Mission Statement ©
The Nar-Anon Family Groups are a worldwide fellowship for those affected by someone else’s addiction. As a twelve step program, we offer our help by sharing our experience, strength, and hope.
Vision Statement ©
We will carry the message of hope throughout the world to those affected by the addiction of someone near to them.
We will do this by:
letting them know they are no longer alone
practicing the Twelve Steps of Nar-Anon
encouraging growth through service
making information available through outreach encompassing public information, hospitals, institutions, and websites
changing our own attitudes
Nar-Anon ©
The Nar-Anon Family Groups is primarily for you who know or have known a feeling of desperation concerning the addiction problem of someone very near to you. We have traveled that unhappy road too, and found the answer with serenity and peace of mind.
When you come into the family group, you are no longer alone, but among true friends who understand your problem as few others could. We will respect your confidence and anonymity as we know you will respect ours. We hope to give you the assurance that no situation is too difficult and no unhappiness is too great to be overcome.
Our program, which is not a religious one but a spiritual way of life, is based on the Twelve Steps of Nar-Anon. We have found that the working of these steps will bring the solution to practically any problem. We urge you to take this program and its twelve steps seriously. It has been as helpful to us as the Narcotics Anonymous program is to the addict. We only ask for the wisdom and courage to see ourselves as we really are, to do something about ourselves with the help of a Higher Power as we understand this, and for the grace to release our addicts with love and cease trying to change them.
Keep an open mind and attend as many meetings as possible. Feel free to share during the meeting. You may ask questions after the meeting. You will soon make friends and will feel very much a part of the group.
With the understanding that addiction is a disease, and the realization that we are powerless over it, as well as over other people's lives, we are ready to do something useful and constructive with our own. Then, and only then, can we be of any help to others.
(From Newcomers Welcome)
What's Nar-Anon? ©
The Nar-Anon Family Groups are a worldwide fellowship for those affected by someone else’s addiction. As a Twelve-Step Program, we offer our help by sharing our experience, strength, and hope. The only requirement for membership is that there be a problem of addiction in a relative or friend. Our program of recovery is adapted from NA and uses our Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and Twelve Concepts.
What's a Nar-Anon Family Group?
Members share their experiences, strength, and hope at weekly meetings, which are usually held at locations such as treatment and community centers, hospitals, churches, or local twelve-step clubs.
How Do I Join Nar-Anon?
Joining is easy - just attend a meeting. There are no dues or fees. The only requirement for membership is that there be a problem of addiction in a relative or friend. We're never affiliated with any other organization or outside entity.
Newsletters
Please also check the Newsletter page for a collection of member-contributed writings about recovery in Nar-Anon.
Is Professional Help Available?
Nar-Anon is a non-professional fellowship whose members share their experience, strength, and hope to solve their common problems. We've learned to avoid standing in the way of the addict’s recovery. Nar-Anon is not a replacement for, nor provides professional treatment.
Group Participation ©
At Nar-Anon meetings, only one person speaks at a time. Anyone may express an opinion during their sharing. We don't engage in dialogue, debate or cross-talk. We also don't comment, correct, or judge others as they share. What is true for one may not be true for another. You can freely choose to just listen. We're not here to talk about the addict's problems but to keep the focus on ourselves and our own recovery. If you have questions, you can stay after the meeting to speak with others, or you may can use your phone list during the week.
Contributions are Voluntary
Our 7th Tradition in Nar-Anon states: "Every group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions". As all contributions are voluntary, a member may give what they can afford when the basket is passed. Group funds are used to purchase literature, pay rent for their meeting place, and make periodic donations to their area, region, and World Service Office (WSO). A group may also decide to purchase refreshments and supplies.
Types of Meetings
Since each group is autonomous, they can decide, by a group conscience, how their meetings will be conducted. However, this is always done in accordance with the Nar-Anon Traditions. Meetings can be held by having group sharing, step and/or tradition studies, topic meetings, or speaker meetings.
