Narcotics Anonymous Message Board

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...

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. 24 = Many 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 l...

Davethewave · Davethewave

So an extreme violation of trust by Someone given a second chance has rocked my family. The level and degree of deceit is shocking. What is surprising is how I feel. No hate to speak of just sorrow. Especially for those closest to the situation. I lived with the hate for so long it was debilitating. Onl...

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. W...

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 h...

jamieb7518 · jamieb7518

I am the Vice Chair of my Home Group. There was a heated discussion and the Chair stepped down for the rest of the meeting to have an opinion. My question is Can the Chair step back into position? Am I automatically positioned as Chair-or does the Group as a Whole have to discuss the behavior??? And mo...

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. 40 = Let'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. I...

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...

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-addict...

Dave R · Dave R

"Meetings keep us in touch with where weve 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 underst...

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 though...

Dave R · Dave R

"We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others." Step Nine = In 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....

Dave R · Dave R

"We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character." Step Six = After 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,...

Mike M · Mike M

Page 142 "God's will for us becomes our own true will for ourselves." Basic Text, p. 48 The 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 con...

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. 27 = Most 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...

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 frustr...

Dave R · Dave R

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

Dave R · Dave R

"The progression of recovery is a continuous uphill journey." Basic Text, p. 83 = The 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...

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 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 oldtimer 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 pil...

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...

Dave R · Dave R

"We have learned that it is okay to not know all the answers, for then we are teachable and can learn to live our new life successfully." Basic Text, p. 96 = In a way, addiction is a great teacher. And if addiction teaches us nothing else, it will teach us humility. We hear it said that it too...

Dave R · Dave R

"With the world in such a turmoil, I feel I have been blessed to be where I am." Basic Text, p. 145 = Some days it doesn't pay to turn on the news, we hear so many stories about violence and mayhem. When we used, many of us grew accustomed to violence. Through the fog of our addiction, we rarel...

Dave R · Dave R

"In time, we can relax and enjoy the atmosphere of recovery." Basic Text, p. 56 = Imagine what would happen if a newcomer walked into one of our meetings and was met by a group of grim-faced people gripping the arms of their chairs with white knuckles. That newcomer would probably bolt, p...

Dave R · Dave R

"...I was ready to go to any lengths to stay clean." Basic Text, p. 132 = "Any lengths?" newcomers ask. "What do you mean, any lengths?' Looking back at our active addiction and the lengths we were willing to go to in order to stay high can help to explain. Were we willi...

mrslobato · mrslobato

I am in a two year supportive transitional residential program. Due to the isolated location there is a very limited number of meetings available, and the women who sponsor are not available for new sponsees. I am two months clean and sober and would like to begin working the steps. I have access to the...

Dave R · Dave R

"Each group has but one primary purpose--to carry the message to the addict who still suffers." Tradition Five = Our home group means a lot to us. After all, where would we be without our favorite NA meeting? Our group sometimes sponsors picnics or other activities. Often, home grou...

Dave R · Dave R

My gratitude speaks when I care and when I share with others the NA way. Gratitude Prayer = The longer we stay clean, the more we experience feelings of gratitude for our recovery. These feelings of gratitude arent limited to particular gifts like new friends or the ability to be employed. More f...

Dave R · Dave R

"There is one thing more than anything else that will defeat us in our recovery; this is an attitude of indifference or intolerance toward spiritual principles." Basic Text, p. 18 = When we first came to NA, many of us had great difficulty accepting the spiritual principles underlying...

Dave R · Dave R

Being involved in service makes me feel worthwhile. = When most of us arrived in Narcotics Anonymous, we had very little self-worth left to salvage. Many members say that they began to develop self-esteem through being of service early in their recovery. Something just short of a miracle occu...

