~ 2002 Form ~
CHAPTER ONE
(Moultrie Literature
Conference - March 24, 2001)
Moreland, Georgia Edit October 2001
The NA Society has existed since addicts first started to meet on a regular basis
and live the Steps within the spirit of the Traditions of NA (Narcotics Anonymous).
Personal service has always been provided by our members and this characterizes our
Society. We find our ‘trusted servants’ from within this Society. Our trusted
servants function within this Society in order to ensure that our needs as a Fellowship
are met. While the precept of our Society is inclusion for all, individuals always retain
the freedom to remove themselves. We carry the NA message of hope and recovery to all who
seek it.
We have functioned in the service structure beginning in the early seventies. Some parts
of the existing structure have worked well, while other areas have had major problems. No
single service structure can meet all of our needs. In the attempt to meet more of our
needs we should understand and pass on that service is not only fulfilled in the formal
sense, but in the informal sense as well. In addition, we don't have to agree on all
issues in order to serve in our society. As members of NA, we have the rights of
membership. These rights include receiving accurate information from all members of our
service structure and the right to question this information. We can attend all recovery
meetings regardless of our personal beliefs, background, or how we choose to express our
program. We can start a meeting. We have the right to carry the message of recovery
according to our own conscience. These rights are taken lightly or not well understood by
some but are somewhat exceptional as organizations go. Whether we are formally voted into
service or not, we can still be part of our service structure. Members who show up at
fund-raisers are an example of this non-structural, informal support. Any activities that
service committees undertake remain totally dependent on the support from the members of
the Fellowship. As members of the NA Society we are involved in
the voluntary service structure, never forgetting that we provide the energy and love that
is needed to make this work.
Since each of us contribute to, as well as draw from, our common resources, we each have a
definite personal interest in the growth and continuation of NA. We create a collective
and multifaceted approach to solutions that include structured and unstructured, formal
and informal networks of members who seek, distribute and discuss information. Many times
the informal and unstructured approaches can go far beyond what is possible within
structured approaches. The results of these efforts often find a greater availability and
increased usability of solutions within our Society. We work together to strengthen the
ties that bind us.
This NA Society also provides us with non-structural and informal forums in which we can
address ongoing interests, projects, and goals. We recognize that many of our members work
programs that place great emphasis on personal service. Personal service has always been
the first and last level of service that gives all other service it’s meaning. Many
of our members have
fulfilled their commitments and continue to support the service structure by their
participation, study, and general discussions with others who love and have a commitment
to NA. Obviously, this is the only place that we can find the ongoing accumulation of
knowledge and experience.
The force that gives The NA Society its validity is generated because we stay true to our
spiritual integrity. We stay true to this integrity by following the letter and spirit of
our Traditions. Violations of our integrity diminish this life-giving force. In fact, they
are immoral. Morality allows us to take action and to be acted upon without a sense of
violation of our personal spiritual directions. Morality and virtue simply mean living
within spiritual principles so that the energy we develop will build our strength rather
than steadily drain us.
It doesn’t always appear, however, that all of us live within the spiritual
principles of our Society. Fortunately, the natural tendency we have to involve ourselves
in things that personally interest us creates a foundation of members increasingly
experienced with the system needed to grow and flourish as a Fellowship. Information flows
along unusual paths within and throughout the Fellowship. We addicts have discovered
ingenious ways to find out what's happening and will always discover what we need to know
when we need to know it.
Naturally, there will always be the detractors who will, at times, appear to score
victories at the expense of the Fellowship. Detractors can be disruptive members trying to
shove their beliefs down everyone else's throats, they can be trusted servants abusing
their trust, or they can simply be us, being our own imperfect selves! The beauty is that
NA is a self-correcting program. Many of our members have felt emotional pain over some of
the ‘wrongs’ done in the name of service. These ‘wrongs’ can and do
damage our faith in one of our most valuable resources: our loving and devoted
‘trusted servants.’ But one of our strengths is the ability to use the pain for
gain. Pain forces us to reach deep inside and find the spiritual strength and guidance to
continue, relying on the Will of a loving God for the benefit of all addicts. We find that
when they keep coming back, disruptive members often become more aware of how their
actions affect others and correct themselves.
