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 12, 2025 |
Fear Of Change |
| Page 362 |
| "By working the steps, we come to accept a Higher Power's will.... We lose our fear of the unknown. We are set free." |
| Basic Text, p. 16 |
| Life is a series of changes, both large and small. Although we may know and accept this fact intellectually, chances are that our initial emotional reaction to change is fear. For some reason, we assume that each and every change is going to hurt, causing us to be miserable. If we look back on the changes that have happened in our lives, we'll find that most of them have been for the best. We were probably very frightened at the prospect of life without drugs, yet it's the best thing that's ever happened to us. Perhaps we've lost a job that we thought we'd die without, but later on we found greater challenge and personal fulfillment in a new career. As we venture forth in our recovery, we're likely to experience more changes. We will outgrow old situations and become ready for new ones. With all sorts of changes taking place, it's only natural to grab hold of something, anything familiar and try to hold on. Solace can be found in a Power greater than ourselves. The more we allow changes to happen at the direction of our Higher Power, the more we'll trust that those changes are for the best. Faith will replace fear, and we'll know in our hearts that all will be well. |
| Just for Today: When I am afraid of a change in my life, I will take comfort from knowing that God's will for me is good. |
| Copyright (c) 2007-2025, NA World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved |
December 12, 2025 |
Principles and Purpose Are Portable |
| Page 358 |
| "Being able to focus on a primary purpose and work creatively toward it is so much part of our way of life that we may not realize how valued that is in the world at large." |
| Living Clean, Chapter 5, "Bridging Two Worlds: Relationships Outside NA" |
| The idea that what we learn in recovery applies outside NA is not revolutionary or even surprising. There is plenty to be said about how the things we do in NA--our tools, our principles, our primary orientation toward helping others--transfer easily to other contexts and is often appreciated. We have Steps that guide us, in essence, to clear the way so we can be of service to others. The principles within the Traditions challenge us to work with integrity, goodwill, and discernment in groups and within structures. Convening around a primary purpose helps us to stay oriented and in alignment with each other. The concept of "principles before personalities" guides us through conflict when it inevitably arises. Each of us learns these transferable skills, embodying qualities that can support many different types of structures: a family, a business, a community or faith organization, even a one-on-one relationship, romantic or otherwise. Our value as members of NA extends to our value outside. Being oriented toward generosity, kindness, responsibility, perseverance, and, of course, gratitude in all our affairs enriches our lives and touches others' lives. Some people outside NA may know we're recovering from addiction, but others do not. Either way, what they often see is a person who is able to act with love rather than fear, can handle adversity, and is willing to help others when tragedy strikes. As great as the above description sounds--and as true as it often is--none of this is possible without actually practicing the principles of NA and using the tools of our program. As we often declare in meetings, "It works if you work it." But it doesn't when we don't. Working the Steps and Traditions helps prepare us to serve beyond NA. And we know that when we make mistakes, in NA and outside of it, we always have each other's experience, strength, and hope to rely on to help us get back on course. |
| How am I applying what I've been learning in NA to other parts of my life, and what can I do today to further that purpose? |
| 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
