Time	Friday, January 7 at 10:00am - January 9 at 12:00am
Location	The YMCA CAMP CENTER, Thyalur Village Mangalam Post, (via) Athanavur Yelagirihills, India
Created By	Chennai Area Convention Na, Arif Safi, Kothimangalam Narashiman Srinivasavaradhan, Manish H Kumar, Paul Joshua
More Info	Welcome Folks! It's time, once again, to be elevated to the heights of possibilities in Recovery! The Chennai Area Fellowship of NA is gratefully and cordially inviting you to join us at CHACNA 3, the Third Chennai Area Convention of NA, aptly themed "Higher Than High" The spiritual ideals we find in Recovery are restoring the shape of our thoughts and our lives to their natural condition. And what is that “natural condition”? It ...is the condition we truly seek for ourselves, a reflection of our highest dreams - Aug 5th, JFT It all happens between the dates of Jan 7th - 9th 2011 when we come together to Care N Share, Trek the mountains, Soar high in Paragliding Tandem Flights *, Unleash Hidden Talents through Talent Nights, Headbang and Dance N Trance, Get Cosy N Comfy at the Bonfire Marathon Meetings...etcetera All this, and more, while we soak in the recovery that flows from one addict to another and get spiritually high the NA way Together we can! *- Subject to Weather Conditions ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The “Higher” Place The YMCA CAMP CENTER, Thyalur Village, Mangalam Post,(via) Athanavur, Yelagiri Hills - 635853 The Yelagiri Hills is one of the more popular hill stations of Tamil Nadu situated amidst four misty mountains and well known for its salubrious climate throughout the year. A couple of hours travel from Chennai or Bangalore through the winding Ghat Road and 14 hairpin bends that offer panoramic, breathtaking views with the superb Javadi hills as a backdrop on one side and the breathtaking sunset view over the hills of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka on the other side, adding to the beauty, thrill and excitement to our amazing journey of recovery! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How to get to the Heights? By Road From Chennai, take the NH4 Highway that leads to Bengaluru. Before Vellore, switch gears to the NH46 Highway and head towards Vanyambadi via Krishnagiri. Once you have crossed the town, look out for a sign to Yelagiri. This route is approximately 204 kms. From Bangalore, take the NH7 Highway and head towards Krishnagiri. At the Krishnagiri tollgate, by the National Highways Authority, turn left for Chennai on the NH46 Highway and drive till you see a sign to Yelagiri on your right. This route is approximately 126 kms. By Rail Book your ticket to Jolarpet junction, one of the most important train junctions in South India, and then take a bus or taxi to Attanavoor in Yelaigiri, which is approximately 21 km away from Jolarpet. By Air Bangalore and Chennai have the closest airports. Once in either city, follow the road or rail routes proscribed above to get to Yelagiri. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Slots A - Share the Dormitory with other members (at the Venue) @ Rs. 1400/- per person B - Share a room with two other members (at the venue) @ Rs. 2700/- per person C - Enjoy the festivities at the venue @ Rs. 1300/- per person. Accommodation is to be organized on the outside Make your choice “quicker than quick” because the accommodations are being and will be filled on a "first come first serve" basis. For booking details, do get in touch with the Registration Chair in advance to identify which slot(s) suit(s) you best. Note: Preregistrations close by December 15th, 2010. After December 15th, 2010, all registrations will be Rs 100/- extra. Free entry for children below 5 years ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chair: Paul @ +91 98405 19582 Vice Chair: Sunder @ +91 98416 83733 Secretary: Jawahar @ +91 93803 07166 Treasurer: Harikrishna @ +91 98415 94569 Information: Manoj @ + 91 97800 66664 Hospitality: Selvam @ +91 98403 43231 Registration: Jabir @ +98416 83668 Program: Srishar.V @ +91 96000 51261 Art & Graphics: Sridhar.K.R @ +91 98846 24772 Website: www.chacna3.110mb.com E-mail: chacna3@yahoo.com

NA Meeting -  Chennai

SERENITY IN ME THROUGH NA

 I have an elated feeling of belonging to a privileged band of people in NA This sense of belonging is very much important to me, since I didn’t seem to belong anywhere or to anything during the period of life, when I was an active user. I always lived in a world surrounded by empty bottles, glasses, refers ,needles and ash trays full to the brim and with full of despair and fear in me in a hungry, angry, lonely and tired, hostile world of my own making. I always had the temptation to apt for the easier and softer way to get away from this world, through the drug since I neither had humility nor responsibility.

 Now when I look back, nothing has just happened like that and events of activities do not happen on there own. It was always the result of my careful and meticulous planning. When questioned, terror and fear would strike me and I would deny. Even though I could not manage my own life, I tried to run others life and that was clearly an end to my self-seeking. I was hoping against hope that I was not a true addict and an alcoholic, till I became hopeless and drifted into a tomb of drugs and despair.

 I was bent on slow suicide. I was very clever in building a wall between other people, on an emotional level and myself, and I was an expert in that. I had become a psychopathic and pathological liar and strangely I also had a sense of humor to do it. Communication was only one way for me,

I was in charge, I told every one what to do and I made the big mistakes. After becoming sane, serene and clean by god through NA, I have found out that communication is an art and a four way process which includes asking, telling, listening and understanding. This by applying in my life, I am able to build bridges of understanding with other people. Irony was in the beginning, I could never live up to my own standards for my self. So the drugs filled the space between what I wanted to be and what I really was.

 When I walked in to the fellowship of AA in 1982, it appeared to me that it was a short time course and it had worked so well to me, that I had reached a sort of heaven right here on earth, but John Barley Corn and the drugs  had other ideas. There was no NA that time in Chennai.

