Category: Service Structures

The Crescent and the Needle, withdrawn.

Originally published at www.12steprecovery.com

Narcotics Anonymous Iran. In 2014, John Lavitt wrote an article for a website called The Fix called “The Crescent and the Needle: The Remarkable Rise of NA in Iran.” This article is no longer available online, but excerpts can be found on other sites. {EDITOR’S NOTE – as of June 1, 2023 a copy of the original article is located at this link] It contained an overview of the rise of Narcotics Anonymous in Iran.  There was faltering attempt in 1990 by a couple members but the Fellowship finally took hold in 1995. By 1998 Iran had translated and produced more than a half a dozen pieces of literature to Farsi and this likely accelerated the growth. In 2001, Iran reached out and made The NAWS Corporation aware of their existence. By 2003 The Corporation had established the fourth World Service Office in Tehran, the capital of Iran. Members of the World Board for the Corporation documented a trip to meet with members of the Fellowship in 2006. Iran was officially recognized as a seated participant at the World Service Conference in 2006 which allowed them to vote.  The Iran Region grew very large. They were so dominant that Annual Reports produced by the NAWS Corporation gave information about Finances and Literature production highlighting Iranian figures separately.  One difference is that groups generally meet daily in Iran, whereas in North America groups often meet weekly. In 2006, Iran had almost a 988 groups and almost 3,982 weekly meetings.  North America had 17,324 groups hosted 26,419 meetings in 2008 and only showing small fluctuations in the last thirty years. There were 53,000+ meetings worldwide in 2008.  14,000+ of them were in Iran, or approximately 26% with zero growth in North America. Iran accounted for 30% of the sales of Basic Texts, and 50% of the sales of IP #22 (Welcome to NA) in 2008.  What has transpired over the last 14 years is a mystery but in 2022, Iran Region has voted to separate itself from the NAWS Corporation and act autonomously.  

This will have significant impact on the NAWS Corporation as Iran Region represents over 30% of the global Fellowship. There are a few indicators of the growing rift with the NAWS corporation. Anthony Edmondson, the Executive Director of the the NAWS Corporation admonished them for leaving and did not make any attempts to address their concerns in a letter dated June 28th, 2022 (available for viewing on many recovery groups on social media).

In 2016, NAWS produced ‘Regional Summaries’ that contained a treasure trove of information about the Fellowships globally.  The Iran Region reported 4,580 Groups and 20,598 meetings. 95% of funding came from Groups and Area.

Our tax status as an NGO [Ed. Non-Government Organization] in iran is not clear and is unknown to us. Some of the saying and or terms in our books and literature does not comply with our culture and we have asked na world service office in tehran to change them but no action has been taken so far.

There does not appear to be any discussion or action on this item. This was the last term for this Regional Delegate and the Alternate Delegate became the RD in 2018. Groups and meeting numbers were very similar, but Fellowship financial support had dropped to 80% of budget, and Literature profits now accounted for the remaining 20%.

‐ One our ASC separated from our region and declared that they are an independent region without any coordination and interaction with the RSC.

‐ Misuse of cyberspace to ruin the trusted servants in NA and spreading rumors and untrue news and also sending reports by some members before sent by delegates and secretary.

‐ Negative impact of some sponsors on their sponsees which results of in their incompatibility with the group conscience and ruin of trusted servants in NA, too.

The same Regional Delegate reported in 2020. Groups now numbered 5,512 and meetings were reported as 23,825. Fellowship financial support is no longer reported in regional summaries, but The RD Team reported that;

*We have not found effective remedies for the legal activities of buying and selling literature., *Poor member support for the basket of seventh tradition and higher cost of groups and thus less support for service committees. *Misuse of cyberspace to destroy trusted servants of NA and spread rumors and inaccuracies reports by some members before being sent by the secretaries. *Deciding part of one of the 29 areas to change their structure from area to region without coordination and interaction with NA‐IRAN and discussing many legal problems. *We do not have a precise statistics on the number of newcomer and how to attract them. we do not have a precise solution for the statistics.

It is difficult to fully understand the comments without some further investigation. ‘Legal activities of buying and selling literature’ could allude to the NAWS corporation practice of marking up literature to cover expenses rather than relying on membership donations. The comments also suggest a declining interest in membership support of the Seventh Tradition to be fully self-supporting off contributions, so it is safe to assume that NAWS Iranian operations were now increasing literature prices. The Iranian Government may have rules affecting how Non-profits are able to finance their operations. This will likely affect other regional bodies in other countries as well. The British Columbia [Canada] Region may require Groups to pay a Goods and Services Tax on literature as profits have exceeded the $50,000 limit imposed by the government.

Other Regions may follow Iran’s lead. Brazil is the second largest fellowship outside of North America with 1,604 groups and 4,659 meetings as of the 2020 Annual Report. For many years, Brazil produced a local Basic Text and paid a small royalty to the NAWS Corporation. Annual sales were reported at more than 15,000 books annually and as high as 41,000. Despite having a Brazilian World Board member, the NAWS Corporation reported annual sales for years of the locally published Brazilian Basic Text using the erroneous term of ‘Brazilian’ for the language term in annual reports. It’s a very simple mistake that many make but highlights that the NAWS Corporation had nothing to do with production. By 2014 they started correcting the annual reports with using the correct language term of ‘Portuguese’ and by 2015 a NAWS approved translation was available. Profits may have increased due to a higher price, but sales have declined steadily since the new approved book was made available and 2018 sales were 5,120. The primary purpose of a Narcotics Anonymous Group is to carry the message to the still suffering addicts regardless of the source of the literature.   Literature prices clearly has a significant impact on the ability of Narcotics Anonymous to carry the message.  This rift between the NAWS corporation and Iran will likely continue to grow to other geographical areas. Many groups in North America and Europe have continued the practice of producing local literature available for cost but operate under the looming threat of litigation by the NAWS corporation.

The Price of Complacency

What is Complacency?

Complacency is used seven times in the Gray Book of Narcotics Anonymous. In the Fifth Edition of the Basic Text (Published by the NAWS Corporation), the word is used five times, and ‘complacent’ is used twice. The literature in Narcotics Anonymous alludes to the dangers of complacency but never clearly defines the meaning. I associated complacency with being lazy until I researched this article. A sponsor of mine pointed out the importance of a good dictionary and how I should not make assumptions about the meaning of words.

Complacency – noun. a feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements.

Complacent – adjective. pleased, especially with oneself or one’s merits, advantages, situation, etc., often without awareness of some potential danger or defect; self-satisfied.

Oxford Languages. Oxford University Press.

As I approach my twenty-first-year celebration of recovery in Narcotics Anonymous and I cannot help but notice how complacent I can become.  ‘Complacency is the enemy of members with substantial clean time’ is a quote from the Narcotics Anonymous literature. The following quote was even more significant for me.

Complacency does not go with recovery. The deadly and insidious nature of our disease can disguise itself as boredom or superiority and generate the old “apart from” feelings. Separation from the atmosphere of recovery and the spirit of service to others slows our spiritual growth and can threaten relapse. This book is not the final answer to addiction. The Spirit of our Fellowship is constantly leading us into new awareness. Recovery is a journey, not a goal.

Narcotics Anonymous Basic Text, 2nd Edition, Chapter 10, “More Will Be Revealed”

Clean Time Complacency

My disease is the disease of isolation.  Addiction has wide, deep roots and vigilance is required.  Nothing seems to isolate me more than a feeling of superiority. Today I can find myself seeking relationships that mimic unity but really are a cloak that can obscure my vision and blind me to reality. I surround myself with like-minded people and avoid the conflict that true unity provides.  People with clean time greet others with time and sit together at meetings. We admire each other’s lifestyles and I see my recovery as attractive to newcomers.

Hubris and Oppression

Hubris is when I develop a sense of excessive pride, and self-importance. Oppression is a burden I place on others to conform. My disease tells me I have accomplished something by staying clean and I begin to deny the miracle. The literature says we meet regularly to ‘help each other’ but addiction offers ‘helping myself’. A little recovery has been good for me, so a lot of recovery becomes a drug. Tradition three says the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using. The desire to stop using ends for some members when they are clean. I find it very easy to return to using.  My defects and shortcomings become a distraction. Gatherings of members become a smorgasbord of distractions. You can spend weekends traveling to conventions, listening to powerful speakers.  Members gather and dine together, plan outings or vacations, talking about how fortunate they are. A select few newcomers are invited into the cliques if they pair well or contribute to the complacent atmosphere in some meaningful way. The disease of addiction will always find a way to create isolation. We stop acknowledging the miracle and I start promoting my new way of life. Gratitude becomes hubris and unity becomes oppression.

