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With this month marking the 34th annual Narcotics Anonymous Convention, we want to talk about its vital role in the community and the support it offers to local people. Held this year in Birmingham from 3rd to 6th July, the convention focuses on a different theme each year to shine a light on the complex nature of substance misuse and addiction recovery. Over four days, attendees heard from inspiring speakers, took part in workshops and enjoyed entertainment, all while building connections that support people in recovery from drug misuse.
While the convention only happens once a year, our work around narcotics, drug and alcohol addiction are year-round at P3 Charity and we want to highlight the work that Narcotics Anonymous does and its connection to our work, our services tackling homelessness and the local community we proudly support.
Narcotics Anonymous plays a vital role in both addiction recovery and homelessness prevention. With substance misuse often both a cause and effect of homelessness, creating safe spaces to talk about addiction can be life changing for people at risk of losing their homes or struggling to maintain recovery. At P3 Charity, we work closely with local support services to offer fully supported, long-term recovery pathways for the people we work alongside.
NA (Narcotics Anonymous) and AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) feature heavily within our support programmes as they provide intensive specialist support for substance misuse, complementing the holistic support offered in all our housing and homelessness services. Completely free to attend, “NA exists solely so that its members can support each other to stay drug free and to help others achieve and maintain a drug free recovery and lifestyle.”* The support group offers a range of meeting times, both in person and online to make it accessible for all people to attend regardless of whether they’re at the start of their recovery journey or maintaining sobriety.
NA gives people who think they might have a drug problem, know they have a drug problem or are in recovery an opportunity to talk openly about their addiction and find out about the support available to them, including getting advice from people who are in the same situation and understand the barriers to overcoming drug misuse.
This is crucial to P3’s unique support model that functions on the responsiveness of the person in support. While P3 offers a helping hand, we wait for the individual to pave their own path for the future and support them to do this at their own pace. NA shares a similar peer-led support model that is vital for recovery from drug misuse.
Despite being an organisation whose primary focus is not addiction, substance misuse is still a widespread issue across our services. This is where NA complements our work around mental health and homelessness, directly addressing substance misuse behaviours that can perpetuate the cycle of homelessness or unstable housing.
While our teams have training in substance addiction, they’re not narcotics or alcohol experts, so we actively encourage support workers to attend open meetings so they can see the transformation for themselves and better support the people we work alongside.
In some cases, such as at Acorn House, we do have specialist non-clinical support for people in active recovery or at the beginning of their recovery journey. We provide practical support to aid recovery from addiction, such as supporting people to obtain IDs, open bank accounts and access healthcare – helping people with basic provisions before working with them to build up a personalised plan to support them into rehab, if that’s their goal. We also tackle practical barriers such as access to transportation to ensure people are set up for success and can attend meetings and appointments.
None of these support services operate in isolation; we work collaboratively to provide a complete support network for people who want to overcome addiction, helping people reach their full potential, access life-changing opportunities and break the cycle of homelessness and substance misuse.
Each year Narcotics Anonymous tries to put a light-hearted spin on what is life-changing work, and the theme of this year’s convention was “It’s a Love Thing”, speaking to the heart of the fellowship and “the unconditional love that fuels our recovery, our unity, and our shared purpose.”*
The sense of purpose carried throughout this year’s theme is something that is prevalent in our work as a charity supporting people through a holistic and personalised approach.
At P3 we see every day how purpose can transform lives, especially for people facing homelessness and drug misuse. By providing safe housing, practical support, and pathways into addiction recovery, we help people rebuild trust, community, and hope for the future. Purpose gives people experiencing homelessness a reason to keep going, to make positive choices and to break free from the cycle of addiction.
P3 Charity is dedicated to supporting people facing social exclusion. From our housing services to our specialist programmes, we tailor our support to everyone, empowering them to make positive change. Whether someone needs practical help to get off the streets, access addiction recovery services or rebuild their life for other reasons, P3 is here to work alongside them every step of the way.
*Quotes from the UK’s Narcotics Anonymous Website, visit their page here.
