What is Narcotics Anonymous?
Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is a nonprofit fellowship or society of recovering drug addicts whose disease of addiction is arrested through regular attendance at group meetings. It is a free program with meetings held in cities across the United States, including Chicago, Cook, Illinois.
| Narcotics mettings | Address | Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| 1 2 3 Kick Group | 7010 South Union Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60621 | |
| Saturday, 07:00 PM - 08:00 PM | ||
| 12 NA 12 Group | 7525 West Belmont Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60634 | |
| Monday, 07:30 PM - 08:30 PM | ||
| 1842 S Kedzie Avenue | 1842 S Kedzie Avenue, Chicago, IL 60623-2622 | |
| Monday, 6:30 PM | ||
| 20 to Life Living Clean Group | 5541 South State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60621 | |
| Thursday, 06:00 PM - 07:00 PM | ||
| A Chance At Life Group | 5017 West North Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60639 | |
| Monday, 07:00 PM - 08:00 PM | ||
| A Cup of Recovery Group | 5632 West 63rd Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60638 | |
| Tuesday, 05:00 PM - 06:00 PM | ||
| A New Hope Group | 1050 West School Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60657 | |
| Sunday, 06:00 PM - 07:00 PM | ||
| A New Way To Live Group | 1668 West Ogden Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60612 | |
| Tuesday, 07:00 PM - 08:00 PM | ||
| A Safe Place 2 Group | 904 North Saint Louis Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60651 | |
| Saturday, 07:00 PM - 08:00 PM | ||
| A Safe Place I Group | 321 North Mason Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60644 | |
| Saturday, 07:00 PM - 08:00 PM | ||
Redeemed Christian Church
- Monday, 8:00 pm (Discussion)
- Tuesday, 7:00 pm (Step Study)
- Thursday, 8:30 pm (Speaker)
Community Center
- Sunday, 10:00 am (Beginners)
- Wednesday, 8:00 pm (Literature Study)
- Friday, 7:00 pm (Speaker)
Local Library
- Saturday, 9:00 am (Discussion)
- Saturday, 5:30 pm (Step Study)
- Sunday, 6:00 pm (Beginners)
The 12 Steps of NA
NA or Narcotics Anonymous, is a 12-step program that provides support for people recovering from drug addiction. Here is a brief overview of each of the 12 steps:
- 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 the people we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
- We made direct amends with such people wherever possible, except when doing so would injure them or others.
- We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, we 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.
Getting Started with NA in Chicago
Use the meeting search on methadone.org to find local Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings in your area of Chicago, Illinois. Both in-person and online/virtual meetings are available.
Attending Your First Local NA Meeting
There are two main types of NA meetings in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois:
Open Meetings | Closed Meetings |
Anyone is welcome to attend, including non-addicts | Only addicts can share at the meeting |
| Great for learning about NA | Better for sharing experiences as an addict |
Arrive 10–15 minutes early and introduce yourself as a new local member. Share your experiences if you feel comfortable. At your first meeting, you’ll receive a welcome keychain tag. As you progress in your recovery, you’ll receive tags for key milestones:
- 30 days clean
- 60 days clean
- 90 days clean
- 6 months clean
- 9 months clean
- 1 year clean
The tags serve as a symbolic recognition of your hard work and determination to stay clean.
