Fort Lauderdale, Florida NA Meetings

About NA Meetings in Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale has the largest NA meeting list in Broward County with21 active meetings using seven formats. Whether you are walking into your first meeting, have been going for years, or want an LGBTQ+ meeting, the city provides options without leaving the city limits.

Narcotics Anonymous is a fellowship of your peers and led by your peers who help each other stop using drugs. No professionals run the meeting and there is no requirement other than a desire to stop using. Gold Coast Area of the South Florida Region of Narcotics Anonymous serves Fort Lauderdale.

• NA area: Gold Coast Area, South Florida Region helpline at (888) 524-1777.
• Meeting formats recorded here: Open, closed, beginner, discussion, candlelight, Basic Text, step study and LGBTQ+ options.
• Cost: Free. NA is self-supporting through member contributions.

Finding an NA Meeting in Fort Lauderdale

The finder at the top of the page searches the area by distance and not by city limits. The results return meetings near the point you search from rather than only meetings with a Fort Lauderdale mailing address.

Entering a location near the north end of the city results in groups in Wilton Manors, Oakland Park, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea and downtown. Meetings in Plantation and Lauderdale Lakes come up when you enter a location on the west side.

Readers south of the New River will find meetings in Dania Beach. Widen the radius and the lists in Davie to the southwest and Pompano Beach to the north come into range. You can also browse the full set of NA meetings across Florida by city.

You’ll find several formats in and around Fort Lauderdale:

• Open meetings where anyone may attend, including family members and friends
• Closed meetings are for people who have a drug problem or think they might
• Beginners and newcomer meetings
• Discussion meetings
• Candlelight meetings
• Basic Text and step study groups
• LGBTQ+ meetings

The Brightline station on NW 2nd Avenue puts downtown Fort Lauderdale within reach of the rest of the corridor when you don’t have a car.

The central part of the city is where the meeting list is thickest. The Gold Coast Area helpline at (888) 524-1777 is available when you would rather talk to a person than read a schedule. Volunteers can tell you which meeting is running that day and what to expect when you get there.

Drug Use and Overdose in Broward County

Broward County boundaries are the same as the Medical Examiner District 17. This means the district numbers in Florida’s annual drug report are county numbers. That report does not publish a single all-drug death total for the county.

It publishes, substance by substance, how often a drug was found in a person who died (an occurrence) and how often the medical examiner determined that drug caused the death. Broward looks different from the national picture, as Broward is challenged by fentanyl and cocaine use.

• 69,973 estimated drug overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2025. This is down almost 14% from the 81,313 estimated in 2024 and a third consecutive annual decline.  
• 278 deaths caused by fentanyl in Broward County in 2024, from 300 occurrences.  
• 184 deaths caused by cocaine in Broward County in 2024, from 258 occurrences, roughly two thirds as many as fentanyl.  

These figures are for the county. Overdose data is not published for Broward, and the smallest geography the state report breaks out is the Medical Examiner district, which is the whole county in Broward.

An overdose risk in Broward is not always related to opioid use. This is why the county’s free naloxone program is aimed at anyone likely to witness an overdose rather than only at people who use opioids.

Florida recorded 12,687 deaths in 2024 in which drugs were identified. This represents a 14% drop from 14,798 in 2023.

Treatment Options In and Near Fort Lauderdale

NA is a free peer support fellowship program. Many people work the program with clinical treatment rather than in place of it. The usual levels of care run from medically supervised withdrawal management, sometimes called detox, through residential treatment, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient and standard outpatient counseling.

The level of care that fits your situation depends on what drug you are using, how long you have been using it, whether you have other medical or mental health conditions and what support you have at home. This clinical judgement is preceded by a thorough assessment.

Prescription medications are the standard of care for opioid use disorder treatment. Methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone are approved by the FDA and backed up by years of research evidence. People can take them for months or years.

Attending NA and taking one of these medications are complementary strategies to support your recovery and not alternatives. In other words, many people do both.

Broward Addiction Recovery Center is the county-operated provider based in Fort Lauderdale at 325 SW 28th Street. It serves adults 18 and older and offers detoxification around the clock, residential treatment, outpatient services and medication-assisted treatment. You can receive individual, group and family therapy.

