Hello Blake, thank you for contacting NA World Services. Although the World Board has not had the opportunity to consider your correspondence, we are happy to offer some thoughts in response. The advertisements that you described are one of the many challenges faced when attempting to conduct an NA meeting/discussion board online. However, because soberrecovery.com is a resource-based website for addiction and alcoholism we are not surprised to see all types of Twelve Step Fellowships represented and treatment/detox center advertisements. It’s important to remember that although NA is guided by our Twelve Traditions, outside enterprises are not. Indeed it’s frustrating as an NA member to see that our message might be blurred. It seems that this may be a misuse of the name Narcotics Anonymous. If a site considers it self to be NA then they should consider the 6th tradition issues, but since they are clearly not NA, then the best solution may be to change the name of the discussion board so that there is no confusion here.


You may be aware that we do not attempt to regulate or manage such discussion boards or online meetings. We do list online meetings on our website as a service to our members. Similarly with face to face meetings, we recognize that it is not our role to regulate or manage what goes on internally. With that said, we are unable to contact soberrecovery.com. It seems that the issues would need to be rectified by the members of the discussion board.



Please feel free to offer any follow-up thoughts or questions.



In fellowship,

Carrie R.

NAWS Staff