Since 2011, we have maintained a chronology of scientific and professional literature related to Narcotics Anonymous (NA) to address the lack of attention this addiction recovery mutual aid society has received from academic and professional communities. We strive to update this resource annually. Since the last update, February 2025, twenty-five items have been added (plus another 5 to Appendix II.). They are listed at the end of this blog. The current version of the chronology (December 31, 2025) can be viewed at William White Library and Preserving the Message. In addition, a spreadsheet containing all chronology entries is being added to the Preserving the Message website. The spreadsheet can be filtered by publication type, author(s), year, and title. This will provide another format for which the information can be accessed.
We want to draw the reader’s attention to the following additions to the chronology.
The first is a master’s thesis titled Get In Where You Fit In: “A” History of the O.C. Area of Narcotics Anonymous. This thesis is unique as it reports on the creation of an archival procedure for the preservation of historical documents and items for the Orange County Area of Narcotics Anonymous. Of particular interest to those reading this blog, Chapter 5 is devoted exclusively to the archival procedure developed by the author. This may be the first published archives procedures for Narcotics Anonymous. It is a procedure that can be followed by others interested in archive preservation.
The second is related to an article by Klien et al., Shattering the STIGMA: Talking openly about MAT in 12-step recovery programs. We are noting this article to feature a thoughtful blog post in response to it. Featured on Recovery Review Blog, Jason Schwartz published a blog titled Shattering Stigma and Narcotics Anonymous (November 30, 2025). Combined, the two pieces illuminate different perspectives on contemporary issues of addiction medicine, treatment, and mutual aid. In addition to being discussed among addiction professionals and recovery thought leaders, Narcotics Anonymous has also focused on it through an Issue Discussion Topic (IDT) for this conference cycle titled: DRT/MAT as it Relates to NA: Helping Members Take Root. The inclusion of these may be of interest to those who are seeking perspectives on this issue from outside of Narcotics Anonymous.
For years we have overlooked adding a 2013 review by Johnson and Cicchetti of our publications Narcotics Anonymous Chronology, Vol. 1, 1892-1976, and Narcotics Anonymous: Its History and Culture (both are accessible here).
Lastly, there are five additions to Appendix II – Publications on the History of Narcotics Anonymous. Two additions come from 2025 publications; As the Journey Began: Arizona’s NA Beginnings Remembered (Arizona Regional Service Committee History Workgroup) and Chronology of Narcotics Anonymous Literature Volume 1 1953 – 1993 (Budnick, C.). Three additions were oversights of earlier versions of this chronology; A Matter of Principle: A Story of how Narcotics Anonymous came of age (Anonymi, 2004), The Story of the Basic Text (Bo S., 1990), and From a Dream to Freedom: History of Moscow NA Fellowship. 1992-2012 (Big Moscow Region of NA, 2022).
New additions to the chronology
Alaedini, K. & Sefidgarnia, M. (2023). Narcotics Anonymous: An Obstacle to Methadone Maintenance Treatment. Iran J Psychiatry Behav Sci., 17(4), e139534. https://doi.org/10.5812/ijpbs-139534.
Andraka-Christou, B., Totaram, R., & Randall-Kosich, O. (2022). Stigmatization of medications for opioid use disorder in 12-step support groups and participant responses. Substance Abuse, 43(1), 415-424. https://doi.org/10.1080/08897077.2021.1944957.
Bazazkahani, H., Saleh Moghaddam, A., Vaghee, S., Hamedi, A. (2022). Comparison of the quality of life of addicts participating in either Narcotics Anonymous or Therapeutic Community group sessions or receiving Methadone-therapy a cohort study in Mashhad in 2013. Journal of Community Health Research, 11(3), 165-174.
Cornelius, R. T. (2024). Increasing awareness of Christian identity for more effective treatment of addiction at transform and renew ministries in Tulsa, OK (Dissertation). Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Dalili, N., Motevaseli, E., Tehrani-Doost, M., Zarrindast, M. R., Kataj, P. D., & Vousooghi,
N. (2025). Investigating the dimensions of quality of life, depression, anxiety, stress, and substance craving in people with opioid use disorders, methadone-maintained subjects, and narcotics anonymous members. Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, 16(2).
D’Ambrosio, B. M. (2024). Stigma towards medication treatment for opioid use disorder among peers in recovery (Dissertation). University of California San Diego, San Diego State University.
