Narcotics Anonymous Message Board

Dave R · Dave R

So many times, addicts have sought the rewards of hard work without the labor. Basic Text, p. 34 = When we first came to NA, some of us wanted everything, and right away. We wanted the serenity, the cars, the happy relationships, the friends, the closeness with our sponsor--all the things other peo...

Dave R · Dave R

We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. Step Seven = Once we are entirely ready to have our character defects removed, many of us are entirely ready! Ironically, that's when the trouble really starts. The more we struggle to rid ourselves of a particular defect, the stronger that shor...

Dave R · Dave R

I initially felt that it would be impossible to attend more than one or two meetings a week. It just wouldn't fit in with my busy schedule. I later learned that my priorities were [180] degrees reversed. It was the everything else that would have to fit into my meeting schedule. = Some of us attended...

Dave R · Dave R

Today, we seek solutions, not problems. We try what we have learned on an experimental basis. Basic Text, p. 58 = The first time we heard that we should act "as if", many of us exclaimed, "But that's not honest! I thought we were always supposed to be honest about our feelings in Nar...

Dave R · Dave R

We have come to enjoy living clean and want more of the good things that the NA Fellowship holds for us. Basic Text, p. 27 = Can you remember a time when you looked at the addicts recovering in NA and wondered, If they arent using drugs, what on earth do they have to laugh about? Did you believe that the fu...

Dave R · Dave R

Do we really want to be rid of our resentments, our anger, our fear? Basic Text, p. 34 = Why do we call them shortcomings? Perhaps they should be called long-goings, because that's often what it takes for them to fade from our lives. Some of us feel that our shortcomings are the very characteristics...

Dave R · Dave R

...approval-seeking behavior carried us further into our addiction.... Basic Text, p. 14 = When others approve of what we do or say, we feel good; when they disapprove, we feel bad. Their opinions of us, and how those opinions make us feel, can have positive value. By making us feel good about ste...

Dave R · Dave R

All spiritual awakenings have some things in common. Common elements include an end to loneliness and a sense of direction in our lives. Basic Text, p. 50 = Some kinds of spiritual experiences take place when we confront something larger than we are. We suspect that forces beyond our understand...

Dave R · Dave R

A new idea cannot be grafted onto a closed mind.... Open-mindedness leads us to the very insights that have eluded us during our lives. Basic Text, p. 96 = We arrived in NA at the lowest point in our lives. We'd just about run out of ideas. What we needed most when we got here were new ideas, new ways of...

Dave R · Dave R

We must use what we learn or we will lose it, no matter how long we have been clean. Basic Text, p. 85 = After putting some clean time together, some of us have a tendency to forget what our most important priority is. Once a week or less we say, I've gotta get to a meeting tonight. It's been... Weve been...

Dave R · Dave R

We learn to experience feelings and realize they can do us no harm unless we act on them. IP No. 16, For the Newcomer = Many of us came to Narcotics Anonymous with something less than an overwhelming desire to stop using. Sure, the drugs were causing us problems, and we wanted to be rid of the problems...

Dave R · Dave R

We come to know happiness, joy, and freedom. Basic Text, p. 91 = If someone stopped you on the street today and asked if you were happy, what would you say? Well, gee, lets see... I have a place to live, food in the refrigerator, a job, my car is running... Well, yes, I guess I'm happy, you might respon...

Dave R · Dave R

This firsthand experience in all phases of illness and recovery is of unparalleled therapeutic value. We are here to share it freely with any addict who wants to recover. Basic Text, p. 10 = Most of us came into the program with some serious regrets. We had never finished high school, or we had misse...

Dave R · Dave R

On a practical level, changes occur because what's appropriate to one phase of recovery may not be for another. Basic Text, p. 105 = When we first came to Narcotics Anonymous, many of us had no legitimate occupation. Not all of us suddenly decide we're going to become honest and productive model ci...

Dave R · Dave R

Someone finally knew the crazy thoughts that I had and the crazy things I'd done. = Addicts often feel terminally unique. We're sure that no one used drugs like we did or had to do the things that we did to get them. Feeling that no one really understands us can keep us from recovery for many years. Bu...

Dave R · Dave R

Remember that we... are ultimately responsible for our recovery and our decisions. Basic Text, p. 103 = Most of us will face choices that challenge our recovery. If we find ourselves in extreme physical pain, for example, we will have to decide whether or not we will take medication. We will have...

