Narcotics Anonymous Message Board

Dave R · Dave R

We suspect that if we do not use what we have, we will lose what we have. Basic Text, p. 78 = Addiction gave a pattern to our lives, and with it a meaninga dark, diseased meaning, to be sure, but a meaning nonetheless. The Narcotics Anonymous recovery program gives us a new pattern of living to replac...

Dave R · Dave R

As recovering addicts, we find that we are still dependent, but our dependence has shifted from the things around us to a loving God and the inner strength we get in our relationship with Him. Basic Text, pp. 71 = For many addicts, rebelliousness is second nature. We didnt want to depend on anyon...

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

Many of us have difficulty admitting that we caused harm for others... We cut away our justifications and our ideas of being a victim. Basic Text, p. 38 = Our lives are progressing nicely. Things are going good, and each year in recovery brings more material and spiritual gifts. We may have a lit...

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 iden...

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 were 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 were in pain, we most likel...

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 r...

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 m...

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. True,...

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 f...

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. T...

Dave R · Dave R

Life takes on a new meaning when we open ourselves to this gift. Basic Text, p. 102 = Neglecting our recovery is like neglecting any other gift we've 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 routin...

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 before. They k...

Dave R · Dave R

Prayer takes practice, and we should remind ourselves that skilled people were not born with their skills. Basic Text, p. 45 = 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 we'd 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...

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,...

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 fri...

jakethesnake · jakethesnake

I'm working hard at this, but its so hard. Overwhelming. Anything, advice, help, support...would be very much appreciated. !

Dave R · Dave R

We may think that we have done enough by writing about our past. We cannot afford this mistake. Basic Text, p. 32 = Some of us arent too keen on writing out our Fourth Step; others take it to an obsessive extreme. To our sponsors growing dismay, we inventory ourselves again and again. We discover ev...

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, regardless...

Dave R · Dave R

...we think that if we can just get enough food, enough sex, or enough money, well be satisfied and everything will be alright.Basic Text, p. 77=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 in...

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 darkness...

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 were 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 that a simple, loving hug can make all the difference in the world... Basic Text, p. 91 = Perhaps there have been times in our recovery when we were close to someone who was in great pain. We struggled with the question, What can I do to make them feel better? We felt anxious and inadequate to r...

Dave R · Dave R

One of the biggest stumbling blocks to recovery seems to be placing unrealistic expectations on... others. Basic Text, p. 82 = Many of us come into Narcotics Anonymous feeling pretty poorly about ourselves. By comparison, the recovering addicts we meet at meetings may seem almost superhumanl...

Dave R · Dave R

We need not lose faith when we become rebellious. Basic Text, p. 35 = Many of us have lived our entire lives in revolt. Our initial response to any type of direction is often negative. Automatic rejection of authority seems to be a troubling character defect for many addicts. A thorough self-exa...

Dave R · Dave R

Where there has been wrong, the program teaches us the spirit of forgiveness. Basic Text, p. 12 = In NA, we begin to interact with the world around us. We no longer live in isolation. But freedom from isolation has its price: The more we interact with people, the more often well find someone steppi...

