Narcotics Anonymous Message Board

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...

Dave R · Dave R

Perhaps for the first time, we see a vision of our new life. Basic Text, p. 35In our addiction, our vision of ourselves was very limited. Each day, we went through the same routine: getting, using, and finding ways and means to get more. And thats all we could reasonably expect for the duration of our...

Dave R · Dave R

We have to keep our recovery first and our priorities in order. Basic Text, p. 82 = Before coming to NA, we used many excuses to justify our use of drugs: He yelled at me. She said this. My partner left. I got fired. We used these same excuses for not seeking help for our drug problem. We had to real...

Dave R · Dave R

"We begin to pray only for God's will for us. That way, we get only what we are capable of handling."Basic Text, p. 49=Imagine what might happen if God gave us everything we wanted. A fabulous new car, straight As, a triple salary raise--all ours without effort, just for the asking.Now imagine the pr...

Dave R · Dave R

"Sharing with others keeps us from feeling isolated and alone."Basic Text, p. 85=Intimacy is the sharing of our innermost thoughts and feelings with another human being. Many of us long for the warmth and companionship intimacy brings, but those things dont come without effort. In our addictio...

Dave R · Dave R

"We believe that our Higher Power will take care of us."Basic Text, p. 58=Our program is based on the idea that the application of simple principles can produce profound effects in our lives. One such principle is that, if we ask, our Higher Power will care for us. Because this principle is so basic,...

Dave R · Dave R

"To be truly humble is to accept and honestly try to be ourselves."Basic Text, p. 36=Humility is a puzzling concept. We know a lot about humiliation, but humility is a new idea. It sounds suspiciously like groveling, bowing, and scraping. But thats not what humility is at all. True humilit...

Dave R · Dave R

"At times during our recovery, the decision to ask for God's help is our greatest source of strength and courage."Basic Text, p. 26=When we take the Third Step, we decide to allow a loving Higher Power to guide us and care for us in our daily lives. We make the decision to allow this guidance and care int...

Dave R · Dave R

"A lot happens in one day, both negative and positive. If we do not take the time to appreciate both, perhaps we will miss something that will help us grow."IP No. 8, Just for Today=Responsibility, responsibility--the responsibilities of life are everywhere. We're supposed to wear seat belts....

Dave R · Dave R

"Quieting the mind through meditation brings an inner peace that brings us into contact with the God within us."Basic Text, pp. 46-47=As our recovery progresses, we often reflect on what brought us to Narcotics Anonymous in the first place and are able to appreciate how much the quality of our lives...

Dave R · Dave R

"We entertained the thought that staying clean was not paying off, and the old thinking stirred up self-pity, resentment, and anger."Basic Text, p. 102=There are days when some of us wallow in self-pity. It's easy to do. We may have expectations about how our lives should be in recovery, expectat...

Dave R · Dave R

"The relief of 'letting go and letting God' helps us develop a life that is worth living."Basic Text, p. 26=In our addiction, we were afraid of what might happen if we didn't control everything around us. Many of us made up elaborate lies to protect our use of drugs. Some of us manipulated everyone a...

Dave R · Dave R

"As we begin to function in society, our creative freedom helps us sort our priorities and do the basic things first."Basic Text, p. 86=No sooner do we get clean than some of us begin putting other priorities ahead of our recovery. Careers, families, relationships--all these are part of the life we...

Dave R · Dave R

"If [character defects] contributed to our health and happiness, we would not have come to such a state of desperation."Basic Text, p. 34=Getting started on the Sixth and Seventh Steps isn't always easy. We may feel as though we have so much wrong with us that we are totally defective....

Dave R · Dave R

"We weren't oriented toward fulfillment; we focused on the emptiness and worthlessness of it all."Basic Text, p. 86=There were probably hundreds of times in our active addiction when we wished we could become someone else. We may have wished we could trade places with someone who owne...

Dave R · Dave R

"...the addict would find from the start as much identification as each needed to convince himself that he could stay clean, by the example of others who had recovered for many years."Basic Text, p. 85=Many of us attended our first meeting and, not being entirely sure that NA was for us...

Dave R · Dave R

"The Tenth Step can help us correct our living problems and prevent their recurrence."Basic Text, p. 41=Our identities, how we think and feel, have been shaped by our experiences. Some of our experiences have made us better people; others have caused us shame or embarrassment; all of t...

Dave R · Dave R

"We never have to use again, no matter how we feel. All feelings will eventually pass."Basic Text, p. 82=It hurts like never before. You get out of bed after a sleepless night, talk to God, and still dont feel any better. "It will pass," a little voice tells you. "When?...

Dave R · Dave R

"We gradually and carefully pull ourselves out of the isolation and loneliness of addiction and into the mainstream of life."Basic Text, p. 37=Many of us spent much of our using time alone, avoiding other people--especially people who were not using--at all costs. After years of isolation, try...

Dave R · Dave R

"Take my will and my life. Guide me in my recovery. Show me how to live."Basic Text, p. 26=How do we begin the process of letting our Higher Power guide our lives? When we seek advice about situations that trouble us, we often find that our Higher Power works through others. When we accept that we don...

