Keith A. – Traditions – Tradition Two and the Group Conscience – 2014

Hello, I'm an addict named Sherry. Welcome to the ISNAC 7 Crossroads to Recovery. The topic of this workshop is Traditions 1 through 4. May we please open with a moment of silence for the addict who still suffers, followed by the WE version of the Serenity Prayer. Thanks. God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Clarity statement. We are presented with a dilemma when NA members identify themselves as addicts and alcoholics or talk about living clean and sober. The clarity of the NA message is blurred. To speak in this manner suggests that there are two diseases, that one drug is somehow separate from the rest, requiring special recognition. Narcotics Anonymous makes no distinction between drugs. Our identification as addicts is all-inclusive, allowing us to concentrate on our similarities, not our differences. Press Statement Our public relations policy is based upon attraction rather than promotion. We need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio and films. This is to protect the membership and the reputation of Narcotics Anonymous. We do not disclose last names or appear in the media as members of Narcotics Anonymous If members of the press approach you, please contact Convention Information Craig, my husband. They will be more than willing to assist you. Responsibility statement. Please keep in mind that your contact, that your contact is a reflection of NA. If you are unable to conduct yourself in a responsible manner, you will be asked to leave. Shirts and shoes must be worn in all hallways and public areas at all times. Please keep in mine not everyone stays up late or all night. We need to have peace and quiet in the hallways between the hours of 11 p.m. and 8 a.m., please keep the noise level in the rooms to a minimum. The committee has provided a hospitality suite for the convenience of group gatherings around the clock. The smoking statement is NAC 7 is a non-smoking convention. Please respect the convention policy that there be no smoking at any convention meeting, workshop, meal, or dance. However, the hotel has a smoking area on the upper level above the game room. Also, the hotel has a specific section of guest rooms where smoking is allowed. And I've asked Sherry to read Who's an Addict? Who's An Addict. Most of us do not have to think twice about this question. We know our whole life and thinking was centered in drugs in one form or another, but getting and using and finding ways and means to get more. We live to use and used to live. Very simply, an addict is a man or woman whose life is controlled by drugs We are people in the grip of a continuing and progressive illness whose ends are always the same, jails, institutions, and death. And I've asked Geraldine to read how it works. Good morning, family. I'm an addict named Geraldine. How it works, if you want what we have to offer and are willing to make the effort to get it, then you are ready to take certain steps. These are the principles that made our recovery possible. One, we admitted that we were powerless over our addiction, that our lives had become unmanageable. Two, we came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. Three, we made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. Four, we met a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 5. We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. 6. We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 7. We humbly asked him to remove our shortcomings. 8. We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all. 9. We may direct amends for such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. Ten, we continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. Eleven, we sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood him. Praying only for the knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry that out. Twelve, having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to addicts and to practice these principles in all our affairs. This sounds like a big order and we can't do it all at once. We didn't become addicted in one day, so remember, easy does it. There is one thing more than anything else that will defeat us in our recovery. This is an attitude of indifference or intolerance towards spiritual principles. Three of these that are indispensable are honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness. With these we are well on our way. We feel that our approach to the disease of addiction is completely realistic, for the therapeutic value of one addict helping another is without parallel. We feel that our way is practical, for one addict can best understand and help another addict. We believe that the sooner we face our problems within our society and everyday living, just that much faster do we become acceptable, responsible, and productive members of that society. The only way to keep from returning to active addiction is not to take that first drug. If you are like us, you know that one is too many and a thousand never enough. We put great emphasis on this, for we know that when we use drugs in any form or substitute one for another, we release our addiction all over again. Thinking of alcohol as different from other drugs has caused a great many addicts to relapse. Before we came to NA, many of us reviewed alcohol separately, but we cannot afford to be confused about this. Alcohol is a drug. We are people with the disease of addiction who must abstain from all drugs in order to recover. thanks for letting me read I've asked Pam to read the traditions my name is Pam and I'm an addict the 12 traditions of NA we keep what we have only with vigilance and justice freedom for the individual comes from the 12 steps so freedom for the group springs from our traditions as long as the ties that bind us together are stronger than those that would tear us apart all will be well one our common welfare should come first personal recovery depends on in a unity to for our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority a loving God as he may express himself in our group conscious our leaders are betrothed and servants they do not govern three the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using. Four, each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or