Jimmy Kinnon

James P. Kinnon (commonly known as Jimmy Kinnon or "Jimmy K") was the founder of Narcotics Anonymous (NA), an international association of recovering drug addicts. During his lifetime, he was usually referred to as "Jimmy K" due to NA's principle of personal anonymity on the public level. It appears he never referred to himself as the founder of NA although the record clearly shows that he played this role.

Related Topics:
Narcotics Anonymous - Drug

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From the very start, unlike many other attempts to form self-help groups for drug addicts, Narcotics Anonymous was based on both the Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions devised by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and adapted to the specific needs of NA. While there is no official biography of Jimmy Kinnon, a certain amount of pertinent information can be found on the web and in print (see links and resources below).

Related Topics:
Twelve Steps - Twelve Traditions - Alcoholics Anonymous

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Kinnon was born on 5 April, 1911 in Paisley, Scotland. On 8 August, 1923, he arrived with his family on Ellis Island, NY. He worked as a roofer, struggling with his drug addiction until he achieved permanent and complete abstinence from all drugs in Alcoholics Anonymous on 2 February 1950.

Related Topics:
5 April - 1911 - Paisley, Scotland - 8 August - 1923 - Ellis Island - Drug - 2 February - 1950

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He and a few other drug addicts who had met in AA started holding a series of independent meetings for drug addicts, beginning 17 August 1953. The first documented recovery meeting of Narcotics Anonymous was held on 5 October 1953 in Southern California. Today, members of Narcotics Anonymous hold more than 30,000 weekly meetings in over 100 countries worldwide.

Related Topics:
17 August - 1953 - 5 October

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Kinnon is a key figure in the history of Narcotics Anonymous for several reasons. He wrote several portions of the Little White Booklet, which formed the basis for NA's basic text, published in 1983 under the title Narcotics Anonymous (ISBN 0912075023). This book also contains his anonymous biography, titled We Do Recover. Kinnon also designed the NA logo and served as the volunteer office manager of NA's World Service Office from the time it began to 1983.

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Kinnon died on 9 July 1985, having spent the last 35 years of his life as a "clean" and recovering member of Narcotics Anonymous. At the time of his death, his daring vision of a worldwide autonomous association of recovering drug addicts had become a reality.

Related Topics:
9 July - 1985

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