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CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
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My
WSO/WSC Experiences 1987-2004
I am an Addict
To begin with I wish to make it clear that I believe those addicts involved in
service work at all levels do so in an honest effort to help others find what we
have found. I was introduced to NA in 1983 through an H&I meeting inside a
correctional facility. My clean date is July 26, 1987 so I have seen our service
structure at a point in time where the voice of the group was held in high
regard. We were blessed, many years ago, to have representatives who sought to
carry the conscience of their respective service bodies (Group, ASC, RSC,) and
truly serve the groups. The following information is what I can recall of some
of my interactions with members and staff at the World Service level over the
years. My dates are fuzzy and I hope that all who read this would help correct
errors and provide substantiation and documentation of these events if possible.
Rhetoric
I became a GSR in late '87 and by 1990 I was serving at the regional level.
During my first decade in recovery I witnessed many things. I watched as a
friend, who served as an RSR, became active in the World Services inventory
process and the resolution group and eventually became employed by the WSO. As
there are a few who fit this profile I feel that I am maintaining his anonymity.
The fact that several NAWS employees followed a similar path substantiates my
observations. I watched as the staff at WSO, Inc courted my friend. He was
approached at the first conference he attended and groomed from that point
forward for a position within the corporation. I find it interesting that many
of our brightest members are recruited to work for NAWS INC. This is a good
business practice and seems to be working well for the corporation.
The other side of the coin is that I was exposed to some of the corporate
rhetoric of a "global vision", which seems to confuse many and
distract from our primary focus of carrying the message through the groups.
These changes in attitude have brought us to a point where the focus seems to be
more on generating funds that assisting the groups
who maintain our frontlines and are often the initial point of contact.
Finances
I attended a two-fold WSO Inc. event in Denver, CO; I believe it was in Oct. of
1996. This was near the end of the WSO, Inc. inventory process. There was a
presentation of the upcoming literature discount changes and the projected
impact and there was also a presentation on the structuring of conventions. I
attended as our Regional Chairperson, along with our Convention Board of
Directors Chairperson. Our region was exploring the feasibility of a RSO and our
State convention was solidifying as a major annual event. The RSC chose to send
us to the event with hopes of gaining valuable insight. I can only write of the
presentation I received. WSO staff members communicated that the discounts to
service offices would be eliminated, as the WSO, Inc. was no longer willing to
subsidize these ventures. This was not an item open for discussion or input as
many of those who attended felt it would be. Rather the decision had been made
and the fellowship was being informed. I discovered that there were several
regional service offices throughout the United States that were not paying their
invoices for literature shipped from the WSO, Inc. and that many of these
offices received an additional discount beyond the standard volume discount for
purchases. Some of the debts were in the tens of thousands dollars. I also
became aware that the sales of our Basic Text are the single greatest source of
income for WSO, Inc. I then realized that the moratorium on changes to the Basic
Text had caused a reduction in income at WSO, Inc., hence the necessity for the
reduction in discounts. It was obvious that throughout the 1980's when we were
publishing multiple revisions and perpetuating the belief that only the most
recent revision was acceptable to be read from in meetings we were also
generating a consistent income for WSO, Inc.
As a result of these changes in the discount policies at WSO, Inc., several
Regional Service Offices were forced to close and the WSO, Inc. then serviced
their customers directly. The rational was that if these changes in discount
policies did not occur WSO, Inc. would soon be bankrupt.
The Resolutions Committee presented a similar rationalization for change in 1997
complete with the first ever layoff of special workers at the WSO, Inc. I was
visiting southern CA when the pink slips were distributed. The mismanagement of
WSO, Inc. was never even discussed as a possible rationale for the existing
financial condition of WSO, Inc. at the time. The WSO, Inc. inventory process
had stopped most of the group services previously provided by the WSO, Inc. This
in-turn exhausted a large amount of funds on conference calls and travel for the
working groups. This stall tactic, which was used to avoid addressing the
directives regarding the federal lawsuit on the Baby Blue, was in fact the root
cause of the financial disparity of the WSO, Inc. in 1997. This presentation by
the Resolutions Committee also made clear the reasoning for the elimination of
our successful literature development
process in favor of a "fast food" style of development that provided
several new income sources for the corporation in a very short time span.
