GSR Resources

Explain The NA Service Structure and add a picture 

The Group Booklet -  Narcotics Anonymous groups are self-governing (the Twelve Traditions use the word autonomous). The group may conduct its own affairs in whatever way seems fit to its members, provided the group’s actions do not adversely affect other groups or the entire NA Fellowship. So what we offer here is not a “rule book” but the shared experience of how many of our groups have met with success in conduct- ing meetings and tending to business. Newer members may find this booklet helps them understand who does what to keep the group going and how to help. For more experienced members, it may lend some perspective to their group involvement. But no matter how much information we pack into this booklet, you’re still going to find that the best source of guidance for your group is in your group itself. - PDF of The Group Booklet

A Guide To Local Service - A Guide to Local Services in Narcotics Anonymous is intended to serve as a resource to those in every country who have committed themselves to providing the services necessary to carry our message to the still-suffering addict. Portions of it may prove to be inappropriate for your use either because of geography, national or provincial law, cultural differences, or the developmental state of your NA community. If this is the case, your NA community should feel free to adapt this guide to meet your own needs, provided that those adaptations are consistent with NA’s Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and Twelve Concepts for Service. For further information concerning local adaptation of material from A Guide to Local Services in Narcotics Anonymous, contact NA’s World Service Office.  PDF of A Guide to Local Services in NA

Service Pamphlets - Service pamphlets (SPs) are intended for use as a resource for groups and service bodies. The World Board was directed by a motion at WSC 2006 to develop service related pamphlets for use by the fellowship. Service pamphlets are not intended to be recovery literature or to be used as the basis of a topic during a recovery meeting. They are intended for help in your discussion in group business meetings or in service committees. They are our best attempt at collecting some of the more successful practices in our fellowship in dealing with sensitive or difficult topics. They are similar to what has been previously released as NAWS Bulletins and should be treated in much the same way.  http://m.na.org/?ID=servicemat-svc-pamphlets

You can find all the current service pamphlets at the link above, the following we believe are especially helpful to GSR’s.

• Group Business Meeting, Group Trusted Servants, Principles and Leadership in NA Service, Disruptive and Violent Behavior, NA Groups and Medication, Social Media and Our Guiding Principles.

GSR Basics - This tool is intended to help NA members better understand the group service representative (GSR) commitment and to more effectively participate in the work of a local service body. NA services aren’t organized identically in every part of the world, and the responsibilities of the GSR may vary depending on what is needed locally. This tool tries to capture some of our common experience and outline the basic tasks of the GSR position. It does not contain specifics about the policies adopted in individual service bodies as it is intended to be used in any NA community. - PDF of GSR Basics

The Twelve Concepts for NA Service - Twelve Concepts are guiding principles for our service structure. The concepts summarize the hard-won experience of our fellowship’s first forty years with such things as responsibility, authority, delegation, leadership, accountability, spiritual guidance, participation, communication, open-mindedness, fairness, and finances. PDF of the Twelve Concepts for NA Service

Consensus-based decision making (CBDM) is how many NA service bodies make decisions together. Instead of debating sides, the goal is collaboration — everyone works toward a solution the whole group can live with. CBDM doesn't require that everyone fully agrees; it just means that every member had a chance to be heard and can accept the outcome, even if it wasn't their first choice. As a GSR, understanding this process helps you bring your group's voice into area service in a way that reflects our traditions and values. The full CBDM Basics resource is available from NA World Services

ASC Documents:   These are all the printed forms and documents that made available at the monthly ASC meeting.  To download and print them for yourself, you can access them by clicking the image to the left.

ASC Guidelines

GSR Report Form

Motion Form

Motion Recording Form and others

Service Pool Form:  Many members give back by being of service.  Some service positions require specific skills.  Jump into the Service Pool by filling out the form to let us know about your service and skills.  This Service Pool Information Form asks members interested in doing Area service to provide contact information, service history, relevant skills, and availability to be of service. 

Service Pool Form

Locally Developed Resources.  The Unity, Acceptance, & Inclusion service pamphlet was created as a resource to address the marginalization of some addicts that was happening in some of our local meetings.  The focus of this service pamphlet is on the importance of how we treat each other in our meetings, groups and within our fellowship.  Please feel free to download, copy and share.

Public relations (PR) in NA is simply about taking care of our relationships — with the general public, with professionals, and with the communities we serve. The goal is to make NA visible and attractive so that addicts who need us can find us. When professionals who work with addicts know about NA and have a positive impression of our program, they're more likely to refer people our way. PR service isn't about promotion or advertising — our Eleventh Tradition tells us our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion. As a GSR, understanding the basics of PR helps you see how your group connects to the wider community and why that work matters. The full PR Basics resource is available from NA World Services

Hospitals & Institutions (H&I) is the service work that brings the NA message to addicts who can't get to regular meetings — people in jails, treatment centers, hospitals, and other facilities. H&I meetings and presentations are intended to introduce those attending to the basics of the NA program, so that when they're ready and able, they know where to find us. Any member who is willing to be oriented and trained and to share a clear and consistent NA message is well suited for H&I work — you don't need to have been in a facility yourself. As a GSR, knowing what H&I does helps you support this work at the group level and encourages members who might be called to serve in this way. The full H&I Basics resource is available from NA World Services

Planning Basics is a guide to help NA service bodies think ahead, set goals, and make their services more effective. Planning for NA services asks us to think ahead, take time to prepare, and develop action plans to reach identified goals — starting with identifying issues that affect our ability to provide consistently effective services. Any member who wants to have more effective service efforts can participate in planning — it can be done by groups, areas, committees, or any combination of trusted servants. Like recovery itself, progress — not perfection — matters. As a GSR, understanding how planning works helps you bring your group's needs and ideas into the larger service conversation and contribute to building an NA community that can keep carrying the message. The full Planning Basics resource is available from NA World Services

The NA phoneline — also called a helpline — is often the very first contact an addict has with Narcotics Anonymous. A phoneline call can make a major difference in whether or not an addict makes it to an NA meeting, so we need to respond to callers in a way that makes them feel like they matter. When we provide reliable, responsible, and consistent phoneline services, we demonstrate our program of recovery in action — and make it more likely that professionals and community organizations will share our number with people who need us. As a GSR, understanding the phoneline helps you support this service at the group level and encourage members who might be called to volunteer. The full Phoneline Basics resource is available from NA World Services