N.A. as a whole. Five, each Group has but one primary purpose to carry the message to the addict who still suffers. Six, an N. A. Group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the N. a name to any related facility or outside enterprise. Least problems of money, property, or prestige divert us from our primary purpose. Seven, every N. group ought to be fully self-supporting declining outside contributions eight narcotic anonymous should remain forever non-professional but our service centers may employ special workers nine na as such i'll never be organized but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve 10. narcotic anonymous has no opinion on outside issues Hence, the N-A name I'll never be drawn into public controversy. Eleven, our public relation policies is based on attraction rather than promotion. We need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films. Twelve, anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions ever reminding us to place principles before personalities. Understanding these traditions comes slowly over a period of time. We pick up information as we talk to members and visit various groups. It usually isn't until we get involved with service that someone points out their personal recovery depends on N.A. unity and their unity depends on how well we follow our traditions. The 12 traditions of N.E. are not negotiable. They are the guidelines to keep our fellowship alive and free. By following these guidelines in our dealings with others and society at large, we avoid many problems. That is not to say that our traditions eliminate all problems. We still have to face difficulties as they arise, communication problems, difference of opinions, internal controversy and troubles with individuals and groups outside the fellowship. However, when we apply these principles, we avoid some of the pitfalls. Many of our problems are like those that our predecessors had to face. Their high one experience gave birth to the traditions, and our own experience has shown that these principles are just as valid today as they were when these traditions were formulated. Our traditions protect us from the internal and external forces that could destroy us. They are truly the ties that bind us together. It is only through understanding and application that they work. Anybody else comes in and they ask you what the workshop is about, don't tell them. Just tell them to sit down. Yeah, relationships. The format of this workshop is to have two addicts share their experience, strength, and hope on the topic and then we'll each share for about 25 minutes and the floor will then be open for sharing. And to speak on traditions one and two is my good friend, my old friend, Keith. I'm an addict named Keith. Before I share anything, I want to have a moment of silence to reflect on our primary purpose. Thank you. You know, everybody's got a different way of sharing. You know for me, we've got literature that defines our steps and traditions real well so I'm not going to try to create a definition for you and create some aura that I'm the authority and that's why they asked me to share so I can define it for you. I'm here to define it. I'm going to do that. You know I share my experience about what I've been asked to share about and I only share when I've been asked. But before I do, there's something, a couple things in here I want to read that are real important. It says the 12 traditions of N.A. are not negotiable. And they are the guidelines that keep our fellowship alive and free. So, when we question, you know, the only question we need to answer for ourselves is, do we want to be alive? Do we want it to be free? um and on the first tradition um our common welfare should come first personal recovery depends on in a unity um i'm just going to share my experience if you've heard it for heard it before uh you know then you've hurt it before you know i only got what i got i can't give you what i ain't got and i'm not going to pretend that i have something that i don't Um, and I'm going to share, you know, my experience, you know, as I believe that the experience that I have applies to this and you're going to get out of it, whatever you're going to do. You're going get, um, and there's something in a, I want to read real quick under the, under tradition one. And it says here, it says, and it works how and why on page 125. As each individual member relies on the support of the fellowship for survival, so NA's survival depends on its members. If we had not heard that, I don't know where we'd be. I have to help you stay alive, so you'll help me stay alive. When I first got clean really the way this applied was quite simple and that's that once we got beyond the first few meetings where I lived in those few meetings started before I got clean but when I got cleaned there was not much else then if you wanted a meeting to come back to at that particular night the next week you'd better be willing to open the door and and that's been my experience and you know that was without ever this wasn't even printed yet it works how and why for me validated a lot of what we had already been doing not because we had good ideas but because we steps that gave us a loving God in the first place. I didn't get a loving God to just go get mine and to hell with you, okay? That's not why I got a loving guy today, okay. I got an loving God today so that I can grow and share and participate and carry this message to others. I'm here. I've got the opportunity to recover. That's my choice. But that was my first experience with participating in the unity. And I was at a point in recovery at about, you know, I don't know, six years clean. I don't really remember exactly, that the time isn't what's important. And I was faced with some decisions to make in my life. And the decisions were pretty clear to me. That I was going to continue in my education to not get just what I need but to get all of what I want and maybe some kind of title or I was going to surrender that and give what I had to Narcotics Anonymous to get something on the inside not something on the outside and as a result today of participating in the unity and putting the needs of NA