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Primary Purpose “There
are many ways of doing things in Narcotics Anonymous. And just as
all of us have our own individual personalities, so will your group
develop its own identity, its own way of doing things, and its own
special knack for carrying the NA message. That’s the way it should
be. In NA we encourage unity, not uniformity.”
The Group
Booklet, p. 1
This is a column for you, about you, and by you. We invite you to
share any challenges
your group may have faced, how your group reached a solution, or its
“special
knack” that keeps you coming back!
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NA in Venezuela
It
was on Monday, 27 January 1992, when NA formally initiated
its activities in Venezuela. The first group was opened in
the city of Caracas, and it was named “Grupo Ave Fenix”
(Phoenix), located in the area known as Urbanization Chacao.
This group is still active today. At the time, we only had
one Basic Text in English and several photocopies of some of
NA’s IPs and booklets, in both English and Spanish. However,
there was a lot of hope and faith, and that is what has kept
NA alive since then.
In
1992, two more NA groups opened in Caracas. Then more groups
were started in different sections of the city and its
surrounding areas. Others sprang up in other zones of
Venezuela, such as Maracay, Valencia, Barquisimeto, Acariqua,
Maracaibo, San Cristóbal, Puerto Ordaz, and San Felix. Many
of these groups still meet regularly, while others, for one
reason or another, have stopped meeting and have closed
their doors.
In
the beginning it was hard, and growth was slow. Neither the
community nor Venezuela as a whole knew anything about us,
and they mostly ignored us. Finding meeting places was not
an easy task. There were times when we were not allowed to
utilize the restrooms of the rooms we were renting to hold
our NA meetings. We had a severe stigma as drug addicts, in
spite of the fact that we were trying to recover, and some
people believed that we could be transmitters of contagious
diseases. However, we overcame many of these difficulties,
and many of these places continue to rent to us their rooms,
allowing us the possibility of presently having several NA
groups. We maintain very good relationships with these
places in every respect. |
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In
2001, the Regional Service Committee of Narcotics Anonymous
in Venezuela was first formed, thanks to the unconditional
help that we received from members in our region and in
other regions in Latin America. Help also came from around
the world, from the World Board, and from NAWS staff.
Presently we have two service offices, one operated by the
Metropolitan Area Service Committee of Caracas and another
coordinated by the Regional Service Committee of Venezuela.
In these offices, we keep our area and regional literature
inventories. Both offices are fully equipped and
computerized, and both have telephone lines with their
respective answering machines. The offices are managed by
volunteer trusted servants who are responsible, amongst
other things, for managing the financial resources and
banking accounts of the fellowship, the postal box, and area
and regional PI and H&I service efforts. These facilities
are the main offices of NA in Venezuela.
From the early days of NA in our country, we have had many
experiences carrying the NA message to penitentiaries,
psychiatric institutions, treatment centers, community
groups, and medical, professional, religious, and civic
organizations. We have had similar situations in public
information, trying to carry the NA message in the best
possible way to the community and to society as a whole
through the media (newspapers, radio, and TV). Our objective
has been to fulfill our primary purpose as a fellowship,
which is to carry the NA message of recovery from addiction.
In
our region we have organized many events and special
activities such as picnics, dances, regional meetings,
workshops, learning days, regional service assemblies, and
two regional NA conventions. All of these activities have
helped us to continue growing as a fellowship. The next NA
regional convention of Venezuela will take place in the city
of Caracas in the state of Miranda in November 2005.
Through the years, we have helped in the translation of NA
books like Just for Today and The NA Step Working
Guides from English to Spanish. We have updated and
adapted several service manuals we received from other
regions.
At
the NA World Service Conference in May 2004, after several
years of communications with our region, the World Board
recommended conference seating for the Region of Venezuela.
This gave us the opportunity to have a voice in this event,
where regional delegates from around the world meet every
two years. This means that the Region of Venezuela will have
a seated delegate during the next WSC in 2006.
As
of September 2004, we had thirty NA groups and 130 weekly
meetings in our region. There are nine H&I panels with
eleven weekly meetings. We have five area service
committees.
In
January of this year, we celebrated thirteen years of
carrying the NA message of recovery, love, and hope to the
addict who still suffers. In spite of the adversities and
difficulties we have encountered, we continue on the path of
recovery and service. The members, groups, and areas in our
region have gained strength—and we continue on to grow and
to show up, just for today and forever! NA works! Strength
to the group! Thank you, Higher Power!
Mauro H, Caracas, Venezuela |
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Is
atmosphere about paint colors?
When we
talk about atmosphere of recovery, some members refer to the
physical space of the meeting room, how it is organized, the color
of the paint on the wall, or whether it is a smoking or non-smoking
meeting. Others, like me, believe that it refers to the tone and
type of sharing, how the meeting is run, the fellowshipping, and the
integration of members into the group.
When I
first came in contact with NA in a small town, there were only two
members in the group; then there were five, but regularly there were
only two members who attended the meeting. Because of this, there
was almost no controversy. Things were done in a spiritual manner.
We tried to follow principles, and everyone was accepted, regardless
of whether they stayed or left.
Later, I
had to relocate to another area of the city. I began to attend a
group with a lot of conflict, and I started to experience a
different type of atmosphere. That atmosphere included addicts who
were using, addicts who came and went, hard-core group confrontation
(like group therapy), lack of credibility, and dishonesty. It was
also, to say the least, a cloudy atmosphere in that room, filled
with cigarette smoke. It was really hard to believe that this would
work for me, and I even thought about changing to a different group
because I felt it was more like a treatment center than an NA group.
On one
occasion, I met a member who was an old-timer in the area, and I
expressed to him my doubts about what was happening in this group.
He told me that he and some other members were attending a newer
group, and said that I could go there if I wanted to, but he also
suggested that I stay in my home group because I would probably
learn many things that would help me grow. He left me thinking on
how all these experiences help me in my recovery.
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I
still thought about not going to my group anymore because
everyone in the room smokes excessively, while I stopped
smoking when I was six months clean. I never feel well
physically at the end of the meeting.
To
my surprise, one day I arrived to my meeting and the group
conscience had determined to stop smoking in this group’s
meetings. I thought that maybe with time this small but
significant change would reflect on other aspects that for
me make up the atmosphere of recovery in my home group. I
believe we have to be willing to go through the growth
process that more-experienced NA members had talked to me
about. |
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Just for
today, I will continue attending my meetings regularly so that I can
experience the growth of the fellowship.
Joel O, Mexicali, Mexico
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