SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
"Helping others is perhaps the highest aspiration of the human heart."
— It Works: How and Why, Step Twelve, page 121
One of the many priviledges of recovery is the opportunity to give back what
has been so freely given to us. We offer ourselves in service because
doing so helps us to stay clean and to improve the quality of our recovery.
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to write about service in general or about any specific service position.
| return to home page Jump to specific sections by clicking on the links below: • Individual Service • Group Service • Area Service • Regional Service • World Service Individual Service Our Basic Text tells us that "the therapeutic value of one addict helping another is without parallel." Sponsorship, friendship, honest one-to-one sharing ... any type of contact that we have with other addicts is an opportunity to be of service. Many of us remember how a recovering addict reached out to us when we were new and helped to make us feel welcome. The first time someone remembered our name helped us to feel like we mattered to another person. By seeing that others cared about us, many of us learned to care about ourselves. When we treat other recovering addicts with care and respect, we are practicing the spiritual principle of love. As we increase our capacity for love, we feel better about ourselves and the people and world around us. The best way to learn more about individual service is to spend time with other recovering addicts and practice giving and receiving care and respect. Talking to other NA members about individual service is another way to raise our own awareness. return to top of page return to home page Group Service The NA group is the heartbeat of recovery. The group provides us with a safe place to meet and discuss recovery with other addicts. Together, we can do what we cannot do alone. Many NA groups elect a chairperson, treasurer and secretary who help to make sure the meeting runs smoothly. Most NA groups elect a group service representative (GSR) who serves as that group's voice and ears among other groups in the area (see Area Service). Some NA members serve their home group by making coffee, cleaning up after the meeting or greeting new members. Another way to support the NA group is to regularly attend business meetings and contribute to the group conscience discussions. Many members have found it extremely helpful to chose a "homegroup," a group to which they make a committment. Many of us have found that we get from a group whatever we are willing to give to a group. To find out more about group service, we recommend that you attend a group business meeting and ask for information. return to top of page return to home page Area Service The Palm Coast Area Service Committee (ASC) offers services that individual NA groups would not be able to sustain individually. Helplines, public information projects, activities, conventions, spiritual retreats, meetings for hospitals and institutions and websites are examples of ways in which an ASC and its subcommittees can help to carry the NA message to the community as a whole. The ASC also provides a supportive forum in which groups can share their experience, strength and hope with other groups. A great deal of work happens at the area level. There are opportunities for any interested addict to share in this wonderful experience. We suggest that interested NA members attend an ASC meeting or ask their group service representative for more information. return to top of page return to home page Regional Service The Regional Service Committee (RSC) is where areas gather to provide services on a wider scale and to maintain contact with other nearby areas. Palm Coast Area is one of 17 member areas of the Florida Region of NA. The Florida RSC has formed a variety of subcommittees to address issues on a regional level. The Florida Regional Service Office maintains a supply of literature and NA recovery-related products which groups, members and the general public can purchase. For more information about the Florida Region, we suggest you visit our regional website or speak with other NA members who have experience with regional service. return to top of page return to home page World Service NA World Services (NAWS) addresses the worldwide fellowship's goals and needs as determined by its member regions. Currently NAWS is entrusted with the responsibility of publishing and translating our recovery literature and other publications, responding to requests for assistance from its member regions, areas and groups, presenting a bi-annual world convention to celebrate recovery and much more. The NAWS Human Resource Panel is currently developing a World Pool which will help to identify NA members with specific areas of expertise that may be useful for future projects. NA members with five years or more clean are invited to submit a World Pool resume. To learn more about the services offered by NAWS and opportunities to be of service at the world level, visit the NAWS website or speak to NA members with experience in this area. return to top of page |
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