before my own desires you know I have spiritual gifts today on the inside that money can't buy, education can't get um and it's about through this process of sharing love and narcotics anonymous and learning learning to share love excuse me because i had to learn that i didn't know that before i before i got here not because i didnít have good teachers but because i have a disease I get a little nervous so I get a little lost for words so bear with me and I had to practice something and I got it written in here under the second tradition and surrender it says to give oneself up into the power of another. And faith, firm belief in something for which there is no proof. Now I can see the proof in you. I can seen the proof around me. But unless it's been in my life, there is not necessarily proof that it will be in my life. Addicts do die. We know that. they don't always die clean we know that for sure and that's what I had to practice to put some needs of N.A. before my own desires it's blind faith and it's not easy and there's a lot about that in the second tradition for our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority God excuse me, a loving God a loving God as he may express himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants they do not govern. You know, a loving God speaks through group conscience and it's a process and it takes time to learn, to put for me I know to put you know, to sit and share my little piece and then accept that what the group conscience comes up with is what a loving God wants. You don't have to be around here long to know that that is a process, you know. That my ideas are somehow better than yours. And, you Know, some of my character defects and some of My shortcomings are things like moralizing, you know that my ideas are in fact the correct ones okay um and that's that's contradictory of loving god speaks to a group conscience so it's a process you know my character defects will contradict what our traditions say um and to me you know if i'm gonna how can i serve in narcotics synonymous if i'm not working on and learning to live better the traditions how you know what am i you know i live the steps you know I serve a heck with the tradition that one it doesn't work then I'm and I'm not going to tell you that that that understanding came overnight okay um and I want to share some more about participating in the unity and under the first tradition uh i know enough of what's in the book god only knows i'm not sure why i brought it up here i think it's something to hang on to uh and um that part of unity is that we're all equal as members and when i see the part of the second tradition about a loving god then i look at that equality loving god and that alone gives me a lot to work with I had an experience where I lived at a number of halfway houses, you know, some for women, some for men. And there was a halfway house for women and at that time very few women in the program and there are many more today. And it's not been all that long ago but it's been a while. And I would get calls, being an addict who goes to many meetings and willing to help many times even at my own expense, that I would get calls from people who want to ride or want to know something about Narcotics Anonymous. That's not necessarily the best way, but that's what occurred. And I got a call from a young lady who was in a halfway house and she was from Chicago. And I went to pick her up and I took to the meeting and the first meeting that we got to you know she you know made it very clear to everyone at the meeting um that that she was in fact dying of you know full-blown aids and there were some things that as members that we did almost immediately to send the message because we really didn't know what do you say you know that's hard to respond to that you're accepted and um you know one of them was you know because of the stereotype attached one of the things that i know one thing i did it was a little thing but it's those little things you know make a difference she drank water a lot in the meetings and she didn't drink coffee and at that time we were getting at least rather than the stereotype of how you get that that illness a disease and um and i would reach across the table and say can i have a drink and i would drink from her water cup and that was sort of a way too it was a spiritual thing it was the closest thing i could get to some kind of intimate sharing with another human being um in sharing that message with a person you know that they were accepted and one of the most important things is that you know given the nature of of the illness that she suffered from you know chances are that um she wasn't with us long but chances are you know the only love that she ever experienced may have been that short period of time that she spent with us in narcotics anonymous now that when you think about you know know participating in unity in those terms then it takes on a spiritual nature and hopefully in some way it will for you um you know it's very important for me today to put um the group conscience what's good for na before my own desires um i put you know i participate in h and I you know there may be particular facilities or places that that I would like to see a meeting happen and it's okay for me to share that you know but it's not okay to force it to insist to prepare statistics and data to support my position um that's you know that's right okay so that's not that's Not you know to share and everybody shares their peace and what does a loving God bring through group conscience, you know. And it's not easy. And it goes back to, you now, I share when asked. And if I have a need when I'm asked to share, I take only what I need. I don't go for what I want. Share a little bit more about the second tradition. For our group purpose there is, but I've already recited the tradition. I'm a little nervous. One experience I want to share is one of my first experiences with the power of group conscience. And it's a process of learning. I was about 90 days clean and we had a meeting that was in a treatment facility and no one was very interested in this meeting. And I was given a handful of key tags and pamphlets and told to go open this meeting and I opened the meeting. And somewhere