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.
Few of us came to our first Narcotics Anonymous meeting aching to take a personal inventory or believing that a spiritual void existed in our souls. We had no inkling that we were about to embark on a journey which would awaken our sleeping spirits.
Like a loud alarm clock, the First Step brings us to semi-consciousness--although at this point, we may not be sure whether we want to climb out of bed or maybe sleep for just five more minutes. The gentle hand shaking our shoulders as we apply the Second and Third Steps causes us to stand up, stretch, and yawn. We need to wipe the sleep from our eyes to write the Fourth Step and share our Fifth. But as we work the Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Steps, we begin noticing a spring in our step and the start of a smile on our lips. Our spirits sing in the shower as we take the Tenth and Eleventh Steps. And then we practice the Twelfth, leaving the house in search of others to awaken.
We don't have to spend the rest of our lives in a spiritual coma. We may not like to get up in the morning but, once out of bed, we're almost always glad we did.
We rarely forget the pain of using drugs and the havoc it caused. However, our memories can be a lot shorter about the pain and havoc we've caused ourselves and others by acting out in other ways. Being overly controlling in meetings and overly sensitive at work. Perfectionism. Keeping secrets. Getting in fights. That trifecta of lying-cheating-stealing. Defensiveness! Witnessing such conduct in our fellow recovering addicts--and the pain it causes--often makes us bonkers, but who are we really judging?
"You spot it, you got it," a fellow wryly points out. Oh, right. It's us.
Remembering this simple statement about how judging another is frequently rooted in discomfort with our own behavior hopefully will curb our negativity and instead awaken our compassion. Being able to find compassion for others who are acting out on their defects, especially when we have those same flaws, demonstrates considerable growth. This is the intersection between humility and compassion. We know firsthand that such behavior is the result of pain, not just the cause of it. As we develop spiritually, we begin with forgiveness--for ourselves as well as for others--which gives way to empathy. We can then be more loving and accepting. We can be helpful. Whether it's observing an addict on the street doing what addicts do to get another, a member relapsing over and over, or an experienced member stomping out of a business meeting, we can draw on our own experience and find compassion.
Our journey of self-discovery deepens when we realize the reciprocity between having compassion for ourselves and receiving the compassion of others and then giving it away.
