Editing Narcotics Anonymous (section)

===The development of NA literature===
From the beginnings of NA, the need for official NA literature was evident. Unfortunately, the process of creating and approving official NA literature has seen some of the most contentious periods of debate within the fellowship. Although the Yellow Booklet, Little White Booklet, and Little White Book were used in the 1960s and 1970s, many people desired to have a more detailed book on recovery, paralleling the "Big Book" of Alcoholics Anonymous. Some meetings offered AA literature at meetings, while others considered writing their own books on recovery. One group even planned to print a [[Copyright infringement|bootlegged]] version of AA's Big Book with every instance of the word "alcohol" replaced with "drugs". The need for a unified text approved by the fellowship's "group conscience" was recognized, and in October 1979 the first NA World Literature Conference was held in [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]], [[Kansas]].

While previous literature had been written by just a few addicts (primarily by [[Jimmy Kinnon]]), the NA Basic Text was written as a massive collaboration between hundreds of people. There were a total of seven World Literature Conferences within three years, all of them open to any addict who wished to help. It was decided that the book would use the Little White Book as its outline, filling in and expanding on the subjects discussed in that text.

In November 1981, a finalized version was distributed to all of NA for approval, and the text was approved with a 2/3 majority required for passage. After passage, however, the publication was held up due to a spirited disagreement between the World Service Office and the members who wrote the book regarding a few key sentences which described the nature of the World Service Organization and other NA service entities. The book was printed in 1983 with the passages removed. A second edition that restored the passages quickly followed at the demand of the fellowship. A hasty vote which required Regional Service Representatives to respond within 60 days (even though most regions only met every 90 days) making it impossible to actually poll the NA Groups and membership again removed the sentences in a third edition.<ref name="Reference">http://originalNA.org -  Official web site of the Alive & Free Home Group of Narcotics Anonymous, which is one of the most vocal home groups within the Traditionalist movement and one of the groups to which the Anonymi Foundation and ASIS are directly responsible.   The link titled NAWS Claims vs Documented Facts makes available a detailed essay on this history with links to the documentation provided throughout the document. An actual court transcript from the 1991 court case can be downloaded from the Historical Documents page. The website references and quotes memos from NAWS and the World Board which express concern over the growing number of groups using Traditionalist literature.</ref>

Professional editors and writers were hired in 1986 to improve the Basic Text so that it was more consistent in tone and style. The resultant 4th edition, released in 1987, was improperly reviewed and had many problems, including 30 lines that were missing and text that was inconsistent with other NA literature. A 5th edition was released in 1988, purportedly correcting those problems.

In 2004, the WSC initiated a project to revise the Basic Text. This new edition would remove some of the personal stories from the 5th edition, and supplement the remainder of the original stories with more diverse personal stories from around the world. The first 10 chapters were to remain the same. Also, the preface would remain the same, as well as the "Symbol" page. There is a new preface but the original preface will be called "preface to the 1st edition". There were some other changes to the structure of the book, including the layout and flow of the book, while keeping the original message clear and unchanged. The task of choosing these stories was handed down from the World Service Office to regional meetings, to Area Service Committee meetings, and then to the individual home group meetings, where each member had a chance to review the new text.

When the Approval Draft came out on September 1, 2006, 7,500 copies were distributed (4,493 copies were mailed and 3,009 copies were electronic copies downloaded by members). The approximate number of input received was 350 pieces, of which 60 percent came from individuals, 17 percent came from groups, and 23 percent came from committees. More than 20 percent (161) of the personal stories submitted came from outside of the United States. Submissions were received from the following countries (although later on more personal stories were submitted and the additional statistics are unknown):
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
* Argentina
* Australia
* Bangladesh
* Belgium
* Brazil
* Canada
* Colombia
* Egypt
* France
* Germany
* Greece
* India
* Iran
* Ireland
* Israel
* Italy
* Japan
* Mexico
* Nepal
* Netherlands
* New Zealand
* Nicaragua
* Norway
* Portugal
* Puerto Rico
* Russia
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* South Africa
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Trinidad
* Turkey
* United Kingdom
* The United States
* Venezuela
* West Indies
{{div col end}}

The 6th edition of the NA Basic Text was approved with over forty new "personal stories" from around the world. Because of the addition of so many new stories of NA member experiences, it is larger in size than all earlier editions. After the rapid succession of five editions during the 1980s, this was the first new edition in twenty years.

On October 1, 2008, the 5th edition was replaced by the 6th edition in the Narcotics Anonymous World Services inventory at NA.org. Copies of the Basic Text are sold, or given away for free at the group's expense, at NA meetings, and are available in over 30 different languages. Millions have been sold worldwide, and have been useful to many addicts.