Narcotics Anonymous Message Board

Dave R · Dave R

"Projections about actually making amends can be a major obstacle both in making the list and in becoming willing."Basic Text, p. 39=The Eighth Step asks us to become willing to make amends to all persons we have harmed. As we approach this step, we may wonder what the outcome of our amends will be. ...

Dave R · Dave R

"When we first begin to enjoy relief from our addiction, we run the risk of assuming control of our lives again. We forget the agony and pain that we have known.:Basic Text, p. 50=Many of us have been "thirty-day wonders." We were desperate and dying when we showed up at our first NA meeting. We ide...

Dave R · Dave R

"Our egos, once so large and dominant, now take a back seat because we are in harmony with a loving God. We find that we lead richer, happier, and much fuller lives when we lose self-will." Basic Text, p. 105 = Addiction and self-will go hand in hand. The unmanageability that we admitt...

Dave R · Dave R

"We grasp the limitless strength provided for us through our daily prayer and surrender as long as we keep faith and renew it."Basic Text, p. 46=There are two parts to recovery: getting clean, and staying clean. Getting clean is comparatively easy because we only have to do it once. Staying clea...

Dave R · Dave R

"We learn that pain can be a motivating factor in recovery."Basic Text, p. 30="Pain--who needs it!" we think whenever we're in it. We see no good purpose for pain. It seems to be a pointless exercise in suffering. If someone happens to mention spiritual growth to us while we're in pain, we most l...

Dave R · Dave R

"Our real value is in being ourselves."Basic Text, p. 105=Over and over, we have tried to live up to the expectations of those around us. We may have been raised believing that we were okay if we earned good grades in school, cleaned our rooms, or dressed a certain way. Always wanting to belong and be l...

Dave R · Dave R

"When we stop living in the here and now, our problems become magnified unreasonably."Basic Text, p. 99="Just for today"--it's a comforting thought. If we try to live in the past, we may find ourselves torn by painful, disquieting memories. The lessons of our using are not the teachers we seek for...

Dave R · Dave R

"Gradually, as we become more God-centered than self-centered, our despair turns to hope."Basic Text, p. 95=As using addicts, despair was our relentless companion. It colored our every waking moment. Despair was born of our experience in active addiction: No matter what measures we tried to...

Dave R · Dave R

"There is something in our self-destructive personalities that cries for failure."Basic Text, p. 80="Poor me; woe is me; look at me, my life is such a mess! I've fallen, and no matter how hard I try, I continue to fail." Many of us came to NA singing this sad refrain.Life isn't like that anymore. Tru...

Dave R · Dave R

"It will not make us better people to judge the faults of another."Basic Text, p. 38=How easy it is to point out the faults of others! There's a reason for this: The defects we identify most easily in others are often the defects we are most familiar with in our own characters. We may notice our best fr...

Dave R · Dave R

We may fear that being in touch with our feelings will trigger an overwhelming chain reaction of pain and panic. Basic Text, p. 30 = A common complaint about the Fourth Step is that it makes us painfully conscious of our defects of character. We may be tempted to falter in our program of recovery. Th...

Dave R · Dave R

The only suggested guidelines are that this Power be loving, caring, and greater than ourselves. We don't have to be religious to accept this idea. The point is that we open our minds to believe. Basic Text, p. 24 = In a lifelong process of coming to believe, our understanding of God will change. ...

Dave R · Dave R

"In accordance with the principles of recovery, we try not to judge, stereotype, or moralize with each other." Basic Text, p. 11 = Let's face it: In Narcotics Anonymous, we live in a glass house of sorts. Our fellow members know more about our personal lives than anyone has ever known b...

RebeccaJ · RebeccaJ

Just wanting to get feedback about whether or not your group allows smoking of electronic cigarettes in the meeting hall and why or why not. We have a business meeting for our group this weekend and I would like to have some additional input about what other groups are doing to bring to the table. Thanks...

jirobi23 · jirobi23

I need someone to tell me that it's going to get better. I used for less than a year, not excessively, but enough to become dependent. And on Tuesday, exactly 3 days ago I decided to quit. Right now I'm on Day 3, exactly 72 hours, and I hurt everywhere. I haven't eaten but a few crackers in 3 days, and have had...

jirobi23 · jirobi23

I need someone to tell me that it's going to get better. I used for less than a year, not excessively, but enough to become dependent. And on Tuesday, exactly 3 days ago I decided to quit. Right now I'm on Day 3, exactly 72 hours, and I hurt everywhere. I haven't eaten but a few crackers in 3 days, and have had...

