A Conversation That Stayed with Me
About ten years ago, I had the same interesting conversation twice in one day. I was distributing Narcotics Anonymous meeting lists in the community when a local pharmacist lit up at the news that NA meetings were starting up again. His understanding of NA was limited, but he knew the impact addiction had on our community and welcomed anything that could help.
Later that day, another pharmacist reacted the same way—happy, curious, and eager to take meeting lists. My doctor also accepts meeting lists regularly. During his training in England, NA had presented to new doctors, and he told me, “You guys are great. You help people.”
Despite this support, it eventually became financially impossible for me to keep printing and distributing meeting lists. NA isn’t new here, but it’s still relatively unknown to the public. I rarely see meeting lists around town anymore. My own recovery began with a meeting list and a pamphlet handed to me by an addiction counsellor at the local hospital. Meeting lists have a special place in my heart. I couldn’t afford treatment, and NA was the lifeline I found.
High‑Profile Recovery
The addiction treatment industry is highly organized, well funded, and widely recognized. Treatment centers and recovery houses generate billions of dollars. Many people in NA today came through treatment programs, and some continue to work in that industry.
But the reality is that 80% or more of addicts never enter treatment at all. Despite this, NA service structures often rely heavily on attracting members from the 20% who do. This creates a subtle but significant problem: people from the treatment industry are accustomed to structure, rules, and hierarchy—sometimes because their lives depended on it.
TRADITION NINE – “N.A. as such ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.”
For the purpose of this Tradition, “organized” means having management and control. On this basis, the meaning of Tradition Nine is clear. Without this Tradition, our Fellowship would be in opposition to spiritual principles. A loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience is our ultimate authority.
Narcotics Anonymous Basic Text, All versions, Chapter 6, Tradition 9
How Organization Can Oppose Spiritual Principles
Any form of organization requires structure and rules. Structure and rules are useful for institutions, but Tradition Nine warns that they can become harmful within NA. Governance requires enforcement, and enforcement breeds opinion, ego, and conflict. I’m opinionated myself—sometimes to the point of contempt—but that’s a defect, not an asset.
Here are some of the problems that arise:
Loss of Autonomy
Groups and individuals need the freedom to adapt to their environment. Some groups adjust formats or literature to address equality and inclusion. Others focus on underserved segments of society. This flexibility is essential.
Loss of Innovation
Some of the most impactful tools in NA were created by addicts—not by service bodies:
• BMLT (Basic Meeting List Toolbox) was built by volunteers to keep meeting information accurate.
• Virtual‑NA existed long before COVID‑19 and connected addicts worldwide.
• Historical literature study groups spread rapidly during the pandemic, despite resistance from some service structures.
These innovations happened because addicts helped each other—not because anyone approved them.
Disunity Through Control
When groups are pressured to obey organizational rules or artificial structures, unity suffers. Groups lose their unique character and their ability to respond to the needs of the addicts they serve.
The Freedom to Act Locally
Passing my responsibilities to others is a form of complacency. Groups can adapt quickly without waiting for permission. Virtual‑NA saved countless addicts long before any service body formally recognized online meetings. A bad idea from one group is balanced by good ideas from others—no governance required.
Structure Without Chains
I appreciate the structure I have in my life today. NA taught me how to live, but I’m not chained to rules. I have freedom. Service structures, by contrast, require rules and control to function—and control easily becomes manipulation. Many of the sickest addicts in NA gravitate toward service structures because they struggle to function in society.
Recovery Beyond the Bubble
I find myself enjoying full recovery and acceptance in society rather than staying inside insular recovery cliques. Spiritual principles expand when you widen your circle. I still practice the Twelve Steps and believe in NA more than ever. Tradition Nine guides me when I carry the message and reminds me of the importance of being part of a group.
The Steps gave my life structure without outside control. My dependence shifted from self‑obsession to a relationship with a Higher Power. Tradition Nine expresses that same reliance when I work with others.
I cannot recover alone—but together, we can.