Welcome to Narcotics Anonymous!
Our service efforts reach individuals and groups throughout the communities listed below.
(Click to view)
Port Huron, Marine City, Saint Clair, Sandusky
The roots of the Blue Water Area are closely tied to the early growth of Narcotics Anonymous in Southeast Michigan. In the beginning, NA meetings in Macomb County and St. Clair County were part of a single, shared area. The fellowship was small, and meetings were few, but trusted servants worked side by side to carry the message wherever addicts were willing to listen.
As the fellowship grew through the late 1970s and early 1980s, meetings began to take hold throughout Metro Detroit and surrounding communities. Many early meetings were held wherever space could be found, including churches, community centers, and private homes. Members often faced misunderstanding and stigma, and at times even outside scrutiny, yet they continued to show up and create safe places where addicts could share honestly and begin to recover. In February 1986, the Macomb–St. Clair Area formally became part of the Michigan Region, reflecting the growing need for structure while strengthening unity among groups.
By the late 1980s, Narcotics Anonymous was expanding rapidly across Southeast Michigan. As more meetings and areas developed, it became clear that greater coordination was needed to support services and communication. A Detroit-area shared services structure was formed to help neighboring areas work together more effectively while still honoring local autonomy. In 1993, this effort evolved into what is now known as the Metro Detroit Region, marking another step in the fellowship’s growth and maturity.
Over time, continued growth made it clear that each county would be better served by standing on its own. St. Clair County eventually separated to form what is now known as the Blue Water Area. This change allowed local members to better respond to local needs, while remaining united in purpose with neighboring areas and the region. Since then, the Blue Water Area has carried forward the spirit of those early days through strong meetings, active Hospitals and Institutions service, literature distribution, and cooperation with surrounding service bodies.
Today, the Blue Water Area stands on the foundation built by the addicts who came before us. Their willingness to serve helped ensure that recovery would be available to future generations. The shared history between Macomb and St. Clair Counties remains a reminder that our growth has always been guided by unity, service, and a simple goal: to help addicts find a new way to live.
If you’re new to Narcotics Anonymous, we’re glad you’re here. Meetings are open to anyone with a desire to stop using, and you are welcome just as you are.
To call to find a meeting in the Blue Water area near you, please contact the Metro Detroit Region NA Helpline at 877-338-1188
“The (Narcotics Anonymous) message is that an addict, any addict, can stop using drugs, lose the desire to use, and find a new way to live.”
~ Basic Text
Whether you’re struggling with addiction or simply questioning your relationship with substances, you deserve the chance to explore a different way of living. While the word “addiction” can feel intimidating, Narcotics Anonymous offers a supportive path that has helped countless people around the world experience freedom from active addiction.
What Is the Narcotics Anonymous Program?
NA is a nonprofit Fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. We are recovering addicts who meet regularly to help each other stay clean. This is a program of complete abstinence from all drugs. There is only one requirement for membership, the desire to stop using. We
suggest that you keep an open mind and give yourself a break. Our program is a set of principles written so simply that we can follow them in our daily lives. The most important thing about them is that they work. There are no strings attached to NA. We are not affiliated with any other organizations, we have no initiation fees or dues, no pledges to sign, no promises to make to anyone. We are not connected with any political, religious or law enforcement groups, and are under no surveillance at any time. Anyone may join us, regardless of age, race, sexual identity, creed, religion or lack of religion. We are not interested in what or how much you used or who your connections were, what you have done in the past, how much or how little you have, but only in what you want to do about your problem and how we can help. The newcomer is the most important person at any meeting, because we can only keep what we have by giving it away. We have learned from our group experience that those who keep coming to our meetings regularly stay clean.
~NA Basic Text, 6th Ed. pg. 9
(Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc., Chatsworth CA, 2008)
Why Consider Narcotics Anonymous?
Independent by Design:
Narcotics Anonymous is a fellowship of recovering addicts who meet together to help one another stay clean. NA is fully self-supporting and not allied with any outside organizations. Our independence helps ensure that our primary purpose remains clear and undiverted.
No Costs or Obligations:
There are no dues or fees for membership in Narcotics Anonymous. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using. Participation is voluntary, and each member is free to engage at their own pace.
Open and Inclusive:
Narcotics Anonymous welcomes any addict seeking recovery, regardless of age, race, identity, beliefs, or background. We look for similarities rather than differences, recognizing addiction as a common bond and recovery as a shared experience.
Respect for Anonymity:
Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of our Fellowship. NA has no opinion on outside issues and is not affiliated with political, religious, or law-enforcement organizations. Participation is voluntary. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of our Fellowship, practiced through personal responsibility rather than enforced rules.
NA meetings provide a safe and supportive environment where addicts share experience, strength, and hope. Through mutual support and the application of spiritual principles, we find a new way to live and carry the message to the addict who still suffers.
NA Literature & Open Talks:
Looking for Narcotics Anonymous literature and recovery tools? Visit our NA Resources page to access NA books, IPs, and other fellowship-approved materials. You will also find open talks and workshops focused on the Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and Twelve Concepts, along with resources on NA history. These materials are available to support both personal recovery and service at every level.
👉Explore NA Resources
Service Opportunities:
Interested in getting involved in service?
Visit our Service Work page to find current openings at both the group and area levels within the Blue Water Area. Think of it as a classifieds board for service positions, along with helpful service manuals and resources to support you as you get started. Whether you are new to service or have experience, there is a place to help carry the message.
👉 View Service Opportunities
Connect to Our Service Structure:
Stay plugged into NA service updates and resources across the fellowship. This page includes current service announcements, workshop dates, conference information, surveys, and links to helpful NA World Services materials relevant to our area’s service work. It’s a great place to stay informed and deepen your understanding of how service functions beyond the group level.
👉 Connect to Our Service Structure
Cannot get to an in-person
meeting? Try Virtual NA!
Virtual NA
Never Alone App (IOS Only)
A New Way to Donate to the Blue Water Area
Either a Group or Member may use the button below to donate through Cash App
IMPORTANT: In the notes area be sure to include that you are making a donation to the BWANA, this Cash App is also used by our Activities & Events subcommittee
All donations are returned to the Area Service Committee (ASC) and distributed in support of other Blue Water Area services, including meeting support, Hospitals & Institutions (H&I), Public Relations (PR), activities and events, and other area-level services.
NA members around the world contribute money to help our fellowship fulfill its primary purpose. It is incumbent upon every element of our service structure to use those funds to carry the NA recovery message as far as possible. To do that, our service bodies must manage those funds responsibly, accounting fully and accurately for its use to those who have provided it.
Twelve Concepts of NA Service: Eleventh Concept
NEW MEETING!
The Grey Area Meeting of Narcotics Anonymous is a regular NA meeting, not a specialty meeting. There are no additional requirements for membership beyond the desire to stop using. All addicts are welcome, and our focus remains the same as in every NA meeting: carrying the message of Narcotics Anonymous.
This meeting includes the study and discussion of historical NA literature, including, but not limited to, the Grey Book and the Jamison Draft of It Works: How and Why. These early writings were created by addicts, for addicts, and reflect the shared experience, language, and spiritual principles that helped shape Narcotics Anonymous in its early years. Many members have found these materials helpful in deepening their understanding of the Steps, Traditions, and our program of recovery.
We approach this material with humility and respect, recognizing that no single piece of literature is the program. Our recovery comes from practicing the principles of Narcotics Anonymous, applying them in our lives, and staying connected to the fellowship.
PDF copies of both the Grey Book and the Jamison Draft of It Works: How and Why are available in the NA Resources tab on this website for those who wish to read or study them further
