Narcotics Anonymous Message Board

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"Our negative sense of self has been replaced by a positive concern for others."Basic Text, p. 16Spreading gossip feeds a dark hunger in us.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...

Dave R · Dave R

"We live a day at a time but also from moment to moment. When we stop living in the here and now, our problems become magnified unreasonably."Basic Text, p. 99Life often seems too complicated to understand, especially for those of us whove dodged it for so long. When we stopped using drugs, many of us...

amanda56258 · amanda56258

It's been a while! How is everyone? I celebrated ten years clean in April. It seems so surreal. This message board has been in my life since the beginnng. I'm so grateful for the experience, strength, and hope you've all given me. I know i haven't been active on here in years, but know I think of many of yo...

Dave R · Dave R

"Sharing with others keeps us from feeling isolated and alone."Basic Text, p. 85There is a difference between being alone and being lonely. Being lonely is a state of the heart, an emptiness that makes us feel sad and sometimes hopeless. Loneliness is not always alleviated when we enter into rela...

Dave R · Dave R

"We believe that our Higher Power will take care of us."Basic Text, p. 58We all have times when it seems as though our lives are falling apart. There are days, or even weeks, when it seems that everything that can go wrong is going wrong. Whether it's the loss of a job, the death of a loved one, or the...

Dave R · Dave R

We examined our lives and discovered who we really are. To be truly humble is to accept and honestly try to be ourselves.Basic Text, p. 36 As using addicts, the demands of our disease determined our personality. We could be whoever or whatever we needed to be in order to get our fix. We were survival...

Dave R · Dave R

"...the decision to ask for God's help is our greatest source of strength and courage."Basic Text, p. 26 A challenge is anything that dares us to succeed. Things new and unfamiliar serve as challenges, whether those things appear good or bad to us. We are challenged by obstacles and opposition fr...

Dave R · Dave R

"Our understanding of a Higher Power is up to us...We can call it the group, the program, or we can call it God."Basic Text, p. 24Many of us have a hard time with the idea of a Higher Power until we fully accept the depth of our own powerlessness over addiction. Once we do, most of us are at least willing to c...

Dave R · Dave R

A lot happens in one day, both negative and positive. If we do not take time to appreciate both, perhaps we will miss something that will help us grow.IP No. 8, Just for Today Most of us seem to unconsciously judge what happens in our lives each day as good or bad, success or failure. We tend to feel ha...

Dave R · Dave R

"As we grow, we learn to overcome the tendency to run and hide from ourselves and our feelings."Basic Text, p. 85=Rather than risk vulnerability, many of us have developed habits that keep others at a safe distance. These patterns of emotional isolation can give us the feeling we are hopelessly loc...

Dave R · Dave R

We want to be free of our guilt, but we don't wish to do so at the expense of anyone else.Basic Text, p. 40Let's face it: Most of us left trails of destruction in our wakes and harmed anyone who got in our way. Some of the people we hurt most in our addiction were the people we loved most. In an effort to purg...

Dave R · Dave R

"The steps lead to an awakening of a spiritual nature. This awakening is evidenced by changes in our lives."Basic Text, p. 49=We know how to recognize the disease of addiction. Its symptoms are indisputable. Besides an uncontrollable appetite for drugs, those suffering exhibit self-centere...

Dave R · Dave R

"Meetings keep us in touch with where we've been, but more importantly, with where we could go in our recovery."Basic Text, p. 56 In many ways, addicts are different. When we came to Narcotics Anonymous we found others like ourselves, people who understood us and whom we could understand. No long...

Dave R · Dave R

"We find ourselves doing and enjoying things that we never thought we would be doing."Basic Text, p. 102=Active addiction kept us isolated for many reasons. In the beginning, we avoided family and friends so they wouldn't find out we were using. Some of us avoided all non-addicts, fearing mora...

Dave R · Dave R

We review our past performance and our present behavior to see what we want to keep and what we want to discard.Basic Text, p. 29 As each day winds to a close, many of us reflect on the past twenty-four hours and consider how we can live differently in the future. It's easy for our thoughts to remain trap...

Dave R · Dave R

We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.Step NineIn every relationship, we don't always handle things the way we would have hoped. But friendships don't have to end when we make mistakes; instead, we can make amends. If we are sincere...

Davethewave · Davethewave

So thru the grace of my sponsor, the rooms, God, and the 12 steps of NA we are celebrating 10 years this week. I am so GRATEFUL. Thanks everyone for being there for me!!

Dave R · Dave R

We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.Step SixAfter taking the Fifth Step, many of us spend some time considering "the exact nature of our wrongs" and the part they'd played in making us who we were. What would our lives be like without, say, our arrogance?Sure, arr...

Dave R · Dave R

"God's will for us becomes our own true will for ourselves."Basic Text, p. 48The Twelve Steps are a path to spiritual awakening. This awakening takes the form of a developing relationship with a loving Higher Power. Each succeeding step strengthens that relationship. As we continue to work the...

