BLACNA 6, NARCOTIC ANONYMOUS CONVENTION IN KODAGU

Madikeri January 29

Over three hundred fellowship members of Narcotic Anonymous from all over the country and also from western countries have gathered for a three day convention at Capitol Village near here.

The three day convention to celebrate freedom from Narcotics was organized by Bangalore chapter. The organizers who does not wish their names to be published have said that it is the sixth such convention they are organizing and hence they named it as “Blacna 6”, i.e Bangalore local area convention of Narcotic Anonymous. The convention began without any guest speakers or experts delivering long lectures. It will end on 31st.

The members who have come out of the dreaded drugs will explained their plights and the will with which they determined to come out. Soul stirring, inspiring talks from people from all walks of life and from all age group, between sixteen to sixty were herd with rapt attention.

The members follow strict disciplines like walking, prayer, exercise and entertainment during the conference

Development

Narcotics Anonymous sprang from the Alcoholics Anonymous Program of the late 1940s, with meetings first emerging in the Los Angeles area of California, USA, in the early 1950s. The NA program started as a small US movement that has grown into one of the world's oldest and largest organizations of its type. For many years, NA grew very slowly, spreading from Los Angeles to other major North American cities and Australia in the early 1970s. In 1983, Narcotics Anonymous published its self-titled book-the Basic Text-which contributed to its tremendous growth; by year's end, NA had grown to more than a dozen countries and had 2,966 meetings.

Today, Narcotics Anonymous is well established throughout much of the Americas, Western Europe, Australia, the Middle East, New Zealand, and Eastern Europe. Newly formed groups and NA communities can be found scattered throughout the Indian subcontinent, Africa, and East Asia. Today the organization is truly a worldwide multilingual, multicultural fellowship with more than 50,000 weekly meetings in 130 countries. Narcotics Anonymous books and information pamphlets are currently available in 36 languages, with translations in process for 16 languages. "NA is a nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. We ... meet regularly to help each other stay clean. ... We are not interested in what or how much you used ... but only in what you want to do about your problem and how we can help."

Membership is open to all drug addicts, regardless of the particular drug or combination of drugs used. When adapting AA's First Step, the word "addiction" was substituted for "alcohol," thus removing drug-specific language and reflecting the "disease concept" of addiction. Narcotics Anonymous provides a recovery process and peer support network that are linked together. One of the keys to NA's success is the therapeutic value of addicts working with other addicts. Members share their successes and challenges in overcoming active addiction and living drug-free, productive lives through the application of principles contained within the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of NA. These principles are the core of the Narcotics Anonymous recovery program. Narcotics Anonymous itself is a non-religious program of recovery; each member is encouraged to cultivate an individual understanding-religious or not-of the spiritual principles and apply these principles to everyday life.

There are no social, religious, economic, racial, ethnic, national, gender, or class-status membership restrictions. There are no dues or fees for membership; most members regularly contribute in meetings to help cover the expenses incurred for the rent of a facility space.

Narcotics Anonymous is not affiliated with other organizations, including other twelve step programs, treatment centers, or correctional facilities. As an organization, NA does not employ professional counselors or therapists, nor does it provide residential facilities or clinics. Additionally, the fellowship does not provide vocational, legal, financial, psychiatric, or medical services. NA has only one mission: to provide an environment in which addicts can help one another stop using drugs and find a new way to live.

In Narcotics Anonymous, members are encouraged to comply with complete abstinence from all drugs including alcohol. It has been the experience of NA members that complete and continuous abstinence provides the best foundation for recovery and personal growth. NA as a whole has no opinion on outside issues, including prescribed medications. Use of psychiatric medication and other medically indicated drugs prescribed by a physician and taken under medical supervision is not seen as compromising a person's recovery in NA. Service Organization

The primary service provided by Narcotics Anonymous is the NA group meeting. Each group runs itself based on principles common to the entire organization, which are expressed in NA literature.

Most groups rent space for their weekly meetings in buildings run by public, religious, or civic organizations. Individual members lead the NA meetings while other members participate by sharing about their experiences in recovering from drug addition. Group members also work together to perform the activities associated with running a meeting.

In a country where Narcotics Anonymous is a relatively new and emerging fellowship, the NA group is the only level of organization. In places where a number of Narcotics Anonymous groups have had the chance to develop and stabilize, groups elect representatives to form a local service committee. These local committees usually offer a number of services. Included among them are:

• distribution of NA literature;

• helpline information services;

• presentations for treatment and healthcare staff, civic organizations, government agencies, and schools;

• presentations to acquaint treatment or correctional facility clients with the NA program; and

• maintenance of NA meeting directories for NA members and for other interested people.

In some countries, especially the larger countries or those where Narcotics Anonymous is well established, a number of local/area committees come together to create regional committees. These regional committees handle services within their larger geographical boundaries while the local/area committees operate local services.

An international delegate assembly known as the World Service Conference provides guidance on issues affecting the entire organization. Primary among the priorities of NA World Services are activities that support emerging and developing NA communities and the translation of Narcotics Anonymous literature. For additional information, contact the Narcotics Anonymous World Services headquarters in Los Angeles, California. The mailing address, telephone number, fax number, and website address appear at the end of this pamphlet.