Nar-Anon Spoken Here
You may notice that Nar-Anon members have a language all their own. This is one of the reasons we ask members to keep coming back. At first, the new words and phrases you'll hear may appear foreign to you. You will learn about the steps, traditions, and slogans and find helpful information in our Nar-Anon literature. Sometimes you may wonder why the same readings need to be repeated at each meeting. As you continue to attend meetings, you'll find that those readings and slogans become a part of your everyday recovery.
Group Service
Members can be of service to their group before the meeting by helping to set up chairs, put out literature, serve refreshments, and clean up when the meeting is over. After you've attended meetings for a while, you may want to lead a meeting, or serve as group secretary, treasurer or group service representative (GSR). We have found that doing service work has been helpful in our recovery.
The Nar-Anon Principles ©
We are a 12-step program designed to help relatives and friends of addicts recover from the effects of living with an addicted relative or friend. Our program of recovery uses Nar-Anon's Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. The only requirement to be a member and attend Nar-Anon meetings is that there is a problem of drugs or addiction in a relative or friend. We are not affiliated with any other organization or outside entity.
Twelve Steps ©
We admitted we were powerless over the addict — that our lives had become unmanageable.
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible except when to do so would injure them or others.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Twelve Traditions ©
Our common welfare should come first; personal progress for the greatest number depends on unity.
For our group purposes there is but one authority — a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants — they do not govern.
The relatives of addicts, when gathered for mutual aid, may call themselves a Nar-Anon Family Group, provided that as a group, they have no other affiliation. The only requirement for membership is that there be a problem of addiction in a relative or friend.
Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other Nar-Anon Family Groups, or NA as a whole.
Each Nar-Anon Family Group has but one purpose; to help families of addicts. We do this by practicing the Twelve Steps of Nar-Anon, by encouraging and understanding our addicted relatives, and by welcoming and giving comfort to families of addicts.
Our Family Groups ought never to endorse, finance or lend our name to any outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary spiritual aim; but although a separate entity, we should always cooperate with Narcotics Anonymous.
Every group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
Nar-Anon Twelfth Step work should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
Our groups, as such ought never to be organized, but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
The Nar-Anon Family Groups have no opinion on outside issues; hence our name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, films, internet and other forms of mass media. We need guard with special care the anonymity of all NA members.
Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles above personalities.
Twelve Concepts of Nar-Anon Service ©
Just as freedom for the individual comes from the Twelve Steps and freedom for the group springs from the Twelve Traditions, so freedom for the service structure flourishes from the Twelve Concepts.
To fulfill our fellowship’s primary purpose, the Nar-Anon Family Groups have joined together to create a structure that develops, coordinates, and maintains services on behalf of Nar-Anon as a whole.
The final responsibility and authority for Nar-Anon services rests with the Nar-Anon Family Groups.
The Nar-Anon Family Groups delegate to the service structure the authority necessary to fulfill the responsibilities assigned to it.
Effective leadership is highly valued in Nar-Anon. Leadership qualities should be carefully considered when selecting trusted servants.
For each responsibility assigned to the service structure, a single point of decision and accountability should be clearly defined.
Group conscience is the spiritual means by which we invite a loving Higher Power to influence our decisions.
All members of a service body bear substantial responsibility for that body’s decisions and should be allowed to fully participate in its decision-making processes.
Regular, two-way communications are essential to the fulfillment of all these concepts and the integrity and effectiveness of our services themselves.
All elements of our service structure have the responsibility to carefully consider all viewpoints in their decision-making processes.
Any member of a service body can petition that body for the redress of a personal grievance, without fear of reprisal.
Nar-Anon funds are used to further our primary purpose to carry the message, and must be managed responsibly.
In keeping with the spiritual nature of Nar-Anon, our structure should always be one of service, never of governance.
Anonymity
The experience of our groups suggests that the principle of anonymity, which is summed up in Tradition Twelve as “the spiritual foundation of all our traditions,” has three elements: anonymity as it applies outside Nar-Anon, anonymity within the fellowship, and anonymity as it contributes to our personal growth.
We guard the anonymity of others in the fellowships of Nar-Anon/Narateen and NA. This means not revealing to anyone, even to relatives, friends, and other members, who we see and what we hear at a meeting.