Topic		Started By	Replies	Views	Last Post
	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...	Dave R	1	643	May 27, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT May 26 The 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. 24 = Many 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 l...	Dave R	2	348	May 26, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	No more hate (Preview) So an extreme violation of trust by Someone given a second chance has rocked my family. The level and degree of deceit is shocking. What is surprising is how I feel. No hate to speak of just sorrow. Especially for those closest to the situation. I lived with the hate for so long it was debilitating. Onl...	Davethewave	4	413	May 25, 2015 by Davethewave
	JFT May 25 "Good" and "bad" feeling (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. W...	Dave R	1	290	May 25, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	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 h...	Dave R	1	365	May 25, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	Service at the Group Level (Preview) I am the Vice Chair of my Home Group. There was a heated discussion and the Chair stepped down for the rest of the meeting to have an opinion. My question is Can the Chair step back into position? Am I automatically positioned as Chair-or does the Group as a Whole have to discuss the behavior??? And mo...	jamieb7518	3	401	May 25, 2015 by Tahir
	JFT May 23 Amends and sponsors (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. 40 = Let'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. I...	Dave R	1	303	May 23, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	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...	Dave R	1	331	May 22, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	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-addict...	Dave R	2	391	May 22, 2015 by jonnblaze
	JFT May 22 Keep coming bacl! (Preview) "Meetings keep us in touch with where weve 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 underst...	Dave R	1	315	May 21, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	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 though...	Dave R	1	313	May 19, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT May 18 Friends and amends--keeping it simple (Preview) "We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others." Step Nine = In 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....	Dave R	1	407	May 19, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT May 17 "Defects" (Preview) "We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character." Step Six = After 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,...	Dave R	1	297	May 19, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT May 16 Our Higher Power's will (Preview) Page 142 "God's will for us becomes our own true will for ourselves." Basic Text, p. 48 The 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 con...	Mike M	1	361	May 16, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT May 15 Fear of the Fourth Step (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. 27 = Most 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...	Dave R	1	347	May 15, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	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 frustr...	Dave R	1	377	May 15, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	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. 47 = In working our program, we are given many indirect indications of a Higher Powers presence in our lives: the clean feeling that comes to so many of us in taking our Fifth Step; the sense that we are f...	Dave R	1	322	May 15, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT May 13 Onward on the journey (Preview) "The progression of recovery is a continuous uphill journey." Basic Text, p. 83 = The 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...	Dave R	1	308	May 15, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	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 r...	Dave R	1	328	May 13, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	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 oldtimer 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 pil...	Dave R	1	343	May 13, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	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...	Dave R	1	316	May 9, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT May 8 Teachable (Preview) "We have learned that it is okay to not know all the answers, for then we are teachable and can learn to live our new life successfully." Basic Text, p. 96 = In a way, addiction is a great teacher. And if addiction teaches us nothing else, it will teach us humility. We hear it said that it too...	Dave R	1	575	May 8, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT May 7 Turning turmoil into peace (Preview) "With the world in such a turmoil, I feel I have been blessed to be where I am." Basic Text, p. 145 = Some days it doesn't pay to turn on the news, we hear so many stories about violence and mayhem. When we used, many of us grew accustomed to violence. Through the fog of our addiction, we rarel...	Dave R	1	442	May 8, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT May 6 Are we having fun yet? (Preview) "In time, we can relax and enjoy the atmosphere of recovery." Basic Text, p. 56 = Imagine what would happen if a newcomer walked into one of our meetings and was met by a group of grim-faced people gripping the arms of their chairs with white knuckles. That newcomer would probably bolt, p...	Dave R	1	345	May 6, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT May 5 Any lengths (Preview) "...I was ready to go to any lengths to stay clean." Basic Text, p. 132 = "Any lengths?" newcomers ask. "What do you mean, any lengths?' Looking back at our active addiction and the lengths we were willing to go to in order to stay high can help to explain. Were we willi...	Dave R	1	327	May 5, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	Seeking Online Sponsor (Preview) I am in a two year supportive transitional residential program. Due to the isolated location there is a very limited number of meetings available, and the women who sponsor are not available for new sponsees. I am two months clean and sober and would like to begin working the steps. I have access to the...	mrslobato	0	297	May 5, 2015 by mrslobato
	JFT May 4 What about the newcomer? (Preview) "Each group has but one primary purpose--to carry the message to the addict who still suffers." Tradition Five = Our home group means a lot to us. After all, where would we be without our favorite NA meeting? Our group sometimes sponsors picnics or other activities. Often, home grou...	Dave R	2	390	May 4, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT May 3 Sharing our gratitude (Preview) My gratitude speaks when I care and when I share with others the NA way. Gratitude Prayer = The longer we stay clean, the more we experience feelings of gratitude for our recovery. These feelings of gratitude arent limited to particular gifts like new friends or the ability to be employed. More f...	Dave R	1	379	May 4, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT May Just maybe... (Preview) "There is one thing more than anything else that will defeat us in our recovery; this is an attitude of indifference or intolerance toward spiritual principles." Basic Text, p. 18 = When we first came to NA, many of us had great difficulty accepting the spiritual principles underlying...	Dave R	1	505	May 4, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT May 1 Self-worth anf service (Preview) Being involved in service makes me feel worthwhile. = When most of us arrived in Narcotics Anonymous, we had very little self-worth left to salvage. Many members say that they began to develop self-esteem through being of service early in their recovery. Something just short of a miracle occu...	Dave R	1	364	May 4, 2015 by cdbuckberry
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