Chronology of Narcotics Anonymous Literature (Public Version) – Volume 1 (1953-1993)

Introduction: 

Literature is important to the growth and sustainability of many movements.  This is especially true for modern addiction recovery mutual aid fellowships.  Alcoholics Anonymous (the Big Book), first published in 1939, has sold over 37 million copies and has been translated into over 70 languages¹.  It served two important functions.  First, it codified how the early members achieved sobriety.  Second, it became a vehicle for carrying this message, which in turn contributed to the rapid growth of Alcoholics Anonymous.

An understandable, but unforeseen outcome of the publication of Alcoholics Anonymous was its influence on the creation of 12-Step fellowships.  Shortly after its publication, a copy reached Dr. Tom M., a person with the dual problems of alcohol and morphine addiction.  Dr. Tom M. was at the Narcotic Farm in Lexington, KY, when he was given a copy of Alcoholics Anonymous.  Upon reading it, he felt that the program outlined in it could work for him, despite now having the primary problem of morphine addiction.  Upon his release, he formed the first group of Alcoholics Anonymous in North Carolina.  In response to a request for a “Hop Heads” corner in the newly formed A.A. Grapevine, Dr. Tom M. would write of the success of his group in helping dual problem members, while suggesting the establishment of an A.A. group at the Narcotic Farm.  In early 1947, Houston S. started Addicts Anonymous at the Narcotic Farm in Lexington.  While it is unknown if Houston S. read Dr. Tom’s suggestion in 1944, his efforts would have a profound impact upon the growth of 12-Step groups/fellowships focused on recovery from addiction.

Addicts Anonymous created the first piece of recovery literature for addicts. In 1949, the group published the booklet Our Way of Life. Like many early forms of literature, it was based upon existing A.A. literature.  Our Way of Life was adapted almost verbatim from A Way of Life, a booklet written by the Five Points Group of Alcoholics Anonymous in Birmingham, Alabama.  And like today’s Narcotics Anonymous (and other early attempts to form mutual aid for individuals with addiction, existing A.A. literature was used or adapted by substituting words like “addiction” in place of “alcoholism.”

While early members of today’s Narcotics Anonymous used A.A. literature in recovery meetings, and in some cases created literature based upon existing A.A. pamphlets (see This is N.A. and We Made A Decision), one notable difference is that NA developed completely original booklets in the first decade of existence.  These early pieces of literature resulted in a significant innovation to the wording of Step One (powerless over addiction, a condition, instead of over a substance) as well as defining a philosophy of recovery that reflected the unique needs facing individuals with addiction to drugs other than (or in addition to) alcohol.

It was not until the publication of Narcotics Anonymous (the Basic Text) in 1983 that NA was able to fully articulate a philosophy of recovery that resulted in the final separation from Alcoholics Anonymous and rapid spread of NA.

This chronology seeks to document identified sources of information about NA literature from 1953 (the recognized year of the founding of today’s NA) through 1993.²  The sources for this chronology include books, letters, literature, minutes, newsletters, publications, reports, and talks/transcripts.  The talks and transcripts are limited in scope, not comprehensive.  The chronology does not include recent interviews and transcripts with members who participated in the writing of the Basic Text.  Nor does it include personal reflections about literature/literature creation (i.e. George R.’s reflections on the 2^nd World Literature Conference). 

Sections: This chronology is organized into four sections:

A note about transcribing/copying documents.  Inevitably, there will be some typos, omissions, or errors when transcribing/copying this much content.  The word “sic” in parentheses is used after a copied or quoted word that appears odd or erroneous to show that the word is quoted exactly as it stands in the original.  Annotations are in red font.

Request for Feedback and Missing Events: Feedback from readers on any perceived errors of fact or omissions with citations of source material is welcomed. Feedback can be sent to Chris Budnick’s attention at https://preservingthemessage.org/contact/. 

Acknowledgements: Thanks to the many people who have asked for more information about the history of NA literature.  Ernie Kurtz instructed that “a chronology is the spine of any history.”  A special thanks to William White and Boyd Pickard for their review and input.  Lastly, a note of appreciation to Ron H.  His history presentation in Colorado (November 2024) provided the spark for this chronology.

About the Author: Chris Budnick has worked in addiction treatment and with organizations promoting recovery since 1993.  At the time of this publication, he is employed with Healing Transitions, Inc., is a part-time lecturer at North Carolina State University, and serves on various boards, including Preserving the Message, Recovery Alliance Initiative, the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, and the North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program.

1. The number of Big Books sold comes an October 14, 2019, publisher sponsored content, of Publisher’s Weekly “Writing of the Big Book: Spotlight on William H. Schaberg.”  The number of translations comes from the official website of the General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous.  Retrieved May 10, 2025. https://www.aa.org/the-big-book. ↩︎
2. The sheer volume of material contained in this chronology required an end date.  1993 was chosen because it is after publication of It Works: How and Why, the next major publication to follow the Basic Text and it is after the Fellowship Intellectual Property Trust. ↩︎