Expanding the product line had taken precedent over quality of material
developed.
Pilgrimage
In the spring of 1997 I visited WSO, Inc., as it was known then, and the office
reminded me of a small print distribution center. It was stale and plain on the
inside and the staff had small offices to work from. The appearance was very
modest and unassuming. Many employees spoke often of NA groups in other
countries, almost as if there were a need to justify the existence of their
jobs. I do believe that we should strive to carry this message on a global
scale. It is just that in retrospect I can see that much of the information I
heard was taught and eventually memorized. Though the sources differed, the
message often sounded scripted and was presented as corporate rhetoric of a
higher purpose and global vision. These dogmatic beliefs place the majority of
our fellowship at a disadvantage as it portrays any group that complains of
inadequate services or questions exorbitant spending as "not supporting our
global mission" and therefore being "self-centered." This is
similar to labeling those who oppose war as unpatriotic and works well when
seeking to stifle organized resistance.
At the time of my visit the Resolution group was finishing up their proposals
and the focus was on the upcoming changes in world services. As I mentioned
before, the groundwork and financial rationalizations for change had been
presented in Denver and now, almost 6 months later, the first ever layoff of
special workers at WSO, Inc occurred. This was one event in a series that
eventually lead to the adoption of the resolutions and the creation of the
"Super board." The actual layoff notices were distributed the week I
was visiting WSO and this had a dramatic effect on the overall tone within the
facility. In addition, a special worker suddenly passed away that week due to an
aneurysm while jogging one morning.
My interpretation of the Resolution Group's work and the general attitude at WSO,
Inc. at that point in time was that the changes were a done deal, not that these
items would be discussed by the fellowship and revised accordingly. Keep in mind
that during the WSO, Inc. inventory process much of the services, which had
existed prior to it, had ceased so as not to inhibit the inventory. This
restriction of services freed the funding required to maintain the inventory
process. Those of us who continued to put money into our home group baskets
funded the charade. A
major item of note here is that the majority of the local service bodies
survived quite well without the world services during these years. This was
primarily due to the continued production and distribution of literature that
has always been the primary purpose of WSO, Inc. Indeed upon this initial visit
I, like so many others before and after me, felt
as though I had been to the mountaintop and visited the holy shrine. In
retrospect, I see that the real shrines are every Home Group and service meeting
that continue to fulfill our Primary Purpose. Even without the WSO, we carried
on with our mission.
Fate
In the fall of that same year (1997) I attended a WSC meeting in Providence, RI
along with our RSR to take part in the presentation of the Resolution Group's
proposals. The general consensus was that the plan was rolled out on the East
Coast to hopefully win their support of the restructuring. This weekend changed
my view of world services forever. I have always been the quiet one in the
corner watching and observing the action; and I witnessed things that disturbed
me deeply. There were several workgroups organized to review portions of the
plan and then we would all meet and present our interpretations to the group as
a whole. I realized that by following this plan no single representative really
had an opportunity to see the big picture, only the small pieces we were
presented. A member of the WSO staff always presented the overview of the
proposals to us. I also watched as many representatives would walk to the back
of the room and consult with an older member prior to going up to the microphone
to present their questions or statements. It was disheartening to see that a
single member had that much influence on this process. By the end of the weekend
it became clear to me that the decisions regarding the implementation of these
dramatic changes to our service structure were already a done deal. The event in
Providence was merely a walk through of the information so that those
representatives who attended would leave with the impression that they had
participated in the process. The proposals were presented at the following
conference as initially written. These resolutions have since been implemented
with the exception of "resolution A" which coincidentally was the
foundation of the remaining resolutions. Note: In the 2004 CAR, just seven years
later, NAWS, Inc. reported that there was no longer any need to implement
"resolution A".
