Narcotics Anonymous Message Board

Dave R · Dave R

"Our fears are lessened and faith begins to grow as we learn the true meaning of surrender. We are no longer fighting fear, anger, guilt, self-pity, or depression."Basic Text, p. 27=Surrender is the beginning of a new way of life. When driven primarily by self-will, we constantly wondered whethe...

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. 25=Coming to believe is a process that stems from personal experience. Each of us has this experience; all addicts who find recovery in NA have solid evidence of a benevo...

gratefulgirl17 · gratefulgirl17

Hey family, I am a member of a small town group in NA and at the moment we are struggling to keep people in the rooms. So in an effort to motivate our members to start and stick with their steps and do some healing, we have decided to start a step writing meeting. We went to a Unity Day event where a speaker sha...

Dave R · Dave R

"...ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."Tradition Twelve=Sometimes it's hard to accept others' character defects. As we recover together, we not only listen to others talk in meetings, we also watch how they walk through their recovery. The more we get to know other me...

Dave R · Dave R

"We didn't stumble into this fellowship brimming with love, honesty, open-mindedness, or willingness...When we were beaten, we became willing."Basic Text, p. 20=Surrender may be the necessary foundation for recovery, but sometimes we fight it. Most of us look back after some clean time and wo...

Dave R · Dave R

"In our recovery, we find it essential to accept reality. Once we can do this, we do not find it necessary to use drugs in an attempt to change our perceptions."Basic Text, p. 90=Drugs used to buffer us from the full force of life. When we stop using drugs and enter recovery, we find ourselves confront...

Dave R · Dave R

"We have been experts at self-deception and rationalization."Basic Text, p. 28=When we come to our first meeting and hear that we must be honest, we may think, "Well now, that shouldn't be too difficult. All I have to do is stop lying." To some of us, this comes easily. We no longer have to lie to our em...

Dave R · Dave R

"For some, prayer is asking for God's help; meditation is listening for God's answer.... Quieting the mind through meditation brings an inner peace that brings us into contact with the God within us."Basic Text, pp. 46-47="Be patient when you;re learning to meditate," many of us were told. "It t...

Dave R · Dave R

"We find that when we lose self-obsession, we are able to understand what it means to be happy, joyous, and free."Basic Text, p. 107=The laughter in our meetings often surprises the newcomer. As a group, we appreciate the healing that healthy laughter brings. Even if we are deeply troubled, the jo...

Dave R · Dave R

"Indirect amends may be necessary where direct ones would be unsafe or endanger other people."Basic Text, p. 41=When we used, we allowed nothing to stand in the way of that next high. As a result, many of us didn't always know precisely whom we had injured, either financially or emotionally. When i...

Dave R · Dave R

"Reaching out is the beginning of the struggle that will set us free. It will break down the walls that imprison us."Basic Text, p. 83=Many of us came to NA emotionally shattered. Years of using people and allowing them to use us had taken their toll on our ability to trust anyone, ourselves included...

Dave R · Dave R

"Some things we must accept, others we can change. The wisdom to know the difference comes with growth in our spiritual program."Basic Text, p. 95=It's relatively easy to accept the things we like--it's the things we don't like that are hard to accept. But remaking the world and everyone in it to...

Dave R · Dave R

"Many of us cling to our fears, doubts, self-loathing, or hatred because there is a certain distorted security in familiar pain. It seems safer to embrace what we know than to let go of it for the unknown."Basic Text, p. 34=We have often heard it said that "when the pain of remaining the same becomes gr...

Dave R · Dave R

"If we maintain our spiritual condition daily, we find it easier to deal with the pain and confusion."Basic Text, p. 95=When we first began searching for a Power greater than ourselves, many of us got stuck in old beliefs or ideas. These ranged from the fear of a punishing or vengeful God to no belief a...

ernurse · ernurse

I began as a registered nurse 8 years ago. My career took off and was wonderful for about 6 years. The last 2 years I have had chronic headaches and have been looking for one way or another to take away the pain. I also suffer from severe depression, which further complicates things. I have been using...

Dave R · Dave R

"The program works a miracle in our lives....We become free to live."Basic Text, p. 11=Most of us--if we've been in recovery for any length of time at all--have heard some member complaining in a meeting about being terribly overworked, too busy for meetings or sponsorship or other activities. I...

Dave R · Dave R

"Yes, we are a vision of hope..."Basic Text, p. 53=By the time we reached the end of our road, many of us had lost all hope for a life without the use of drugs. We believed we were destined to die from our disease. What an inspiration it was, then, coming to our first meeting and seeing a room full of addict...