Emamgholi, Z., Sharifi, S., Allameh, Y., Shahmohammadi, A., & Babakhanian, M. (2018). Comparing the Lifestyle and Sexual Satisfaction of Patients Received Methadone Maintenance Therapy with Those of Patients Received and Narcotics Anonymous. Middle East Journal of Rehabilitation and Health Studies, 5(1), e60469. doi: 10.5812/mejrh.60469.
Galanter, M., White, W. L., Dennis, M. L., Hunter, B., Passetti, L., & Lustig, D. (2025). Patient characteristics associated with their level of twelve-step attendance prior to entry into treatment for substance use disorders. Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 20, 1-9. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13722-025-00542-5.
Galanter, M., White, W. L., & Hunter, B. (2025). Online Narcotics Anonymous: An Option for Addressing Methamphetamine Use Disorder. J Addict Med. DOI: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000001606.
Harrison, G. (2025). Sense of community and the opioid use recovery of black individuals: A qualitative analysis (Dissertation). University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Hocking, P. (2025). Enabling grass root climate recovery: Drawing on drug recovery tools to support climate behaviour change (Thesis). University of Salford.
Johnson, D. H. & Cicchetti, A. (2013). Review of Narcotics Anonymous Chronology, Vol. 1, 1892-1976, and “Narcotics Anonymous: Its History and Culture,” Selected Papers of William L. White,, Journal of Groups in Addiction & Recovery, 8(4), 329-332, DOI: 10.1080/1556035X.2013.836902.
Khaled, K. J. (2025). Get In Where You Fit In: “A” History of the O.C. Area of Narcotics Anonymous (Master’s Thesis). California State University, Fullerton. Doi: 10.5281/zenodo.15376909.
Klein, S., Franco, J., & Scioli, A. (2026). Shattering the STIGMA: Talking openly about MAT in 12-step recovery programs. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 181, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.josat.2025.209829.
Klein, S., Franco, J., & Scioli, A. (2026). Corrigendum to “Shattering the STIGMA: Talking openly about MOUD in 12-step recovery programs.” Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, 181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.josat.2025.209859.
Mappledoram, M., Blake, D., McGuigan, K., & Hodgetts, D. (2024). ‘It’s a sanity restorer’: Narcotics anonymous (NA) as recovery capital during COVID-19 in Aotearoa New Zealand. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 34(2), e2770. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2770.
Marshall, L. (2024). Recovering rhetoric: Addiction and rehabilitation at the limits of disease discourse (Dissertation). University of Illinois Chicago.
McClellan, J. L. (2024). “Thank god for zoom”: Qualitative exploration of recovery experiences through COVID-19 (Thesis). California State University, Long Beach.
Najarro, M. J. (2024). After devotion: Recovery and de-addiction in Northern India
(Dissertation). University of California, San Francisco.
Pace, S. (2025). Mechanisms of change in mutual aid: Mediators of narcotics anonymous outcomes for high-risk substance use (Dissertation). Fordham University.
Praznik, A. F. (2025). God-hole theory (Thesis). Colorado State University.
Rajabi, R., Aliabadi, H. E., Mahdizadeh, M. J., & Forouzi, M. A. (2023). A comparative study of religious beliefs, spiritual intelligence and spiritual well-being in two therapies based on education (anonymous drug user) and methadone in drug user in Iran. BMC Research Notes, 16(101). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-023-06377-0.
Ransom, T. (2025). “Keep coming back!”: How recovering addicts use narcotics anonymous for social rehabilitation (Master’s Thesis). The University of Mississippi.
Wees, S. D. (2024). Leadership development of 12-step addiction recovery sponsors: A descriptive phenomenological study (Dissertation). Grand Canyon University.
White, W. L., Galanter, M., Kolodner, G., Kepner, W. E., Sarapas, C. & Mouton, C. L. (2025). Medications for opioid use disorder: Enhancing retention to achieve long-term remission and recovery. Chestnut Health Systems, Lighthouse Institute.
New additions to Appendix II – Publications on the History of Narcotics Anonymous
Anonymi (2004). A Matter of Principle: A Story of how Narcotics Anonymous came of age.
Arizona Regional Service Committee History Workgroup (2025). As the Journey Began: Arizona’s NA Beginnings Remembered. Arizona Regional Service Committee of Narcotics Anonymous.
Big Moscow Region of NA (2022). From a Dream to Freedom: Historhy of Moscow NA Fellowship.
1992-2012. Budnick, C. (2025). Chronology of Narcotics Anonymous Literature Volume 1 1953 –1993. Posted at https://preservingthemessage.org.
S. Bo (1990). The Story of the Basic Text.