The 12 Steps of Narcotics Anonymous (NA) are a set of principles that guide individuals through the process of recovery from addiction. The steps are as follows:
- We admitted we were powerless over our addiction, that our lives had become unmanageable.
- We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
- We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
- We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
- We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
- We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
- We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
- We made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
- We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
- We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
- We 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 the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
NA members complete each step before moving on to the next one in line. The steps are not a linear process, and individuals may struggle with some steps more than others. The goal is to focus on the process of working through the stages rather than judging oneself based on outcomes. NA meetings follow a specific structure, and group leaders typically provide snacks and drinks to enjoy before the meeting.