down the road, I decided that not enough members supported this meeting, it was not a good meeting, you know, the people in treatment were a little too sick, so the meeting was by God going to move. because you know i wanted it to be different for me apparently um and so i went around and i sort of did a little lobbying effort you know how we do in your parking lot's a good place for that isn't it okay and you go and you say well hey you know you know about this meeting you know what's going why don't you come come on you come on over here and call this your home group that night and vote we'll move this sucker all right we're gonna get this set up all ducks in the everything going real good okay well you know I did that and I noticed that when I'd say that to him a couple members kind of looked at me and kind of got a frown and said well sure I'll come yeah you know when the time came and we had to you know and of course I began the so-called business meeting and a member and the members who showed who chose to participate show up participate looked at being they said and they said I said well now who votes move the meeting and I looked at me and a couple of them, they voted no. You know, and I felt betrayed. You know? And I felt like they did me dirty, you know? Self-centeredness, still personalizing this thing, trying to get what I want and not thinking about the needs of Narcotics Anonymous. So, you know, they voted No. And I was angry and even became irate with one gentleman who's much larger than me and he let me know that he would be able to deal with that immediately if need be. But we didn't have to go there. We'd known each other well so bad. He let me know that, you know, and I probably needed to know that. And, you now, I found out that some of the members whose conscience was at that meeting moved didn't come. You know, and the reality is that God's will speaks through the group conscience and that's the way it worked out. And the video meeting eventually moved many years later but for the same reasons and I don't even need to know why except that I learned what I needed to learn and today my home group and one of the most important things is to have a strong home group you know whether you got a group that meets once a week or more than once a week or whatever it is or wherever it is to have a Strong Home Group and I have a home group where there are members with who've been clean for for multiples of years and regardless of of the differences we have the arguments that we have the opinions that we share we each have one vote and we let god's will speak through group conscience and occasionally when that doesn't happen the way it's supposed to you are responsible to confront each other um and that's the hard part because see i don't know about you but i'm afraid if i confront you that i'll lose you but see that's that you know it's not my will damn it you know now i really got to believe that surrender in faith you know the god's will speaks through group conscience you know and i ain't it and i eat that big and um so just for today is most important let the group conscience you knows and one of the things that we do is that you when somebody has a a clean time birthday, when somebody has, you know, a success in their life, you know, that it's the same for everybody. You get a medallion, you get a cake, you get a card or a gift. And, you know, and if somebody thinks that a member with 60 days clean, you know, not just yours needs it, we'll do that too, you know um but like god's will speak through group conscience and um and you know put the the you know the needs you know as a partner literature it says what's what's best for the group is best for us uh you know i need to learn to live that today and it's still you know it's Still a daily process because I'll get up in the morning and man I got some designs for today okay so you know i gotta set my designs you know aside and um you know I can't share enough that you know my experience has been that if I give love an N.A. that it will come back tenfold and uh you know there have been many members who uh who experienced many successes in their lives who died from this disease i mean and they were the parts of their life were doing well in many ways but we got to take care of the inside you know what's spiritual and i think there's uh i got a couple more minutes uh if i think of something to share where the term ultimate authority comes to mind. I'm not sure why. You know, if our ultimate authority were all our best ideas, we would argue infinitely. in the area that I lived in we did that for many years and as a result we ended up with an area service committee with three in attendance of course I'm sure addicts were dying because addicts prayed and a loving God got in there. We decided that we still wanted to have an area service committee, and about four years ago or something, addicts in the mid-state area in Anderson-Muncie decided that... We decided we would work together. And we decided that we would respect the second tradition. We decided that we would learn more about the traditions and that we would read the literature, especially the traditions in our meetings. And you know what? It worked. That's right, it worked. Today, we have many meetings. We have an area phone line. We hosted this convention. And as a result, I believe that we all got a little bit more spiritual about living these traditions and I think it all comes back to these traditions. and that's been my experience and that has been our experience in the mid-state area one of the problems was that we all had different ideas and opinions but when we all apply the traditions they are outlined pretty clearly particularly in it works how and why and we are all living by the same traditions you know and it is no longer an argument between you and I it is just a matter of what do they say okay um but like it also says you know none is not to say that our traditions eliminate all problems um i think i've shared my time um i'd like to share more but um you know if it's not mine i don't take it when god wants me to share i'll share and you know if if you feel like you love narcotics anonymous give in here because if you think that there's something that's going to fill