Dave R · Dave R

The idea of a spiritual awakening takes many different forms in the different personalities that we find in the fellowship. Basic Text, p. 49 = Though we all work the same steps, each of us experiences the spiritual awakening resulting from them in our own way. The shape that spiritual awakening t...

Dave R · Dave R

Our public image consists of what we have to offer: a successful, proven way of maintaining a drug-free lifestyle. Basic Text, p. 75 = Yes, we are attracting new members. More and more addicts are finding Narcotics Anonymous. But how do we treat our newest members when they arrive, worn out from...

Dave R · Dave R

Some of us first saw the effects of addiction on the people closest to us. We were very dependent on them to carry us through life. We felt angry, disappointed, and hurt when they found other interests, friends, and loved ones. Basic Text, p. 7 = Addiction affected every area of our lives. Just as w...

Dave R · Dave R

Gradually, as we become more God-centered than self-centered, our despair turns to hope. Basic Text, p. 95 = What a glorious thing to have hope! Before coming to Narcotics Anonymous, many of us lived lives of utter hopelessness. We believed we were destined to die from our disease. Many members...

Dave R · Dave R

Our real value is in being ourselves. Basic Text, p. 105 = As we work the steps, we're bound to discover some basic truths about ourselves. The process of uncovering our secrets, exposing them, and searching our characters reveals our true nature. As we become acquainted with ourselves, we'll n...

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 = While we were using, many of us were unable or unwilling to feel many emotions. If we were happy, we used to make us happier. If we were angry or depressed, we used to mas...

Dave R · Dave R

...God's will for us consists of the very things we most value. Gods will... becomes our own true will for ourselves. Basic Text, p. 48 = It's human nature to want something for nothing. We may be ecstatic when a store cashier gives us back change for a twenty though we only paid with a ten. We tend to...

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 = How many times in our recovery have we misunderstood the behavior of another, immediately formed a judgment, applied a label, and neatly tucked the individual into a pig...

Dave R · Dave R

In seeking a sponsor, most members look for someone they feel they can learn to trust, someone who seems compassionate IP No. 11, Sponsorship, Revised = The idea of sponsorship may be new to us. We have spent many years without direction, relying only on self-interest, suspecting everyone, tr...

Dave R · Dave R

From the isolation of our addiction, we find a fellowship of people with a common bond... Our faith, strength, and hope come from people sharing their recovery... Basic Text, p. 98 = Admit no weakness, conceal all shortcomings, deny every failure, go it alone--that was the creed many of us followe...

Dave R · Dave R

It is not where we were that counts, but where we are going. Basic Text, p. 23 = When we first find recovery, some of us feel shame or despair at calling ourselves addicts. In the early days, we may be filled with both fear and hope as we struggle to find new meaning in our lives. The past may seem inescap...

Dave R · Dave R

We do the footwork and accept what's being given to us freely on a daily basis. Basic Text, p. 47 = Our relationship with our Higher Power is a two-way street. In prayer, we speak and God listens. When we meditate, we do our best to listen for the will of our Higher Power. We know that we are responsibl...

Dave R · Dave R

Most of us have no trouble admitting that addiction had become a destructive force in our lives. Our best efforts resulted in ever greater destruction and despair. At some point, we realized that we needed the help of some Power greater than our addiction. Basic Text, p. 24 = Most of us know witho...

Dave R · Dave R

Addiction is a disease that involves more than the use of drugs. Basic Text, p. 3 = At our first meeting, we may have been taken aback at the way members shared about how the disease of addiction had affected their lives. We thought to ourselves, Disease? I've just got a drug problem! What in the wor...