Common Welfare ahead of Personal Recovery

Tradition One of Narcotics Anonymous says that ‘Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends on unity’. My complacency comes with a price. I sell my responsibilities and always spend the proceeds selfishly. Complacency offers judgement rather than inventory when my needs are ahead of the common welfare of the group. Other members step up and attend business meetings for the home group so I do not. I accept the lies that my voice is not needed, or that those members who do attend are doing a fine job. Addiction might suggest that Home Group business meetings are so toxic that I have no voice or I simply lose interest out of bordom.

Our Primary Purpose

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.

Narcotics Anonymous Basic Text, 2nd Edition, Tradition Five “Our primary purpose is to carry the message to the addict who still suffers.”

Service structures were once thought to be outside the Fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous, but complacency changed that. These outside entities can become dominated by members so entrenched in complacency that healthy members cannot breathe.  The same addicts return month after month, and year after year never considering that they are the source of the problem.  A pitiful minority of members support the World Service Conference, and the NAWS Corporation. Literature prices have become so inflated and support the complacency of those members addicted to manipulation, control, and prestige. Addicts who are actively using have no choice but to continue to use until they have a desire to stop. Such is the nature of the disease. Ultimately the anonymity of the individual and the Group is what carries the message when the primary purpose is put ahead of personal recovery.

Paper or Plastic, Narcotics Anonymous?

The Fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous

Many using addicts find themselves in a state of hopelessness, having consumed more than a lifetime of resources from society, treatment centers, family and friends. The Fellowship meets regularly to help each other stay clean and carry a message to the still suffering addict. Narcotics Anonymous is not a self-help program, but a help others program. Giving back can start at any point in an addict’s recovery. A using addict with a desire to stop should continue to attend as this is giving back to other members. The way I learned to be self-supporting and give back to society was from joining a Narcotics Anonymous Group. Members of a Group will adopt the Twelve Traditions as a basis of their Fellowship. Addicts will call the group they regularly attend a ‘Home Group’.  The practical application of the spiritual principles learned in the Twelve Steps and the application of the Twelve Traditions benefited my recovery immensely. Some recovered addicts choose to give back in other ways once they are clean. There are many service opportunities that society has to offer. For example, you can volunteer with organizations that feed the homeless. Some members continue to support Narcotics Anonymous by giving back in service by becoming a trusted servant.

Growing Pains and Division

In the mid-1980’s, a split emerged within the Fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous.  The division was within the Fellowship over the contents of the Basic Text that were adopted by members but were altered by the trustees of the Fellowship. A few Trustees disagreed with the Groups. The Groups had reviewed and approved the Basic Text but the text was altered.

  • Tradition 4 (Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or N.A. as a whole.) was altered.

 “All else is not N.A.” was removed which was a reference that only Groups make up the Fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous.

(Narcotics Anonymous, 2ND Edition, published 1983, Tradition 4, page 61, Copyright 1982 by C.A.R.E.N.A. Publishing Co.)

The idea that service bodies were nothing more than trusted servants, and outside the Fellowship was suppressed by the Trustees. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all the traditions, so having any form of structure was considered counter to the Twelve Traditions by many members.

  • Tradition 9 (N.A., as such, ought never be organized, but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.) was altered.  “…The Ninth Tradition goes on to define the nature of the things that we can do to help N.A. It says that we may create service boards or committees to serve the needs of the Fellowship.”

“None of them has the power to rule, censor, decide, or dictate.” was removed and refers to the function of a service body.

(Basic Text, 2nd Edition, Tradition 9, page 68)

The above lines removed had specifically detailed that not only were the service bodies not part of N.A. but that the service body holds no power over groups.  By removing these details, the trustees had effectively given themselves the authority to govern. This has caused problems for decades in N.A. and has influenced the decision-making process to this day. Many addicts today do not question the authority of those who are supposed to be servants. Since this change the support of Narcotics Anonymous Groups for the World Service Conference (WSC) has eroded. The NAWS Corporation, who allegedly holds the copywrites in trust and the WSC no longer represent more than a small minority of Groups.  

Problem solving

Critical to the success of any service body is the ability to make decisions. Making decisions can be difficult without structure. Procedures that aid in decision making existed before Narcotics Anonymous.  

  • Robert’s Rules of Order (RRO).

Robert’s Rules is based on motions that are raised by participants, is considered adversarial, and is rigid in adapting to new ideas and information in the decision-making process since it requires considerable understanding of the rules and procedures. 

  • Consensus Based Decision Making (CBDM).

There are major differences between the two methods, far beyond what I could cover in this article.  CBDM is orientated to problem solving, easily adapts to changes but is prone to groupthink, whereby participants avoid conflict by putting aside their personal opinions and can result in dysfunctional decisions. 

RRO was quickly adopted by most service bodies within Narcotics Anonymous. Bob Stone (an executive, and non-addict) was hired to act as chair in some of the first World Service Conferences for NA and used RRO to make decisions. It was popular for many business people to adopt RRO. Bob Stone eventually became the first Executive Director of the Word Service Office (WSO) corporation that served the fellowship as the primary publisher of literature. The WSO morphed into the NAWS Corporation as it is known to addicts today.

Groups make decisions by applying the spiritual principles learned from members working the Twelve Steps and arriving at a decision by careful consideration of the Twelve Traditions.  They refer to this as a ‘group conscience’ and it governs all the decisions of a group. 

The World Service Conference.

The World Service Conference (WSC) is held every two years for Narcotics Anonymous and is the mechanism where decisions that affect Narcotics Anonymous globally are discussed and voted on. Many Groups have organized service bodies called an ‘Area’ and send a representative from the Groups to the Area. In turn, each Area elects a representative to attend a larger service body called a ‘Regional’, who then sends a representative to the WSC. In 2000, the WSC informed the Fellowship.

…the World Service Conference is moving toward a “consensus-based” and “issues oriented” conference meeting. While this change is not fully realized yet, the need is evident for a Conference Agenda Report (CAR) that contains issues highly relevant to members and groups. … This frees up our members and groups to devote their attention to holding meetings and carrying the message of recovery, without having to ratify every decision made on their behalf at every level of service.

(Narcotics Anonymous, Conference Agenda Report, published in 2000)

An example of a decision made by CBDM in the United Kingdom;

To be included on the UKNA meeting list, a group must only use conference approved NA literature. When a new edition of NA literature is approved, the previous edition loses its approval status. The UKNA RSC policy, dated May 2017, states that any meeting found to be using non-conference approved NA literature, will be removed from the meetings list.

(from an unpublished policy guide but confirmed from sources)

These types of decisions and the use of CBDM have caused further division within the Fellowship. CBDM and RRO are mechanisms that service structures use to function outside of the Groups that make up the Fellowship of NA and have no bearing on a group conscience.  Groups use group conscience to arrive at all the decisions that they feel best carries a message to the suffering addict, by whatever means they believe is best. Groups are taught that this conscience reflects our collective higher power’s will and at its core, Narcotics Anonymous is a spiritual organization.

One Solution

If the service structures were to reconsider their relationship with the Fellowship by seeing themselves as trusted servants, outside of the Groups, without the ability to govern, then other effective solutions could be sought.  There are good ideas being adopted by many organizations worldwide.  Spokes councils are becoming very popular. The following is excerpts about spokes councils drawn from the internet.

A spokes council is the larger organizing structure used in the affinity group model to coordinate a mass action. Each affinity group (or cluster) empowers a spoke (representative) to go to a spokes council meeting to decide on important issues for the action. For instance, affinity groups need to decide on a legal/jail strategy, possible tactical issues, meeting places, and many other logistics. A spokes council does not take away an individual affinity group’s autonomy within an action; affinity groups make their own decisions about what they want to do on the streets (as long as it fits in with any action guidelines.) All decisions in spokes councils are made by consensus, so that all affinity groups have agreed and are committed to the mass direct action.