your insides more narcotics autonomous i don'T believe it because it's a spiritual program and it's an inside job and uh you know i got feelings and experiences today that if i had taken that other route got a title for myself you know I might be dead thanks for letting me share Thanks, Keith, for sharing. On Tradition 3 and 4 is my new friend, Troy. I'm an addict. My name's Troy. And I'd also like to, if we could take a quick moment of silence, let my higher power get in here. Thank you. I got to tell this story just because, you know, it shows that my character defects are still there. And I need to, because that will come back later in some of the things I share, hopefully. I kept telling myself when I knew I was going to share on Traditions 3 and 4 that sometime between now and the convention, I'm going to get out my It Works How and Why and look at these traditions and kind of prepare myself at least somewhat to share because I have been taught and have learned through experience that when I have a question about something in Narcotics Anonymous, there are usually three places I go. I go to my sponsor, I go To My Higher Power, and I go The Literature. you know and you and my questions get answered you know I find the answers that I need they might not always be the answers I'm looking for but they're the answers I need to hear and so you know i kept telling myself well sometime between now in the convention I'm going to look at the it works out and why tradition three and four and prepare myself for this workshop so about two o'clock this morning I'm sitting in a hospitality room with my it works how why looking at tradition three and four um you know the you know i still have i still have my character defects um you they're getting better but i still have them um and uh i'd like to start with that i'll start with uh tradition three the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using and uh first paragraph outlines it very narcotics anonymous offers recovery to addicts around the world we focus on the disease of addiction rather than any particular drug our message is broad enough to attract addicts from any social class or nationality when new members come to our meetings our sole interest is in their desire for freedom from active addiction and how we can be of help. When I got to these rooms, the doors were open. I was given a hug and given a seat. message was carried. And, you know, I can share that when I got to these rooms, I definitely looked a little bit different than some of the other people in these rooms. You know, I came to my first meeting and I think I was 15. You Know, I got clean six months before my 18th birthday but you know that same message was carried um and uh you know i have to make sure that i carry that message you know um one thing i want to say is i don't know i know there are some that were in the uh the we all belong workshop last uh yesterday evening you know So that workshop, what I heard there, that was a third tradition in practice. We belong. And we make sure that if someone shows up wanting this message, we make them feel like they belong. It goes on to say, because we can't judge the sole requirement for membership, we are encouraged to open wide the doors of our meetings to any addict who wishes to join. We are asked to extend ourselves, extend to others the care and concern that helped each of us find a sense of belonging. We try to make sure that any addict who attends our meetings is not turned away. One of the speakers yesterday talked about not wanting to hug a certain addict. And it's not about that for me today I'll hug anybody I need to hug As much if not more than they do Most times you know it talks about that willingness and desire to stop using we can't measure that you know we also you know we don't say who gets to join you know if you're here and you say you're an addict then as far as I'm concerned you belong here you know you know as far As Narcotics Anonymous is concerned you belong here and that's what I got told you know didn't have the same story as you know some people in these rooms I you know I'm still an addict you know I had good parents you know who loved me there was some there was addiction in our family i know that now and so does my family but uh you know we did love each other you know i was loved and you know I'm still an addict I'm an addict I have a disease you know that tells me I'm not good enough that tells me you know I need these things and you know when I come here seeking recovery from that disease I uh you know that's the message that gets carried to me is uh that that recovery does happen um it goes on we cannot predict a higher success rate for addicts of any certain age or those who use this for a certain number of years or women over men or any other external factor we are just as just as we are not capable of measuring another's desire to stay clean neither are we equipped to decide who should join any addict who walks in to a meeting even a using addict displays a There's a level of willingness that cannot be discounted. I've come to meetings while I was still using. Obviously there was something there. When I finally got clean and recovery started to take hold, it was a beautiful thing for me. started getting better I started to do things like get jobs and become responsible you know when I when I got here I was a high school dropout I'm in in my third year of college now and uh... this is something that hit me while i was looking those who return to meetings after relapse often say their desire to stop using was born from the pain of relapse we come to N.A. for many reasons but stay to recover when we find and keep the desire to start using you know that That desire is there and we have to do all we can. Even somebody who comes in and comes out, if they're in a meeting they obviously have a desire. We should do what we can, we can't carry them but we should do what we can to nurture that desire to stop using and something that you know and this is a thing I have a lot of my you know I can I can have a lot of own ideas and thoughts about the traditions but when it gets down to what's written that's what's written and you know i would you know I've heard it shared and I liked it you know would think