Narcotics Anonymous Message Board

Dave R · Dave R

"When someone points out a shortcoming, our first reaction may be defensive....[But] if we truly want to be free, we will take a good look at input from fellow addicts."Basic Text, p. 36=At some point in our recovery, we come to the awkward realization that the way we see ourselves is not ne...

Dave R · Dave R

We are no longer fighting fear, anger, guilt, self-pity, or depression. Basic Text, p. 27 = As addicts, many of us experience depression from time to time. When we feel depressed, we may be tempted to isolate ourselves. However, if we do this, our depression may turn to despair. We can't afford to...

Dave R · Dave R

The process of coming to believe restores us to sanity. The strength to move into action comes from this belief. Basic Text, p. 24 Now that weve finally admitted our insanity and seen examples of it in all its manifestations, we might be tempted to believe that we are doomed to repeat this behavior for...

Dave R · Dave R

"As we learn to trust this Power, we begin to overcome our fear of life."Basic Text, p. 25=We are people accustomed to placing all our eggs in one basket. Many of us had one particular drug of choice that was our favorite. We relied on it to get us through each day and make life bearable. We were faithfu...

Dave R · Dave R

"The drive for personal gain...which brought so much pain in the past falls by the wayside if we adhere to the principle of anonymity."Basic Text, p. 76=The word anonymity itself means namelessness, but there's a larger principle at work in the anonymity of the NA program: the principle of sel...

Dave R · Dave R

"The Twelfth Step of our personal program also says that we carry the message to the addict who still suffers...The group is the most powerful vehicle we have for carrying the message."Basic Text, p. 68=When we first come to Narcotics Anonymous meetings, we meet recovering addicts. We know they ar...

Dave R · Dave R

"We reevaluate our old ideas so we can become acquainted with the new ideas that lead to a new way of life."Basic Text, p. 94=Learning to live a new way of life can be difficult. Sometimes, when the going gets especially hard, were tempted to follow the path of least resistance and live by our old ideas a...

Dave R · Dave R

"When at the end of the road we find that we can no longer function as a human being, either with or without drugs, we all face the same dilemma...Either go on as best we can to the bitter ends--jails, institutions, or death--or find a new way to live."Basic Text, p. 87=What was the worst aspect of active a...

Dave R · Dave R

"Freedom to change seems to come after acceptance of ourselves."Basic Text, p. 58=Fear and denial are the opposites of acceptance. None of us are perfect, even in our own eyes; all of us have certain traits that, given the chance, we would like to change. We sometimes become overwhelmed when co...

Dave R · Dave R

"In living the steps, we begin to let go of our self-obsession."Basic Text, p. 97=Many of us came to the program convinced that our feelings, our wants, and our needs were of the utmost importance to everyone. We had practiced a lifetime of self-seeking, self-centered behavior and believed it was t...

LeeM · LeeM

Hello friends, This is the issue raised by three motions to be debated at the 2018 World Service Conference in April-May of next year. As a Conference, we have never definitively spoken on this issue. The Board has addressed it twice, though in somewhat conflicting terms. NA Groups and Medicatio...

Dave R · Dave R

"Words mean nothing until we put them into action."Basic Text, p. 58=The Twelfth Step reminds us "to practice these principles in all our affairs." In NA, we see living examples of this suggestion all around us. The more experienced members, who seem to have an aura of peace...

Dave R · Dave R

"The fact that we, each and every group, focus on carrying the message provides consistency; addicts can count on us."Basic Text, p. 68=Tales of our antics in active addiction may be funny. Stories of our old bizarre reactions to life when using may be interesting. But they tend to carr...

Dave R · Dave R

"Everything that occurs in the course of NA service must be motivated by the desire to more successfully carry the message of recovery to the addict who still suffers."Basic Text, p. xxvi=Our motives are often a surprise to us. In our early days of recovery, they were almost always a surprise! We...

Dave R · Dave R

"Complacency is the enemy of members with substantial clean time. If we remain complacent for long, the recovery process ceases."Basic Text, p. 84=Recognizing complacency in our recovery is like seeing smoke in a room. The smoke thickens when our meeting attendance drops, contact with newco...

Dave R · Dave R

"There is a spiritual principle of giving away what we have been given in Narcotics Anonymous in order to keep it. By helping others to stay clean, we enjoy the benefit of the spiritual wealth that we have found."Basic Text, p. 49=Time and again in our recovery, others have freely shared with us what w...