Dave R · Dave R

"When we were using, our lives became an exercise in survival. Now we are doing much more living than surviving."Basic Text, p. 52="I'd be better off dead!" A familiar refrain to a practicing addict, and with good reason. All we had to look forward to was more of the same miserable existence. Our ho...

Dave R · Dave R

"We are not going to be perfect. If we were perfect, we would not be human."Basic Text, p. 31=All of us had expectations about life in recovery. Some of us thought recovery would suddenly make us employable or able to do anything in the world we wanted to do. Or maybe we imagined perfect ease in our int...

Dave R · Dave R

When we honestly tell our own story, someone else may identify with us. Basic Text, p. 98 = Many of us have heard truly captivating speakers at Narcotics Anonymous conventions. We remember the audience alternating between tears of identification and joyous hilarity. Someday, we may think, I'...

Dave R · Dave R

We surrender quietly and let the God of our understanding take care of us." Basic Text, p. 26 Surrender and acceptance are like infatuation and love. Infatuation begins when we encounter someone special. Infatuation requires nothing but the acknowledgment of the object of our infatuati...

Dave R · Dave R

"No matter how far we ran, we always carried fear with us."Basic Text, p. 14=For many of us, fear was a constant factor in our lives before we came to Narcotics Anonymous. We used because we were afraid to feel emotional or physical pain. Our fear of people and situations gave us a convenient excuse t...

poi · poi

Hello everyone, I am a male GSR for a group that has an old-timer (20+ years clean) who has been making women uncomfortable and our meeting has been slowly turning into all men. I was suspicious of what was going on...and then had my suspicions confirmed by a few female members and also an outside group...

