So I was thinking of doing a freaky Friday today. What do you, a NARANON member or your group do as outreach. This is the perfect place to share your experience, strength and hope. What has worked, what has not. We all learn from each other. I'll be first to give out something: As a lot of people are reading the paper less and less, Medina county as online: MEDINA COUNTY EVENTS, there any events can be posted. We post the meetings online. Once a year add them back on again. It is also great to where we can post if there will not be a meeting due to weather or holiday.
Judy

There are times when we end up going to court, we hear the judges say that people need to go to the probation department. Does the judge and the probation department have information for family members to attend NARANON. Recently our judges and probation departments have asked us for information, because they have family members who are not sure what to do. As education continues, we can be there. I have called and set up appointments with judges and their departments to give them the information about NARANON. Since we have drug court, the judges want families to look at doing something for themselves. We have the local court on TV. sometimes when I hear that the addict has to go to so many meetings per week, I wish they would do the same for family members.
Judy

The best way to find a sponsor is to attend a meeting, you will many members that have been coming for different time periods, ranging from their first meeting or to where I have been attending since 2004.

A sponsor is someone that can help you look at yourself and see the part that you have played with addiction.  I have found that a sponsor has helped me with every aspect of my life.   I can still be the same person that can be judgmental even if it is not with the addict.   It can be with the person who cuts me off on the road, co-workers and other family members.   I have to change my actions and reactions not only with the addict.

When looking at the 12 steps which is for me, the 12 traditions which is to understand how the Naranon group works, and the 12 concepts which helps the understanding the Naranon world services.

My sponsor had me worked the step that corresponds with the tradition.   When working step 1, I worked tradition 1; step 2, then tradition 2, etc.

As I was working with my sponsor. I found that there were many things going on that I could not speak about at the meeting or else needed more time with someone one on one.  I had gone through three sponsors before the 4th one which I really clicked with.  Just a personal observation, you may find a sponsor and you may find that it is not working, that is okay.  A good sponsor will not take it personally.

My sponsor and I are not good friends.  She is not someone that I would go shopping with, she is someone that I can share everything and I know it will not go any further.   Especially when I worked the 4th step and shared with her when I did the 5th step.  

My sponsor has been there during the time when I did not know for sure if I was staying with my husband who is my qualifier.  She has been there when my sister and Dad died, she came to calling hours and spent a lot of time on the phone with me.   She was the first person I talked to when my Dad died and that was close to 1 in the morning.   As when NA talks about calling your sponsor before you use, it worked the same way with me, because I can have stinking thinking and justify what I do by saying that I am not an addict, just want to make sure that he is doing what he should.  My sponsor told me that I had no control over others and to accept where they are at and turn them over to God.   It has been hard for me at the beginning and sometimes I feel I know what is best.   Through working with a sponsor I created a God box where I wrote down things that I was trying to fix and turned them over.   I sometimes thought that God was not moving fast enough for me, but I had to realize that even when there wasn't a change in people it was God saying no.   It is progress not perfection, and even when I turned back to detective I told on myself to my sponsor and as the years went on, it did not happen as much.

When I call my sponsor, she does not give me advice but let's me talk it out.  I found the answers that I was looking for within me.  Working the steps with a sponsor has really helped me learn more about me and that is so important that I work on me and let others take care of themselves.   When I was doing my 4th step, my sponsor had me point out my good characteristics along with my character defects, she told me that she found this helps out, so you are not seeing all negative with you.

I think it is important to find someone outside the meetings, because i feel that was the only way I could grasp the program the way I did.   I became secretary, treasurer, currently now in the outreach program for the community and also GSR (group service representative) for the region,   I really do not believe that I would have came as far as I have come if I had not worked with a sponsor and wanted to work the steps with someone outside the meeting.

Our group has an once a month meeting for the steps prior to the regular meeting.  This is helping people to understand the steps and I hope this will lead to people  to look for sponsors.   If you cannot find a sponsor in your area, you can go to naranonforum.com and besides being online meetings, there are online sponsors.  You never know that there could actually be someone in your area and you just don't know it.

In service,
Judy K

All groups who participate in the Central Region should have a GSR or Group Service Representative.
We are somewhat new at this and hope this helps as we begin to organize.
Basically, a GSR has the responsibility to bring all region info to their group and to bring their group's conscience to the region.
Our region chair, Tim V. sends out emails regularly concerning region issues.
Those emails are titled "Region Updates".
You will find information such as treasurer's reports, updates on our website, and information regarding the formation of the region subcommittees in those email updates.
 
An example of how the GSR serves the group and the region...
In August of 2015, the region update email contained information concerning the formation of subcommittees.
The region was looking for members who were willing to chair one of two subcommittees:
1) Outreach
2) Conventions and Events
The GSR shared the subcommittee info from Tim's August update with their group and ultimately two people volunteered and the positions were filled.
This is just one example of a GSR responsibility as a communicator between the group and the region.

The Guide to Local services defines what a GSR is and what a GSR's responsibilities are.
Below, you will find information from the Guide to Local services with some added details from the Nar-Anon Central Region.

WHAT IS A GSR (Group Service Representative)
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The GSR is a vital link in the continuing function, growth, and unity of worldwide Nar-Anon. GSRs are elected by their groups for a three-year term. GSRs should be members with experience and stability in the Nar-Anon program and an understanding of the Twelve Traditions and the Twelve Concepts and how they work. It is suggested that each group have an alternate GSR.
The GSR
1. Becomes familiar with the Nar-Anon Guides for Local and World Services
Central Region Note: You can obtain these guides here: http://www.nar-anon.org/service-literature/ Click on Service Literature and scroll down to access both the "Guide to Local Services" and the "Guide to World Services"
2. Attends all area meetings and region assemblies, and reports to the group on the proceedings of these events
Central Region Note: We are not currently organized into areas but we will be organizing region assemblies where GSRs will be expected to attend.
3. Votes their group’s conscience at area meetings and region assemblies
Central Region Note: Again, we are not currently organize into areas but we will be organizing region assemblies where the GSRs will vote their group's conscience. The first vote will concern voting for the chair of our now forming subcommittees.
4. Completes and submits the GSR registration form to the Regional Service Committee (RSC) secretary (form available in Guide to Local Services)
Central Region Note: We have not adopted this practice yet, for the time being, please register all meetings with World Services here: http://www.nar-anon.org/groups/ You can either submit a group (if your group is new) or edit a group. Please use the edit a group tool to submit any changes to World Services, the Central Region is notified of any changes to groups in our region.
5. Brings the group’s viewpoint on any situation or problem concerning Nar-Anon to the area meeting or region assemblies
Central Region Note: As we are not currently organized into areas, we invite any and all feedback concerning any situation or problem concerning Nar-anon to be submitted directly to the region through this link: http://www.naranoncentral.org/contact.html