Dave R · Dave R

"Addiction is a physical, mental, and spiritual disease that affects every area of our lives."Basic Text, p. 20=Before we started using, most of us had a stereotype, a mental image of what addicts were supposed to look like. Some of us pictured a junkie robbing convenience markets for d...

Dave R · Dave R

"There is only one requirement for membership, the desire to stop using."Basic Text, p. 9=We all know people who could benefit from Narcotics Anonymous. Many people we encounter from all walks of life--our family members, old friends, and coworkers--could really use a program of recovery in the...

Dave R · Dave R

"By working the steps, we come to accept a Higher Power's will.... We lose our fear of the unknown. We are set free."Basic Text, p. 16=Life is a series of changes, both large and small. Although we may know and accept this fact intellectually, chances are that our initial emotional rea...

Dave R · Dave R

No one is forcing us to give up our misery. Basic Text, p. 29 = It's funny to remember how reluctant we once were to surrender to recovery. We seemed to think we had wonderful, fulfilling lives as using addicts and that giving up our drugs would be worse than serving a life sentence at hard labor. In r...

Dave R · Dave R

"I started to imitate some of the things the winners were doing. I got caught up in NA. I felt good..."Basic Text, p. 153=We often hear it said in meetings that we should "stick with the winners." Who are the winners in Narcotics Anonymous? Winners are easily identified. T...

Marijuana User · Eschia

This is my first time posting here. I hope it is helpful. I'm sure it will be. I am addicted to marijuana. I use it as a catalyst to get me into the mood to drink & socialize. I haven't attended many NA meetings, mostly AA meetings because I thought alcohol was my problem. It turns out it is pot. I c...

Dave R · Dave R

This ability to listen is a gift and grows as we grow spiritually. Life takes on a new meaning when we open ourselves to this gift. Basic Text pg. 102 Have you ever watched two small children carry on a conversation? One will be talking about purple dragons while the other carries on about the discomfor...

GMuhammad · GMuhammad

Can anyone tell me where to find cunning, baffling, and powerful in the basic text ?

Dave R · Dave R

"When we see how our defects exist in our lives and accept them, we can let go of them and get on with our new life."Basic Text, p. 35=Sometimes our readiness to have our character defects removed depends on what we call them. If misnaming our defects makes them seem less defective, we may be unable to se...

Dave R · Dave R

"We use the tools available to us and develop the ability to survive our emotions."Basic Text, p. 31="Survive my emotions?" some of us say. "You've got to be kidding!" When we were using, we never gave ourselves the chance to learn how to survive them. You don't survive your feelings, we thought-...

Dave R · Dave R

Relationships can be a terribly painful area. Basic Text, p. 82 = Love is like an elixir for some of us. The excitement of a new lover, the intrigue of exploring intimacy, the sense of release we get from allowing ourselves to become vulnerable--these are all powerful emotions. But we cant forge...

Dave R · Dave R

We have seen the program work for any addict who honestly and sincerely wants to stop [using drugs]. Basic Text, p. 10 = How do we know when someone honestly and sincerely wants to stop using drugs? The truth is that we don't know! Because we cannot read minds or know another's motives and desires, w...

Dave R · Dave R

We know that if we pray for God's will we will receive what is best for us, regardless of what we think. Basic Text, p. 46 = By the time we came to NA, our inner voices had become unreliable and self-destructive. Addiction had warped our desires, our interests, our sense of what was best for ourselves...

MIKEF · MIKEF

I repost this short focus every year to remind myself of the grace and mercy I have received(God's unmerited favor for me)and the daily work I do to remain free of active drug addiction)I reflect on my sponsor ,my sponsees and above all the God of my own understanding.The message is Hope and the promise...

