• History of NA

About us

A regional committee comprised of NA areas in BC., Canada.

Home  History  Literature

Get Involved

Freedom begins when you work the program.

Meetings  Events  New to NA?

Documents & Forms

Tools to help assist us in our efforts to carry the message

view all

The History of Narcotics Anonymous in B.C.

Contact US:archive@bcrna.ca

The First Meeting
NA Begins in Canada
NA Grows
The Pacific Northwest
Graph of Meetings 1967 - 2004

The First Meeting for Addicts in B.C.
The first recovery meetings in British Columbia for addicts used the name Addicts Anonymous and occurred in the city of Vancouver, British Columbia in the early 1950's. These meetings were connected to a movement that grew out of meetings for addicts at the Unites States Public Health Service Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky in the late 1940's. These meeting died out in the early 1960's because they did not follow the Traditions.

Return to top

NA Begins in Canada
The first Narcotics Anonymous meeting took place in Canada in late September of 1967. It was in Victoria, British Columbia that James D. and Bernard A. began meeting weekly to help each other stay clean. The late 1960's were a time of struggle for the fellowship an in 1967 there were only 15 meetings world wide, with most of them occurring in California. Although the attendance at the Victoria meetings fluctuated, and the locations often changed, by the early 1970's the fellowship had begun to stabilize and it was in 1973 that the The Victoria Area Service committee formed.

Download sound clips below
James D. talking about the beginnings of NA started in Victoria
Jimmy K, a founder of NA, at the 22nd Anniversary of NA, August 15, 1975 discussing one of our early meetings in Victoria
First NA Meeting in Canada
The location of the first NA meeting which took place in late September of 1967


Return to top

NA Grows
By late 1979 an N.A. meeting was started in Vancouver, and in 1981 the NA World Directory listed 11 meetings in BC . The publishing of the Basic text was responsible for the rapid growth of NA world wide including BC and it wasn't long before there were several meetings throughout the Province. The 1983 the world Directory contained 48 meetings, and by 1989, 112 meetings were taking place in BC.

Return to top


The Pacific Northwest
In the early 1980's British Columbia, Washington State, Oregon, and northern Idaho formed what was then known as the Pacific Northwest Region of Narcotics Anonymous. Members from BC and these States met throughout the Pacific Northwest to hold regional meetings.


PNWRSC Meeting List

The PNWRSC Meeting List for Spring - Summer 1983

By 1981, the meetings in Vancouver continued to grow and by October 1985, 6 groups joined together to form the Fraser Valley Area Service Committee.

Below are images of two of our earliest surviving meeting lists.
Straight Talk from Vancouver Area

The Straight Talk from Vancouver Area
Close To Home from Fraser Valley Area

Close To Home from Fraser Valley Area
Return to top

Graph of meetings 1967 - 2004
NA in BC Graph
Number of meetings in BC
Return to top