Find a Meeting

Why Start A Meeting?

When starting a group, the first priority is to secure a regular meeting location. Try to find a facility that is conducive to an atmosphere of recovery and will allow room for the meeting to grow.

After securing a location, establish the time and day of the week, make arrangements for opening and closing the meeting space, and any other preparations necessary.

Find a meeting place

Does the area you want to have a meeting support enough members to be sustainable?

Develop your meeting format

Does the location have essential needs tobe successful

Attend your ASC

Announce your new meeting and get support form your area

There are many things to consider when starting a meeting. Below is a checklist of what is needed to start a meeting in your area, including a checklist of must-dos and a section on best practices for success. An excellent place to start is to read The Group Booklet. It gives valuable information about how to run a successful meeting.

The Group Booklet

Best Practices

  • Is there a need for a meeting in this area?
  • Does the meeting time you propose conflict with other meetings in your area
  • Study The Group Booklet: www.na.org/ips—Choose your language
  • and click on the booklet (and check out other NA literature on
  • the page).
  • Gain support from other NA members in or near your community.
  • Attend NA meetings and let members know you intend to start a
  • new group.
  • Find a meeting place; determine the day(s) and time(s) of the
  • meeting.
  • Develop your meeting format. Remember you can change it as
  • you find what works and what doesn’t.
  • Review the Local Service Resource page for lots of support materials,
  • including sample meeting formats: www.na.org/localresources
  • Contact your local service body to announce your new group.
  • This body usually oversees:
  • Local NA meeting list
  • Local NA website
  • Local NA phoneline
    Establish guidelines for managing the group’s funds. The Group
    Booklet and IP #28, Funding NA Services, are useful resources:
    www.na.org/ips
    Get literature. Your local service body may have information about
    this, or you can purchase online: www.na.org/orderlit

Tradition 6:
An NA group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the NA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, or prestige divert us from our primary purpose

…or something like this:

Tradtion 7:
Every NA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.

Group Checklist

  • Attend the Area Service Committee Meeting
    (An area service committee meeting is the ideal place to announce your intention to start a new group. You can gather experience from representatives of other groups in the area and learn of the services available to your group when you need them.)
  • Obtain a meeting place.
    Where?
    When? (Day, time, and duration of the meeting)
    How Much? (What is the facility charging for rent?)
    What does the facility require? (No smoking? Sweep and mop after the meeting? Close windows, lock doors, etc.)
  • Name your group
    Please refrain from using words that reference drugs, violence, racism, or sexual innuendo, as they will not be listed on the website or in the printed schedule.
  • What kind of meeting format will you use?
    Participation, Topic Discussion, Literature Study, Speaker, Newcomer meeting, Youth, Q&A meeting, etc.