Topic		Started By	Replies	Views	Last Post
	JFT October 8 A new pattern of living (Preview) We suspect that if we do not use what we have, we will lose what we have. Basic Text, p. 78 = Addiction gave a pattern to our lives, and with it a meaninga dark, diseased meaning, to be sure, but a meaning nonetheless. The Narcotics Anonymous recovery program gives us a new pattern of living to replac...	Dave R	1	215	Oct 8, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	JFT October 7 Depending on our higher power (Preview) As recovering addicts, we find that we are still dependent, but our dependence has shifted from the things around us to a loving God and the inner strength we get in our relationship with Him. Basic Text, pp. 71 = For many addicts, rebelliousness is second nature. We didnt want to depend on anyon...	Dave R	1	353	Oct 7, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	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	597	Oct 6, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	JFT October 5 Ask for mercy, not justice (Preview) Many of us have difficulty admitting that we caused harm for others... We cut away our justifications and our ideas of being a victim. Basic Text, p. 38 = Our lives are progressing nicely. Things are going good, and each year in recovery brings more material and spiritual gifts. We may have a lit...	Dave R	1	299	Oct 5, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	JFT October 4 Thirty-day wonder (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 iden...	Dave R	1	288	Oct 4, 2014 by Mike M
	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	228	Oct 3, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	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 were 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 were in pain, we most likel...	Dave R	1	324	Oct 1, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	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	250	Oct 1, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	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 r...	Dave R	1	260	Sep 30, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	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 m...	Dave R	1	289	Sep 28, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	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. True,...	Dave R	1	267	Sep 27, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	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 f...	Dave R	1	202	Sep 26, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	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. T...	Dave R	1	291	Sep 26, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	JFT September 22 Keeping the gift (Preview) Life takes on a new meaning when we open ourselves to this gift. Basic Text, p. 102 = Neglecting our recovery is like neglecting any other gift we've 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 routin...	Dave R	1	289	Sep 24, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	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 before. They k...	Dave R	1	291	Sep 24, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	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. 45 = 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 we'd learned in childhood but were...	Dave R	1	333	Sep 22, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	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...	Dave R	1	300	Sep 22, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	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,...	Dave R	1	375	Sep 19, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	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 fri...	Dave R	1	293	Sep 19, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	new to this. 43 days clean but feeling very fragile. (Preview) I'm working hard at this, but its so hard. Overwhelming. Anything, advice, help, support...would be very much appreciated. !	jakethesnake	5	645	Sep 19, 2014 by AniMIa
	JFT September 17 Going beyond Step Five (Preview) We may think that we have done enough by writing about our past. We cannot afford this mistake. Basic Text, p. 32 = Some of us arent too keen on writing out our Fourth Step; others take it to an obsessive extreme. To our sponsors growing dismay, we inventory ourselves again and again. We discover ev...	Dave R	1	294	Sep 17, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	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, regardless...	Dave R	1	465	Sep 17, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	JFT September 15 Filling the emptiness (Preview) ...we think that if we can just get enough food, enough sex, or enough money, well be satisfied and everything will be alright.Basic Text, p. 77=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 in...	Dave R	1	316	Sep 15, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	JFT September 14 Secrets are 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 darkness...	Dave R	1	203	Sep 14, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	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 were 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	282	Sep 13, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	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	266	Sep 13, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	JFT September 10 More powerful than words (Preview) We learn that a simple, loving hug can make all the difference in the world... Basic Text, p. 91 = Perhaps there have been times in our recovery when we were close to someone who was in great pain. We struggled with the question, What can I do to make them feel better? We felt anxious and inadequate to r...	Dave R	1	277	Sep 10, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	JFT September 9 Feet of clay (Preview) One of the biggest stumbling blocks to recovery seems to be placing unrealistic expectations on... others. Basic Text, p. 82 = Many of us come into Narcotics Anonymous feeling pretty poorly about ourselves. By comparison, the recovering addicts we meet at meetings may seem almost superhumanl...	Dave R	1	263	Sep 9, 2014 by cdbuckberry
	JFT September 8 Rebellion (Preview) We need not lose faith when we become rebellious. Basic Text, p. 35 = Many of us have lived our entire lives in revolt. Our initial response to any type of direction is often negative. Automatic rejection of authority seems to be a troubling character defect for many addicts. A thorough self-exa...	Dave R	2	360	Sep 9, 2014 by mikah
	JFT September 7 Resentment and forgiveness (Preview) Where there has been wrong, the program teaches us the spirit of forgiveness. Basic Text, p. 12 = In NA, we begin to interact with the world around us. We no longer live in isolation. But freedom from isolation has its price: The more we interact with people, the more often well find someone steppi...	Dave R	1	264	Sep 7, 2014 by cdbuckberry
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