that you know well anybody that's addicted to anything could come into these rooms and you know recover and that that may be true but it does say in although the third tradition is written simply we know that when it talks about a desire to stop using it means using drugs we understand that na is a program of recovery for drug addicts although addiction takes on broader meeting for as we may continue in recovery it is important to remember that we first came to NA because of our drug problems it goes on to speak about you know that identification that a newcomer feels when they walk in the room and and you know that I did you know sometimes that identification is just on the level of using drugs it becomes more as we continue to recover but um you know when I was here you know I identified on the level of I used drugs and I couldn't stop and you know since I've been in recovery addiction has taken on a much broader perspective as I've recovered but at the core of it is my using you know that's still there that is what everything else will lead back to you know if unchecked you know it speaks a lot about tolerance we learned to tolerate we learn to be tolerant of addicts from different backgrounds than ours, remembering that we are not better than any other addict in a meeting. We need each other's help and encouragement, not criticism or rejection. Your awareness of our own shortcomings exercised in humility helps us remember this. The self-acceptance that often accompanies humility makes us reluctant to judge others harshly." You know, something that's been shared with me and something that I through experience have found to be true on my recovery is if I'm pointing my finger at somebody and saying Well, that so-and-so, they're doing this and that and the other. Nine times out of ten, that's probably something that I do that I don't like that I'd do. And, you know, getting in touch with those character defects makes me a lot less apt to jump to judgments and jump to my fellow addicts. The common denominator In N.A. is the disease of addiction We are all Equally subject To its devastation We share an equal right To recovery If you're here You belong here You are no more or less qualified Than anyone else sitting in this room Keep coming And keep coming back because I need you. We don't have to decide for anyone else. We don'T have to expend time and energy deciding who should stay or who we should help. Instead, we are free to extend loving assistance to anyone who walks into a meeting and desiring freedom from addiction. And, you know, I just... I would like to share a lot, but sometimes I just can't put it any better than what's written right here. You know? I can't do that. You know, I can' t put it any better. You know and I would like to share some on Tradition 4 I was glad to share on tradition for I have through my service and in my home area I have some some service experience with tradition for especially each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or in a as a whole I would like to read that last half of that tradition again, except in matters affecting other groups or NA as a whole. You know, I was guilty of it. I thought, well, okay, we're autonomous. That means my home group can do whatever it wants. You know? There's more to that tradition than that. Right here, first page. through working the steps we learn that with freedom comes responsibility in recovery we become responsible for ourselves as we accept that responsibility we see how the fourth tradition encourages us to act responsibly as groups and as a fellowship um one of the big you know issues in my area was we would have meetings and we would not hear from these groups in years, literally years no communication whatsoever so we don't know what's going on we don' t know if they are meeting we don''t know what is being read or shared in their meetings You know, we have no means of communication. And it came down to, you know, do we leave them on the meeting schedule or do we take them off? And that can be a hard decision because, you Know, you don't want to take a meeting off the meeting schedule that might be a meeting. But which is the bigger disservice? it comes down to that vigilance that the first part of the traditions talks about and we had no communication and which is the bigger disservice well, we take it off and the meeting still goes on without being on the meeting schedule or we leave it on And because we have no communication, a newcomer shows up to a locked door. That is one of, you know, if I can think of anything that's probably the worst thing that could happen for the image of Narcotics Anonymous. There was another situation where we had a group in our area, a very much an older group and I want to and it had become dominated by an individual's personality and the individual was not letting go of the meeting we tried many ways we I'm loving and caringly to let this individual know that that you know this this meeting needs to be the certainly the the servants of this meeting need to change you know and it didn't happen and you You know, we as an area had to say this meeting is no longer Narcotics Anonymous. And it was sad and it was, you know, there was some pain going through it. And, you Know, we had to really check our motives and, you Now, why we were doing this. But, You Know, it goes back to vigilance. autonomy does not relieve groups of their obligation to observe and apply the spiritual principles embodied in the tradition No matter how a group is structured in its meetings, all NA groups are encouraged to keep the focus of their meeting on recovery from the disease of addiction. As long as a group observes the Twelve Traditions and espouses the Twelve Steps of N.A. in its meetings, it may consider them Narcotics Anonymous meetings. Autonomy encourages groups to become strong and lively but also reminds them that they are a vital part of a greater whole. fellowship of narcotics anonymous we can we consider our common welfare when we make decisions in our groups you know you know group conscience it might be my group's conscience to break three traditions but you know that's where that uh that loving and caring higher Our power comes in from tradition too. Through our group conscience, the