I just want to say thank you to all of the people who post on this board. This is no replacement for face to face meetings, but this is a complement to my recovery. I come in here and can read words of wisdom, hope and strength. All from people that have walked this road before me or others who are just starting out.
Some people here, give me wisdom, some give me a chance to teach, others make me laugh and still others teach me tolerance. All of it is important to my spiritual growth.
Please keep posting. I need you.
Kitizzy
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Yes, I bought a ticket on the crazy train.....Good thing it was a return ticket.
One of the biggest things I have to work on is Principles over personalitys.
This place has changed recently with a lot of new people posting its refreshing to see interest and others getting involved, it just so happens to come at a time when I really need to get back to live meetings I FINALLY got to one yesterday at noon and sat there like a sponge soaking it all up, guys just like myself sharing on a recovery level was really GREAT .
All it took was one lame brother to let me find a way to discredit the group though LOL I caught myself before it got out of control and before me jumping up and stangling the dude " PRINCIPLES BEFORE PERSONALITYS" so i sat and tried to listen to the REAL MESSAGE the guy was saying and then I heard it and its a sad commentary what I heard.
I sat in my chair with the NA meeting schedule in front of me and on the cover is the Triangle insignia, Self, Service, society and God as I sat and listened to each person speak I heard each one of those mentioned in the shares and THATS whats important they were sharing the program of recovery that is what I needed to focus on.
I need you all too thanks for sharing Kathleen your one helluva a miracle today.
"You're right where you need to be." "More will be revealed." "Take the cotton out of your ears and put it in your mouth." "Call your sponsor." "Familiar misery." "Sick and tired of being sick and tired." "Religion is for those who don't want to go to hell when they die." "Spirituality is for those who have been to hell." "I've been to hell and held the hand of death." "Nothing changes if nothing changes." "Some are sicker that others." "90 meetings in 90 days." "Say a prayer, go to a meeting and don't pick up." "Just for today." "Turn it over." "This too shall pass..." "Insanity is repeating the same mistake and expecting different results." "Principles before personalities." "The only requirement is the desire to stop using." "Don't pick up, no matter what." "All will be well." "What I can't do alone, we can do together." "Get a sponsor, get a home group and get involved." "Identify in...don't compare out." "I'm still lost but at least now I can see where I'm going." "One is too many, a thousand is never enough." "I'm not where I want to be but I'm greatful I'm not where I used to be." "If you always do what you did, you'll always get what you got." "Never alone, never again." "Denial isn't a river in Egypt." "Pain is a great motivator." "God is the ultimate authority." "Stick and stay." "Sponsorship is the heart of NA." "I'm allergic to drugs.....everytime I use..... I break out in handcuffs." "Anxiety is the price we pay for playing God." "If you don't find recovery at a meeting, you didn't bring it." "If you're gonna pray, don't worry. If you're gonna worry, don't pray." "What I want is what I don't have. What I need is all around me." "It's not having what you want, It's wanting what you have." "If you hang out at the barber shop long enough eventually you'll get a haircut." "NA offers a proven plan for daily recovery." Where ever you go, no matter what you do, you'll always be there - you use, you lose!! "I will remain the same until the pain of remaining the same becomes greater than the pain of change..." "Save your ass and not your face...." "Why take a beating go to a meeting." "Two dead batteries don't make no spark." "If you don't address your issues, your issues will address you!"
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" If you have built castles in the air , your work need not be lost ; that is where they should be . Now put the foundations under them . "
thank you Kathleen for being here your presents is a boon to us in the room you are apart of a bigger thing an NA family we are here for each other each and every day in as many ways as we or god will let us and i hope to here from you a lot in here as you recover and grow
into your new shell for a clean life and we learn together how to keep up with our recoveries and share the way to each other and the new people that are sure to appear in our quest for this new way keep on coming-on rocky
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some of us win some of us lose with god and this program i will be a winner
I'm grateful to each one of you here at MIP. MIP has been a blessing for me in the last couple of years or so. It has been my saving grace, the point of serenity for me at the start and end of everyday that I stay clean and recover.
BigV, so glad you're back to f2f meetings, yep, it's very easy for me to get carried away at these meetings too when I choose to focus at those factors that would put me apart from the others at the meetings, a very subtle way my addiction tries to work on me, by isolating me from the fellowship, even in the middle of a meeting No doubt they call our dis-ease cunning, baffling and powerful... lol...
Today, it's more clear to me than anything else that my staying clean and recovery depends on this life line - the meetings. I need them for my recovery Also, being part of these meetings and a diverse fellowship of members allows me an opportunity to live in a society and be a part of, inspite of the differences. When I try to practice principles like unity, empathy and acceptance here at the meetings, then I sure learn to be a healthy, constructive and loving part of my family at home and a team-man at work. This is highly therapeutic and has a very powerful effect on my being in context with others in my life
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"If we do an honest examination of exactly what we are giving, we are better able to evaluate the results we are getting."Chapter 10 - Emotional Pain - NA Way of Life.
Thanks for posting that Kathleen. I believe like you, that God brings people into my life to teach me something or to learn something from me- or both. My job is to be alert and watching for the opportunity to learn or to teach. This is the way I continue the path of spiritual growth. The thing about growth, spiritual or otherwise, is that it is only going to happen so fast. As an addict, I have developed a need for instant gratification- I want what I want, and I want it right now. You've probably heard the saying, "God, grant me patience- right NOW!"
Yes we do only grow at a certain pace, and we can't rush it. However, there ARE things I can do to optimize my growth potential. Like a plant, my recovery can be nurtured. I can prepare the soil with openmindedness. I can water it with the fellowship of recovering addicts and meeting attendance. I can nourish it by studying the twelve steps and the spiritual principles contained therein. I can even cultivate my recovery by taking the suggestions of a sponsor. All these things I can do, and I will still only grow so fast. I have a new appreciation for the saying "Time takes time." An important part of early recovery is to stop acting out on my impulsive thinking, "Give myself a break" and learn to SLOW DOWN. Good things are worth waiting for and if I want the way of life that I see others enjoying in NA, I need to take the time to do what they DID to get them.
I seem to think that I should always be further along in my recovery that I am, no matter WHERE I am. I think there is an important lesson here in living for today and learning to enjoy the journey, not always be looking toward the destination. After all, the ultimate destination we are ALL headed for is the one place we want to put off reaching as long as possible- Death. So slow down, look around at all the beauty life holds, and enjoy the ride. We will arrive at our destination soon enough. Thanks, all of you, for making my journey a much richer, much more pleasant experience.
-- Edited by dan h at 04:11, 2008-09-24
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"With a sweet tongue of kindness, you can drag an elephant by a hair." ~Persian Proverb
No doubt they call our dis-ease cunning, baffling and powerful... lol...
