[daydream]

Something's been bugging me for a little while now and I would just like some input. Not sure whether I should bring this up at group conscience or not.

I'm a member of a new group that started about 5 months ago. The group has meetings 7 nights a week, all open meetings. I could be mistaken, but there seems to have been a shift in the balance between open and closed meetings over the last 10-15 years. When I first came to the rooms in 1989 most meetings were closed and it was quickly pointed out to me why. Most groups in the area where I lived had one open meeting per week and all others were closed. I've seen that shift over time. Now the town I live in has 16 meetings per week, all open meetings I think. People with lengthy clean time, now feeling comfortable in either open or closed meetings, seem to forget that some people feel the need for "protection" that the closed meetings offer. When I first came in, I was a student at a christian university that did not even allow us to dance or wear shorts, much less use. I was terrified of being found out. Later when I took a job as a professional where my credibility would be damaged if clients found out I was an addict, I was even more afraid of being seen in an NA meeting. We often did, and still do, have social work students come in to observe and take notes. We never know when they will show up. I also feel much reluctance to share my feelings in an open meeting with people who come to study us or with those who give clues that they are not respectful of our purpose. Surely there must be others, particularly newcomers, who feel the way I do. I believe I need to bring this up at group conscience so the group as a whole can take a look at it, but I would value your input before I mention it.