are certainly not unique to us, but they are spiritual principles and that makes them special. Spiritual principles are basic truths that do not change with time or place; they simply work in all cases.

This program has been called a "hip pocket program". We don't require any equipment or special facilities. it doesn't take special training to make this program work. We carry this program with us wherever we go. We carry our message to the addict wherever he is and whenever he's ready.  This program fits every addict because the addict learns to apply our Steps to his life in his own way. Our ability to reach addicts anytime, anywhere has certainly been a great advantage for us.

Perhaps our greatest asset is empathy, our ability to understand and identify with the newcomer. We know what it's really like to kick the habit; we've been there. We know what it's like to face life without drugs, each of us has had to do this. We know the prices of addiction; we've all had to pay them. We can't look down on the addict who comes to us; we've all been newcomers. We can't con each other; we've played all the games. We understand the addict and addiction perhaps better than anyone else can, after all, this is the life we lived. We care for and love the addict as if he were ourselves, because the addict really is ourself.

Our motivation is simple; this program was given freely to us by addicts who cared. We only do the same. We have learned that "we can only keep what we have by giving it away". We know that recovery is a matter of life and death for the newcomer and for ourselves.  These are the things we are and how our program works. They are a reality for us. We have our Steps; we have mobility; we really understand and care; and we are motivated by survival. All these things are a contradiction to traditional recovery approaches and to professionalism. The professional has no place in our Fellowship; our very nature prohibits this.  Professionalism as such is not the problem. We recognize and admire the professional and his sphere. Many of our members in the endeavors outside the Fellowship have become professionals in their own right. It's just that there's no place for professionalism in N.A.; for our purpose we have learned the therapeutic value of one addict helping another is truly without parallel.

Our primary purpose is to carry the message to the addict who still suffers. We do the best we can and sometimes we need a little help.  Volunteer work is the backbone of our service, but volunteers work only to the best of their abilities, only at their convenience. Some of our services require skills or abilities we are unable to supply as volunteers.  Most of us do not have the training necessary or the extra time required to fulfill these functions. Our Eighth Tradition also recognizes this and tells us that we may employ special workers in our service centers. Without their help, we might be unable to respond to many of those who reach out to us for help.

TRADITION NINE: N.A., as such, ought never be organized, but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.

This Tradition defines the way we run our Fellowship. A lot of confusion has occurred because of misinterpretations of our Ninth Tradition. Our members are addicts who have the desire to stop using, who want what we have to offer, and who have chosen to join us. Our meetings are a gathering of members' for the purpose of staying clean. Our principles are the Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions.

Another point of confusion is the term organized, which has several meanings. Our Steps and Traditions are uniform and set in a specific order. They are numbered; they are not random and unstructured. Certainly they are organized, but this is not the organization of our Ninth Tradition. For the purpose of this Tradition, organized means having an administrative structure, and this implies management and control. On this basis, the meaning of Tradition Nine is clear. N.A. should never be run by bureaucracy or management nor controlled by individuals within an administrative structure. If we were to allow this, N.A. would surely lose the best it has to offer and choke to death on our insanities.

Even without this Tradition, organization such as this would be in opposition to our spiritual principles. A loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience would find no place within an administrative structure. How could a trusted servant manage and control? Service and management are contradictory. Government implies control, but our leaders do not govern. How could autonomy exist in an administrative structure? Specialization and professionalism are the basis of any management scheme.  Any administrative structure, by its very nature, eliminated the possibility of autonomy. An organized N.A. is a contradiction in terms and any attempt to force organization on us would destroy us.

The Ninth Tradition goes on to define the nature of this things that we can do, outside N.A., to help N.A. It says that we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve. This is the basis of our service structure, but keep in mind that although these entities are created to serve our Fellowship they are not, in fact, a part of Narcotics Anonymous. Our service structure consists of our groups and their business sense: our area service committees, regional service committees, World Service Conference, World Service Board of Trustees, and World

Service Office. Each of these is directly responsible through the service structure, to the members of N.A. and to a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience.

TRADITION TEN:  N.A. has no opinion on outside issues; hence the N.A.  name ought never be drawn into public controversy.

In order to achieve our spiritual aim, Narcotics Anonymous must be known and respected. Nowhere is this more obvious than in our history. N.A. was founded in 1953. For twenty years our Fellowship remained small and obscure. In the 1970's, society realized that addiction had become a worldwide condition and began to look for answers. Along with this came a change in the way people conceived the addict. This change allowed addicts to seek help more openly. N.A. groups sprang up in many places where we were never tolerated before. Recovering addicts-pave the way for more groups and more recoveries. Today, N.A. is a worldwide Fellowship; we are known and respected everywhere.

If an addict has never heard of us, he cannot seek us out. If those who work with addicts are unaware of our existence, they cannot refer them to us. One of the most important things we can do to help in our primary purpose is to let people know who, what and where we are. If we do this, and if our reputation is good, we will surely grow. We were led to addicts so we could give to them what others gave us.

Our recovery speaks for itself. Our Traditions protect us. Our Tenth

Tradition specifically helps protect our reputation. This Tradition says that N.A. has no opinion on outside issues. We don't take sides. We don't endorse any causes. We don't have any recommendations. N.A., as a fellowship, does not participate in the politics of society. To do so would be to invite controversy; it would jeopardize our reputation. Those who agree with our opinions might commend us for taking a stand, but some would always disagree. This would effect the way they see us.  With a price this high, is it any wonder that we choose not to take sides in society's problems? For our own survival we have no opinion on outside issues; we keep ourselves apart so that we will never forget why we are here, and so that others will not mistake our purpose.