Each group sends a delegate (or ‘spoke’) to the spokes council meeting, where all delegates present the breadth of ideas and concerns of their groups…..The remit [task] of the spoke needs to be clearly defined for a spokes council to work effectively. The task of the spoke is primarily to feedback information between the small group and the council. The spoke needs to act as a voice for everyone within the small group, communicating the breadth of collective thought rather than their own personal point of view.

See these two websites; https://organizingforpower.org/clusters-spokes-councils/and https://seedsforchange.org.uk/spokescouncil

Some Truths about Narcotics Anonymous

N.A. Groups worldwide can choose to participate in service structures, or simply function independently. They make decisions about the format of the meetings, what literature to present and/or sell, regardless of the opinion of the service structures who should only be accountable to the groups they serve.  Some groups use literature produced independently. New groups can and do translate, print, and distribute literature long before it’s approved. This was the case in Iran’s N.A. Fellowship with almost five thousand groups hosting more than twenty thousand meetings (Numbers are estimated based on reports prior to the COVID Pandemic). Iran had a catalog of translated literature available as early as 1998 long before the WSC and The NAWS corporation knew of the extent of NA in Iran.

The effectiveness and success of the Group seems to be based on two factors; The unity of those who are members (committed) and the ability to attract the suffering addicts who are new to the Group.  Groups are faced with the governance of from the service structures, which seem to come down to two choices, CBDM or RRO, like grocery stores asking if you want paper or plastic bags. Some groups might prefer to bring their own cloth bags.

I believe this is why so many Groups choose to do what they believe works best; Members with various experiences, strengths and hopes come together. They may prefer older literature, alternative literature and a multitude of other choices that allows them to effectively carry a message without outside influence. Spokes Councils would give direction without governance and improve the unity of the entire Fellowship.

A Successful Program of Recovery.

The success or failure of a group is in the hands of the members who are committed to the primary purpose and does not require outside influence from service bodies. Service structures need to understand that they have a responsibility to be directly accountable to the groups because they are outside enterprises, and the success of the service structure is in attracting groups, not dictating to them. Attraction rather than promotion has a proven success within the Fellowship.

We recover in an atmosphere of acceptance and respect for one another’s beliefs. We try to avoid the self-deception of arrogance and self-righteousness.

Basic Text, 2nd Edition, Chapter 9, “Living the Program” page 88.

Each person takes complete responsibility for their recovery. Each Group takes responsibility for carrying the message. The danger is that in my arrogance or self-righteousness I can endanger myself and other group members. Giving anyone authority over my recovery means I can blame them for what I see as a failure. Giving structures authority amplifies the worst of the defects of individual members who serve. This guarantees the failure of being either trusted or a servant.

Carrying the Message

Rebirth

I returned to the roots of my recovery at 14 years clean in British Columbia. My home group had a noon meeting that met daily, Monday to Friday. This was around 2016-17 after losing my job, and not being allowed to be of service in my old area to the north. I had very few friends and struggled to maintain a connection. The town where I attended the noon meeting is a city of about fifty thousand people. Our noon meeting had swollen to about forty people daily, with three newcomers a week. I was also a meeting list coordinator for the local area. I was amazed at how many meetings lists we used. We would require four hundred meeting lists distributed monthly to keep inventories up at all ninety locations where we stocked them. Some months I had nine people who helped. The Public Information Committee had a lot of members and were doing some presentations to various organizations.

I am an IT technician by trade. I have learned enough about websites to create simple designs. I did a website for the area and learned how to incorporate the BMLT (Basic Meeting List Toolbox – https:\\bmlt.app). I monitored our website traffic and we added our website to the meeting lists. Everything and everyone worked together. I was the ‘meeting list guy’ and the ‘website guy’ and with a strong fellowship I felt both trusted and a servant to the Fellowship. It was the most magical time in my recovery. I was surrounded with the love and enthusiasm of members. I was able to heal from several abusive relationships.

Public Information

I have always been fascinated by carrying the message. I was the briefly the website coordinator for the British Columbia Region over a decade ago. I talked to members and worked really hard on the website. We made a lot of improvements. Our website traffic went from fourteen hundred to fourteen thousand visitors every month. I was sad and angry when I was removed from the position. I understand now that the disease of addiction is always present. Some members lose the desire to stop using and return to old behaviors. There is lots of support for poor behaviors in any service structure where members come together. This results in disunity and a lack of support from the Fellowship.  I wish I had learned that lesson then, but I have often repeated behaviors before the lesson was learned.

By 2019, The area I attended had lost the momentum and the enthusiasm was gone. My experiences in service have taught me that support for the services to the Fellowship is like an ocean tide. The tides go in and out, sometimes washing addicts ashore and sometimes carrying them back out into addiction. When the tide is high, I am excited and when the tide is out, I am dejected.  I am powerless over everything that happens but I have choices about where I spend my energy and time. I try and stay involved but sometimes I find myself working alone.

Pandemic Unity

There was little service happening locally in 2019, and I was starting to participate in virtual Fellowship. I learned a lot about virtual meeting platforms and the application of the Twelve Traditions online. When the COVID Pandemic hit I felt well prepared, and it was as if my Higher Power had been preparing me for this. I started an online meeting and worked with anyone who joined our virtual home group. We had regular business meetings. Our group voted to create a website and do Facebook Boosts to carry the message to the public.  We peaked at nineteen meetings per week but today do about ten or twelve. Our website traffic has risen to seventy-five visitors per day, and over three hundred during a boost. We have members from isolated communities where no local meetings exist and members who struggle to feel apart of the local Fellowship where they live. Some newcomers feel safer attending their first meeting from the safety of their home. Our home group is healthy and inclusive. My perception is that we enjoy a rich blend of members who freely give of their time to support creating an atmosphere of recovery.

March 2023 Website Traffic for my Online Home Group

Repeated Success

I have returned to a stable job in a large urban centre of over a quarter of a million people north of where I live. I joined another noon meeting locally to try and support the Fellowship there. Many meetings have under twenty participants, but I see it as a starting point. I am still very passionate about doing Public Information and the group has been supportive. We now have a website and the traffic is rising steadily. We budget funds for Facebook boosts and have seen an increase in newcomers. I want to publish a meeting list with website information to support our efforts. I’m quite certain that a city of this size will support hundreds of members attending the daily noon meeting. I have a vision of multiple locations and three newcomers daily.  I cannot do it alone.

March 2023 Website traffic for my face to face local home group

Anonymi

“Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities”

Narcotics Anonymous, various publications, ‘Tradition Twelve’

I love the writing of a member who wrote Narcotics Anonymous IP #14, “One Addict’s Experience with Acceptance, Faith, and Commitment” and a personal book titled “A Matter of Principle”, available for free (Digital download copy at Nasalden, See this link) under the pen name of ‘Anonymi’.

Both these publications taught me a lot about anonymity.

  • The quality or state of being anonymous
  • One that is anonymous
“Anonymity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anonymity.
A well known entity within the Narcotics Anonymous Fellowship

It is very rewarding to be a part of but sometimes I find myself the lone voice of reality. There is a delicate balance in giving back and being a part of. Taking on the role of ‘trusted servant’ is difficult. For me what has been clear is that I understand the meaning of ‘trusted’ and ‘servant’. Open communication with home group members lays a solid foundation with the spiritual principles of Narcotics Anonymous.  

The real danger for me is when I sell my anonymity like a commodity.  It can start very subtilty when I mention I have twenty years clean. Suddenly my opinions and experiences carry weight at meetings.  No matter how much I try, sometimes my personality spills over the principles I try and convey. When I get involved in service, that danger increases but so do the returns on selling my anonymity. The community learns that I am a trusted figure in the Fellowship because I sell my anonymity to become a contact person for my group or efforts to serve.  Big personalities ahead of principles might prove to be entertaining at Narcotics Anonymous meetings and functions. I can even lie to myself and say ‘what I offer is attractive’ but dishonesty and self-deception prevents me from enjoying ‘complete recovery and acceptance within society’. I might hear and feel the love but miss out on a balanced perspective by shunning others. Being a part of a home group is the healthiest opportunity to fully experience anonymity.

