Tradition Five – Questions for Members

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Questions for Members

The questions below offer a way to begin—or continue—the process of writing, reflection,
and discussion of this Tradition with your sponsor or other NA members.
In NA
1. How did I first hear the message of NA? What helped me to hear it?
2. How does our primary purpose in NA relate to my own purpose for coming to meetings
and for being in recovery?
3. As a member, what is the message that I carry? What does it mean to me to carry a clear
NA message?
4. How did I understand freedom from active addiction when I was new? How do I
understand it today? If our message is hope and the promise of freedom, what is my
hope today?
5. How does Tradition Five influence what I say and do at meetings? What message does
my behavior carry?
6. When I share, how do I connect my experience with the overall message of NA? With the
topic of the meeting?
7. Do I hesitate to share my own challenges and struggles? How do I feel when a more
experienced member shares about ongoing difficulties and struggles?
8. How am I most effective when carrying the message? What can I do that I’m not already
doing? How might I expand my ability to carry the message?
9. When do my opinions or feelings get in the way of carrying a message or in the way of
hearing the message? Is there a particular addict I need to find compassion for?
10. Do my personal beliefs get mixed in with the message I carry? Does my NA message get
mixed up with my personal beliefs?
11. What is an atmosphere of recovery? As a member of an NA group, what am I doing to
create and sustain an atmosphere of recovery?
12. What do I recognize as exploitative behavior? What is my part in our shared responsibility
to keep NA a safe place for all?
13. In what ways can I best carry the NA message? What is my experience with doing a
Twelfth Step call? What message do I carry as a sponsor and as a sponsee? What does the
saying “carry the message, not the addict” mean to me?
14. How does this Tradition help me understand anonymity? How does anonymity help me
understand this Tradition? How do I practice anonymity in terms of this Tradition?
15. Describe any bridges between this Tradition and one or more of the Twelve Steps. What
do these bridges teach me about my recovery?
16. What more can I do to put the principles of this Tradition into action? How would
applying this Tradition change my attitudes and actions?
In All Our Affairs
17. How have I applied this Tradition outside NA? How else might the principles of this
Tradition guide my thinking or my actions?
18. How does my primary purpose vary in different parts of my life? How does a sense of
purpose help me to set and understand my priorities? How does purpose guide my
actions? What is the difference between purpose and desire?
19. Do my varying purposes lead me to carry particular messages? What are they? When and
where do I carry them? How does the practice of carrying a clear message in NA help me
in other areas of my life?
20. Does my sense of purpose change over time? How have changes in my values, priorities,
or roles affected my purpose? What do I do when my priorities seem to be in conflict?
21. What helps determine my sense of purpose? When circumstances set priorities for me,
does my sense of myself change? How do I practice integrity when life circumstances
shape my priorities?

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