The Bay Cities Area of Narcotics Anonymous serves as a vital resource for individuals and families affected by addiction throughout the coastal South Bay region of Los Angeles County. By coordinating local NA groups, maintaining accurate meeting information, and supporting area-wide service efforts, the Bay Cities Area helps ensure that anyone seeking recovery can easily find help. The area supports meetings in these communities Carson, Gardena, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Long Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, San Pedro, Signal Hill, Torrance, Torrrance, Wilmington, strengthening connections between members, promoting unity, and fostering a safe, consistent message of recovery for the broader community.
Many of us feel that without NA we would surely have died from our disease. Hence, its existence is our very lifeline. However, disunity is an occasional fact of life in Narcotics Anonymous; we must learn to respond in a constructive way to the destructive influences that sometimes arise in our fellowship. If we decide to be part of the solution instead of the problem, we are headed in the right direction.
Our personal recovery and the growth of NA is contingent upon maintaining an atmosphere of recovery in our meetings. Are we willing to help our group deal constructively with conflict? As group members, do we strive to work out difficulties openly, honestly, and fairly? Do we seek to promote the common welfare of all our members rather than our own agenda? And, as trusted servants, do we take into consideration the effect our actions might have on newcomers?
Service can bring out both the best and the worst in us. But it is often through service that we begin to get in touch with some of our more pressing defects of character. Do we shrink from service commitments rather than face what we might find out about ourselves? If we bear in mind the strength of the ties that bind us together--our recovery from active addiction--all will be well.
"It's like I had blinders on, dark sunglasses, and earplugs, too--oh, and tape over my mouth!" a member shared. "My view of life was so cloudy, dark, and narrow. And secretive. No information got in, and none came out."
"Same with me," another member responded, "except for the tape. I had no qualms about opening my mouth and telling you whose fault everything was--and what your problems were, too!"
Before getting clean, we believed that no one else could understand our unique struggles and situations. Our poor coping and communication skills often secured our role as being woefully misunderstood members of our community. We judged others--sometimes internally, sometimes verbally, but always harshly--and we perceived that we too were harshly judged.
Opening up our hearts to other members' struggles--and being vulnerable about our own--helps us heal the wounds we carried with us into the rooms of NA. When we become willing to have an honest dialogue about our ideas and hear other perspectives, we expand our self-awareness and can benefit more from the wisdom and experience of others. Allowing ourselves to be present creates an environment of mutual understanding and respect.
"Situations that once meant nothing to me now have deeper meaning," the first member said. "My understanding of something greater than myself continues to evolve. My outlook on life is way more expansive."
"Yeah, NA has opened my mind in ways I never could have imagined," said the other. "And sometimes I even keep my mouth shut."
Feeling loved--and understood--changes us.