best concern for the whole is what comes about. We have our disagreements and internal controversies and things but I will share that my experience has been when you have two members or two groups of members disagreeing on a particular issue of service, if instead of abandoning it at the hope of avoiding conflict, the two groups or two members talk it out, work through it and come to a compromise and a conscience The best possible service comes out of it in the end. When I first started serving, and I'm guilty of it too, if an issue became controversial or a few heated words were exchanged, the issue usually died. was not addressed for fear that we would have controversy and conflict and you know I have since seen that since our areas started looking at these traditions yeah we bus it and you know we might even say a few nasty words or a few crosswords across the table in area but you know the issue gets resolved and And we're out in the parking lot hugging after area. You know, and service comes out of it. You know true service. I'll read this and I think that will be it. Anonymity applied in the fourth tradition reminds us that each group has an equal place in the fellowship of NA. Larger groups are not more important than smaller groups. Older groups are not better than newer groups. While all groups have the freedom to apply principles in whatever way they seem best to them, those same principles make each group an equal partner in recovery. Each group bears an equal responsibility in the work and the reputation of N.A you know there is something to be said for vigilance in service are somewhere in the literature and I don't know where the most effective vehicle for carrying the message of recovery of Narcotics Anonymous is the N.E.A. group we are responsible to make sure that the message our groups carry is clear is loving and is a message of Narcotics Anonymous and with that thank you for letting me share and I'll keep coming back Let's thank Troy and Keith for making a morning subject very palatable. got 15 minutes and the mic is open morning everyone my name is Bruce I'm an addict an opportunity to play a tape on away driving here and then forming of our 12 steps and went back as far as like 1840 there was a group that lasted for I believe it was three years and the way I understand if the lack of traditions were why the group didn't stay together late in the 30s when another group was forming the traditions were we're forming also and as I understand it today you know our groups flourish and stay together because of the traditions and I've never really studied them and I'm always over my years of recovery have been more interested in staying clean and working the steps and doing some service and getting married and having my career and traditions just kind of got squeezed to the side. And I guess lately I have been looking at the need and the benefit and I guess that tape coming up here just kind of pumped me into understanding that you know the traditions have gotta get in my life a little bit more. And keeping the doors open is something that I have to be a part of and I have going on in my world because there's that day that I'll need the doors open and God forbid they're ever closed. As I understand it, the traditions are the only reason the doors will stay open because our personalities and our desires to take charge are probably natural and maybe even more so for an addict at least I think I have some control issues that they come up more than I'd like to admit but people in my life are helping me break through that denial and you You know, I'm speaking generally on the traditions because that's just what came to my mind. On the fourth tradition of autonomy it seems like such a necessary and obvious thing. I know our group in the late 60s as I understand it or possibly through our first 20 years almost folded uh... many times because of the traditions not being followed and uh... you know i'm i guess i'm very grateful for the traditions and i guess for me to show my gratitude i need to have to learn about them it's a good morning man uh... glad to be up in uh... slowly awakening uh... is next seven i'm looking forward to uh... to be in here and uh... having a lot of hugs lots of smiles That's all I got. Thanks, Chris. Nice to be sharing. You ought to go, dude. Morning, family. I'm an addict named David. Hi, David. Welcome from Ohio. Real grateful to be at another Narcotics Anonymous convention. Second, isn't that good? I'm grateful I learned about these things called traditions. Because I was one of those addicts who came here with many control issues. And I learned the steps were a way of dealing with me and the traditions were a way of me learning how to deal with you. A better way I heard recently was the steps keep me from committing suicide and the tradition keeps me from commiting homicide. And that kind of makes sense. You know, I was taught for every step there was a tradition connected to it. And I learned about traditions by getting involved with a home group. That's a real neat way to learn about your control issues. You know? What I've learned about group conscience is it's... It may not always be God's will, but it is group conscience at that point in time. and if it's wrong the spiritual thing that happens is we have another group conscience and we own it and we change it without all the political bullshit that our government seems to have you know it's like they make all kinds of errors but it takes another act of Congress to change it and uh we do things a whole lot simpler You know the neat thing about The third tradition is It allows the unity to work Because we come from all walks of life All different ages You know when I hear some asshole Tell a younger member That they spilled more dope than they used I'm going like Why don't you just tell them to leave You know Makes me angry At some of the attitudes of some of our people but I've also learned through a first step that I'm powerless over people, places and things but I have learned through the vigilance of the traditions that I can express some views and I try to do it spiritually sometimes I fail I still have these control issues that come to surface and I usually suffer consequences and I find myself at a first