Dave R · Dave R

"Life takes on a new meaning when we open ourselves to this gift."Basic Text, p. 107=Neglecting our recovery is like neglecting any other gift weve been given. Suppose someone gave you a new car. Would you let it sit in the driveway until the tires rotted? Would you just drive it, ignoring routine m...

Dave R · Dave R

"Prayer takes practice, and we should remind ourselves that skilled people were not born with their skills."Basic Text, p. 46=Many of us came into recovery with no experience in prayer and worried about not knowing the "right words." Some of us remembered the words wed learned in childhood but were...

Dave R · Dave R

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."Serenity Prayer=Recovery involves change, and change means doing things differently. The problem is, many of us resist doing things differently; what w...

Dave R · Dave R

In NA, our joys are multiplied by sharing good days; our sorrows are lessened by sharing the bad. For the first time in our lives, we dont have to experience anything alone.IP No. 16, For the Newcomer=When we practice using the steps and the other tools of our program to work through our hardships, w...

Dave R · Dave R

"One of the most profound changes in our lives is in the realm of personal relationships."Basic Text, p. 57=Recovery gives many of us relationships that are closer and more intimate than any weve had before. As time passes, we find ourselves gravitating toward those who eventually become our f...

jjduffy1377 · jjduffy1377

I'm coming up on a year and it seems to be getting harder and harder. I'm struggling building and maintaining relationships. i shared last night and im feeling worse then I did and I don't know what to do. I feel alone and disconnected and angry. any suggestions would be great.

Dave R · Dave R

"Emotional balance is one of the first results of meditation, and our experience bears this out."Basic Text, p.47=Though each of us defines "emotional balance" a little differently, all of us must find it. Emotional balance can mean finding and maintaining a positive outlook on life, regardles...

Dave R · Dave R

"...we think that if we can just get enough food, enough sex, or enough money, we'll be satisfied and everything will be alright."Basic Text, p. 80=In our addiction, we could never get enough drugs, or money, or sex, or anything else. Even too much was never enough! There was a spiritual emptiness i...

Dave R · Dave R

"Eventually we are shown that we must get honest, or we will use again."Basic Text, p. 85=Everyone has secrets, right? Some of us have little secrets, items that would cause only minor embarrassment if found out. Some of us have big secrets, whole areas of our lives cloaked in thick, murky darknes...

Dave R · Dave R

"We had to have something different, and we thought we had found it in drugs."Basic Text, p. 13=Many of us have always felt different from other people. We know we're not unique in feeling that way; we hear many addicts share the same thing. We searched all our lives for something to make us all right,...

Dave R · Dave R

"My life is well-rounded and I am becoming a more comfortable version of myself, not the neurotic, boring person that I thought Id be without drugs." =Is there really life without drugs? Newcomers are sure that they are destined to lead a humdrum existence once they quit using. That fear is far...

Dave R · Dave R

We learn to become flexible... As new things are revealed, we feel renewed. Basic Text, p. 102 = Flexibility was not a part of the vocabulary we used in our using days. Wed become obsessed with the raw pleasure of our drugs and hardened to all the softer, subtler, more infinitely varied pleasures...

FreedomDove · FreedomDove

Hello Everybody. I have 1 year and 8 months clean. I haven't been able to get to many meetings in this time. I did go to a meeting last Monday. I am a very shy person in group setting so I couldnt share yet. I felt so self-conscious about that. I also am confused about how I should identify myself in mee...

erasmus · erasmus

I've got 5 months and some change clean time, and I'm getting married next summer. We want to have a dry wedding, but there's some resistance from other family members. We think we've got it settled, especially as the park where we'd like to host the reception BBQ doesn't allow alcohol. Just wonder...

