Public Relations

The general mission of your area’s public information subcommittee is to inform addicts and others in the community of the availability of recovery in Narcotics Anonymous. Services provided by PI subcommittees vary widely from area to area. The simplest kind of PI project is the production and distribution of fliers throughout the community announcing that NA is available and that more information can be had either by calling the local NA information phoneline or by attending an NA meeting. As PI subcommittees become better developed, they often conduct public meetings for community members, distribute public service announcements to local radio and television stations, and respond to public media inquiries. Some PI subcommittees develop separate working groups called CPC panels (short for

cooperation with the professional community) to focus especially on the NA community’s relations with local treatment professionals. A Guide to Public Information, available from your local PI subcommittee or by writing the World Service Office, provides detailed information on conducting a wide range of projects designed to increase community awareness of Narcotics Anonymous.

Many public information projects serve primarily to encourage people to call the local phoneline for more information on NA. Because of the close link between PI and phoneline work, it will often benefit these two subcommittees to cultivate close relationships with one another. Some phoneline and PI subcommittees make it a standard policy to send members

to one another’s meetings to better facilitate communication between the two. In some areas, a single subcommittee administers both the phoneline and NA’s public relations program.