Dave R · Dave R

"As we recover, we gain a new outlook on being clean...Life can become a new adventure for us."Basic Text, p. 91=The using life is not a clean one--no one knows this better than we do. Some of us lived in physical squalor, caring neither for our surroundings nor ourselves. Worse, though, than any ex...

Dave R · Dave R

"When we finally get our own selfish motives out of the way, we begin to find a peace that we never imagined possible."Basic Text, p. 45=As we examine our beliefs, our actions, and our motives in recovery, we'll find that sometimes we do things for the wrong reasons. In our early recovery, we may have s...

Whitney · Whitney

Hi. I'm an addict and my problem is Whitney. I'm 3 months out of treatment and currently am attending local NA meetings, but there aren't many women that show up to them. The ones that do never hang around long and I can't seem to find a reliable sponsor. I'm trying to do this thing right and I feel confiden...

Dave R · Dave R

"Lost dreams awaken and new possibilities arise."Basic Text, p. 91Most of us had dreams when we were young. Whether we dreamed of a dynamic career, a large and loving family, or travels abroad, our dreams died when our addiction took hold. Anything we ever wanted for ourselves was cast away in our p...

Dave R · Dave R

"This program offers hope. All you have to bring with you is the desire to stop using and the willingness to try this new way of life.IP No. 16, For the Newcomer=From time to time we wonder if were doing it right in Narcotics Anonymous. Are we attending enough meetings? Are we using our sponsor, or wo...

Dave R · Dave R

"Just for today, I will have faith in someone in NA who believes in me and wants to help me in my recovery."Basic Text, p. 100=Not all of us arrive in NA and automatically stay clean. But if we keep coming back, we find in Narcotics Anonymous the support we need for our recovery. Staying clean is easier w...

Dave R · Dave R

"The Twelve Steps of Narcotics Anonymous are a progressive recovery process established in our daily living."Basic Text, p. 99=After some time in recovery, we may find we are faced with what seem like overwhelming personal problems, angry feelings, and despair. When we realize what's going on,...

Brian J · Brian J

I am new to this site and looking for a sponsor in the Burbank, CA area. Please contact me with any information. Thank you, Brian J.

Dave R · Dave R

"Although honesty is difficult to practice, it is most rewarding."Basic Text, p. 96How difficult we find it to be honest! Many of us come to NA so confused about what really happened in our lives that it sometimes takes months and years to sort it all out. The truth of our history is not always as we hav...

Dave R · Dave R

"Our negative sense of self has been replaced by a positive concern for others."Basic Text, p. 16Spreading gossip feeds a dark hunger in us. Sometimes we think the only way we can feel good about ourselves is to make someone else look bad by comparison. But the kind of self-esteem that can be purchas...

Dave R · Dave R

"We make our amends to the best of our ability."Basic Text, p. 40 The Ninth Step tells us to make direct amends wherever possible. Our experience tells us to follow up those direct amends with long-lasting changes in our attitudes and our behavior--that is, with indirect amends.For example, sa...

Dave R · Dave R

"We wanted an easy way out...When we did seek help, we were only looking for the absence of pain."Basic Text, p. 5=Something's not working. In fact, somethings been wrong for a long time, causing us pain and complicating our lives. The problem is that, at any given moment, it always appears easier t...

Dave R · Dave R

"We don't have to be clean when we get here but, after the first meeting, we suggest that newcomers keep coming back and come back clean. We don't have to wait for an overdose or a jail sentence to get help from Narcotics Anonymous."Basic Text, pp. 10-11Very few of us arrive in NA brimming with willingn...