Topic		Started By	Replies	Views	Last Post
	JFT December 29 Through others' eyes (Preview) "When someone points out a shortcoming, our first reaction may be defensive....[But] if we truly want to be free, we will take a good look at input from fellow addicts."Basic Text, p. 36=At some point in our recovery, we come to the awkward realization that the way we see ourselves is not ne...	Dave R	2	422	Dec 29, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT December 28 Depression (Preview) We are no longer fighting fear, anger, guilt, self-pity, or depression. Basic Text, p. 27 = As addicts, many of us experience depression from time to time. When we feel depressed, we may be tempted to isolate ourselves. However, if we do this, our depression may turn to despair. We can't afford to...	Dave R	2	480	Dec 28, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT December 27 God could restore us to sanity (Preview) The process of coming to believe restores us to sanity. The strength to move into action comes from this belief. Basic Text, p. 24 Now that weve finally admitted our insanity and seen examples of it in all its manifestations, we might be tempted to believe that we are doomed to repeat this behavior for...	Dave R	2	397	Dec 27, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT December 26 Never-failing power (Preview) "As we learn to trust this Power, we begin to overcome our fear of life."Basic Text, p. 25=We are people accustomed to placing all our eggs in one basket. Many of us had one particular drug of choice that was our favorite. We relied on it to get us through each day and make life bearable. We were faithfu...	Dave R	1	336	Dec 26, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT December 25 Anonymity and self-will (Preview) "The drive for personal gain...which brought so much pain in the past falls by the wayside if we adhere to the principle of anonymity."Basic Text, p. 76=The word anonymity itself means namelessness, but there's a larger principle at work in the anonymity of the NA program: the principle of sel...	Dave R	2	327	Dec 25, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT December 24 The group (Preview) "The Twelfth Step of our personal program also says that we carry the message to the addict who still suffers...The group is the most powerful vehicle we have for carrying the message."Basic Text, p. 68=When we first come to Narcotics Anonymous meetings, we meet recovering addicts. We know they ar...	Dave R	1	336	Dec 24, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT December 23 New ideas (Preview) "We reevaluate our old ideas so we can become acquainted with the new ideas that lead to a new way of life."Basic Text, p. 94=Learning to live a new way of life can be difficult. Sometimes, when the going gets especially hard, were tempted to follow the path of least resistance and live by our old ideas a...	Dave R	1	385	Dec 23, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT December 22 A new way to live (Preview) "When at the end of the road we find that we can no longer function as a human being, either with or without drugs, we all face the same dilemma...Either go on as best we can to the bitter ends--jails, institutions, or death--or find a new way to live."Basic Text, p. 87=What was the worst aspect of active a...	Dave R	1	311	Dec 22, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT December 21 Acceptance and change (Preview) "Freedom to change seems to come after acceptance of ourselves."Basic Text, p. 58=Fear and denial are the opposites of acceptance. None of us are perfect, even in our own eyes; all of us have certain traits that, given the chance, we would like to change. We sometimes become overwhelmed when co...	Dave R	1	315	Dec 21, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT December 20 Overcoming self-obsession (Preview) "In living the steps, we begin to let go of our self-obsession."Basic Text, p. 97=Many of us came to the program convinced that our feelings, our wants, and our needs were of the utmost importance to everyone. We had practiced a lifetime of self-seeking, self-centered behavior and believed it was t...	Dave R	2	366	Dec 20, 2017 by Dave R
	Can I lead a meeting if I'm on DRT? (Preview) Hello friends, This is the issue raised by three motions to be debated at the 2018 World Service Conference in April-May of next year. As a Conference, we have never definitively spoken on this issue. The Board has addressed it twice, though in somewhat conflicting terms. NA Groups and Medicatio...	LeeM	4	381	Dec 20, 2017 by Jasper Oceans
	JFT December 19 Walking the way we talk (Preview) "Words mean nothing until we put them into action."Basic Text, p. 58=The Twelfth Step reminds us "to practice these principles in all our affairs." In NA, we see living examples of this suggestion all around us. The more experienced members, who seem to have an aura of peace...	Dave R	1	422	Dec 19, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT December 18 The message of our meetings (Preview) "The fact that we, each and every group, focus on carrying the message provides consistency; addicts can count on us."Basic Text, p. 68=Tales of our antics in active addiction may be funny. Stories of our old bizarre reactions to life when using may be interesting. But they tend to carr...	Dave R	1	377	Dec 18, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT December 17 Service motives (Preview) "Everything that occurs in the course of NA service must be motivated by the desire to more successfully carry the message of recovery to the addict who still suffers."Basic Text, p. xxvi=Our motives are often a surprise to us. In our early days of recovery, they were almost always a surprise! We...	Dave R	1	346	Dec 17, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT December 16 Where there's smoke (Preview) "Complacency is the enemy of members with substantial clean time. If we remain complacent for long, the recovery process ceases."Basic Text, p. 84=Recognizing complacency in our recovery is like seeing smoke in a room. The smoke thickens when our meeting attendance drops, contact with newco...	