Topic		Started By	Replies	Views	Last Post
	JFT October 6 Amends without expectations (Preview) "Projections about actually making amends can be a major obstacle both in making the list and in becoming willing."Basic Text, p. 39=The Eighth Step asks us to become willing to make amends to all persons we have harmed. As we approach this step, we may wonder what the outcome of our amends will be. ...	Dave R	1	2100	Oct 6, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT October 4 Thirty-day wonders (Preview) "When we first begin to enjoy relief from our addiction, we run the risk of assuming control of our lives again. We forget the agony and pain that we have known.:Basic Text, p. 50=Many of us have been "thirty-day wonders." We were desperate and dying when we showed up at our first NA meeting. We ide...	Dave R	1	317	Oct 4, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT October 3 Losing self-will (Preview) "Our egos, once so large and dominant, now take a back seat because we are in harmony with a loving God. We find that we lead richer, happier, and much fuller lives when we lose self-will." Basic Text, p. 105 = Addiction and self-will go hand in hand. The unmanageability that we admitt...	Dave R	1	3149	Oct 3, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT October 2 Keeping faith (Preview) "We grasp the limitless strength provided for us through our daily prayer and surrender as long as we keep faith and renew it."Basic Text, p. 46=There are two parts to recovery: getting clean, and staying clean. Getting clean is comparatively easy because we only have to do it once. Staying clea...	Dave R	1	1905	Oct 2, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT October 1 Not just a motivation for growth (Preview) "We learn that pain can be a motivating factor in recovery."Basic Text, p. 30="Pain--who needs it!" we think whenever we're in it. We see no good purpose for pain. It seems to be a pointless exercise in suffering. If someone happens to mention spiritual growth to us while we're in pain, we most l...	Dave R	1	2763	Oct 1, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT September 30 Being ourselves (Preview) "Our real value is in being ourselves."Basic Text, p. 105=Over and over, we have tried to live up to the expectations of those around us. We may have been raised believing that we were okay if we earned good grades in school, cleaned our rooms, or dressed a certain way. Always wanting to belong and be l...	Dave R	1	351	Sep 30, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT September 29 Just for Today (Preview) "When we stop living in the here and now, our problems become magnified unreasonably."Basic Text, p. 99="Just for today"--it's a comforting thought. If we try to live in the past, we may find ourselves torn by painful, disquieting memories. The lessons of our using are not the teachers we seek for...	Dave R	1	2087	Sep 29, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT September 28 Hope (Preview) "Gradually, as we become more God-centered than self-centered, our despair turns to hope."Basic Text, p. 95=As using addicts, despair was our relentless companion. It colored our every waking moment. Despair was born of our experience in active addiction: No matter what measures we tried to...	Dave R	1	2312	Sep 28, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT September 27 Right back up (Preview) "There is something in our self-destructive personalities that cries for failure."Basic Text, p. 80="Poor me; woe is me; look at me, my life is such a mess! I've fallen, and no matter how hard I try, I continue to fail." Many of us came to NA singing this sad refrain.Life isn't like that anymore. Tru...	Dave R	1	336	Sep 27, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT September 26 Seeing ourselves in others (Preview) "It will not make us better people to judge the faults of another."Basic Text, p. 38=How easy it is to point out the faults of others! There's a reason for this: The defects we identify most easily in others are often the defects we are most familiar with in our own characters. We may notice our best fr...	Dave R	1	2086	Sep 26, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT September 25 The Fourth Step--fearing our feelings (Preview) We may fear that being in touch with our feelings will trigger an overwhelming chain reaction of pain and panic. Basic Text, p. 30 = A common complaint about the Fourth Step is that it makes us painfully conscious of our defects of character. We may be tempted to falter in our program of recovery. Th...	Dave R	2	2004	Sep 25, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT September 24 A growing concept of God (Preview) The only suggested guidelines are that this Power be loving, caring, and greater than ourselves. We don't have to be religious to accept this idea. The point is that we open our minds to believe. Basic Text, p. 24 = In a lifelong process of coming to believe, our understanding of God will change. ...	Dave R	2	2253	Sep 25, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT September 23 Dealing with gossip (Preview) "In accordance with the principles of recovery, we try not to judge, stereotype, or moralize with each other." Basic Text, p. 11 = Let's face it: In Narcotics Anonymous, we live in a glass house of sorts. Our fellow members know more about our personal lives than anyone has ever known b...	Dave R	1	2037	Sep 23, 2017 by Dave R
	Vaping in the meeting hall (Preview) Just wanting to get feedback about whether or not your group allows smoking of electronic cigarettes in the meeting hall and why or why not. We have a business meeting for our group this weekend and I would like to have some additional input about what other groups are doing to bring to the table. Thanks...	RebeccaJ	4	1377	Sep 22, 2017 by Davethewave
	Day 3 Opiate Free (Preview) I need someone to tell me that it's going to get better. I used for less than a year, not excessively, but enough to become dependent. And on Tuesday, exactly 3 days ago I decided to quit. Right now I'm on Day 3, exactly 72 hours, and I hurt everywhere. I haven't eaten but a few crackers in 3 days, and have had...	jirobi23	1	1633	Sep 22, 2017 by Davethewave