Topic		Started By	Replies	Views	Last Post
	JFT June 26 Surrendering self-will (Preview) "Our fears are lessened and faith begins to grow as we learn the true meaning of surrender. We are no longer fighting fear, anger, guilt, self-pity, or depression."Basic Text, p. 27=Surrender is the beginning of a new way of life. When driven primarily by self-will, we constantly wondered whethe...	Dave R	0	217	Jun 26, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT June 25 Not just lucky (Preview) "The process of coming to believe restores us to sanity. The strength to move into action comes from this belief."Basic Text, p. 25=Coming to believe is a process that stems from personal experience. Each of us has this experience; all addicts who find recovery in NA have solid evidence of a benevo...	Dave R	0	230	Jun 25, 2017 by Dave R
	Step Writing Meeting (Preview) Hey family, I am a member of a small town group in NA and at the moment we are struggling to keep people in the rooms. So in an effort to motivate our members to start and stick with their steps and do some healing, we have decided to start a step writing meeting. We went to a Unity Day event where a speaker sha...	gratefulgirl17	1	337	Jun 24, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT June 24 Tolerance (Preview) "...ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."Tradition Twelve=Sometimes it's hard to accept others' character defects. As we recover together, we not only listen to others talk in meetings, we also watch how they walk through their recovery. The more we get to know other me...	Dave R	0	299	Jun 24, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT June 23 Surrender (Preview) "We didn't stumble into this fellowship brimming with love, honesty, open-mindedness, or willingness...When we were beaten, we became willing."Basic Text, p. 20=Surrender may be the necessary foundation for recovery, but sometimes we fight it. Most of us look back after some clean time and wo...	Dave R	0	233	Jun 23, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT June 22 Accepting life as it is (Preview) "In our recovery, we find it essential to accept reality. Once we can do this, we do not find it necessary to use drugs in an attempt to change our perceptions."Basic Text, p. 90=Drugs used to buffer us from the full force of life. When we stop using drugs and enter recovery, we find ourselves confront...	Dave R	0	229	Jun 22, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT June 21 New levels of honesty (Preview) "We have been experts at self-deception and rationalization."Basic Text, p. 28=When we come to our first meeting and hear that we must be honest, we may think, "Well now, that shouldn't be too difficult. All I have to do is stop lying." To some of us, this comes easily. We no longer have to lie to our em...	Dave R	0	237	Jun 21, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT June 20 Meditation for beginners (Preview) "For some, prayer is asking for God's help; meditation is listening for God's answer.... Quieting the mind through meditation brings an inner peace that brings us into contact with the God within us."Basic Text, pp. 46-47="Be patient when you;re learning to meditate," many of us were told. "It t...	Dave R	0	1875	Jun 20, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT June 19 A sense of humor (Preview) "We find that when we lose self-obsession, we are able to understand what it means to be happy, joyous, and free."Basic Text, p. 107=The laughter in our meetings often surprises the newcomer. As a group, we appreciate the healing that healthy laughter brings. Even if we are deeply troubled, the jo...	Dave R	0	232	Jun 19, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT June 18 Indirect amends (Preview) "Indirect amends may be necessary where direct ones would be unsafe or endanger other people."Basic Text, p. 41=When we used, we allowed nothing to stand in the way of that next high. As a result, many of us didn't always know precisely whom we had injured, either financially or emotionally. When i...	Dave R	1	236	Jun 18, 2017 by Davethewave
	JFT June 17 Walls (Preview) "Reaching out is the beginning of the struggle that will set us free. It will break down the walls that imprison us."Basic Text, p. 83=Many of us came to NA emotionally shattered. Years of using people and allowing them to use us had taken their toll on our ability to trust anyone, ourselves included...	Dave R	0	229	Jun 17, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT June 16 Accepting life (Preview) "Some things we must accept, others we can change. The wisdom to know the difference comes with growth in our spiritual program."Basic Text, p. 95=It's relatively easy to accept the things we like--it's the things we don't like that are hard to accept. But remaking the world and everyone in it to...	Dave R	0	218	Jun 16, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT June 15 Resistance to change (Preview) "Many of us cling to our fears, doubts, self-loathing, or hatred because there is a certain distorted security in familiar pain. It seems safer to embrace what we know than to let go of it for the unknown."Basic Text, p. 34=We have often heard it said that "when the pain of remaining the same becomes gr...	Dave R	0	233	Jun 15, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT June 14 Maintaining our faith (Preview) "If we maintain our spiritual condition daily, we find it easier to deal with the pain and confusion."Basic Text, p. 95=When we first began searching for a Power greater than ourselves, many of us got stuck in old beliefs or ideas. These ranged from the fear of a punishing or vengeful God to no belief a...	Dave R	0	181	Jun 14, 2017 by Dave R
	Nurses and addiction (Preview) I began as a registered nurse 8 years ago. My career took off and was wonderful for about 6 years. The last 2 years I have had chronic headaches and have been looking for one way or another to take away the pain. I also suffer from severe depression, which further complicates things. I have been using...	ernurse	15	7923	Jun 13, 2017 by mikah