Trusted Servants

Alcoholics Anonymous has done a good job with anonymity on a global scale. The World Board positions of the Alcoholic Corporations are a mix of alcoholics and non-alcoholic members.  They quietly perform their duties without prestige.

Narcotics Anonymous has not followed suit.  The NAWS Corporation world board members all identify as members and have prostituted their anonymity. They bear the full fruits of prestige. Each member enjoys a handsome financial return of travel and per diem expenses to participate in functions around the world. Selling this investment in personalities has become a business within the Fellowship and good convention speakers are much sought after.

Carrying the message has inherent dangers. All the trappings of success might not be evident to us, but a newcomer might be attracted or repulsed depending on their experiences. What we wear, the shapes of our bodies, and particularly our experiences can create an image that might be desirable to some but not all.  My sponsor told me once that I might be the whole world to a single addict in a single moment so be mindful.

Narcotics Anonymous, The NAWS (Narcotics Anonymous World Services) Corporation and the Future of a Fellowship

Service Structures for Narcotics Anonymous

Originally published in 2017 on a website called ‘The Fix’

Narcotics Anonymous is a worldwide Fellowship of addicts who meet regularly to help each other stay clean. Today, there are over 60,000 regular weekly meetings around the world; It has grown from a single group of addicts in California in 1953.  Groups are the foundation of the Fellowship and ultimately make the decisions that affect the Fellowship.  Groups in a town or several towns will come together and form a service structure called an ‘Area’ with the goal of providing services to fulfill the needs of the local Fellowship. Many of the Areas will come together and form a service body known as a ‘Region’, often defined by the geographical boundaries of a state or province (for instance, the Ohio Region of NA).  Each service structure from the Group, the Area, and the Region will elect a delegate to represent them at the next level of service. A Group Service Representative goes to Area, a Regional Committee Member goes to Region from Area, and a Region Delegate from Region goes to the World Service Conference (WSC).  Groups represent the pinnacle of the service structure, and all the other services are below the groups; they are then in place to support those groups.  This is the opposite from the typical business model, where the top position is the president.  On a chart, the NA structure looks like an inverted triangle.

World Service Conference 2018

From April 29th to May 5th 2018, many of the elected Regional Delegates from all over the world are invited to meet for a World Service Conference in Woodland Hills, California. The WSC convenes every 2 years; the primary reason is to discuss and vote on the motions compiled from the Groups into the Conference Agenda Report that will influence the direction of the World Board, who govern the Narcotics Anonymous World Service Inc California – registered as a non-profit organization. Many of the participants at this WSC are looking for solutions to address 3 key issues that are currently affecting the worldwide Fellowship.

The first concern raised by many of the Regional Delegates for NA is the status of the ‘Fellowship Intellectual Property Trust’ (or FIPT) – a document outlining the copywrite usage rules for NA literature and logos.  The second point of contention is a request by the South Florida Region to inspect the financial records of NAWS, where it appears as if NAWS is stalling and putting up road blocks to requested transparency.  Some regions have come out in support of this motion, and there are discussions at all levels of service about withholding funds from NAWS until the inspection is completed.  And the third issue is that many Regional Delegates express concerns about the apathy of their membership and a lack of support for the service structures.

Fellowship Intellectual Property Trust

In the early 1990’s, an addict, known by many as ‘Grateful Dave’, was successful in a court challenge against NAWS regarding the production of literature.  Editing changes to the production of the primary book used in NA, known as the ‘Basic Text’, were not approved by the Fellowship.    A rift formed and some of the Fellowship continued supporting NAWS, while others agreed with Grateful Dave.  A faction of the fellowship no longer supports NAWS and some groups produce alternative literature that is not recognized by NAWS.  NAWS addressed the issues by introducing the Fellowship Intellectual Property Trust, which assigns control of Narcotics Anonymous logos and literature exclusive to NA.

The Fellowship continues to produce literature that they feel aids their ability to carry the message regardless of NAWS and their concerns.  An example within the Ireland Region, with an NAWS unapproved book on Parenting.   Narcotics Anonymous ‘Basic Text (6th Edition)’ is the current primary text book within the Fellowship (which means it is has been approved by all the participating groups who voted on the content in that 6th edition of the Basic Text), however, it is freely available online against NAWS policy.  Of greater concern is a version produced by some members or groups, that published NA literature outside of NAWS known as the ‘Baby Blue’ – an alternative to Version 3 of the Basic Text. (which was or was not Fellowship approved, depending on who you ask.)

Since NAWS is primarily funded by literature sales, they have a vested interest in gaining control of the copywrite and production of all NA literature. There have been several revisions to the FIPT, and new changes continue to be proposed which are in turn, ignored by the factions who are growing in their contempt for NAWS. 

Revenues, Executive Wages and Travel

Narcotics Anonymous World Service Inc. is largely funded off the profits of literature sales, with member contributions only at about 25% of operating revenues. A growing concern is the cost of wages and travel for the executives of the NAWS Inc. corporation, World Board members, and various members of the Human Resource Panel who facilitate activities around the world for the World Board.  NAWS Inc. reports revenue of (2015 Corporate Tax filing) $7,966,060, and the two top paid executives are Anthony Edmondson (Executive Director) at $210,947 (plus $30,515 in additional compensation), and Rebecca Meyer (Assistant Executive Director) at $161,206 (plus $20,334 in additional compensation).  Total expenses for conferences, conventions, and meetings are $979,642.

These numbers are significant when compared to Alcoholics Anonymous (2016 Corporate Tax Filings). AA consists of 3 corporations; Alcoholics Anonymous Grapevine Inc. (regular newsletter), General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous Inc., and Alcoholics Anonymous World Services Inc.  They have a combined revenue of $24,251,083, run by Gregory Tobin (President of both General Service Board, and World Services Inc.) at $219,830 (plus $68,606), and Ami Brophy (President of the Grapevine) at $145,174 (plus $33,574 in additional) and total expenses for conferences, conventions, and meetings at $1,130,658. AA is about 80% funded from member contributions at the world level.

What’s surprising is that overall, the salaries for both organizations are about 44% of general revenue, however, the two top executives for Narcotics Anonymous take 5.0% of the gross revenue compared to Alcoholics Anonymous with the two top executives taking 1.9%. Similar disparages exist for the expenses labeled ‘conferences, conventions, and meeting costs’ at 12% (NA) and 4.6% (AA) of revenue, respectively. 

Unity and Service

Life experience and our collective conscience teach us that unity is integral, and humans are social creatures.  During tragic events we come together for brief moments to support the affected, regardless of our personal values and beliefs. Unity is also fragile and requires a lot of sacrifices to maintain, but the joy of being a part of is compensation for those who wish a spiritual existence.  The struggles with unity in the service structures of Narcotics Anonymous are best addressed by reviewing their own literature for a solution:

…However, many will become the role models for the newcomers. The self‐seekers soon find that they are on the outside, causing dissension and eventually disaster for themselves. Many of them change; they learn that we can only be governed by a loving God as expressed in our group conscience.

(Narcotics Anonymous, Basic Text, page 64, 6th Edition, published 2008):

“Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps,” our Twelfth Step says, “we tried… to practice these principles in all our affairs.” When we collectively apply the insight received from that spiritual awakening to our group’s problems, we call that group conscience. Common sense, open minds, calm discussion, accurate information, mutual respect, and healthy personal recovery enables a group to deal effectively with almost anything that comes its way.”

