Narcotics Anonymous

has universal recognition

and respect as a viable

program of recovery…

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Public RelationsDuring this fiscal year, NAWS dramatically reduced its public

relations work in an effort to be financially prudent. Our ongo-ing PR activities at professional conferences and fellowship PR learning events, along with cooperative ventures with members for statewide conferences, were hampered by the economic downturn. Within the fellowship, there appears to be a resurgence in public information/public relations. Members created locally developed public service announcements and participated in professional

statewide conferences. To assist members with their efforts, a digest of the information contained in the Public Rela-tions Handbook, called PR Basics, and an updated H&I Basics were developed and are now available. NAWS participated in four national conferences and partnered with Canada and Portugal in two international confer-

ences. We also attended a roundtable meeting hosted by the National Association of Drug Courts, which included representatives from AA’s GSO and board. Our goals con-tinue to be to provide relevant service materials, increase

practical application of the Public Relations Handbook with members, and host professional roundtables.

Public Relations and SpainDuring the planning process for WCNA 33 in Barcelona,

Spain, NAWS recognized that the Spanish NA community could benefit from an effective public relations campaign. These efforts were designed to bring attention to Spain’s 25th NA anniversary

and to open doors with governmental agencies. NAWS hired a public relations firm in Barcelona that also has offices in Madrid. The firm initiated an extensive campaign to train members, inform professionals and government officials, and arrange a media lun-cheon. All efforts were geared to informing these constituencies of NA’s availability as a community resource and of the effective-ness and credibility of recovery in NA. Our efforts seem to have been fruitful. There was a large media presence at WCNA, both print and television. Members and media personnel were trained by the PR firm, which used guidelines from the Public Relations Handbook. Prior to WCNA, the PR firm

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22

NA World Services, Inc. Annual Report 2010

assisted members with governmental inter-face in Madrid and Barcelona. Since WCNA, members in various locales throughout Spain have continued to conference call, as follow-up seems essential to long-term success. There has been a presentation to the senate in Spain, new local NA meetings have started, and a large Spanish treatment provider has encour-aged clients to attend community NA meet-ings upon completing treatment.

2009Membership Survey

The 2009 Membership Survey was avail-able for members to complete online through 31 December 2009. We received nearly 12,000 completed surveys in the six-month time frame. Additionally, the survey was dis-tributed to members at the WCNA 33 Fri-day night main meeting in Barcelona, which had members from 65 countries present; this survey appears to be reflective of our global membership. The data indicated that our aver-age cleantime is 9.01 years, which is informa-tion that can help dispel the misconception that there is “no recovery” in NA. This sur-vey asked respondents questions about the ability to retain employment and housing and to maintain familial relationships during active addiction; responses indicated that 43 percent were unable to maintain productiv-ity through work and relationships with fam-ily. Conversely, the survey asked respondents about areas of improvement in quality of life corresponding with their recovery in NA; 65 percent noted improvement across the four domains of employment, family relationships, social connectedness, and hobbies. This sur-vey has proven to be a valuable tool for public

relations efforts. Professionals respond to data and tend to perceive the survey as a measure of NA’s credibility and validity; this is a key resource in helping us carry the NA message of recovery.

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Public Relations EventsJuly 2009

National Conference of Family Medicine Residents & Students Kansas City, Missouri

August 2009American Probation and Parole Association Anaheim, California

September 2009ISAM (International Society of Addiction Medicine) Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Recovery Month Kick-Off Partners Meeting Washington, DC

October 2009PR Meeting for WSC Follow-Up Barcelona, Spain

AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) National Conference Las Vegas, NevadaICAA (International Congress on Alcohol and Addictions) Estoril, Portugal

CAADAC (California Association of Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Counselors) Sacramento, CaliforniaEAPA (Employees Assistance Professional Association) Dallas, Texas

March 201030th Anniversary of NA in San Quentin Prison San Francisco, California

June 2010United Nations Baltimore, Maryland

Going Places…NAWS travels for and assists local NA communities with national and international professional

conferences. These public relations events are identified below in regular font. The conferences in italics denote cooperative efforts by NAWS with local service bodies.

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