Topic		Started By	Replies	Views	Last Post
	JFT April 19 Footwork (Preview) So many times, addicts have sought the rewards of hard work without the labor. Basic Text, p. 34 = When we first came to NA, some of us wanted everything, and right away. We wanted the serenity, the cars, the happy relationships, the friends, the closeness with our sponsor--all the things other peo...	Dave R	1	375	Apr 20, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT April 18 "I understand" (Preview) We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. Step Seven = Once we are entirely ready to have our character defects removed, many of us are entirely ready! Ironically, that's when the trouble really starts. The more we struggle to rid ourselves of a particular defect, the stronger that shor...	Dave R	1	374	Apr 18, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT April 17 Priority: meetings (Preview) I initially felt that it would be impossible to attend more than one or two meetings a week. It just wouldn't fit in with my busy schedule. I later learned that my priorities were [180] degrees reversed. It was the everything else that would have to fit into my meeting schedule. = Some of us attended...	Dave R	1	370	Apr 17, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT April 16 "Acting as if" (Preview) Today, we seek solutions, not problems. We try what we have learned on an experimental basis. Basic Text, p. 58 = The first time we heard that we should act "as if", many of us exclaimed, "But that's not honest! I thought we were always supposed to be honest about our feelings in Nar...	Dave R	1	466	Apr 16, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT April 15 Keep coming back (Preview) We have come to enjoy living clean and want more of the good things that the NA Fellowship holds for us. Basic Text, p. 27 = Can you remember a time when you looked at the addicts recovering in NA and wondered, If they arent using drugs, what on earth do they have to laugh about? Did you believe that the fu...	Dave R	1	452	Apr 15, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT April 14 A new vision (Preview) Do we really want to be rid of our resentments, our anger, our fear? Basic Text, p. 34 = Why do we call them shortcomings? Perhaps they should be called long-goings, because that's often what it takes for them to fade from our lives. Some of us feel that our shortcomings are the very characteristics...	Dave R	1	655	Apr 14, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT April 13 People-pleasing (Preview) ...approval-seeking behavior carried us further into our addiction.... Basic Text, p. 14 = When others approve of what we do or say, we feel good; when they disapprove, we feel bad. Their opinions of us, and how those opinions make us feel, can have positive value. By making us feel good about ste...	Dave R	1	453	Apr 13, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT April 12 The big picture (Preview) All spiritual awakenings have some things in common. Common elements include an end to loneliness and a sense of direction in our lives. Basic Text, p. 50 = Some kinds of spiritual experiences take place when we confront something larger than we are. We suspect that forces beyond our understand...	Dave R	1	384	Apr 12, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT April 11 A closed mind (Preview) A new idea cannot be grafted onto a closed mind.... Open-mindedness leads us to the very insights that have eluded us during our lives. Basic Text, p. 96 = We arrived in NA at the lowest point in our lives. We'd just about run out of ideas. What we needed most when we got here were new ideas, new ways of...	Dave R	1	390	Apr 12, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT April 10 Too busy (Preview) We must use what we learn or we will lose it, no matter how long we have been clean. Basic Text, p. 85 = After putting some clean time together, some of us have a tendency to forget what our most important priority is. Once a week or less we say, I've gotta get to a meeting tonight. It's been... Weve been...	Dave R	2	485	Apr 10, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT April 9 Acting out (Preview) We learn to experience feelings and realize they can do us no harm unless we act on them. IP No. 16, For the Newcomer = Many of us came to Narcotics Anonymous with something less than an overwhelming desire to stop using. Sure, the drugs were causing us problems, and we wanted to be rid of the problems...	Dave R	1	457	Apr 9, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT April 8 Happiness (Preview) We come to know happiness, joy, and freedom. Basic Text, p. 91 = If someone stopped you on the street today and asked if you were happy, what would you say? Well, gee, lets see... I have a place to live, food in the refrigerator, a job, my car is running... Well, yes, I guess I'm happy, you might respon...	Dave R	1	376	Apr 9, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT April 7 The value of the past (Preview) This firsthand experience in all phases of illness and recovery is of unparalleled therapeutic value. We are here to share it freely with any addict who wants to recover. Basic Text, p. 10 = Most of us came into the program with some serious regrets. We had never finished high school, or we had misse...	Dave R	1	424	Apr 7, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT April 6 Growing honesty (Preview) On a practical level, changes occur because what's appropriate to one phase of recovery may not be for another. Basic Text, p. 105 = When we first came to Narcotics Anonymous, many of us had no legitimate occupation. Not all of us suddenly decide we're going to become honest and productive model ci...	Dave R	1	404	Apr 6, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT April 5 Identification (Preview) Someone finally knew the crazy thoughts that I had and the crazy things I'd done. = Addicts often feel terminally unique. We're sure that no one used drugs like we did or had to do the things that we did to get them. Feeling that no one really understands us can keep us from recovery for many years. Bu...	