	JFT June 13 A full life (Preview) "The program works a miracle in our lives....We become free to live."Basic Text, p. 11=Most of us--if we've been in recovery for any length of time at all--have heard some member complaining in a meeting about being terribly overworked, too busy for meetings or sponsorship or other activities. I...	Dave R	0	192	Jun 13, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT June 12 A vision of hope (Preview) "Yes, we are a vision of hope..."Basic Text, p. 53=By the time we reached the end of our road, many of us had lost all hope for a life without the use of drugs. We believed we were destined to die from our disease. What an inspiration it was, then, coming to our first meeting and seeing a room full of addict...	Dave R	0	213	Jun 12, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT June 11 Living clean (Preview) "As we recover, we gain a new outlook on being clean...Life can become a new adventure for us."Basic Text, p. 91=The using life is not a clean one--no one knows this better than we do. Some of us lived in physical squalor, caring neither for our surroundings nor ourselves. Worse, though, than any ex...	Dave R	0	226	Jun 11, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT June 10 Changing motives (Preview) "When we finally get our own selfish motives out of the way, we begin to find a peace that we never imagined possible."Basic Text, p. 45=As we examine our beliefs, our actions, and our motives in recovery, we'll find that sometimes we do things for the wrong reasons. In our early recovery, we may have s...	Dave R	0	219	Jun 10, 2017 by Dave R
	Trying to find a sponsor (Preview) Hi. I'm an addict and my problem is Whitney. I'm 3 months out of treatment and currently am attending local NA meetings, but there aren't many women that show up to them. The ones that do never hang around long and I can't seem to find a reliable sponsor. I'm trying to do this thing right and I feel confiden...	Whitney	2	292	Jun 9, 2017 by Davethewave
	JFT June 9 Old dreams needn't die (Preview) "Lost dreams awaken and new possibilities arise."Basic Text, p. 91Most of us had dreams when we were young. Whether we dreamed of a dynamic career, a large and loving family, or travels abroad, our dreams died when our addiction took hold. Anything we ever wanted for ourselves was cast away in our p...	Dave R	0	258	Jun 9, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT June 8 The only requirement (Preview) "This program offers hope. All you have to bring with you is the desire to stop using and the willingness to try this new way of life.IP No. 16, For the Newcomer=From time to time we wonder if were doing it right in Narcotics Anonymous. Are we attending enough meetings? Are we using our sponsor, or wo...	Dave R	0	209	Jun 8, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT June 7 Someone who believes in me (Preview) "Just for today, I will have faith in someone in NA who believes in me and wants to help me in my recovery."Basic Text, p. 100=Not all of us arrive in NA and automatically stay clean. But if we keep coming back, we find in Narcotics Anonymous the support we need for our recovery. Staying clean is easier w...	Dave R	0	211	Jun 7, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT June 6 Recovery doesn't happen overnight (Preview) "The Twelve Steps of Narcotics Anonymous are a progressive recovery process established in our daily living."Basic Text, p. 99=After some time in recovery, we may find we are faced with what seem like overwhelming personal problems, angry feelings, and despair. When we realize what's going on,...	Dave R	0	199	Jun 6, 2017 by Dave R
	NA Sponsor (Preview) I am new to this site and looking for a sponsor in the Burbank, CA area. Please contact me with any information. Thank you, Brian J.	Brian J	2	411	Jun 5, 2017 by MIKEF
	JFT June 5 Honest prayer (Preview) "Although honesty is difficult to practice, it is most rewarding."Basic Text, p. 96How difficult we find it to be honest! Many of us come to NA so confused about what really happened in our lives that it sometimes takes months and years to sort it all out. The truth of our history is not always as we hav...	Dave R	0	178	Jun 5, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT June 4 Build, don't destroy (Preview) "Our negative sense of self has been replaced by a positive concern for others."Basic Text, p. 16Spreading gossip feeds a dark hunger in us. Sometimes we think the only way we can feel good about ourselves is to make someone else look bad by comparison. But the kind of self-esteem that can be purchas...	Dave R	0	207	Jun 4, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT June 3 Direct and indirect amends (Preview) "We make our amends to the best of our ability."Basic Text, p. 40 The Ninth Step tells us to make direct amends wherever possible. Our experience tells us to follow up those direct amends with long-lasting changes in our attitudes and our behavior--that is, with indirect amends.For example, sa...	Dave R	0	294	Jun 3, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT June 2 Sick and tired (Preview) "We wanted an easy way out...When we did seek help, we were only looking for the absence of pain."Basic Text, p. 5=Something's not working. In fact, somethings been wrong for a long time, causing us pain and complicating our lives. The problem is that, at any given moment, it always appears easier t...	Dave R	0	207	Jun 2, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT June 1 Keep coming back (Preview) "We don't have to be clean when we get here but, after the first meeting, we suggest that newcomers keep coming back and come back clean. We don't have to wait for an overdose or a jail sentence to get help from Narcotics Anonymous."Basic Text, pp. 10-11Very few of us arrive in NA brimming with willingn...	Dave R	0	188	Jun 1, 2017 by Dave R
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