SAMHSA’s FindTreatment.gov lets you filter by location, level of care, payment accepted and whether a program offers medication for opioid use disorder. The SAMHSA National Helpline, 1-800-662-4357, is free, confidential and staffed 24 hours a day. They can make referrals to local treatment and support.

Our guides to drug detox and when outpatient treatment makes sense cover what each setting includes.

Naloxone and Harm Reduction

Naloxone is a prescription medication that reverses an opioid overdose. The Florida Department of Health in Broward County gives out free kits without an appointment to people 18 years and older at risk of an opioid overdose or likely to witness one. Each kit has two nasal sprays and comes with educational materials and referrals. Fort Lauderdale is one of only two cities in Broward with a county pickup site inside its limits.

• Fort Lauderdale Health Center pharmacy
  2421 SW 6th Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315. Free naloxone kits, no appointment needed.
• Paul Hughes Health Center pharmacy
  205 NW 6th Avenue, Pompano Beach, FL 33060. The county’s second pickup site, a short drive north of the city.
• isavefl.com
  The state’s naloxone and community support locator.

Hours are not listed on the county’s naloxone flyer, so check broward.floridahealth.gov/locations before you drive.

Florida law protects people who call for help under section 893.21 of the Florida Statutes. A person acting in good faith who seeks medical assistance for someone experiencing a drug-related overdose may not be arrested, charged, prosecuted or penalized for drug possession or drug paraphernalia where the evidence was obtained as a result of seeking that help.

The same protection applies to a person seeking help for their own overdose. Calling 911 is the right call and can save a life.

For what an overdose looks like and how to respond, see our pages on recognizing a narcotics overdose and how to get naloxone.

Crisis and Immediate Help

If you or someone near you needs help right now

Call 911 immediately if you suspect an overdose or other medical emergency.

• 911 suspected overdose or medical emergency
• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call or text, 24/7
• 1-800-662-4357 SAMHSA National Helpline, free and confidential, 24/7
• 211 211 Broward, dial 211 or text 898211, 24/7 and multilingual, for referral to local mental health, substance use and crisis services
• (888) 524-1777 Gold Coast Area NA helpline, for help finding a meeting in Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding cities

Fort Lauderdale NA Meetings FAQ

Are there NA meetings in Fort Lauderdale?

Yes. Fort Lauderdale has the largest NA meeting list in Broward County, with 21 active meetings across seven distinct formats in the current directory listing. The finder at the top of this page shows what is running near you, including groups in neighboring cities.

What is the difference between an open and a closed NA meeting?

An open meeting is open to anyone, including family members, friends, students and professionals who want to understand what NA is. A closed meeting is for people who have a drug problem or think they might. Both run in Fort Lauderdale, and the finder labels each meeting, so you can check before you go.

Are there LGBTQ+ NA meetings in Fort Lauderdale?

Yes. LGBTQ+ meetings are among the formats recorded in Fort Lauderdale, and it is the only city in Broward County where our listing data confirms them. Use the format filter in the finder above for current days and locations.

Are there beginner or newcomer NA meetings near Fort Lauderdale?

Yes beginner meetings near Fort Lauderdale are aimed at people in their first weeks of recovery. These meetings spend time on how the fellowship works, what the Basic Text is and what happens in a typical meeting. The Gold Coast Area helpline at (888) 524-1777 can point you to a newcomer meeting nearby.

Does NA work alongside methadone or buprenorphine?

Yes. Methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone are evidence-based treatments for opioid use disorder, and many people attend NA while taking one of them. NA’s only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using, and there is no medication check at the door. Individual groups differ in how they talk about medication, so if that matters to you, an open discussion meeting is usually the easiest place to start.

Are NA meetings free?

Yes. There are no fees and no dues. NA is self-supporting through its own members’ contributions, and a basket is usually passed during the meeting, but giving is voluntary. You do not need insurance, an ID or a referral to walk in.

About This Directory

Narcotics.com is an independent resource and is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. Meeting information is compiled from public NA schedules and can change without notice, so confirm a meeting with the group or the area helpline before travelling to it.

Narcotics.com may be compensated for some links or featured resources on this site. That never affects the meeting information above or which resources we describe.

Related Pages

• What to know before your first Narcotics Anonymous meeting
• Drug detox as part of addiction treatment
• When to consider outpatient opioid addiction treatment
• Narcotics overdose: signs and treatment
• Five ways to get naloxone