The petty games, bureaucratic manipulations, and betrayal of trust by the disruptive ones
are actions that will become apparent AND self-correcting over a period of time. The
'wrongs' are righted with the continual practice of gratitude, love, and dedication found
in the spiritual integrity of our Society. As Recovering members of the NA Society:
1) We work the Steps and practice the
Principles for our personal growth.
2) We practice the Traditions and rely on a
Higher Power for our common welfare.
3) We support the fellowship through sharing,
giving comfort and service.
This is what keeps our spiritual integrity intact so those who experience the pain of
betrayal will continue working towards positive solutions.
At times, our patience and restraint may be mistaken as a lack of resolution and the
energy needed to be effective. However, many of us have found that by patiently keeping
the faith and coming back, we create the space for the miracles of tomorrow. If we concede
that the troubles described above come from ignorance of spiritual principles, the remedy
must come from those of us who have learned to apply spiritual principles. Creating the
space for miracles and solutions is one of the main functions of our NA Society.
Periods of rapid growth create the need for us to find balance. Members of the NA
Fellowship must counterbalance the overwhelmed service committees. Their policies and
proclamations don’t always reflect our Fellowship as a whole. We will most likely
never find that perfect set of guidelines. When our service structure was formed, it was
beneficial to model it after the existing Fellowship of AA. Our service structure was
written and approved in the middle Seventies but it was based on a fellowship's guidelines
that didn't exactly fit us.
Nevertheless, we began the exciting and sometimes painful process of building our service
structure in 1976. Today, we have the opportunity to look back and inventory what has
worked and where we need improvement. It is the job of the Fellowship to envision and
continually improve our service structure.
Studying how our Society actually functions will reveal some useful answers. We encourage
each other to fully examine our Fellowship, our NA Society, and learn how it works, both
within the structured and the non-structured service systems. This will increase our
understanding and ability to serve others. Too often, the emphasis is placed on rigid
formalities taking the focus away from the needs of the addict seeking recovery. Strict
adherence to formal structured service not only ignores common sense, but also lends
itself to the development of open conflicts about loyalty, viewpoints, and levels of
understanding.
Helping others becomes an impossible task when we fight among ourselves. However, our
unity within NA Society with its principles of recovery holds us together when other bonds
seem to have been broken. Strange conflicts always emerge when egos override ideals and
personal power overrides principle. The ‘powerful’ may appear to be heavy handed
and obtuse in their apparent ignorance of what is really going on in NA. The
‘surrendered’ seem to be ineffective and at times illogical. The assortment of
members of the NA Society, includes volunteers, trusted servants, newcomers and old-timers
alike. They are the driving force of NA spiritual principles, the members creating the
space for the miracles of NA. They can be invisible to someone who has not yet learned how
to practice our spiritual principles. Service, as an extension of our personal will
portrays a different picture than does service as an extension of God's Will. God’s
Will is often invisible, working quietly and patiently in the background. God works
through us, ALL OF US. God is the guiding force of our NA Society.
"Over the years," an old-timer in our NA Society shared, "I've had to
re-learn a very basic truth about service. Service is not something that only takes place
in our various committee meetings or through our offices. ‘Service’ is not a
business and doesn't only take place in our ‘business meetings.’ Service happens
whenever the NA message of recovery is made available to the still-suffering addict. The
most that our structure was intended to be was a tool that we as groups and individuals
can use to
better carry the message of recovery. We are not required nor do we have any obligation to
use this tool. The service structure was never intended to be a ‘governing body’
of any type."