Dave R	1	354	Dec 16, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT December 15 The joy of sharing (Preview) "There is a spiritual principle of giving away what we have been given in Narcotics Anonymous in order to keep it. By helping others to stay clean, we enjoy the benefit of the spiritual wealth that we have found."Basic Text, p. 49=Time and again in our recovery, others have freely shared with us what w...	Dave R	1	434	Dec 15, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT December 14 Addiction, drugs, and recovery (Preview) "Addiction is a physical, mental, and spiritual disease that affects every area of our lives."Basic Text, p. 20=Before we started using, most of us had a stereotype, a mental image of what addicts were supposed to look like. Some of us pictured a junkie robbing convenience markets for d...	Dave R	1	435	Dec 14, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT December 13 Membership (Preview) "There is only one requirement for membership, the desire to stop using."Basic Text, p. 9=We all know people who could benefit from Narcotics Anonymous. Many people we encounter from all walks of life--our family members, old friends, and coworkers--could really use a program of recovery in the...	Dave R	1	341	Dec 13, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT December 12 Fear of change (Preview) "By working the steps, we come to accept a Higher Power's will.... We lose our fear of the unknown. We are set free."Basic Text, p. 16=Life is a series of changes, both large and small. Although we may know and accept this fact intellectually, chances are that our initial emotional rea...	Dave R	1	348	Dec 12, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT December 11 Misery is optional (Preview) No one is forcing us to give up our misery. Basic Text, p. 29 = It's funny to remember how reluctant we once were to surrender to recovery. We seemed to think we had wonderful, fulfilling lives as using addicts and that giving up our drugs would be worse than serving a life sentence at hard labor. In r...	Dave R	2	429	Dec 11, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT December 10 Winners (Preview) "I started to imitate some of the things the winners were doing. I got caught up in NA. I felt good..."Basic Text, p. 153=We often hear it said in meetings that we should "stick with the winners." Who are the winners in Narcotics Anonymous? Winners are easily identified. T...	Dave R	1	405	Dec 10, 2017 by Dave R
	Marijuana User (Preview) This is my first time posting here. I hope it is helpful. I'm sure it will be. I am addicted to marijuana. I use it as a catalyst to get me into the mood to drink & socialize. I haven't attended many NA meetings, mostly AA meetings because I thought alcohol was my problem. It turns out it is pot. I c...	Eschia	4	327	Dec 9, 2017 by Davethewave
	JFT December 9 Listening (Preview) This ability to listen is a gift and grows as we grow spiritually. Life takes on a new meaning when we open ourselves to this gift. Basic Text pg. 102 Have you ever watched two small children carry on a conversation? One will be talking about purple dragons while the other carries on about the discomfor...	Dave R	1	400	Dec 9, 2017 by Dave R
	Cunning, baffling, powerful (Preview) Can anyone tell me where to find cunning, baffling, and powerful in the basic text ?	GMuhammad	1	246	Dec 8, 2017 by Davethewave
	JFT December 8 Calling a defect a defect (Preview) "When we see how our defects exist in our lives and accept them, we can let go of them and get on with our new life."Basic Text, p. 35=Sometimes our readiness to have our character defects removed depends on what we call them. If misnaming our defects makes them seem less defective, we may be unable to se...	Dave R	1	357	Dec 8, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT December 7 Surviving our emotions (Preview) "We use the tools available to us and develop the ability to survive our emotions."Basic Text, p. 31="Survive my emotions?" some of us say. "You've got to be kidding!" When we were using, we never gave ourselves the chance to learn how to survive them. You don't survive your feelings, we thought-...	Dave R	1	424	Dec 7, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT December 6 Romance and recovery (Preview) Relationships can be a terribly painful area. Basic Text, p. 82 = Love is like an elixir for some of us. The excitement of a new lover, the intrigue of exploring intimacy, the sense of release we get from allowing ourselves to become vulnerable--these are all powerful emotions. But we cant forge...	Dave R	2	482	Dec 6, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT December 5 Those who want to recover (Preview) We have seen the program work for any addict who honestly and sincerely wants to stop [using drugs]. Basic Text, p. 10 = How do we know when someone honestly and sincerely wants to stop using drugs? The truth is that we don't know! Because we cannot read minds or know another's motives and desires, w...	Dave R	3	603	Dec 5, 2017 by Eschia
	JFT December 4 God's will, not ours (Preview) We know that if we pray for God's will we will receive what is best for us, regardless of what we think. Basic Text, p. 46 = By the time we came to NA, our inner voices had become unreliable and self-destructive. Addiction had warped our desires, our interests, our sense of what was best for ourselves...	Dave R	2	1071	Dec 4, 2017 by Dave R
	In God's grace and mercy ,33 years freedom from active drug addiction (Preview) I repost this short focus every year to remind myself of the grace and mercy I have received(God's unmerited favor for me)and the daily work I do to remain free of active drug addiction)I reflect on my sponsor ,my sponsees and above all the God of my own understanding.The message is Hope and the promise...	MIKEF	2	283	Dec 3, 2017 by Davethewave
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