Pre-registration for FSRCNA XXXI “Keys to Freedom” is open!
FREESTATE REGIONAL CONVENTION XXXI “KEYS TO FREEDOM!” NOVEMBER 28 – 30, 2025Hyatt-Regency Inner Harbor300 Light Street | Baltimore, Maryland ALL
Welcome to the Northwest Area of Narcotics Anonymous! We are a community of individuals who have come together to support one another in our journey of recovery from addiction. Our doors are open to anyone seeking a safe and supportive environment to begin or continue their path of recovery. We invite you to explore our website and learn more about the resources and events we offer. Together, we can overcome the challenges of addiction and find the strength to live a fulfilling, drug-free life.
When at the end of the road we find that we can no longer function as a human being, either with or without drugs, we all face the same dilemma. What is there left to do? There seems to be this alternative: either go on as best we can to the bitter ends—jails, institutions, or death—or find a new way to live. In years gone by, very few addicts ever had this last choice. Those who are addicted today are more fortunate. For the first time in man’s entire history, a simple way has been proving itself in the lives of many addicts. It is available to us all. This is a simple spiritual—not religious—program, known as Narcotics Anonymous.
Narcotics Anonymous (N.A.) is a nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. We are recovering addicts who meet regularly to help each other stay clean. This is a program of complete abstinence from all drugs. There is only one requirement for membership, the desire to stop using. We suggest that you keep an open mind and give yourself a break. Our program is a set of principles written so simply that we can follow them in our daily lives. The most important thing about them is that they work. We have learned from our group experience that those who keep coming to our meetings regularly stay clean.
December 09, 2025 |
Listening |
| Page 359 |
| "This ability to listen is a gift and grows as we grow spiritually life takes on a new meaning when we open ourselves to this gift." |
| Basic Text, p. 107 |
| Have you ever watched two small children carry on a conversation? One will be talking about purple dragons while the other carries on about the discomfort caused by having sand in one's shoes. We sometimes encounter the same communication problems as we learn to listen to others. We may struggle through meetings, trying desperately to hear the person sharing while our minds are busy planning what we will say when it's our turn to speak. In conversation, we may suddenly realize that our answers have nothing to do with the questions we're being asked. They are, instead, speeches prepared while in the grip of our self-obsession. Learning how to listen--really listen--is a difficult task, but one that's not beyond our reach. We might begin by acknowledging in our replies what our conversational partner is saying. We might ask if there is anything we can do to help when someone expresses a problem. With a little practice, we can find greater freedom from self-obsession and closer contact with the people in our lives. |
| Just for Today: I will quiet my own thoughts and listen to what someone else is saying. |
| Copyright (c) 2007-2025, NA World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved |
December 09, 2025 |
If It's Not Practical, It's Not Spiritual |
| Page 355 |
| "Our part . . . is to do the very best we can each day, showing up for life and doing what's put in front of us. We promise to do the best we can--not to fake it, not to pretend to be superhuman, but simply to do the footwork of recovery." |
| Just for Today, "The recovery partnership," February 18 |
| "If it's not practical, it's not spiritual." Many of us have heard this before, but what does this mean exactly? For starters, we can focus on living just for today as a practical matter. Instead of dwelling on regrets about the past and fears of what's ahead, we focus on what's right in front of us. As one member put it, "I concentrate on this day, and it frees me up to participate in my own life and recovery." We may plot our days in a particular direction, but we trust a loving power greater than ourselves with the outcome. Another member shared this strategy: "I ask myself, 'Where are my feet?' And then proceed to move one of them in front of the other." We do our best. (How's that for practical?!) We follow through on what we can handle in the here and now, and shake off the impulse to achieve perfection. We learn our limits and work within them. Satisfaction comes from putting forth our best effort, even when we fall short of our goals. "To quiet my inner critic, I often need to reassure myself that I've done my best," one member shared. Another added: "When I feel good about what I'm doing, it's easier to dismiss other people's opinions of me." Staying grounded with some practical, daily footwork improves our lives. "I learned everything I need to know about how to stay clean in my first 30 days around here. You people told me, 'Go to lots of meetings and don't take anything in between.' It sounded simple enough. 'If you don't pick up, you can't get high.' I thought these people were geniuses. 'Read the book. Get a sponsor. Work the Steps.' I followed this advice in the beginning, and it kept me clean. I follow this advice now because it keeps me in the solution." |
| I will do my best today. I will do the footwork and accept that it's enough and that I'm enough. |
| Copyright (c) 2007-2025, NA World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved |
FREESTATE REGIONAL CONVENTION XXXI “KEYS TO FREEDOM!” NOVEMBER 28 – 30, 2025Hyatt-Regency Inner Harbor300 Light Street | Baltimore, Maryland ALL
Join us Saturday, November 1, 2025 at 7pm as Northwest Area Special Events hosts a free event! Please bring a