	Day 3 Opiate Free (Preview) I need someone to tell me that it's going to get better. I used for less than a year, not excessively, but enough to become dependent. And on Tuesday, exactly 3 days ago I decided to quit. Right now I'm on Day 3, exactly 72 hours, and I hurt everywhere. I haven't eaten but a few crackers in 3 days, and have had...	jirobi23	0	1893	Sep 22, 2017 by jirobi23
	JFT September 22 Keeping the gift (Preview) "Life takes on a new meaning when we open ourselves to this gift."Basic Text, p. 107=Neglecting our recovery is like neglecting any other gift weve been given. Suppose someone gave you a new car. Would you let it sit in the driveway until the tires rotted? Would you just drive it, ignoring routine m...	Dave R	1	390	Sep 22, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT September 21 Prayer (Preview) "Prayer takes practice, and we should remind ourselves that skilled people were not born with their skills."Basic Text, p. 46=Many of us came into recovery with no experience in prayer and worried about not knowing the "right words." Some of us remembered the words wed learned in childhood but were...	Dave R	1	1904	Sep 21, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT September 20 Courage to change (Preview) "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."Serenity Prayer=Recovery involves change, and change means doing things differently. The problem is, many of us resist doing things differently; what w...	Dave R	2	811	Sep 20, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT September 19 Fellowship (Preview) In NA, our joys are multiplied by sharing good days; our sorrows are lessened by sharing the bad. For the first time in our lives, we dont have to experience anything alone.IP No. 16, For the Newcomer=When we practice using the steps and the other tools of our program to work through our hardships, w...	Dave R	1	2093	Sep 19, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT September 18 Honest relationships (Preview) "One of the most profound changes in our lives is in the realm of personal relationships."Basic Text, p. 57=Recovery gives many of us relationships that are closer and more intimate than any weve had before. As time passes, we find ourselves gravitating toward those who eventually become our f...	Dave R	2	1804	Sep 18, 2017 by Dave R
	Recovery and the introvert (Preview) I'm coming up on a year and it seems to be getting harder and harder. I'm struggling building and maintaining relationships. i shared last night and im feeling worse then I did and I don't know what to do. I feel alone and disconnected and angry. any suggestions would be great.	jjduffy1377	1	3208	Sep 16, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT September 16 Emotional balance (Preview) "Emotional balance is one of the first results of meditation, and our experience bears this out."Basic Text, p.47=Though each of us defines "emotional balance" a little differently, all of us must find it. Emotional balance can mean finding and maintaining a positive outlook on life, regardles...	Dave R	1	1933	Sep 16, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT September 15 Filling the emptiness (Preview) "...we think that if we can just get enough food, enough sex, or enough money, we'll be satisfied and everything will be alright."Basic Text, p. 80=In our addiction, we could never get enough drugs, or money, or sex, or anything else. Even too much was never enough! There was a spiritual emptiness i...	Dave R	1	394	Sep 15, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT September 14 Secrets and reservations (Preview) "Eventually we are shown that we must get honest, or we will use again."Basic Text, p. 85=Everyone has secrets, right? Some of us have little secrets, items that would cause only minor embarrassment if found out. Some of us have big secrets, whole areas of our lives cloaked in thick, murky darknes...	Dave R	1	365	Sep 14, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT September 13 Something different (Preview) "We had to have something different, and we thought we had found it in drugs."Basic Text, p. 13=Many of us have always felt different from other people. We know we're not unique in feeling that way; we hear many addicts share the same thing. We searched all our lives for something to make us all right,...	Dave R	1	453	Sep 13, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT September 12 New horizons (Preview) "My life is well-rounded and I am becoming a more comfortable version of myself, not the neurotic, boring person that I thought Id be without drugs." =Is there really life without drugs? Newcomers are sure that they are destined to lead a humdrum existence once they quit using. That fear is far...	Dave R	1	373	Sep 12, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT September 11 Bend with the wind (Preview) We learn to become flexible... As new things are revealed, we feel renewed. Basic Text, p. 102 = Flexibility was not a part of the vocabulary we used in our using days. Wed become obsessed with the raw pleasure of our drugs and hardened to all the softer, subtler, more infinitely varied pleasures...	Dave R	2	511	Sep 11, 2017 by Dave R
	Identifying At Meetings (Preview) Hello Everybody. I have 1 year and 8 months clean. I haven't been able to get to many meetings in this time. I did go to a meeting last Monday. I am a very shy person in group setting so I couldnt share yet. I felt so self-conscious about that. I also am confused about how I should identify myself in mee...	FreedomDove	7	1386	Sep 10, 2017 by Davethewave
	Dry Wedding (Preview) I've got 5 months and some change clean time, and I'm getting married next summer. We want to have a dry wedding, but there's some resistance from other family members. We think we've got it settled, especially as the park where we'd like to host the reception BBQ doesn't allow alcohol. Just wonder...	erasmus	1	267	Sep 10, 2017 by Davethewave
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