What is a ‘group conscience’? The best description comes from Narcotics Anonymous, The Group booklet, page 11, Copyright © 1997:

Addiction goes beyond the abuse of drugs. In Narcotics Anonymous, the Steps specifically do not mention drugs for this reason.  Self-seeking behaviors can be lifestyle, travel, and any obsession that revolves around our own selfish desires.   A critical aspect of the NA program is that addicts struggle every day with their addictive personalities, and each needs to be vigilant.  As well intentioned as the motives of those involved in service might be, clearly a lack of unity can only point to issues with the application of spiritual principles- the principles that govern our Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and 12 Concepts.  Groups are the basis of recovery in Narcotics Anonymous, and success is proven in the continued growth experienced by the Fellowship worldwide.  The lawsuit that Grateful Dave launched raised the idea that if only a small number of groups out of all the groups approve a motion, is it truly reflective of the Fellowship?  Within all the service committees there must be a quorum in order to pass motions; Shouldn’t it be the same at the world level?  In fact, due to the size of the NA Fellowship, how many of the groups are making decisions at the world level?   Allowing a very small percentage of groups to represent the whole has contributed to the splintering of the NA Fellowship and has caused distention among the groups, as well as pushing groups and individuals to move away from the NA service structures.  Splinters can become infected and grow, affecting the surrounding tissues.  Without proper consultation with a majority of the groups, the Fellowship will crumble, and the individual will die. Narcotics Anonymous’ primary purpose is to carry the message to the still suffering addict- ‘that an addict, any addict, can stop using drugs, lose the desire to use, and find a new way to live’.   We have to do this together.  With Unity, proper consultation, and transparency, the Fellowship can start tomorrow by supporting the service structures financially and remembering that the service bodies that serve the fellowship must take responsibility to be inclusive, accountable, and embrace diversity. 

Paper Empires

What is a Narcotics Anonymous Group?

I believe that the critical component of the success of a twelve-step program is the message heard in the rooms. The twelve steps, which originated in Alcoholics Anonymous, have been adopted and adapted by Narcotics Anonymous. Twelve step groups usually hold meetings regularly and publicly so new members can find them.  The support of group members is the basis of the recovery process.  This has improved the lives of millions of people. The messages that have affected me the most were very clear, and I believe I will remember them for the rest of my life. We all carry a message at meetings.  Members of a group work together to create the best environment to carry a message.  That atmosphere of recovery in a meeting could be the most important message for a newcomer.  Sometimes groups come together to create service structures that provide services and literature. The messages members commit to paper are powerful. Even a simple meeting list handed out by a local doctor can transform lives. A Narcotics Anonymous meeting list transformed my life and gave me access to the best of all the experience, strength and hope of a Fellowship. I found a group and supported that group as a part of my recovery. I have always had a group I called my home group. In Narcotics Anonymous I learned that self-obsession is the core of the disease, so working as part of a group, helping other addicts gave me a recovery path to follow. The Twelve Traditions protect each group and provide a simple structure for them to follow.

Service Structures

Both AA and NA are similar in structure since the groups are the top, and all the service bodies are directly responsible to the groups. While it is not a requirement to create service committees, there can be benefits. Tradition 9 in Narcotics Anonymous says “NA, as such, ought never be organized, but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.”  Twelve Step Groups apply the Twelve Traditions to their efforts to provide structure and unity to the group. Creating service structures has benefited groups. The funding of services has the potential to create problems as well.  At the bottom of the service structures are world service offices. Alcoholics Anonymous is comprised of three corporations, and Narcotics Anonymous has one. Here are some numbers from their respective websites, for comparison.  

  • Alcoholics Anonymous World Services (2015) 117,248 Groups registered, contributed $7,154,146.
  • Narcotics Anonymous World Services (2015) approximately 63,000 Groups contributed $1,038,626.

Iranian NA groups account for approximately 18,000 groups as of 2015. Iran has a huge fellowship that exploded into life in the 1990’s and was not well connected to the rest of the fellowship until after the millennium.  Due to sanctions, Iran cannot contribute financially.

To Be Incorporated or Not, that is the Question.

The relationship between spiritual organizations and the service structures created in both AA and NA have been discussed a great deal since the inception of the Twelve Step program. As Alcoholics Anonymous grew, the discussion about incorporating came up. These were the recommendations of an advisory group in 1953.

(CONFERENCE ADVISORY ACTIONS 1953 pg 32)

REPORT of the COMMITTEE on

CONGRESSIONAL INCORPORATION of AA

We have reviewed all of the arguments pro and con on this subject, have discussed it with many members of AA within the Conference and outside of it and have come to these conclusions:

  1. The evils which caused the question to arise have largely abated.
  2. It would create by law a power to govern which would be contrary to, and violative of, our Traditions.
  3. It would implement the spiritual force of AA with a legal power, which we believe would tend to weaken its spiritual strength.
  4. When we ask for legal rights, enforceable in Courts of Law, we by
    the same act subject ourselves to possible legal regulation.
  5. We might well become endlessly entangled in litigation which, together with the incident expense and publicity, could seriously threaten our very existence.
  6. Incorporation could conceivably become the opening wedge that might
    engender politics and a struggle for power within our own ranks.
  7. Continuously since its beginning and today, AA has been a fellowship and not an organization. Incorporation necessarily makes it an organization.
  8. We believe that “spiritual faith” and a “way of life” cannot be incorporated.
  9. AA can and will survive so long as it remains a spiritual faith and
    a way of life to all men and women who suffer from alcoholism.

Charles Bishop, Jr. full-time Antiquarian Bookseller-Appraiser specializing in the Literature of Alcoholics Anonymous and Alcoholism. He wrote an article on this subject and documented many of the abuses of incorporation over the history of AA. His comments in his article are poignant.

Those 9 points above are a wonderful spiritual precedent.  They stand in stark contrast to the current New York office service corporations and their legal actions…

It is important to remember the General Service Conference of A.A. is unincorporated, a service body and not a government for A.A.  The Charter is a voluntary compact and also unincorporated.   It is not a grant from a state or other jurisdiction.  Nor is it a legal contract document.  The World Service Meeting also is unincorporated.

The following are all CORPORATIONS: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.; the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous, Inc.; and the Alcoholics Anonymous Grapevine, Inc.   They are NOT Alcoholics Anonymous.  They are service organizations and corporations whose purpose and existence is to serve the Fellowship.  In effect, they are temporary, albeit long-lived, committees that could all be thrown away and Alcoholics Anonymous would still exist.

Charles Bishop, “Spiritualty Versus Legalism in Alcoholics Anonymous”

You can read his article here where he documents some significant abuses of power by the corporations of AA.

“Spirituality Versus Legalism In Alcoholics Anonymous” By Charlie Bishop, Jr.

Narcotics Anonymous members had arrived at the same conclusions when creating the Narcotics Anonymous Basic Text. The first Basic Text included the following phrases.

Tradition 4         “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.”

Tradition 9         “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.”

This was the language included in the Basic Text, and Fellowship Approved in 1981. Unfortunately, the Leadership felt differently and amended the text before publication. The phrases were inserted again after protest and were removed again. The World Service Conference and the World Service Office (eventually becoming the NAWS Corporation) never recovered the support of the fellowship. This is seen in the dismally low contributions from groups that exist today when compared to AA. NAWS Corporation is supported by heavily marking up the literature and producing a steady stream of new literature for consumption by a small loyal following of members. As both the AA and NA Corporations grow, so will the need to control literature production and profits. A significant difference between the AA Corporations and NAWS Corporation is that AA Groups are listed as members of the Corporations, but NA Groups are not listed in Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc (NAWS Inc) Articles of Incorporation.

Abuses of Power

Section Mexicana was created by 2000 AA Groups in Mexico in the 1980’s.  This service structure was independently tasked to produce and distribute literature at a low cost. Alcoholics Anonymous World Services quietly modified Article II of the Conference Charter, which then allowed them to control publishing rights and assigning publishing to the Central Mexican Service Structure. They raided the offices of Section Mexicana, seized literature, and jailed an organizer.

The NAWS Corporation has introduced changes to the Fellowship Intellectual Property Trust which will tighten their control on the production of profitable literature.  These changes will be approved by a very weak World Service Conference that represents a small segment of the existing Narcotics Anonymous Groups.  

A Solution

The NAWS Corporation has been plagued by independent service structures that ignore the corporation. These independent organizations are largely unrecognized by the NAWS Corporation. The Basic Meeting List Toolbox (BMLT) is an independent organization of volunteers who provide a method of registering and providing access to meetings worldwide. Virtual NA provides information on virtual meetings for over a decade and saved countless addicts during the recent COVID pandemic. Neither service structure is part of the larger Corporate structure and both organizations are accountable to the groups they serve. Independent action is critical to the success of healthy AA and NA Groups.

The Gideon’s is a Christian fellowship of three hundred thousand people worldwide (according to their website). They are dedicated to putting their literature into the hands of people in need of salvation, and every hotel room in the world seems to have a bible because of them. Their annual budget is about one hundred and fifteen million dollars, of which one hundred million is for literature that they give away. The cost works out to about $400 annually to each member.

