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Atmosphere of recovery Many of us may have heard the phrase, “Atmosphere of Recovery,” over the last several months and some of us have wondered exactly what it means. “What does atmosphere have to do with recovery?!” we pondered. If we consider atmosphere as the “air we breathe in our groups” we can look around and see if our groups have a loving, welcoming recovery atmosphere. We then may ask ourselves, “How do we create and maintain an atmosphere of recovery? What actions do members need to take to provide the love, warmth and safety so essential to a recovery environment in our groups?” As we may expect, it takes more than “desire.” If each of us is willing to take a step back and look at our group environment like someone who is attending a meeting for the first time, perhaps we will understand what creates an atmosphere of recovery. So, in the position of observer, what will we see? As we approach the meeting entrance, will we see addicts standing outside the group who appear welcoming? Is there a member or two at the front door to welcome everyone to the meeting – whether they are addicts or visitors? Will we see those new to the group introduced to members and offered informational pamphlets and a meeting schedule?
As we approach the meeting entrance, will we see addicts standing outside the group who appear welcoming? Is there a member or two at the front door to welcome everyone to the meeting – whether they are addicts or visitors? Will we see those new to the group introduced to members and offered informational pamphlets and a meeting schedule? Often, we see groups of addicts talking outside, laughing and having fun, enjoying their recovery and friendships. This is one of the benefits of recovery and something that may be attractive to the newcomer, but sometimes we can get carried away with this activity and not even notice who is walking toward the group. At times, do addicts seem more consumed with their socializing than with actively carrying the message of recovery? At the entrance to the meeting facility, we may see an addict give a hug, say “Welcome,” and return immediately to their conversation with a friend. Do we think the addict who was hugged honestly felt welcomed and will have a desire to come back? Once inside the meeting room, do we see another kind of camaraderie—addicts working together to set up the meeting, laughing together, and also welcoming those sitting alone? As we extend this welcoming hand, are we mindful and respectful of the new members’ personal space? Then again, we might see members who have chosen to remain outside the meeting room until the group readings have been read. These members then shuffle into the meeting, still murmuring to each other, bumping into chairs and creating a distraction. These addicts appear to be totally oblivious to the disruptive wave they send through the meeting. Does this sound familiar? Has any group experienced the “loud late comers” or the “constant chatterers” during group readings or sharing? Is this behavior addressed by group members or does the group simply ignore such behavior, hoping it will just go away? How many of us have stopped going to certain meetings because the atmosphere was disruptive, the meeting started late, and the group’s members appeared to “clique up”? The sentiments expressed above were passed along to the World Board from members throughout the fellowship. If groups take time to answer some of these questions during their group business meetings, they probably will see whether their group atmosphere fosters recovery or drives people away. Taking corrective actions to create a loving, accepting atmosphere for recovery is relatively simple. Maintaining the atmosphere seems to be the challenge and opportunity for many groups. To maintain a recovery atmosphere, group members need to accept the responsibility that comes with group membership. Even though we are members of NA when we say we are, belonging to a group is like making an investment in recovery. How often have we heard members refer to meetings and NA as “coming home”? Most homes need ongoing maintenance and a loving atmosphere. Chaos, clutter, and a leaky roof do not provide for an inviting and welcoming home. Group members may want to take time during their business meeting to discuss all aspects of their meeting atmosphere. Does the meeting have qualities of a “home” atmosphere? How do we welcome newcomers and help them feel comfortable? What do we do to welcome visitors? How about the addict who is not a newcomer to NA but is new to our meeting? Has the meeting’s attendance grown or shrunk? Do our members display respectful attitudes toward everyone at the meeting? And, what are group members willing to do if addicts become disruptive and rude? We need to remember that “recovery” is an action word and that we can keep what we have only with vigilance. The recovery atmosphere can often be enhanced with a well-structured meeting format and a meeting that starts and ends on time. Groups that thoughtfully and carefully choose trusted servants and help newer trusted servants learn how to serve, say, as a leader or chairperson, tend to maintain their atmosphere of recovery. These groups have members who lead by example who “walk what they talk.” Their actions demonstrate that they value their recovery and desire to keep their group thriving. These may be the members who offer that welcoming smile and knowing nod as newcomers share. Or they may be the ones who stay after the meeting and invite new attendees out for coffee. There are many ways to start building a recovery atmosphere. We simply need to be willing to start. It is members who create and maintain the atmosphere of recovery within our groups. Each of us has been given the gift of recovery and we can demonstrate our gratitude by reaching out to every person who walks into an NA meeting. As one newcomer said to a member who gave him a smile and hug, “It’s been a long time since anyone offered me a hug.”
We need your help! The last World Service Conference passed a motion to replace “some or all” of the personal stories in the Basic Text and we need your help to gather recovery experience that paints a picture of our fellowship today. Besides writing and submitting your own recovery experience, you can help by spreading the word. Encourage fellow members to participate—tell them NA needs them. Distributing copies of the solicitation is an easy way to spread the word. It’s online at http://www.na.org/conference/bt in English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish, and soon in Russian. You can also help members polish their writing, offer to type a member’s experience, interview members and write their story for them or help a member translate their experience. Some NA communities are organizing a group writing workshop to gather experience together.