Organizational Philosophy

In order to maintain its focus, Narcotics Anonymous has established a tradition of non-endorsement and does not take positions on anything outside its own specific sphere of activity. Narcotics Anonymous does not express opinions-either pro or con-on civil, social, medical, legal, or religious issues. Additionally, it does not take stands on addiction-related issues such as criminality, law enforcement, drug legalization or penalties, prostitution, HIV/HCV infection, or syringe programs.

Narcotics Anonymous strives to be entirely self-supporting through member contributions and does not accept financial contributions from non-members. Based on the same principle, groups and service committees are administered by NA members, for members.

Narcotics Anonymous neither endorses nor opposes any other organization's philosophy or methodology. NA's primary focus is in providing a recovery environment whereby drug addicts can share their recovery experiences with one another. By remaining free from the distraction of controversy, NA is able to focus all of its energy on its particular area of purpose.

Membership Demographics

The socioeconomic strata represented by the NA membership vary from country to country. Usually, members of one particular social or economic class start and sustain most developing NA communities worldwide, but as their fellowship development activities become more effective, the membership becomes more broadly representative of all socioeconomic backgrounds.

All ethnic and religious backgrounds are represented among NA members. Once a developing NA community reaches a certain level of maturity, its membership generally reflects the diversity or homogeneity of the background culture.

Membership in Narcotics Anonymous is voluntary; no attendance records are kept either for NA's own purposes or for others. Because of this, it is sometimes difficult to provide interested parties with comprehensive information about NA membership. There are, however, some objective measures that can be shared based on data obtained primarily from members attending one of our world conventions. The diversity of our membership, especially ethnic background, seems to be representative of the geographic location of the survey. The following demographic information was gathered from a survey completed by approximately 13,500 NA members. The survey was made available at the 2007 World Convention of NA in San Antonio, Texas, in THEIR international journal, The NA Way Magazine, and on their website.

TWO KILLED IN ACCIDENT

Two persons were killed and several others were injured as a lorry carrying them toppled at Perumbadi near Virajpet yesterday.

According to police, the lorry was transporting size stones for the road work and was having eighteen persons in it.

Joyappa, 25 and Shankarappa, 45 from Haveri were killed on the spot as the stones landed on them. Hanumanthappa who is injured severely and many others were shifted to Virajpet hospital.

CAR MISHAP CLAIMS ONE

H.G.Ravish, 36 was killed in a road accident at Kudige yesterday.

Ravish was walking on the main road at Kudige as a Maruthi van came and hit him from behind. He died on the way to Mysore. The van driver is arrested.

SPEAKERS SIGNATURE; NANAIAH URGES ACTION

Madikeri January 29, 2010

MLC M.C.Nanaiah today took up the issue of finding signature of the speaker K.G.Boapaih in the attendance book of Zilla Panchayath and said that the CEO should conduct an enquiry and initiate action, if the signature was forged.

Nanaiah was reacting to the allegation of congress members who raised the issue in the recent Zilla Panchayath meeting. The members noticed the signature of the speaker in the meeting attendance book and asked the CEO for an explanation.

M.C.Nanaiah opined that K.G.Bopaiah cannot attend such meetings after becoming a speaker and should give an explanation, if he has signed in the book. He said that a speaker cannot support one party as the post holds a special and holy position. If speaker does not realize his responsibility, it is unfortunate, he cajoled. The issue can also be discussed in the session, he said. But he informed that he is not going to raise the topic in the session.

In case the signature was forged by ZP staff, the guilty should be arrested and action should be initiated, he told.

M.C.Nanaiah spoke to scribes here today after the KDP meeting.

MINISTER TURNS HOT; DFO’s TO FACE MUSIC;

The district incharge minister Krishna palemar today got worked up as two DFOs from madikeri and Somwarpet did not turn up for the KDP meeting. He instructed the department to initiate immediate action against them.

Krishna Palemar was chairing the KDP meeting and he took strong objection against the two officials as they did not turn up and did not even send their assistants to the meeting.

The minister took up various issues and verified the records. He instructed the PWD to immediately remove encroachment of road by public in many places. He said that it should be done in a month’s time. Reacting to the dilapidated condition of Mangalore road, he asked PWD to immediately take up pot hole filling and finish it within fifteen days.

He threatened to suspend the Zilla Panchayath executive engineer keshavmurthy as he said that seventy percent of the road work is completed. “Do not lie, I will suspend you, if you lie” he shouted. The EE accepted the fault and said that he has shortage of men and engineers. Minister asked him to complete the main road works immediately.

The subject of KPTCL ended up with no solution as the officials were giving unsatisfactory answers. The meeting noted that the government has given 8 crores of rupees to the department to take up Rajiv Gandhi Electrificartion scheme. The officials said that they have bought equipments worth rupees five thousand and are unable to take up the work. They could not answer properly as to why the 67 KV line is not yet ready.

The minister said that he will call the managing Director of the KPTCL to the next meeting and get things clarified.

The minister said that a delegation of representatives will meet the chief minister to seek rupees fifty crores for Kodagu roads as they have rupees twenty five crore granted.

MLCs M.C.nanaiah, T.John, MLA Appachu Ranjan, ZP president Vijaya and vice president Anitha , CEO Mirza Akbarulla were also present.