Personally, I have spent a tremendous amount of money and time printing and distributing meeting lists. I’m not looking for a pat on the back or acknowledgement of any sort. I am happy to work independently of diseased service structures. Taking responsibility for my recovery and Tradition One (‘Personal Recovery depends on NA Unity) drives my passion for meeting list distribution. Often the worst examples of the Narcotics Anonymous Fellowship become parasites feeding on the manipulation and control that service structures seem to create. Power and corruption seem to walk hand in hand so my efforts to be a part of continue but so does my independent spirit. I am a member of Narcotics Anonymous and you will not silence me.

Invest in our vision (without Iran)

Conference Agenda Report 2020

Editor’s Note; Published on ‘The Fix’ website in 2019

The Narcotics Anonymous World Service (NAWS) corporation has released the ‘Conference Agenda Report’ which are a list of motions for the Fellowship to review and vote on with some supporting information.  Motions come from various sources including the World Board who manage the affairs of the NAWS corporation and service bodies who participate in the biennial (every 2 year) World Service Conference.  The next WSC is in spring of 2020. The CAR includes significant changes in the ‘Fellowship Intellectual Property Trust’ which allows the NAWS corporation to control the production and use of the Narcotics Anonymous logos and literature. Control of publication rights is very important to NAWS.  If you examine the Annual Reports available online from the NAWS corporation, you see that over 80% of the revenue comes from the sale of literature with little if any change in over two decades. The CAR report is aptly named “Invest in our vision” but the single critical phrase that I noticed on the CAR report was ‘without Iran’ on page 5. The effects of the Iranian Fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous has been nothing short of breathtaking and an examination of the numbers reveals a great deal.

In the 1990’s the World Service Office, Inc (which would eventually become NAWS in 1998) decided to tighten control of the use and production of literature. This was likely a reaction to individuals, groups, and service bodies who were not supportive of NAWS and used alterative literature sources. The WSO initiated a lawsuit that they lost, and an agreement was reached but never honored by the World Service Office, Inc (NAWS). The FIPT was formed and adopted by the segments of the Fellowship who supported the WSO/NAWS corporation. During this same time, unrelated and probably unaware of these new rules, a few addicts returned to Iran from the United States. They sought to continue their recovery by fulfilling the primary purpose of members of Narcotics Anonymous which is to carry a message of hope to the still suffering addicts. This dedication resulted in growth beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. The rapidly growing Iranian fellowship translated (from English into Farsi), printed and distributed a wide array of literature including the most significant literature available in Narcotics Anonymous which is the ‘Basic Text’.  Some segments of the Fellowship have always supported the idea of ‘free’ or ‘low cost’ literature and produce alternative literature including ‘The Grey Book’ and ‘Baby Blue’ versions of the Basic Text. Low cost production and distribution is what Iran was able to do with their Farsi Version.

The Numbers

The ‘Basic Text, hard cover, English language’ that NAWS used in 2015 cost $359,091 to print in ($336,900 in 1995) and produced $2,081,468 in income ($1,801,996 in 1995). Most years they sell about 250,000 copies. In fact, this single item over the last 25 years remained an average of about $350,000 to print and then sell for $2,000,000 and currently accounts for about 20% of the revenue for NAWS. That works out to over a 400% markup. This is in stark contrast to what is happening in Iran. Reviewing the Annual Reports produced by NAWS, the Regional summaries produced by the Iran Region and a detailed look at the Independently audited financial statements produced by Millar Kaplan of the NAWS Corporation will help to build a somewhat blurry picture. We know that today about 30% of the literature currently produced by NAWS is in Iran and the approximate markup is a much lower 50% which is very close to cost. Iran sells about 120,000 Basic Texts or roughly 30% of the total. This is critical concept of ‘free’ or ‘low cost’ literature is supported by some members and has fueled the distribution of Grey Books and Baby Blues for decades. How many groups use these or how many books are distributed is not reported by the WSC or NAWS.

The History of Iran and the WSC

The first time Iran had participated in a WSC was 2006 and NAWS reported 1100 groups. Iran Region attended the 2008 WSC and reported 2564 groups hosting 11256 meetings.  Iran appears to have always been self-supporting off member contributions, never requiring profits from literature sales.  In 2011 NAWS formed a non-profit entity in Iran called Payam Omega which operates very much like a non-profit company in North America and assumed production of literature. Each year, Millar Kaplan are provided copies of the reports of Payam Omega that were produced by an independent auditor.  In 2018 financials, Iranian auditors report incomes for Payam Omega of $261,182, $224,450 and $287,943 for 2018, 2017 and 2016 which Millar Kaplan noted. This is a combined $773,575 in income for the three years listed. The only expenses NAWS reports on the consolidated statements produced are $189,336 for distribution costs over that 3-year period. A total inventory and where the remaining profits of $584,239 were spent during the three years is not reported.

Narcotics Anonymous Iran

Iran is under sanctions that prevent Payam Omega from transferring profits to NAWS but there are alternatives. Iran actively trades with the European Union, China, Japan and many Asian countries and has a well-educated population. Iranians are free to travel and have significant recent experience with Fellowship Development.  NAWS expenses fall into 4 categories; Events ($0.45 million) Conference/WSC Support ($2.02 million), Literature Production/Distribution ($3.22 million) and Fellowship Development ($3.28 million). The WSC could assign any or a portion of these to Payam Omega and reduce literature prices in North America by as much as 30%.  The WSC could halt all travel costs for NAWS staff which is an estimated $2-3 million that is hidden in the 4 categories which seems excessive given the lack of results.  Iran has the largest conventions in the world, well beyond the attendance of the NAWS sponsored world convention.  If NAWS continues to fund services using profits of literature sales then the fair application of that policy needs to be discussed by the WSC and adopted for the future. Reducing overheads and operating on member contributions would allow them to reduce the price of literature and could ignite growth not seen since the 1980’s in North America.  Any version of the Basic Text includes the following section; (last two paragraphs, 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.”)

Those of us who have been involved in service or in getting a group started sometimes have a hard time letting go. Egos, unfounded pride, and self-will destroy a group if given authority. We must remember that offices have been placed in trust, that we are trusted servants, and that at no time do any of us govern. Narcotics Anonymous is a God-given program, and we can maintain our group in dignity only with group conscience and God’s love.

Some will resist. However, many will become the role models for the newcomers. The self-seekers soon find that they are on the outside. causing dissension and eventually disaster for themselves. Many of them change; they learn that we can only be governed by a loving God as expressed in our group conscience.

The most significant event in Narcotics Anonymous history since 1995 is the entirely independent development of the Iranian fellowship.  The WSC should pause and consider what’s working and what isn’t.  The significant changes in the FIPT will only deepen the chasm between NAWS supporters and the anti-NAWS movement. Clearly this idea of free/low cost literature needs to be evaluated and priority should be the reunification of all NA members. The WSC and NAWS represent a dwindling number of groups and they appear to be trying to use travel funds to promote the NAWS brand.

“The 12 Corruptions Of Narcotics Anonymous”

Fellowship Approved

By the time the 1980’s arrived, Narcotics Anonymous was well established as a program of recovery for people who suffered with the disease of addiction.  Addicts were getting clean and staying clean by following this simple program of recovery. Even members of AA were starting NA meetings with the hope of addicts finding their own solution since AA was not working well for addicts.  In 1976 the first World Service Conference (WSC) was held with the intention of bringing together the groups to provide some cohesion to the growing worldwide Fellowship. The creation of literature was critically important to this Fellowship of recovering addicts because they wanted to share with others what was working for those who were staying clean.  The original literature that was created was formed in an open-participatory style, with anyone showing up being able to contribute at literature conferences. The literature created would be distributed by the burgeoning service structures to as many groups as possible, who would approve the literature for use as ‘Fellowship approved.’ The literature distributed was referred to as approval drafts before being ‘Fellowship approved’ by groups. World Service Conferences were being held annually to provide direction to the World Service Office and the board of Trustees.  

