Portions of this definition have been supplemented with text from the home page of Narcotics Anonymous World Services (NAWS), Los Angeles.

Narcotics Anonymous is a nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem . . . who meet regularly to help each other stay clean.

We are not interested in what or how much you used…but only in what you want to do about your problem and how we can help. Membership is open to any drug addict, regardless of the particular drug or combination of drugs used. There are no social, religious, economic, racial, ethnic, national, gender, or class-status membership restrictions.

There are no dues or fees forp membership; while most members regularly contribute small sums to help cover expenses, such contributions are not mandatory. Narcotics Anonymous provides a recovery process and support network inextricably linked together. Narcotics Anonymous states that one of the keys to its success is the "therapeutic value" of addicts working with other addicts.

Members share their successes and challenges in overcoming active addiction and living drug-free productive lives through application of the principles contained within the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of NA.

The core of the Narcotics Anonymous recovery program is the Twelve Steps, which include admitting there is a problem, seeking help, engaging in a thorough self-examination, confidential self-disclosure, making amends for harm done, and helping drug addicts who want to recover. Central to the program is an emphasis on what is referred to as a "spiritual awakening," emphasizing its practical value, not its philosophical or metaphysical import.

Narcotics Anonymous, itself, is non-religious and encourages each member to cultivate an individual understanding, religious or not, of this "spiritual awakening." Narcotics Anonymous is not affiliated with other organizations, including other Twelve Step programs, treatment centers, or correctional facilities. As an organization, NA does not employ professional counselors or therapists. Narcotics Anonymous has no residential facilities or clinics, and does not provide vocational, legal, financial, psychiatric, or medical services.

NA has only one mission: to provide an environment in which addicts can help one another stop using drugs and find a new way to live. Narcotics Anonymous encourages its members to observe complete abstinence from all drugs, including alcohol. It has been the experience of NA members that complete and continuous abstinence provides the best foundation for recovery and personal growth.

Use of psychiatric medication and other medically indicated drugs prescribed by a physician and taken under medical supervision, is not seen as compromising a person's "clean time." Regarding such use, members are encouraged to consult their own experience, the experience of other members, and qualified health professionals.