stop over it but again you can change in a group autonomy I've always had the privilege of being in a home group that was well aware of their traditions we tried to practice the traditions we tried to greet everybody that come through that door we tried to ensure the fidelity of the narcotics anonymous message I myself recently heard me referred to by some gentleman as an NA Nazi and it pissed me off at first but then I had to look at there was a time where that reputation was warranted because I would beat you up with the traditions and I don't seem to go there today maybe it's because I worked some more steps you know, I just recently finished the steps and I'm again at the first step and today it has a different meaning than it did many years ago and uh i'm grateful for it but you know our last tradition talks about practicing these principles in all our affairs which means that 12 traditions where it's at because you have to work the other traditions to get there in order to learn how to practice these principles in all affairs because just like each step has a principle connected with it so does the tradition and it's only through practicing them that you learn about it and that's a process each of us have to go through and I was fortunate enough to have a sponsor that pushed me in step and tradition areas we also were a tradition oriented area and that seems to change recently and I seem to be one of the voices that's voicing objections about it because I know NA history i know that in the beginning we founded in 1953 and we found her shortly after because the traditions weren't followed one of the stories in our book is i found the only n.a group in the world you know and that was true at the time in 1959 i think or eight i forget the exact year there was only one narcotics anonymous meeting in the world now we're in i forget how many countries and well over 20,000 meetings a week in all over the world the message is simple you know it works in all different cultures all different languages it's amazing last summer I was in Spain and I attended the EDM which the European delegates meeting there were 15 regions represented which amounted to 15 countries so we're looking at 15 different languages and I was amazed that they were conducting business in English because it was easier to translate all these different languages into English instead of French to German dadada whatever and it's like I teared up it was like if somebody had trouble understanding they slow down to make the member understand and that's about unity it's about autonomy it's about caring it's about love spiritual principles we find in these steps and traditions and we got this package from another fellowship we just took a something that was focused in one area and we took it in my opinion made it better now we focus on addiction which encompasses more than just drugs in our first step talks about powerless over addiction it doesn't say what kind it just says addiction and that's where that first tradition comes into play or unified to deal with the disease of addiction. We try to do it through language, we try to do it with principles, and we try to do with love that all comes through here. I've seen a lot of love here since yesterday afternoon. I got here early because I was taught to get early anywhere and stay late which basically means help clean up. A lot of times we have wonderful fun that functions and when it comes time to clean up there's only a handful of people doing it and sometimes all the committee doesn't stay you'll just see you'll just see a couple people doing it bitching about but they're also happy yeah narcotics anonymous has been a gift from my God my higher power and it's like I don't have to identify it just let you know that it's a loving and caring and it's taught me that it basically it's taught me a recovery is like the golden rule i was taught as a child you know the god of my understanding just wants me to be good to self and others and that's what we try to do here and this is a neat place to learn about it i don't want to take up any more time thanks for listening like to thank everybody who spoke and let's go ahead and close this meeting in a hug circle and with the we version of serenity let's have a moment of silence for the addict that still suffers and we'll follow that by the we version of the serenity prayer thanks God grant us a serenety to accept the things we cannot change courage to change the things you can with the wisdom to know the difference yesterday keep coming back wow it's really changed yeah it's changed so much you know there's so there's it always yeah this is good for traditions first thing in the morning good job guys impressive third year probably five six I don't know we're free the traditions are just no it's just get a free many of us know when we walk into our first meeting that we read all over in your spirit practice rather take my time and get more out of it and kill myself right to judge another's desire is denied you know all over in here let's see what i got here yeah the spirit of anonymity remember that no individual member or group is more important than you know something i marked and i didn't read and then i remembered like yeah you don't make people out of tradition do you have one of these books yeah oh i just well i got better You can get into it wherever you want. We learn to practice tolerance and don't look like that or think like us or share like us. We teach by the name of the church. Especially new members in the top row. Top row, hey, there's a track there. Mason them back to the streets. Right. That's certainly nice. Right. I've been practicing tolerance with one motherfucker for almost six years. And I'm about up to here with him. I know the feeling. that it won't change until it changes you ain't changing it i know how it is oh i do he's 64 years old and he don't feel no need to change i'm like i am and i'm fine i'll go out this way they can still come in It's pretty rough, but I imagine we're on the same parallel with you. Yeah. I'm down by that. Are you attached to this room? Well, no. I'm attached to control. We're going to make this perfect. It's not just going to be okay. It's going to do great. Yeah, there you go. It is 20 after 9.