Conference Approved

By the early 1990’s, Narcotics Anonymous had grown to the point that the Fellowship had started to solidify a service structure. Addicts had created a critical text known as the Basic Text and other literature was widely approved and used by groups around the world. There were many strong personalities and differing opinions on the direction of our service efforts and the relationship between groups and service structures. The ways literature was produced also changed. Early attempts to define our service structure resulted in publications like “The NA Tree – First Service Manual” (1975) and  “Temporary Working Guide To The Service Structure” (1984). The World Service Office (WSO) started to implement professional writers and special interest groups were used to create and modify literature, including later versions of the Basic Text.  There was a great deal of literature that was available from early literature conferences that were unpublished and in approval drafts. some remain popular like “The Paths of Recovery” (1988, this link is to one of the versions available online) and others like an approval draft of “Living Clean” (1983) but never submitted to groups for approval.  The tremendous growth and power struggles resulted in a fragmented Fellowship.

In 1992, at the annual World Service Conference, a motion was passed;

Motion 3: To approve the booklet, “Twelve Concepts for NA Service” (Addendum 2).1

Intent: Adoption of this motion will place the booklet, Twelve Concepts for NA Service, in the WSO inventory as World Service Conference-approved literature.

Concepts Never Approved By Groups

This booklet was approved by the conference, but never submitted to the groups for approval and therefore not Fellowship approved literature under the existing rules (hence the term ‘Conference-approved’). It was meant to direct the efforts of the service structures in place of literature like “The Paths of Recovery”. During the next decade, the WSO (which became the current Narcotics Anonymous World Services Inc, or NAWS Inc in 1998) began to control the production and use of the Narcotics Anonymous name, literature and logos by implementing the Fellowship Intellectual Property Trust (FIPT) which was never group approved. The Guide to World Services(Conference Cycle 2016–2018 Edition published for the World Service Conference of Narcotics Anonymous by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc.) was created and included two sections;

C. WSC Approval

1. The conference shall not vote on any proposals to change existing Fellowship approved NA recovery literature unless such changes have appeared in the Conference Agenda Report.

2. All literature submitted to the conference for approval requires a two-thirds majority vote of regional delegates, and it also takes a two-thirds majority vote to withdraw current NA literature from the category of approved literature.

3. Literature approved under this process is marked as Fellowship-approved.

As well as;

Changes to NA’s Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, Twelve Concepts or NA’s Name, Nature, or Purpose Any WSC proposal or action to change NA’s Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and Twelve Concepts for NA Service or NA’s name, nature, or purpose should be approved directly by the groups through a group tally process, administered according to the following guidelines:

NAWS Corporation Attempts to Control Literature

Now NAWS Inc. can produce new literature, modifies existing literature, and have the World Service Conference authorize it as ‘Fellowship Approved’ without involvement of the groups, further distancing itself.  It’s interesting to note that even NAWS Inc. and WSC recognize it would be dangerous to modify the twelve Steps and Traditions without group approval, but for some strange reason they also burdened the groups with the task of modifying the twelve Concepts that were never approved by groups in the first place. In fact, many of the changes to available literature, particularly the ones to the original Basic Text were never authorized by groups and have placed a burden on the very groups the service structures are meant to support.

 NAWS Inc. versus The Fellowship

Some of the literature created up to the 1990’s by the open-participatory method have been modified, professionally edited and released. The books “Living Clean”, and “It Works, How and Why” were done this way. It is an interesting study to look at the differences from the approval drafts to the finished products and see the problems created. Members, particularly those who are new are adopting the new literature and accepting it as “Fellowship Approved” while some prefer older literature, considered illegal by the NAWS Corporation further widening the rift.  In North America, Narcotics Anonymous has seen little growth in the last 20 years, which should be a dire warning to those members who are firmly in control of the NAWS corporation.  Some Groups are now adopting alternate literature and alternate literature sources, such as the Anonymi Foundation. The European Fellowship Service Conference recently released approval drafts of “Rings of Service” (an alternative to the 12 concepts) and a book titled “Grey Book Reflections” both available on Facebook. As Narcotics Anonymous spreads, many international Fellowships are translating existing or creating their own literature and may not seek the approval of NAWS.  The Iranian Region has flourished in the last 25 years using literature that was translated independently of NAWS Inc. They produce and sell all their own literature with minimal markup because of the overwhelming financial support of the groups, and this could become the model for other service structures as well.  The NAWS Corporation which relies on literature profits has failed to gain the support of the groups and will continue to struggle and could eventually decline. Internationally, further away from the influence of NAWS Inc, the Fellowship continues to grow.

See our page – https://pyetta.com/links-and-resources/ for additional information

2023 Cult Agenda Report FIPT

The 2023 Conference Agenda Report (CAR) contains many lies perpetuated by the NAWS Corporation. Within the CAR report is one lie regarding the lawsuit with the Autonomous Region. The truth is that there is no lawsuit. To understand why The Corporation is lying, you must go back thirty years in the history of Narcotics Anonymous and learn about the Fellowship Intellectual Property Trust (FIPT).

Narcotics Anonymous formed a Board of Trustees in the 1960s, and a World Service Office in the 1970s.  The first World Service Conference was in 1972 where Groups could meet to deal with the growing Fellowship. Members could quickly rise to leadership roles in the rapidly growing fellowship, particularly if they had been a member for a long time.  the World Service Office (WSO), Inc (represented by a Board of Directors) and the Board of Trustees would eventually amalgamate to become the NAWS Corporation in 1998. Some members from that early time positioned themselves in Leadership roles within the service structures for Narcotics Anonymous for the wrong reasons.  

Grateful Dave

Dave Moorhead, better known as ‘Grateful Dave’ successfully secured the rights of members and groups to freely print and distribute literature in a court of law.  This fact is not well known to many members today. Dave was acting on the Group Conscience of his home group to produce and distribute NA literature. Many members and Groups were part of the free literature movement within the Fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous.  The Corporation sued Dave as an individual. A settlement was reached on the advice of the presiding judge who sought to avoid a division within the Fellowship. Dave was interested in restoring unity and the corporation was interested in avoiding a long, costly legal battle. The Corporation entered into an agreement with Dave in 1990. The agreement was reached between the two parties at the encouragement of the Judge who presided over the court case. Judge Pollak also believed a legal battle would create a rift within the Fellowship. Unfortunately, the corporation failed to fulfill their legal obligations. Dave needed to pursue them in court but died before the corporation could be found in contempt of the court approved agreement. With Dave’s demise, there was no one to hold the corporation accountable. You can review many of the legal documents here at https://nahistorytree.com/wso-vs-moorhead/. There are additional resources at the Narcotics Anonymous Upper Cumberland Area website here http://www.nauca.us/na-historical-documents/history-of-the-basic-text/baby-blue/.

The Seeds of Disunity Grow

The prestige of those involved within the leadership of the corporation, and growing profits were now in jeopardy if the truth came out. Board members and longtime members were much sought after speakers at conventions. The corporate travel budget was growing as rapidly as were the egos of those involved in mapping the Future of the NAWS Corporation. There were regional leaders who support NAWS and supported the addiction to power across the United States. Some of those who believed in Narcotics Anonymous were turned off by the lack of spiritual principles displayed. Many simply returned to the front lines of Narcotics Anonymous to support groups and carry the message to newcomers.  Power is a dangerous drug particularly to those with a history of addiction. Support for the World Service Conference was already eroding. Fewer groups participate with each passing year. Support of the corporation earned you respect and privileges from the leadership structures created.

To combat the truth, the Corporation created a document called the Fellowship Intellectual Property Trust. This document was created by the corporation to create the illusion that they were the sole trustees of the Narcotics Anonymous logos, images and literature. Trusts are created to protect the Trustor, by empowering the trustee to act on behalf of the trustor. The first executive director of the corporation needed to be eliminated because of the insider knowledge he held. His name was Bob Stone and he was fired without cause. There are details of corruption in his book ‘My Years with Narcotics Anonymous’ available here http://www.nauca.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/1997-My-Years-With-NA-by-Bob-Stone.pdf. He died under suspicious circumstances as the book was being written and edited. It was published after his death. You can read details of his life here at https://nahistorytree.com/bob-stone/. Clearly defined leadership roles within a spiritual organization can lead to abuse of power. Many cults come from unhealthy power structures within spiritual organizations.