Following my disillusionment in Providence I resigned my regional service
position, as it was clear that an agenda for the reformation of our service
structure was in place and the course would not be altered. I accepted
employment out of state and removed myself from active NA participation for
several years. My personal experiences during my self-imposed isolation are
better suited to be written of elsewhere. I honestly feel that all of us who
participated in the traumatic events of the past 15 years believe we are doing
what is best for NA as a whole and are usually not acting out of malice. When I
came here, I was told our service structure ran from the group down to the world
level and that the highest form of service was being a Home Group member. Our
pyramid of service has been upended and, more times than not, I see our groups
taking direction from the ASC, RSC and NAWS, Inc. because many current members
believe this is how it has always been done. I received an email earlier this
year from an addict who came into recovery after we lost our representation and
he stated that we should view NAWS, Inc. as our "service sponsor". I
was taught early in my recovery to only have one sponsor and trust his
experience as if my life depended on it, because it does.
NAWS, Inc.
In June of 2004 I took my wife and son to Chatsworth, CA so that they could tour
the NAWS, Inc. facility. I must say that the appearance has changed dramatically
and it now resembles a world-class corporate headquarters. There are display
cases in the lobby and artwork throughout the halls. Many of the items I
recognized as those purchased from Betty K. (Jimmy's wife) back in 1997. It was
nice to see our history out where others can view it. You can see pictures of
several items in the "Miracles Happen" book as it was developed by WSO,
Inc. to offset the expense of purchasing the items. This was not a WSC decision,
but we (through our donations) paid for it and the delegates then voted to
produce a revised history book shortly thereafter. The rhetoric of the staff,
many did not realize I had been there in the past, was the same reiteration of
global vision with an emphasis on translations and groups outside the U.S. that
I had heard on my initial visit. I found it interesting that much of the staff
had been removed from regular duties to assist with the recent conference. I
believe that answering inmate mail or sending out starter kits would have been a
higher purpose for these special workers. But they were pulled to the WSC to
"train on how to run a WSC event" (the tour guide's description)
.
I did meet an old friend in the hall and questioned as to what his job was now.
His response was that NAWS had been "proactive" with the changes
adopted at the recent conference and as a result his responsibilities had
expanded. The "proactive" statement concerns me, as the implication
was that changes had been implemented prior to approval, or direction, from the
WSC. This mind-set reminds me of what I witnessed years ago and confirms that
the conscience of my home group is a moot point in regards to the business
matters of service bodies. Unfortunately many of the service body meetings I
have attended in recent years reaffirmed that most committees serve themselves
first and the groups are a secondary concern. The primary purpose of the groups,
when looking at the actions of many committees, seems to be to provide funds for
the service committees to spend.
Did you know that anyone could now make a NAWS donation online? There is a
direct link on the NAWS homepage for donations. Another current news item is
that the I.P. on "self-support" is on the work schedule to be revised.
I guess we never can have enough literature about fund flow.
Conventions
I can remember when only regions held conventions, they were few and far between
and this helped to make it an extra-special event. Currently many ASC's choose
to hold their own conventions and the competition for the addicts dollar
continues to grow, just look at all of the area conventions listed in the
current NA Way. I have actually sat in committee meetings where the capability
to generate funds from an event was the focus and justification of an event,
rather than the ability to help the still suffering addict. Yet, many of the
still suffering cannot even afford to attend the events we present in their
name. The more I look around at our fellowship today, the more I realize we have
lost our focus and are severely distracted by money, property and prestige.
These were the very things that our predecessors spoke of and held true to the
12 Traditions to avoid. At several of our local service committee's the focus
seems to be on group donations and fund-flow rather than assisting groups to
better carry the message. All of this serves to motivate me to continue to share
of our history with any all whom will listen. My hope in sharing NA history is
that we will not have to repeat errors made in the past. NA cannot follow a
corporate model and stay spiritual.
Kermit O.
Virginia
persons have visited this page since June 15, 2007
Reprinted from the
N.A. FELLOWSHIP USE ONLY
Copyright � December 1998
Victor Hugo Sewell, Jr.
N.A. Foundation Group
1516 B Live Oak Drive
Tallahassee, Florida 32301
[email protected]
All rights reserved. This draft may be copied by members of Narcotics Anonymous for the purpose of writing input for future drafts, enhancing the recovery of NA members and for the general welfare of the Narcotics Anonymous Fellowship as a whole. The use of an individual name is simply a registration requirement of the Library of Congress and not a departure from the spirit or letter of the Pledge, Preface or Introduction of this book. Any reproduction by individuals or organizations outside the Fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous is prohibited. Any reproduction of this document for personal or corporate monetary gain is prohibited.