Topic		Started By	Replies	Views	Last Post
	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	462	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	519	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	618	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	1145	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	317	Dec 3, 2017 by Davethewave
	JFT December 3 Vision without limits (Preview) Perhaps for the first time, we see a vision of our new life. Basic Text, p. 35In our addiction, our vision of ourselves was very limited. Each day, we went through the same routine: getting, using, and finding ways and means to get more. And thats all we could reasonably expect for the duration of our...	Dave R	2	565	Dec 3, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT December 2 Recovery: our first priority (Preview) We have to keep our recovery first and our priorities in order. Basic Text, p. 82 = Before coming to NA, we used many excuses to justify our use of drugs: He yelled at me. She said this. My partner left. I got fired. We used these same excuses for not seeking help for our drug problem. We had to real...	Dave R	2	562	Dec 2, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT December 1 Life's rewards (Preview) "We begin to pray only for God's will for us. That way, we get only what we are capable of handling."Basic Text, p. 49=Imagine what might happen if God gave us everything we wanted. A fabulous new car, straight As, a triple salary raise--all ours without effort, just for the asking.Now imagine the pr...	Dave R	1	437	Dec 1, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT November 30 Sharing the real me (Preview) "Sharing with others keeps us from feeling isolated and alone."Basic Text, p. 85=Intimacy is the sharing of our innermost thoughts and feelings with another human being. Many of us long for the warmth and companionship intimacy brings, but those things dont come without effort. In our addictio...	Dave R	1	424	Nov 30, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT November 29 Our higher power's care (Preview) "We believe that our Higher Power will take care of us."Basic Text, p. 58=Our program is based on the idea that the application of simple principles can produce profound effects in our lives. One such principle is that, if we ask, our Higher Power will care for us. Because this principle is so basic,...	Dave R	1	397	Nov 29, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT November 28 Being ourselves (Preview) "To be truly humble is to accept and honestly try to be ourselves."Basic Text, p. 36=Humility is a puzzling concept. We know a lot about humiliation, but humility is a new idea. It sounds suspiciously like groveling, bowing, and scraping. But thats not what humility is at all. True humilit...	Dave R	1	423	Nov 28, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT November 27 Seeking God's help (Preview) "At times during our recovery, the decision to ask for God's help is our greatest source of strength and courage."Basic Text, p. 26=When we take the Third Step, we decide to allow a loving Higher Power to guide us and care for us in our daily lives. We make the decision to allow this guidance and care int...	Dave R	1	425	Nov 27, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT November 26 Responsibility (Preview) "A lot happens in one day, both negative and positive. If we do not take the time to appreciate both, perhaps we will miss something that will help us grow."IP No. 8, Just for Today=Responsibility, responsibility--the responsibilities of life are everywhere. We're supposed to wear seat belts....	Dave R	1	402	Nov 26, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT November 25 Meditation (Preview) "Quieting the mind through meditation brings an inner peace that brings us into contact with the God within us."Basic Text, pp. 46-47=As our recovery progresses, we often reflect on what brought us to Narcotics Anonymous in the first place and are able to appreciate how much the quality of our lives...	Dave R	1	2020	Nov 25, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT November 24 Gratefully recovering (Preview) "We entertained the thought that staying clean was not paying off, and the old thinking stirred up self-pity, resentment, and anger."Basic Text, p. 102=There are days when some of us wallow in self-pity. It's easy to do. We may have expectations about how our lives should be in recovery, expectat...	Dave R	1	409	Nov 24, 2017 by Dave R
	November 23 God's will (Preview) "The relief of 'letting go and letting God' helps us develop a life that is worth living."Basic Text, p. 26=In our addiction, we were afraid of what might happen if we didn't control everything around us. Many of us made up elaborate lies to protect our use of drugs. Some of us manipulated everyone a...	Dave R	1	419	Nov 23, 2017 by Dave R
	JFt November 22 Foundation first (Preview) "As we begin to function in society, our creative freedom helps us sort our priorities and do the basic things first."Basic Text, p. 86=No sooner do we get clean than some of us begin putting other priorities ahead of our recovery. Careers, families, relationships--all these are part of the life we...	Dave R	1	409	Nov 22, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT November 21 Letting our defects go (Preview) "If [character defects] contributed to our health and happiness, we would not have come to such a state of desperation."Basic Text, p. 34=Getting started on the Sixth and Seventh Steps isn't always easy. We may feel as though we have so much wrong with us that we are totally defective....	Dave R	2	536	Nov 21, 2017 by Davethewave
	JFT November 20 Finding fulfillment (Preview) "We weren't oriented toward fulfillment; we focused on the emptiness and worthlessness of it all."Basic Text, p. 86=There were probably hundreds of times in our active addiction when we wished we could become someone else. We may have wished we could trade places with someone who owne...	Dave R	1	451	Nov 20, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT November 19 The language of empathy (Preview) "...the addict would find from the start as much identification as each needed to convince himself that he could stay clean, by the example of others who had recovered for many years."Basic Text, p. 85=Many of us attended our first meeting and, not being entirely sure that NA was for us...	Dave R	1	493	Nov 19, 2017 by Dave R
	JFt November 18 Self-discovery (Preview) "The Tenth Step can help us correct our living problems and prevent their recurrence."Basic Text, p. 41=Our identities, how we think and feel, have been shaped by our experiences. Some of our experiences have made us better people; others have caused us shame or embarrassment; all of t...	Dave R	1	459	Nov 18, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT November 17 Walking through the pain (Preview) "We never have to use again, no matter how we feel. All feelings will eventually pass."Basic Text, p. 82=It hurts like never before. You get out of bed after a sleepless night, talk to God, and still dont feel any better. "It will pass," a little voice tells you. "When?...	Dave R	1	1912	Nov 17, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT November 16 Alone no more (Preview) "We gradually and carefully pull ourselves out of the isolation and loneliness of addiction and into the mainstream of life."Basic Text, p. 37=Many of us spent much of our using time alone, avoiding other people--especially people who were not using--at all costs. After years of isolation, try...	Dave R	1	449	Nov 16, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT November 15 Letting go (Preview) "Take my will and my life. Guide me in my recovery. Show me how to live."Basic Text, p. 26=How do we begin the process of letting our Higher Power guide our lives? When we seek advice about situations that trouble us, we often find that our Higher Power works through others. When we accept that we don...	Dave R	1	451	Nov 15, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT November 14 Not just surviving (Preview) "When we were using, our lives became an exercise in survival. Now we are doing much more living than surviving."Basic Text, p. 52="I'd be better off dead!" A familiar refrain to a practicing addict, and with good reason. All we had to look forward to was more of the same miserable existence. Our ho...	Dave R	1	550	Nov 14, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT November 13 Not perfect (Preview) "We are not going to be perfect. If we were perfect, we would not be human."Basic Text, p. 31=All of us had expectations about life in recovery. Some of us thought recovery would suddenly make us employable or able to do anything in the world we wanted to do. Or maybe we imagined perfect ease in our int...	Dave R	1	337	Nov 13, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT November 12 Our own story (Preview) When we honestly tell our own story, someone else may identify with us. Basic Text, p. 98 = Many of us have heard truly captivating speakers at Narcotics Anonymous conventions. We remember the audience alternating between tears of identification and joyous hilarity. Someday, we may think, I'...	Dave R	2	547	Nov 12, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT November 11 From surrender to acceptance (Preview) We surrender quietly and let the God of our understanding take care of us." Basic Text, p. 26 Surrender and acceptance are like infatuation and love. Infatuation begins when we encounter someone special. Infatuation requires nothing but the acknowledgment of the object of our infatuati...	Dave R	2	382	Nov 11, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT November 10 Fear or faith? (Preview) "No matter how far we ran, we always carried fear with us."Basic Text, p. 14=For many of us, fear was a constant factor in our lives before we came to Narcotics Anonymous. We used because we were afraid to feel emotional or physical pain. Our fear of people and situations gave us a convenient excuse t...	Dave R	1	381	Nov 10, 2017 by Dave R
	How to address a 13th Stepper..?? 13th stepping (Preview) Hello everyone, I am a male GSR for a group that has an old-timer (20+ years clean) who has been making women uncomfortable and our meeting has been slowly turning into all men. I was suspicious of what was going on...and then had my suspicions confirmed by a few female members and also an outside group...	poi	2	385	Nov 9, 2017 by Mike M
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