 It was complacency and in turn I was trying to escape life and not mastering it. I was emotionally avoiding hazardous situations usually involving new people, places, time and things, because I could not cope up with life and I was scared that I would get hurt. I was too afraid of life to become involved in living. I always insisted on getting involved at people instead of with them. I never had the courtesy of allowing others to grow. I was too interfering and argumentative. I did not know those exact me, a sure sign of confusion of self. This is one of the primary reasons, which in no time led me once again in to the urge and hell of uncontrollable using. This is a progressive illness and I proved it, and second half of the first step took care of the rest. I was not ready to bring myself to ask for help since I was too sentimental about my hurt pride and insured ego. After repeated relapses I understood there is no possibility of my staying clean and sober, on my own will or strength.

 

Contd:2

 During the active and using days, I did not have the feeling of belonging and the feeling of being accepted. Now I have both in NA and AA.I now believe strongly through the steps, that serenity without growth is stagnation. Through sharing and NA 12th step work I am now able to get involved with a people. I am also ready to take a few calculated risks for the sake of progress. I am able to replace the fear of hurt and failure with faith in god and value serenity, enough to take a chance and to grow. I know that my only job is to see myself clearly and release myself to his care.

My present compulsions are in a way always positive which gives me a great deal of joy, acceptance and serenity. During my repeated relapses and binges I was some times able to inhale peace, thus cauterizing what I had come to decide, with no respect for myself, must be a wound of my life. I drank as if I the great river of my blood was carried by drugs and alcohol not water. I was, to put in a four-letter word in it a mess. When I was on water wagon and in NA and AA, on and off, I wanted to shout from the roof top Ive quit using and drinking; and convince every one around, but nobody seemed to be bothered about these antics of mine. As time progressed so did my addiction and alcoholism.

 Now after a great struggle and considerable period of sobriety, I have found out the difference between absolute serenity and just serenity. I have clearly understood that people pleasing and opinion seeking is not serenity, since there is no end to it, need to seek through prayer and meditation for strength to fortify my beliefs in my higher power. The disappointments in the past were in reality a blessing in disguise. Life was a mystery, I realized all I need was to look into today and run life and take it as it comes. I need to seek, through prayers and mediations for strength to fortify my beliefs in a higher power. The disappointments in the past were in reality great blessings in disguise.

I could not do it alone. Today the NA program and the grace of god have restored my faith and I am sober and serene with the help that I find in the NA fellowship. In trying to practice the principles in all my affairs, has taught and added a new dimension to my life and has given me back a faith in god, which I thought I had lost forever. Initially I was just a Zombie walking around aimlessly with no faith in God or in Life. In the beginning when I came to the program, I had brought with me too many self-centered doubts and fear of what other people in NA and outside world would think about me.

 I now feel open and honest about myself in NA than in the outside world. I also had the panting desire to change the world to my convenience and had a very muddy and murky ideas about how do it. But now by the Grace of God I am now clear eyed, sober and cheerful.

 

Contd:3

 I had been drugged by drink, by hypodermics, by sleeping pills, I would fall, crushing my head on the tiled floors of many a bathrooms, the marks are still there as scars on my face to remained me of my insanity. In NA I have found people who had lived through some of what I had experienced, and these people have eased some my worst feelings through their sharing.

My conduct in the early days towards myself had been far from perfect, since I could not stay sober for any given time or specific time. When I woke up from the haze of alcoholism and severe drug abuse on Sep2, 1992, life was a mystery realized all I need to do was to become willing and meeting the problems of life I face, while staying clean and sober is the main point and for this I need serenity. The NA program has now taught me not to want to start again my drinking. I also leant that sanity, sobriety and serenity requires scrupulous, constant surveillance

 I am gradually finding a new awareness of life and natures beauties, which I had long forgotten. This awareness is in store for an addict and alcoholic who is recovering and it is a treat, which is quite overwhelming. I now realize the absence of change means the absence of growth. My life through NA is serene and has changed for the better; One day At Time.

 I had realized that stopping using and drinking was not the happy ending to all my problems. It is a very good beginning of a new way of life since I found out the only person I can change is myself .Out of this pain I have made joy. In NA sharing everyone teaches me something, if I have an open mind to listen.

 I also have something to give in this beautiful way of life. My policy has matured into a give and take policy which has restored mutual respect since I am willing to believe in “Live and Let Live” policy. My road to emotional recovery and sobriety has begun with this. I have now an opportunity to prove my sincerity by continuous action, to do the only thing in which I can reasonably hope to succeed is to improve myself towards realities of life and my spiritual attitudes .

 In olden days, alcohol had twisted my thinking and filled it with resentments. It had warped my judgment and paralyzed my usefulness .Now nothing has changed outside, but inside, my own attitudes have changed to better my life in a gradual fashion hated everyone and the whole world, now through god in NA, I have replaced this emotional outburst, into patience and loving kindness I also learnt that in recovery it is alright to express any legitimate concerns on our views without feeling guilty . I have also not only found away to serenity but a priceless formula for learning how to live in a positive way. I am always touched by the gestures of NA members and that gives me immense serenity.

Contd:4

The simple statement that I make in the meeting “I am an Addict”, eliminates the past fears, the frustrations and the feeling of helplessness and near hopelessness has given me the courage and confidence to struggle for serenity. I had a lot of half empty, half-full problems and NA has given me the answers, by attending meetings, sharing and caring through the NA way of life I have learnt that depression and fear can be overcome. Through this serenity I have understood and I have been learning there is much in this world I can understand and I need to understand, which will become easier each day if I take them ;One Day At A Time

 If I face myself in serenity through NA, I will find freedom from bondage of self.

Buster

ChennaiNA

INDIA

 

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