NA World Convention, Day 2

It is 12:36 a.m. San Antonio time and I want a candy bar. There is not one vending machine in this hotel. My personal opinion is that WSO should not patronize hotels without vending machines. What is a self-respecting addict to do who needs an M&M fix at almost 1 a.m. and can't get one without getting dressed and walking three long dark blocks to do? This is just not right.

Tonight I hit the marathon meetings, which were, well, dramatic to say the least. Although our Fellowship is at last count (2006) 45 percent female, it's mainly the men that talk in many meetings. I usually get my two cents worth in to tell women they can't save their a-- and their face at the same time, and that it's their meeting too, but we had a bunch of preachers at the meetings who thought they were attending On and On Anon instead of NA and well, that's how the marathon meetings are going at this point. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

However, I digress. I went to a few workshops today; one on public information and carrying the message to the medical community, which was great. There is a new small folder available we can use in PI for the professional community, parole officers, doctors, etc., that allows us to spread the real message of NA. You know, not the "There's no clean time there," and we're all "low bottom. Did you know that only 3 percent of addicts in the US are on the street drug users (a statistic one doctor-addict gave today), the rest get dressed and go to work each day. Maybe that's where we need to carry the message?

The membership survey that the Fellowship put out and is part of this packet shows another statistic: 40 percent of NA members who responded to the survey attend other Fellowships. That that, NA "purists," with your t-shirts and hats and bad attitudes.

Meg is ready to go to sleep, so this rant must end soon. I am having fun, seeing some old friends and making a new one or two. Tomorrow, if I remember, I'll tell you about the other workshop I went to: "Who's left out of our meetings." Here's the tease: It broke down to age and culture. Until tomorrow, don't get loaded. There is a whole life out there to look forward to, I promise.