The assurance of anonymity is essential to our efforts to help other families and friends of addicts, and the Twelfth Tradition reminds us that Nar-Anon and Narateen principles come before personalities.
(From the Guide to Local Service 7-1 7-2)
World Service Committees
The World Service Committees are directly responsible to the BOT as noted in Concept Five, who in turn are directly accountable to the World Service Conference. In accordance with Concept Four, effective leadership qualities such as humility, integrity, trustworthiness, and a strong commitment to open communication, are essential to becoming a member of a World Service Committee. (From Guide to World Services page 35)
Budget & Finance
The Budget and Finance Committee maintains a continuing review of the financial affairs of NAFGH, Inc. Using this information, it's the committee's duty to make appropriate recommendations to WSO, the Executive Committee or the Board of Trustees regarding financial matters.
Conference
The Conference Committee coordinates all aspects of the World Service Conference. The committee prepares and distributes the conference invitation, receives and reviews motions for the CAR, and confirms that all motions meet the criteria for placement in the CAR before distributing it.
Human Resource
The Human Resource Committee screens candidates applying to become members of the Board of Trustees and to forward a list of those most qualified to the World Service Conference to be considered and voted on at the WSC.
Literature
The Literature Committee compiles, reviews and edits literature to be presented to the fellowship for approval. This includes recovery, service, outreach, or other literature developed at the suggestion of the fellowship.
Narateen ©
The Narateen Committee advances the growth of Narateen. This is done by encouraging area and region support of Narateen through joint and individual events and activities (e.g. conventions, unity days, fundraisers, and Narateen weekends).
Newsletter
The Newsletter Committee produces a quarterly newsletter for the Nar-Anon fellowship. They ensure that the newsletter expresses the Nar-Anon message of recovery; reports the business of the fellowship; includes upcoming global events.
Outreach
The Outreach Committee carries the Nar-Anon message of hope throughout the world. This is done by developing and compiling outreach material used to raise public awareness about the Nar-Anon program.
Policy & Guidelines
The Policy and Guidelines Committee researches develops and reviews all policies and guidelines proposed for fellowship approval at the World Service Conference. They update existing policies and guidelines as directed after every WSC.
Translations
The Translations Committee is to provide assistance to language subcommittees by creating a hub for translation of conference approved literature. The committee does not translate literature. Language subcommittees conduct the translations which ensure translations maintain the spirit of the Nar-Anon message, as well as, verify the Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions and Twelve Concepts of Nar-Anon Service are upheld.
Website
The Website Committee is responsible for maintaining the fellowship's website, ensuring its content is in keeping with our Twelve Traditions and includes up to date information for our members, trusted servants, professionals and the public
World Convention
The Convention Committee plans and hosts the Nar-Anon World convention in cooperation with the NA world convention. The committee works closely with the host city's area or regional service committee, if one exists, in preparing the event.
(See Guide to World Services for complete descriptions of the world service committees)
To the Concerned Teenage Family Member or Friend
If you have found evidence or suspect someone close to you may have a drug problem, we at Narateen know how you feel. We remember feeling alone, scared and confused when we discovered a friend or family member was involved with drugs. We understand as few others do. For a while, some of us tried to ignore our suspicions. We were too afraid to ask questions because of what might happen if we did. As the situation got worse, we became more frantic. Our attempts to help did not seem to make things any better. We grew more upset and desperate.
By coming to Narateen meetings, we learn drug addiction is a disease. It is not our fault our friends or relatives became addicts. We are not responsible for their actions. Addicts need help and so do we. For the addicts seeking help, drug recovery programs are available. However, Narateen is designed for us – the teenaged brother, sister, child, or friend of the addict.
Weekly Narateen meetings are held regularly throughout the year. We encourage you to attend our meetings. As this is an anonymous program, we use our first names only. There are no charges or obligations for you to attend. You will not be forced to speak, but you can ask questions after the meeting. We do understand how you feel. It is a great relief to learn there are more effective ways to cope with this disease. We are no longer alone.
For more information: www.nar-anon.org