Many more ideas and complete information on the project are
available at
You can contact us by email at
or
by mail at You could help gather a submission that may save someone’s life. You can help make history. So, what’s in it for me? I have heard this question more than a few times, and I would like to share my thoughts about it: Given the problems seen and heard about in NA service, especially at the world level, what exactly does NA World Services do for members and members’ home groups? For service work in general, it is true that structure, personalities, and outdated policies can seem like obstacles to our recovery at times. And, to be sure, everyone is human, and we all have our own ups and downs. What I find so interesting is that some people’s perception of the problems in world services often fits a generalized, predetermined bias against world services. It is also interesting that the entire service history at the world level has often been lost or obscured for many of our members, and thus many issues can easily be perceived to fit neatly into an anti-world-services position. I believe this is true of many issues where members do not have the information to form a balanced opinion about NAWS. I do not fault them; I am only saying that the details, inner workings, and history of many aspects of NA World Services are neither known nor available to most of our membership. Therefore, it is easy for an NA member to form opinions about NAWS based on localized perceptions and the views of some of the more vocal naysayers. It is not practical for average members to go investigate rumors about world services or to participate in world service events and activities so they can get an “inside” perspective, and that truly saddens me. It is one of the reasons for establishing the worldwide workshops, which have achieved some success, but the functioning of the workshops is severely limited by available funds and personnel. I am most touched by comments about NAWS and the World Service Conference not doing anything that affects the home groups or members. I have heard this for years from many, many members, and so have all the trusted servants and special workers. My own observation is that trusted servants and special workers are almost always dedicated to service and to helping NA groups and committees carry the message of recovery to addicts. These trusted servants and special workers believe the work they do contributes to this goal in a very meaningful way. Their work could, indeed, affect your own home group, and I would like to pause and reflect on how this work affects the groups. The great majority of time and financial resources in world services are spent on the fellowship’s primary service center (WSO) and the WSC in one way or another. As a result, the fellowship’s literature is produced, legally protected, and distributed; NA’s worldwide public information efforts are monitored and improved; addicts in institutions receive free literature on request; more than $200,000 of free literature is given away each year; new NA groups and service committees are served every single day; information about NA is provided to professionals and the general public; and, last but not least, the ever-growing need for translated recovery literature is met better than ever before. You see, I hold this work dear to my heart, because it helps individual addicts find NA recovery in more and more countries around the world every year. And when addicts find recovery, they must and do help other addicts find it through their own NA group and its meeting(s). I believe it is critically important for all of us to recognize the fact that the group I am speaking of here could be yours or mine on any given day! When an addict in Denver or Vancouver or Germany or Ecuador or Italy or Chile or Sweden or wherever needs help, and he or she finds an NA group, it is safe to say that, more often than not, NA World Services had a part in helping that NA group provide the NA literature that could help the addict who needs it. My sincere hope is that you, too, can look beyond the perception of world services in your NA community and find some optimism about NA World Services. Steve S, Colorado, USA
When I wrote about change in my “Letter from the Editor” in the January 2005 issue, little did I know how much my life would change in a matter of weeks. Then again, that is what I have learned by staying clean in Narcotics Anonymous. Well, actually, I learned to keep myself open for change. And, lo and behold, that is exactly what happened. An opportunity to move on to another exciting job in another city has entered my life. I gave this opportunity a lot of thought, talked it over with my sponsor, hammered out details of the move with my partner—since his life would be affected, too—and decided to go for it. Composing this issue of the magazine is especially bittersweet for me, as it will be my last. Because it will be the last one I work on, I want to share freely with you some of the lessons I have learned during my tenure as editor of our fellowship’s magazine. I have learned about the tenacity of the human spirit. Many of the experiences I read from you broke my heart, and yet, by the end of your sharing, I felt such hope as I marveled at your courage. Reading about how you stayed clean through some of life’s most awful whims strengthened my resolve to stay clean one more day. I came face-to-face with the fragility of life and the determination of the human soul. These experiences gave me something to hold onto as I, too, went through my own grief and loss. At the risk of sounding cliché, it was humbling. But there was also much joy shared, and in that joy I learned about the celebration of life. We are here on earth for but the blink of an eye, and as recovering addicts we have been given another chance to enjoy that life. So many of you shared the joys of life reborn, mended families, and fulfilled dreams. You fearlessly exposed your weaknesses and the acceptance you learned from our beautiful program. You continued to put one foot in front of the other, staying clean no matter what, making me even more proud to be a member of NA. It has been an honor and privilege to serve as editor of our magazine. It has been one of the most fulfilling jobs I have ever had—and believe me, I have had quite a few over the years! I will miss reading all of your thoughts, but I have so many precious memories to hold near to my heart. Thank you for giving so much of yourselves. I feel it has made me a better person who can be more tolerant, more forgiving, and less judgmental. Thank you for taking the time to put something down on paper and sending it in. The NA Way Magazine is a team effort, and we could not do it without you. I hope you continue to send in your letters and articles. I hope you will welcome and support the incoming editor, De J. I am sure she will be as excited as I was to have this opportunity to serve you. I hope you all continue to find whatever it is you need to stay clean and follow your dreams. I know we say this all the time at meetings, but you have no idea how real it is to me and the special meaning it holds, especially now, so with all my heart I say, “Thank you for sharing.” Nancy S, Editor |
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