I documented my own experiences in my book, ‘Cult of NAWS’

I feel very grateful to have experienced the cult mentality of some members. The Merriam/Webster Dictionary online offers one definition of cult as;

“a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator”

[https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cult]

I had to look up promulgator as well.

“(law) one who promulgates laws (announces a law as a way of putting it into execution)”

“law, jurisprudence – the collection of rules imposed by authority; ‘civilization presupposes respect for the law’; ‘the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order’”

“lawgiver, lawmaker – a maker of laws; someone who gives a code of laws”

[https://www.thefreedictionary.com/promulgator]

I cringed when I read this because of my own behaviors.  Some days I feel terrible about myself because I was caught up in ego and no longer sharing my experience, strength and hope. I often become a promulgator. My humility opened the door to empathy to others who suffered in a similar way.

‘Cult of NAWS’, Available on Amazon

FIPT Failure

The goal of the Corporation is profits

The FIPT was an ineffective tool. The Free Literature Movement within the Fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous grew because the corporation could not enforce the FIPT in court. Overseas, far from the corporation, the Fellowship continued to grow as well. Iran began translating and distributing a significant amount of literature as early as 1998 without the knowledge or consent of the Corporation. Brazil also translated and produced significant amounts of literature. Literature development, translation and distribution increased globally outside the sphere of the corporation. The corporation consolidated its power base by using profits to maintain their image and increase the divide within the Fellowship as the years went by. There were more trips abroad to secure the illusion of control.  Like the flying monkeys within the Wizard of OZ movie, corporate supporters will fly into action when the actions of the corporation are questioned. The one thing that corporation cannot combat is the truth.

The South Florida Region requested an audit in 2017 which anyone can review details of here;

 http://www.nauca.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/2017-08-29-NAWS-Denial-of-So.-Fla.-Inspection-Reqst..pdf.

This was within the guidelines of the FIPT at the time. After a very long delay, the South Florida Region was granted a limited review which allowed them to document issues but an in-depth analysis was never granted.  

The Corporation seeks to revise the FIPT

The FIPT is currently being updated and NAWS Supporters will be encouraged to adopt the recommendations of the Board of Directors at the 2023 Conference. This will close down the ability of a single region to review the actions of the trustee ever again. This will likely pass as the World Service Conference.  The corporation and corporate supporters are largely unopposed. Very few participate in the voting process anymore.  

We continue to meet regularly to help each other

The Free Literature Movement, and members worldwide will continue to ignore the corporate promoted greed. It was those members who saved the Fellowship during the pandemic by quickly adapting the Fellowship to a virtual platform. Hundreds or perhaps thousands of members gave up significant time and money to save hundreds of thousands of addicts globally. All literature is available online for free now in defiance of the corporation. The production of independent literature grows. There are service structures that act outside the corporate sphere, like www.virtual-na.org and https://bmlt.app/what-is-the-bmlt/.

The Petitioner

In 2020, the Autonomous Region filed a petition to the courts of California where the Trust is held. The petition is to have the courts examine the actions of the Trustee (The NAWS Corporation) in their actions with regards to the trust.  When challenged, a trustee must be able to show their actions are in the best interest of the trustor, and not for their own interest. We often see the abuse of trustees exposed on TV and in newspapers. The Autonomous Region was not able to make a presentation in court as their standing within the trust was questioned. The attorneys for the NAWS corporation argued that the Autonomous Region did not represent the interests of the Trustor and could not question the actions of the Trustee. This appeal was upheld by the courts. This does not mean that the corporation is not in violation of the trust. A simple examination would release the corporation of perceived bias, but they are unwilling to see their actions exposed.

2023 Cult Agenda Report (CAR)

Narcotics Anonymous Service Structures

Narcotics Anonymous World Services Corporation (NAWS) publish a Conference Agenda Report (CAR) to prepare members, groups and service bodies for the World Service Conference (WSC).  Groups are the front line of Narcotics Anonymous and they hold regular meetings to carry a message of hope to suffering addicts. New members and returning members are encouraged to support each other by joining a group and attending meetings regularly. Millions of addicts worldwide have found hope and recovery within the Fellowship of NA since its inception in 1953.  The WSC began in 1971 and was designed to bring groups together to make decisions about the future of Narcotics Anonymous. The WSC that exists today bears no resemblance to the early conferences and has very little to do with the true nature of the program of Narcotics Anonymous. The 192-page, 2023 CAR report would make an Amway Executive blush at the lies and shameless self-promotion of the NAWS Corporation. The reality is that it is very rare for either a member or group to participate in the WSC that exists today. The NAWS Corporation uses the unity that exists in Narcotics Anonymous to promote itself. The facts presented in those 192 pages perpetuate the fraud. 

Groups and Meetings

Groups often come together to form Area service bodies within a certain geographical area. Area Service Bodies come together to form regional service bodies. Many regional service bodies are defined by the political boundaries the groups they represent are in (Hawaii Region or Nebraska Region are two examples in North America). Further abroad, regions are often defined by the country of origin.  Regional bodies will send a representative to the WSC to participate in the voting on motions presented. Voting is easy today since the NAWS Corporation also publishes a Conference Approval Track so WSC attendees know how to vote. Independent thought and action are discouraged by the Cult of NAWS. What is never discussed is how little support there is from members and groups. NAWS supporters are a very small segment of the fellowship and only maintain visibility by using the huge profits generated by literature sales to promote themselves. Regular WSC attendees report that there are some Regional Delegates who vote without ever consulting with the Groups they alleged to serve. Blank tally sheets for recording votes can downloaded from the NAWS corporation but completed tally sheets are a closely guarded secret and rarely published. The most important goal of the NAWS Corporation is the protection of the publishing rights and the profits associated with publishing. Today, there is increasing number of independent publishing by groups. There is also access to free literature online. This has forced the NAWS Corporation to manipulate and control every aspect of the Fellowship in order to maintain their financial privileges’.

How many actual Narcotics Anonymous Groups exist is unknown but regional summaries have provided the following estimate.

Groups are encouraged to register with the NAWS Corporation and receive a Group ID Number. Online, virtual, and telephone Groups have existed for more than two decades but been rejected by the WSC and the NAWS Corporation.  There are no rules, guidelines or policies that differentiate face to face meetings from other types of meetings but division is an effective tool of cults and has resulted in yet another dividing point created by the NAWS Corporation.  Some estimates suggest that there are more than five thousand virtual Narcotics Anonymous Groups currently. The contribution of virtual groups during the last three years has been enourmous. During the global pandemic these groups supported members and carried a message to suffering addicts worldwide. Virtual groups have become a mainstay of the Fellowship. I would estimate that one third of face-to-face meetings have closed and online meetings are becoming standard practice with many addicts.

The end is near…

The Iran Region recently broke ties with the WSC and the NAWS Corporation. They have decided to work independently and produce their own literature.  This region was easily the largest region to have ever existed. They represented almost five thousand groups who hosted twenty thousand meetings. Many groups in Iran host daily meetings but in the US a weekly meeting is typical. The average for US Regions is two hundred and fifty groups and three hundred and fifty meetings. It would not be a surprise to see other regions follow suit in the years ahead. The Brazil Region sales of books dropped to less than a third after switching to NAWS Corporate literature pricing model. The South Florida Region found discrepancies in a limited inspection of the NAWS Corporation but that avenue of accountability will be closed after the revised ‘Fellowship Intellectual Property Trust’ is approved at the next WSC.

Tradition two of Narcotics Anonymous ensures that the ultimate authority is the group conscience that home group members freely participate in. While researching and writing my book ‘Cult of NAWS’, I came across a section from the 1980 WSC minutes. Chuck Skinner was a respected and long-time member of NA, who presided as Chair of the Board of Trustees. He was asked what should happen to groups who failed to participate in area service bodies.  Chuck’s direction was very clear; remove them from meeting lists, notify them to cease and desist, and contact World Services to take legal action if required. This kind of mindset continues today, and members will cry foul and talk about ‘the conscience of the Fellowship’ when questions arise that go against the Cult of NAWS. There is a growing Fellowship of members who promote kindness, compassion, and generosity in carrying out their goal of supporting members new and old without the governance of corrupt service structures.