Dave R · Dave R

"As we approach this step, most of us are afraid that there is a monster inside of us that, if released, will destroy us."Basic Text, p. 27Most of us are terrified to look at ourselves, to probe our insides. We're afraid that if we examine our actions and motives, we'll find a bottomless black pit of sel...

Dave R · Dave R

"Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results." Basic Text, p. 23 Mistakes! We all know how it feels to make them. Many of us feel that our entire lives have been a mistake. We often regard our mistakes with shame or guilt--at the very least, with frustration and impatie...

Dave R · Dave R

"The progression of recovery is a continuous uphill journey."Basic Text, p. 83The longer we stay clean, the steeper and narrower our path seems to become. But God doesn't give us more than we can handle. No matter how difficult the road becomes, no matter how narrow, how winding the turns, there is...

Dave R · Dave R

"For meditation to be of value, the results must show in our daily lives."Basic Text, p. 47In working our program, we are given many indirect indications of a Higher Power's presence in our lives: the clean feeling that comes to so many of us in taking our Fifth Step; the sense that we are finally on the r...

Dave R · Dave R

"A lot of our chief concerns and major difficulties come from our inexperience with living without drugs. Often when we ask an old-timer what to do, we are amazed at the simplicity of the answer."Basic Text, p. 43=Finding balance in recovery is quite a bit like sitting down with a set of scales and a pi...

Dave R · Dave R

"We... get a good look at what these defects are doing to our lives. We begin to long for freedom from these defects."Basic Text, p. 34 Becoming entirely ready to have our defects of character removed can be a long process, often taking place over the course of a lifetime. Our state of readiness gro...

Dave R · Dave R

"We sit down with a notebook, ask for guidance, pick up our pen, and start writing."Basic Text, p. 30 When we're confused or in pain, our sponsor sometimes tells us to "write about it." Though we may groan as we drag out the notebook, we know that it will help. By laying it all out on paper, we give ourse...

