Looking for mtg suggestions in the City/ Bay Area. Gonna be there saturday afternoon through tuesday morning.
Looking at the schedule I noticed alot of the meetings have changed. Monday Olaf house moved (wonder how its doing in its new place.) 924 Gilman monday night is still there one of my favorites- wonder how that has evolved. But back in the city bike messenger mtg in the mission is gone, sat Noe valley 10:45 meetng (on sanchez), South of Market young peoples meeting in music studio 1:00 ish all gone, 10 PM Capp st gone, tuesday night JCC mtg gone (my old home group). Out in Marin Fri NA midnight meeting in San Raphael gone along with some of my other NA regular meetings.
Ok so this is a good story. So I went to an NA mtg in my area. I had to bring my daughter because my wife wasn't off work yet and we leave tonight for our trip. Anyway, unbecknowest to me the meeting was a closed meeting. So anyway my daughter got cake and someone got her a seat. Well after a few minutes (and my daughter was alittle disruptive, hidding under a table)a gentleman and the secreatary asked me to step out to speak to me and regretfully asked me to leave (because as a 5 year old it was assumed that my daughter isn't an addict- if they only new- she has the behaviors)- but anyway I got her and was taking her to leave when another guy came out and said no this is BS you can't ask him to leave. So they steped out and walked down the side of the church and had a discussion. I went in the meeting and sat by the door. There was a closed off cement strip. After a few minutes (and my daughter was tired I walked up to the two gentleman and said "realy we should leave my daughter is tired.) The first guy walked in the meeting. Apparently they had settled there differences in a spirit of civility and goodwill. I asked the guy that argued we could stay 'you wouldn't know about any meetings in the bay area, thats really kinda the main reason I hit this meetings." The secretary and the guy started laughing. He had apparently just moved down from the bay area. So peace and harmony was restored, I made a new friend new to my area and I left the meeting with a list of Bay Area phone numbers.
Its a great thing to see the hand of our Loving God work in NA!!!Anyway we are packing for our trip. Might stop in Backersfield. Stay with my parents in Fresno Tommorow and head for the Bay saturday morning.
I have been to several so called "closed" na meetings where in one case someone said they were an "ex" addict and another case where a non addict came to complain about a neighbor whose addictive behaviors were angering him In neither case were the non addicts advised that it was a closed meeting for addicts only. Personally, I don't have a problem with attending open meetings and sharing regardless of who is there, but i know that other people can be very cautious. They don't like to show up when non addicts might be around, and absolutely will not share. If a group cannot, or will not enforce an 'addict only' policy, then why on earth call it a closed meeting????