Dave R	1	462	Apr 6, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT April 4 Guarding our recovery (Preview) Remember that we... are ultimately responsible for our recovery and our decisions. Basic Text, p. 103 = Most of us will face choices that challenge our recovery. If we find ourselves in extreme physical pain, for example, we will have to decide whether or not we will take medication. We will have...	Dave R	1	443	Apr 6, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT April 3 For you alone (Preview) The idea of a spiritual awakening takes many different forms in the different personalities that we find in the fellowship. Basic Text, p. 49 = Though we all work the same steps, each of us experiences the spiritual awakening resulting from them in our own way. The shape that spiritual awakening t...	Dave R	1	416	Apr 3, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT April 2 Attraction (Preview) Our public image consists of what we have to offer: a successful, proven way of maintaining a drug-free lifestyle. Basic Text, p. 75 = Yes, we are attracting new members. More and more addicts are finding Narcotics Anonymous. But how do we treat our newest members when they arrive, worn out from...	Dave R	1	433	Apr 2, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT April 1 Love and addiction (Preview) Some of us first saw the effects of addiction on the people closest to us. We were very dependent on them to carry us through life. We felt angry, disappointed, and hurt when they found other interests, friends, and loved ones. Basic Text, p. 7 = Addiction affected every area of our lives. Just as w...	Dave R	1	393	Apr 1, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT March 30 God-centeredness (Preview) Gradually, as we become more God-centered than self-centered, our despair turns to hope. Basic Text, p. 95 = What a glorious thing to have hope! Before coming to Narcotics Anonymous, many of us lived lives of utter hopelessness. We believed we were destined to die from our disease. Many members...	Dave R	2	464	Mar 31, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT March 31 Insides and outsides (Preview) Our real value is in being ourselves. Basic Text, p. 105 = As we work the steps, we're bound to discover some basic truths about ourselves. The process of uncovering our secrets, exposing them, and searching our characters reveals our true nature. As we become acquainted with ourselves, we'll n...	Dave R	1	394	Mar 31, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT March 28 Facing 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 = While we were using, many of us were unable or unwilling to feel many emotions. If we were happy, we used to make us happier. If we were angry or depressed, we used to mas...	Dave R	2	477	Mar 30, 2015 by mikah
	JFT March 29 Our own true will (Preview) ...God's will for us consists of the very things we most value. Gods will... becomes our own true will for ourselves. Basic Text, p. 48 = It's human nature to want something for nothing. We may be ecstatic when a store cashier gives us back change for a twenty though we only paid with a ten. We tend to...	Dave R	1	472	Mar 29, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT March 27 Looking for assets (Preview) In accordance with the principles of recovery, we try not to judge, stereotype, or moralize with each other. Basic Text, p. 11 = How many times in our recovery have we misunderstood the behavior of another, immediately formed a judgment, applied a label, and neatly tucked the individual into a pig...	Dave R	1	443	Mar 28, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT Trusting a sponsor--worth the risk (Preview) In seeking a sponsor, most members look for someone they feel they can learn to trust, someone who seems compassionate *IP No. 11, Sponsorship,* Revised** = The idea of sponsorship may be new to us. We have spent many years without direction, relying only on self-interest, suspecting everyone, tr...	Dave R	1	409	Mar 26, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT March 25 I can't, but we can (Preview) From the isolation of our addiction, we find a fellowship of people with a common bond... Our faith, strength, and hope come from people sharing their recovery... Basic Text, p. 98 = Admit no weakness, conceal all shortcomings, deny every failure, go it alone--that was the creed many of us followe...	Dave R	2	574	Mar 25, 2015 by MIKEF
	JFT March 25 Letting go of the past (Preview) It is not where we were that counts, but where we are going. Basic Text, p. 23 = When we first find recovery, some of us feel shame or despair at calling ourselves addicts. In the early days, we may be filled with both fear and hope as we struggle to find new meaning in our lives. The past may seem inescap...	Dave R	1	429	Mar 25, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT March 23 God's gifts (Preview) We do the footwork and accept what's being given to us freely on a daily basis. Basic Text, p. 47 = Our relationship with our Higher Power is a two-way street. In prayer, we speak and God listens. When we meditate, we do our best to listen for the will of our Higher Power. We know that we are responsibl...	Dave R	1	444	Mar 25, 2015 by cdbuckberry
	JFT March 20 Higher power (Preview) Most of us have no trouble admitting that addiction had become a destructive force in our lives. Our best efforts resulted in ever greater destruction and despair. At some point, we realized that we needed the help of some Power greater than our addiction. Basic Text, p. 24 = Most of us know witho...	Dave R	2	497	Mar 23, 2015 by mikah
	JFT March 21 A treatable illness (Preview) Addiction is a disease that involves more than the use of drugs. Basic Text, p. 3 = At our first meeting, we may have been taken aback at the way members shared about how the disease of addiction had affected their lives. We thought to ourselves, Disease? I've just got a drug problem! What in the wor...	Dave R	2	436	Mar 23, 2015 by mikah
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