Topic		Started By	Replies	Views	Last Post
	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	311	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	330	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	400	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	315	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	271	Jun 1, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT May 31 Keep it simple (Preview) "We live a day at a time but also from moment to moment. When we stop living in the here and now, our problems become magnified unreasonably."Basic Text, p. 99Life often seems too complicated to understand, especially for those of us whove dodged it for so long. When we stopped using drugs, many of us...	Dave R	0	379	May 31, 2017 by Dave R
	Howdy folks! (Preview) It's been a while! How is everyone? I celebrated ten years clean in April. It seems so surreal. This message board has been in my life since the beginnng. I'm so grateful for the experience, strength, and hope you've all given me. I know i haven't been active on here in years, but know I think of many of yo...	amanda56258	3	434	May 30, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT May 30 Loneliness vs. being alone (Preview) "Sharing with others keeps us from feeling isolated and alone."Basic Text, p. 85There is a difference between being alone and being lonely. Being lonely is a state of the heart, an emptiness that makes us feel sad and sometimes hopeless. Loneliness is not always alleviated when we enter into rela...	Dave R	0	233	May 30, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT May 29 Carry me (Preview) "We believe that our Higher Power will take care of us."Basic Text, p. 58We all have times when it seems as though our lives are falling apart. There are days, or even weeks, when it seems that everything that can go wrong is going wrong. Whether it's the loss of a job, the death of a loved one, or the...	Dave R	0	330	May 29, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT May 28 As we understood (Preview) We examined our lives and discovered who we really are. To be truly humble is to accept and honestly try to be ourselves.Basic Text, p. 36 As using addicts, the demands of our disease determined our personality. We could be whoever or whatever we needed to be in order to get our fix. We were survival...	Dave R	0	284	May 28, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT May 27 Meeting the day's challenge (Preview) "...the decision to ask for God's help is our greatest source of strength and courage."Basic Text, p. 26 A challenge is anything that dares us to succeed. Things new and unfamiliar serve as challenges, whether those things appear good or bad to us. We are challenged by obstacles and opposition fr...	Dave R	0	305	May 27, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT May 26 Power in the group (Preview) "Our understanding of a Higher Power is up to us...We can call it the group, the program, or we can call it God."Basic Text, p. 24Many of us have a hard time with the idea of a Higher Power until we fully accept the depth of our own powerlessness over addiction. Once we do, most of us are at least willing to c...	Dave R	0	381	May 26, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT May 25 Good and bad feelings (Preview) A lot happens in one day, both negative and positive. If we do not take time to appreciate both, perhaps we will miss something that will help us grow.IP No. 8, Just for Today Most of us seem to unconsciously judge what happens in our lives each day as good or bad, success or failure. We tend to feel ha...	Dave R	0	340	May 25, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT May 24 Risking vulnerability (Preview) "As we grow, we learn to overcome the tendency to run and hide from ourselves and our feelings."Basic Text, p. 85=Rather than risk vulnerability, many of us have developed habits that keep others at a safe distance. These patterns of emotional isolation can give us the feeling we are hopelessly loc...	Dave R	0	293	May 24, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT May 23 Sponsors and amends (Preview) We want to be free of our guilt, but we don't wish to do so at the expense of anyone else.Basic Text, p. 40Let's face it: Most of us left trails of destruction in our wakes and harmed anyone who got in our way. Some of the people we hurt most in our addiction were the people we loved most. In an effort to purg...	Dave R	0	343	May 23, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT May 22 Symptoms of a spiritual awakening (Preview) "The steps lead to an awakening of a spiritual nature. This awakening is evidenced by changes in our lives."Basic Text, p. 49=We know how to recognize the disease of addiction. Its symptoms are indisputable. Besides an uncontrollable appetite for drugs, those suffering exhibit self-centere...	Dave R	0	319	May 22, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT May 21 Keep coming back (Preview) "Meetings keep us in touch with where we've been, but more importantly, with where we could go in our recovery."Basic Text, p. 56 In many ways, addicts are different. When we came to Narcotics Anonymous we found others like ourselves, people who understood us and whom we could understand. No long...	Dave R	0	265	May 21, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT May 20 Coming out of isolation (Preview) "We find ourselves doing and enjoying things that we never thought we would be doing."Basic Text, p. 102=Active addiction kept us isolated for many reasons. In the beginning, we avoided family and friends so they wouldn't find out we were using. Some of us avoided all non-addicts, fearing mora...	Dave R	0	343	May 20, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT May 19 A growth inventory (Preview) We review our past performance and our present behavior to see what we want to keep and what we want to discard.Basic Text, p. 29 As each day winds to a close, many of us reflect on the past twenty-four hours and consider how we can live differently in the future. It's easy for our thoughts to remain trap...	Dave R	0	323	May 19, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT May 18 Friends and amends (Preview) We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.Step NineIn every relationship, we don't always handle things the way we would have hoped. But friendships don't have to end when we make mistakes; instead, we can make amends. If we are sincere...	Dave R	0	320	May 18, 2017 by Dave R
	10 years this week! (Preview) So thru the grace of my sponsor, the rooms, God, and the 12 steps of NA we are celebrating 10 years this week. I am so GRATEFUL. Thanks everyone for being there for me!!	Davethewave	6	339	May 17, 2017 by MIKEF
	JFT May 17 Defects (Preview) We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.Step SixAfter taking the Fifth Step, many of us spend some time considering "the exact nature of our wrongs" and the part they'd played in making us who we were. What would our lives be like without, say, our arrogance?Sure, arr...	Dave R	0	238	May 17, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT May 16 Our higher power's will (Preview) "God's will for us becomes our own true will for ourselves."Basic Text, p. 48The Twelve Steps are a path to spiritual awakening. This awakening takes the form of a developing relationship with a loving Higher Power. Each succeeding step strengthens that relationship. As we continue to work the...	Dave R	0	245	May 16, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT May 15 Fear of the fourth ste[ (Preview) "As we approach this step, most of us are afraid that there is a monster inside of us that, if released, will destroy us."Basic Text, p. 27Most of us are terrified to look at ourselves, to probe our insides. We're afraid that if we examine our actions and motives, we'll find a bottomless black pit of sel...	Dave R	0	383	May 15, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT May 14 Oops! (Preview) "Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results." Basic Text, p. 23 Mistakes! We all know how it feels to make them. Many of us feel that our entire lives have been a mistake. We often regard our mistakes with shame or guilt--at the very least, with frustration and impatie...	Dave R	0	304	May 14, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT May 13 Onward on the journey (Preview) "The progression of recovery is a continuous uphill journey."Basic Text, p. 83The longer we stay clean, the steeper and narrower our path seems to become. But God doesn't give us more than we can handle. No matter how difficult the road becomes, no matter how narrow, how winding the turns, there is...	Dave R	0	302	May 13, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT May 12 Living with spiritual experiences (Preview) "For meditation to be of value, the results must show in our daily lives."Basic Text, p. 47In working our program, we are given many indirect indications of a Higher Power's presence in our lives: the clean feeling that comes to so many of us in taking our Fifth Step; the sense that we are finally on the r...	Dave R	0	300	May 12, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT May 11 Balancing the scales (Preview) "A lot of our chief concerns and major difficulties come from our inexperience with living without drugs. Often when we ask an old-timer what to do, we are amazed at the simplicity of the answer."Basic Text, p. 43=Finding balance in recovery is quite a bit like sitting down with a set of scales and a pi...	Dave R	0	332	May 11, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT May 10 Becoming entirely ready (Preview) "We... get a good look at what these defects are doing to our lives. We begin to long for freedom from these defects."Basic Text, p. 34 Becoming entirely ready to have our defects of character removed can be a long process, often taking place over the course of a lifetime. Our state of readiness gro...	Dave R	0	450	May 10, 2017 by Dave R
	JFT May 9 Write about it! (Preview) "We sit down with a notebook, ask for guidance, pick up our pen, and start writing."Basic Text, p. 30 When we're confused or in pain, our sponsor sometimes tells us to "write about it." Though we may groan as we drag out the notebook, we know that it will help. By laying it all out on paper, we give ourse...	Dave R	0	1035	May 9, 2017 by Dave R
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