A Whole Lot of Gratitude - The 2008 CMA World Conference

In October I had the opportunity to attend the 2008 CMA World Conference in Park City, Utah. I was truly surprised. Since this is a program of honesty I must confess, I went with the idea that the “Conference” was going to be more like a party. I would get to meet members from all over. There was the dance. And then there were those Mormons.

WRONG! It was a conference devoted to service. There were delegates from all over working at getting a group conscience on so many issues. And since I was already there, I thought it would be interesting to sit in on each committee and simply observe.

There was the Executive Committee committed on working on the CMA Charter. These delegates were working diligently long hours to agree on the Charter that would guide CMA. This was not just interesting but exciting. It was like watching the founding fathers work on the Declaration of Independence. After all this would be helping me toward a life FREE of active addiction.

The Literature Committee was working on approving CMA literature and working on the CMA book. Incredible! Even though I wasn’t a voting delegate, I was asked to participate and was allowed to vote on the name for the CMA book. I can only compare this to the feeling it would have been like sitting down with Dr. Bob & Dr. Bill and working on the first addition of the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book.

Another committee meeting I observed was the Hospitals & Institution’s Committee where the members were working on pamphlets for the public and about CMA’s involvement in the community. They also discussed procedures that would affect H & I panels in the districts.

There was also the Budget Committee. It was like a group of accountants wrestling over a budget. Geez! I can barely keep my checking account balanced, so I could really appreciate this committee’s hard work.

There was a meeting marathon going on at the conference so this took the edge off everybody’s attitude. It was great because I wasn’t even a delegate and went to several meetings. Although the delegates were spirited and passionate, it was amazing to me how well everyone worked together for the greater good. Their diligence and hard work was mind-blowing. I felt gratitude that I still feel to this day.

To add to the experience, one of the organizers, Arlene, asked me to lead the main meeting Saturday night. What an honor. To lead the main meeting of the First CMA World Conference is something I will never forget.

To witness this was a wonderful gift that only “Someone Greater Than Myself” could have given me.

News from General Service Committee

Hello all,
On behalf of the GSC, I want to thank everyone for their service in making the 2008 CMA World Conference a huge success. We are finishing the Conference report and should have it out in the next couple of days, along with the minutes and such. Meanwhile, it is already time to start thinking about the next Conference! Because the Charter specifies that new trustees need to be vetted by the Conference, we will be moving the next event to the spring, specifically spring 2010. This will allow the Conference to meet the new trustees before the annual meeting of the Board in June and gives us a full year to plan.To select the site, we will be soliciting bids from the fellowship.
We want to encourage as many areas of the country to apply as we can -- even if your area are not selected, the experience will be very valuable for your groups. Also, we want to take this opportunity to select a site for 2011 as well so that we can be planning two years ahead for future Conferences instead of one. The deadline for applications is March 11, 2009.If you think you may want to apply and have any questions at all, contact Will H. or Nichole S. at conference.bids@cmagso.net. They are there to help! Thank you all again for your service. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
In service,
David H.Chair, WCC

District Report

Hello Everyone. I want to thank everyone who came to the monthly district meeting. Your involvement is very important to helping us provide essential services for the meetings in this area. As an update, I want to recap some of the things we talked about at the meeting.
The brand new Newcomer Packet is here! It is a handy packet that includes a directory and 4 brochures that might be of use to the newcomer. They will cost your meeting one dollar a piece (unless your meeting is unable to pay) and they are available from myself or Freddie D, the co-Chairperson for the district. Please let me know if you need any of them and I will make sure we get them to you. Your meeting may decide to provide them to the newcomer for free. You may also want to decide how you want to distribute them to the newcomer. Some meetings have said that they may make it a committment to have a person be the newcomer greeter who will give a packet to each 1st time newcomer. Other meetings may just keep them on the Literature table in case a newcomer is interested. Either way, it is a great way to get the message to the new person while they are receptive to our message but may be afraid to interact 1 on 1.
Also, the training manual for the district helpline is almost complete and now we are reviewing the types of services available in order to get the live phone line up and running. This will be a 24 hour helpline who's purpose is to help the addict who is suffering to get to a meeting of crystal meth anonymous. I believe that this is one of the most important things we can do as a district and we will need volunteers to do it. A sign up sheet was passed out at the district meeting but if you did not make the meeting please collect the names and numbers and emails of volunteers who might be able to commit to a 4-8 hour shift every two weeks. Volunteers should have 6 months of clean time and be willing to take a training on how to answer calls and learn the phone system.
We are planning a fund raiser to make money to pay for ad space and the cost of the phone line itself. If you have any ideas or experience please contact Bob P. through the website CMAinLA.com under contacts.
Remember to announce the newsletter/blog at every meeting. The address is cmainla.blogspot.com please hand out the flyers from the district meeting or announce the address and the fact that submissions are being taken for various topics. You may submit moment of clarity stories, step working stories, thoughts about the traditions, the fun we have at sober parties, etc.