TRADITION ELEVEN: Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio and films.

This Tradition also deals with our relationship to those outside the

Fellowship. It tells us how we should relate to the addict who still suffers, and it tells us how to conduct our effort at the public level. This has meaning for dealing with both potential members and the general public. We have learned the value of teaching by example rather than direction. This has worked for us and we utilize this principle when we work with other addicts. Our message is most obvious in our lives. In this sense we are the message. When working with a newcomer, we try to tell them where we came from and what has happened to us. If they can identify with us and if they want what we have to offer them, they may join us. This is attraction. We never promise anything other than a chance to stop using if they want to. This is all we really have to offer and to make any other promise would be to distract from our primary purpose.

We should never misrepresent what we offer even if by doing so we might be able to get a few more addicts to attend our meetings. It is easy to

make promises. We can tell an addict that we offer all kinds of things other

than recovery. Addicts would flock to our doors; they would come for a

free meal, or housing, or money, or a job, or a lover, or any kind of free

ride. But how many would have a desire to stop using, and how many would

leave as soon as they found out we wouldn't keep our promise? How many would never come back? How many would die without ever having a chance to find recovery? Promotion is representing ourselves as something we are not.  In order to accomplish something we want, we don't use promotion to encourage addicts to come to us and we don't use promotions to make ourselves more acceptable. Our successes speak for themselves.  Our Eleventh Tradition also tells us we need also maintain anonymity at the level of press, radio and films. Most of us interpret this to mean that we don't give our names or show our faces publicly as members of N.A.

What would happen if a member publicly declared that he was a member of Narcotics Anonymous and let everyone know the wonderful things that N.A. can do for addicts, and later he was found dead of an overdose? What would people who had heard his declaration and also knew about his death think about the value of N.A.?

Personal anonymity is really much more. It is a point of freedom, and personal recovery. No member of N.A should ever place themselves in a position where they have to make a statement for N.A. as a whole. No one member is N.A. and no one member can speak for us. We have no elite class nor special members. Each of us has our story, and our own recovery.  Individually, we are powerless but as a Fellowship we can achieve great things.

TRADITION TWELVE: Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

The Twelve Traditions of Narcotics Anonymous are even more inter-related than our Steps. They compliment each other and are bound together by the principle of anonymity. We've heard "Principles before personalities" so often it has become a cliche like "Take it Easy" or "First Things First". But what does it mean? What is the principle of anonymity?  Anonymity is the whole basis of the program; it is truly the foundation. In order to survive, we must set aside the differences we live by and become a part of a greater whole. The awakening of anonymity in each of us occurs when we finally give up trying to manage our lives and begin to depend on a power greater than ourselves.

Let us examine anonymity. It is the spiritual foundation of our Traditions.  The First Tradition talks about common welfare and N.A. unity. The placing of common welfare before personal welfare in the group setting is a direct application of anonymity. The "I wants, I wills and I shoulds" are replaced by "we" oriented thinking for the common good; the result is unity.  Unity is the direct result of the application of the principle of anonymity within the group and the fellowship.  The Second Tradition talks about having but one ultimate authority. No single person (no personality) has authority. This is vested in a loving God to whom we have turned over our will and lives. The anonymity of the servant should be typical of our leaders. They themselves are not important; it is only the service which counts.  The Third Tradition is a statement of anonymity. We do not define our members. We only insist that they have a desire to stop using. Nothing else should matter. This desire is the one crucial must of our program. We must either come with it or develop it before this program will work for us.

Anonymity makes possible the autonomy of our Fourth Tradition. Without the principle of anonymity, each group would set itself up as some thing different from the restsomething special. Our groups would begin competing with each other for members and for recognition. The resulting loss of unity would eventually destroy N.A.

Our Fifth Tradition says that each group has but one primary purpose. This unity of purpose is the tie that binds our groups together. Our groups are not truly different; each has the same spiritual aim and orientation. This anonymity, and the anonymity of the groups, make it possible for an addict to depend on us for help.

Tradition Six tells us that we ought never finance, endorse or lend the N.A.  name to any facility or outside enterprise. To violate this rule would be to lose our anonymity. With anonymity gone, personalities would take over and problems of money, property and prestige would surely divert us from our primary purpose.

Our Seventh Tradition guarantees each member the right and privilege to share in the financial support of Narcotics Anonymous. Each of us is given the equal opportunity to help anonymously. We uniformly reject outside contributions regardless of their source. We also do not allow a member to contribute more than his fair share; to do so would be to encourage the loss of their anonymity.

In regards to our Eighth Tradition, we do not single out our members as "professionals"; we try to maintain their chance to experience personal recovery and grow. Not forcing power and status on our members is yet another form of anonymity.

The service board and committees of our Ninth Tradition are directly responsible to a loving God as expressed in a group conscience. They are not responsible to any particular personality or set of personalities.  In our Tenth Tradition, we strive to limit the growth of powerful personalities and safeguard anonymity by having no opinion on outside issues.

When controversy exists, people take sides, personalities, come forward, and as this happens anonymity fades. Here again we find consistency of action, and in its own way this is also anonymity.  In our Eleventh Tradition, we find that the way we relate to the outside world is in fact using personal anonymity. None of us are singled out, no one of us represents N.A.; to do so would be to place our personalities ahead of others and this would be a violation of our anonymity. In attraction rather than promotion, we give the addict the right to join in our anonymity and find recovery.

Anonymity is everywhere in our Traditions and in our Fellowship. It is one of the basics of recovery. The principle of anonymity protects us from our defects of personality and character. Where anonymity exists, personalities and differences have no power. Anonymity in action makes it impossible for personalities to come before principles.