Secular Narcotics Anonymous
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While Narcotics Anonymous (NA) itself isn’t inherently religious, a movement with the organization advocating for a more secular interpretation of its principles has existed for decades. This movement hasn’t led to and is not interested in a formal split, but instead represents an ongoing dialogue and internal evolution.
Early Tensions: From NA’s founding in 1953, the inclusion of a higher power and spiritual principles caused discomfort for some members, particularly atheists, agnostics and freethinkers. These individuals often found solace in the program’s core tenets of sharing and support while feeling alienated by the religious language in the literature and culture at many NA meetings.
Growth and Recognition: Throughout the 70s and 80s, the movement gained momentum. Members formed informal groups and wrote alternative literature. Some groups used readings that did not have any references to a deity, (see the Alternative Readings section). This led to the NA officially acknowledging the diverse interpretations of its program in 1982. In the Sixth Edition of the Basic Text, there is a story “Atheist Recover Too” that speaks to those who may not be comfortable with a God or higher power.
SecularNA.org Website started in 2021 as a collaborative effort among like-minded NA members primarily from the Seattle and Melbourne groups. Face-to-face meetings had opened in Melbourne Australia, Seattle Washington State and London in the UK in or around 2015 and had been running continuously up until the Covid 19 pandemic in 2019. The pandemic resulted in zoom online meetings becoming the main platform where NA meetings took place worldwide. This sudden ease of accessibility allowed secular NA to grow rapidly.
Present Landscape: Today we have over 20 online weekly secular meetings listed in Australia, Brazil, Europe, and the United States. The secular movement remains a vibrant and growing part of NA. We strive for inclusivity, recognizing that diverse perspectives can strengthen recovery for all and that any addict, can stop using, lose the desire to use, and find a new way to live.
Affiliations: www.secularna.org has no direct involvement or affiliation with Narcotics Anonymous World Services. We are members of Narcotics Anonymous who prefer a secular NA approach.
We created this website to provide information about secular NA meetings and groups.
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