Also, CMA World is accepting bids from cities who would like to host the next world conference. At the meeting we voted to consider putting in a bid. I am asking all those who would like to help with this process to please reply to me and let me know that you would like to help. We will need to research hotels, transportation, food, banquet services etc. I remember that the Long Beach group showed some interest so whether you are from Long Beach or the valley, please contact me so that we can put this bid in by the deadline.
So a big thank you to everyone who has volunteered for a committee or a project. It is your service that allows us to do so many great things for the crystal meth addict that is still suffering. Please help us get the word out about the need for CMA Phone Line Volunteers. We will be having a training on Saturday January 24th. So we will need as many people to commit so that we have a good turnout for the first training.
Thank you for your service.
Dale G

Step One, Birthday Two

It was in the early hours of the morning of the day after my birthday two years ago that I was given my first step. It didn’t feel much like a gift at the time, but that’s exactly what it was; a gift of grace.
Out of money and out of drugs, stood up on my birthday by the boy I was obsessed with, and hurt, and more afraid than I have ever been, I had set out to hunt down the object of my obsession and get fixed. There wasn’t anything I was feeling that smoking a gram or two of crystal meth with a handsome sociopath who called me “buddy” wasn’t going to fix. At least for awhile. At least through the night.
But as it happened, he was nowhere to be found. Several days later, when he called to ask me to find his car and drive it to his dad’s house, I learned that he’d been arrested earlier that evening. I couldn’t really break while I still had a raison d’être, and at the time it was him, and this idea that maybe if he could get brave enough to get sober then maybe so could I. That was the first part of the gift, really, his vanishing that night, leaving me to eat a frozen pizza alone on my birthday as I started to come down.
After waiting 9 hours for him I did what any broke, obsessed, addict on the top side of a big crash would do. I knew the places he haunted and the people he used, and so I set out on foot to find him. At 1 o’clock in the morning. In the snow. By 3 AM I had looked everywhere I knew to look. I was cold and I was tired and I knew I was in for a big crash. I didn’t know when or how I was going to be able to get high again and it terrified me.
As I stood at the north west corner of 6th and Pueblo it began to snow. I looked across the street at this house, decorated much as it is tonight, with Christmas lights, and I suddenly realized that, in all probablilty, the family in that house hadn’t had any advantages I hadn’t had myself. Yet, for the life of me, I could not figure out how having a life like that has passed me by.
And I sat down on the curb. And I cried.
I wished I could just die. Taking my own life was too scary, and not what I really wanted. I wanted the life I was living to end. This was not the life I was supposed to be living, and I knew it to the very core of my being. I was not created with a purpose to suffer and die alone.
As the snow began to accumulate on my hat and coat underneath the cool glow of that street lamp I finally got it; that the drugs weren’t the problem. The problem was within me; that I was a drug addict and that my life was unmanagable and that the way things were at that moment was as good as I could ever hope for them to be . . .
unless I was willing to do anything, anything necessary to change.
I have gone to great lengths and I have changed greatly. Last year, on this night, I picked up a devotional candle at Albertson’s on my way to work, with the intent of visiting that corner and saying a little thank-you prayer, but last year on this night I was arrested while I was at work, largely because I was making a voluntary appearance in court the following day to ask that the warrants be quashed and to set about accounting for the reasons that they were issued.
I’ve had that candle with me all year and tonight it was put into the service for which it was planned. But tonight I have so much more to be grateful for than I did a year ago. And it is even more clear to me tonight, that what I thought was the most painful moment of my life, the worst birthday in a horrible life, was really a birthday gift of grace.
Chris M.

Palms Springs CMA Christmas

Those this is for CMA in Palm Springs, there's a lot of back and forth, so I thought I'd share it.

Plus, I needed some visuals!

Click on the image for the larger view.

Marc O.