Service is everything from making coffee and talking to a newcomer, to serving on a
committee and holding an elected position. The joy of giving, inherent in spiritual
service, can be overlooked. Many newcomers are bewildered as to what this 'service' thing
is, especially in rural areas where there isn't a lot of formal structure. After our
prayers for a loving Ultimate Authority to take care of our lives, we can become channels
of our Higher Power consciously. It is not something that can be put into words. It is not
a service to get elected and feel better than your fellow members. If you come across
something they should know, your service is incomplete until you find a way to pass it on
to them. Holding on to information for personal power is an abuse of trust, not a service.
Although each of us strive for excellence in service, whether formal or informal, and may
exceed our own expectations at times, at other times we may fall short. When we look at
things this way, we understand that the entire 'serving our fellow addict' effort is
dependent upon keeping faith and respecting people's feelings. This way, they will respect
our feelings as well. This understanding places some rather clear guidelines on what
should happen within our Fellowship in service or in recovery meetings. Our experience
indicates that whenever we stray from our spiritual integrity, we all suffer. This
requires us to become adept at keeping our egos in check and working with others, who
sometimes have difficulty with ego, power and self-will. After all, creating the time and
space for the NA miracle to happen is the whole point of the service structure. We do not
get sick overnight and it takes years to become the people we really want to be. It takes
a lot of patience, tolerance and humility on the part of us all. This does not mean that
we should accept unacceptable behavior, only that we must try to be understanding and not
compromise our principles when confronting other's shortcomings. Sometimes our best
efforts are misunderstood. Sometimes, we misunderstand the efforts of others. In any
event, when people get out of hand in a recovery or service setting, we practice our
spiritual principles by asking God to show us how to react in order to soften the
harshness and disharmony.
Many ask, "What about unity when we’re questioning the service structure and the
motives of people in seeming power in NA?" Well, unity takes place when we, as
individuals and groups, base our service on the same primary purpose and use the Twelve
Traditions as our common map in so doing. This keeps us all headed in the same direction
toward the same goal that unites us in purpose It makes no difference whether we walk,
drive a car or truck, fly or hitchhike. It's only important that we keep moving in the
same direction and follow the rules (Traditions) ‘of the road.’ We must travel
together on this journey in order to get the message of hope for recovery to addicts who
might die from this disease.
Remember, we created the existing service structure and all of its different components
and have the freedom to choose whether or not to use it. We may choose not to use any of
it or to use any part of it that we feel is helpful to us in achieving our ‘primary
purpose.’ We may, at any time decide to create other tools for service, as long as
they are not negative to NA as a whole, and we don't need anyone's permission to do so. We
are limited only by our imagination and abilities. This is where the importance of our NA
Society is most visible. Each of us individually has our own gifts. Some of us write,
while others enjoy organizing functions such as dances, picnics and fund-raisers. Some
members relate well to those in jails and institutions while others enjoy working with the
public. Some of us feel comfortable in accepting responsibility on a grand scale such as
undertaking major projects while others feel more comfortable when they are chairing a
meeting or just making coffee.
It is our responsibility as individual members of this Society to discover and use our
gifts for the betterment of the Fellowship. Each member has their own unique position in
our NA Society. We individually have our own aptitudes, gifts, and ability to meet
responsibilities that we use in order to contribute to our ‘primary purpose.’
All we need to do is to free ourselves and each other so that we can follow the will of
our Higher Power and remain united in our efforts through the spiritual principals of the
Traditions. We need to remember that while there are many things we cannot do
individually, together we can do everything. We just need to do our part. Our leaders need
to remember that everyone is important and we each have an indispensable role in recovery.
No one is expendable. We have seen the worst of us grow into positive contributing
members. We have also seen the best of us go asunder. There is no point where the rules no
longer apply to any of us. Our society is made up of individuals in various stages of
recovery. By pulling together, practicing the principles, and working our Steps, we get to
see the miracles of recovery and life unfolding in our NA Society.
[1.12.02]
persons have visited this page since October 6, 2001
Reprinted from the
N.A. FELLOWSHIP USE ONLY
Copyright � December 1998
Victor Hugo Sewell, Jr.
N.A. Foundation Group
673 Park Drive - Atlanta, Georgia 30306
[email protected]
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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.
Last update December 18, 2002