Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Voices of Recovery

Spiritual Principle a Day for September 22, read by David

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 22

The Value of Empathy

"Empathy means we get each other; we see the hidden darkness and love and hurt, and we understand."

—Living Clean, Chapter 5, “Fellowship”

––––=––––

As newcomers, we often were suspicious when NA members told us “I get you” after we shared. When someone said, “I’ve been there,” we thought, No way anyone has been through what I’ve been through. Even scarier is when someone says, “I see you.” If someone can see me, then they know how horrible I am.

A lot of us reject empathy at first because we misinterpret it as sympathy, like someone feeling sorry for us. What we begin to understand, as we keep coming back, is that our fellow NA members are feeling our pain with us. We get each other. Our situations and experiences may be different, even unique, but our suffering is not. All of us came to our first NA meeting having fought to keep our addiction going and having lost that fight.

Over time, the value of empathy is revealed. After we surrender to the fact that we belong in NA, it is others’ empathy that makes us feel safe enough to accept help. We learn we don’t have to hide—we can remove the mask we’ve been wearing, whether it’s one projecting intimidation, righteousness, innocence, or invisibility. We can allow ourselves to be seen below the surface and accept that others do understand us. And in turn, we start to identify and empathize with other addicts in the room.

Being understood can be scary in a different way, too, because we witness people who’ve been through situations similar to ours who have taken positive action. They are clean and are taking responsibility for their lives, their relationships, and their choices. Allowing their empathy to affect us helps us to let go of the depth of our hurt and to see a path forward.

Eventually, we feel grateful that we get to do that. Accepting others’ empathy brings relief.

Although we get each other’s darkness and hurt, we also feel each other’s love and joy. We certainly do get each other, and it’s based not only on our wreckage but on how we deal with it. Let’s acknowledge that, too.

Spiritual Princinple: I acknowledge that feeling seen and understood has helped me to heal.

That’s why today I’m going to be open to other addicts identifying with me and relating to them. I know I’m not alone.

––––=––––

Spiritual Principle:

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Just for Today meditation for September 22, read by David

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 22

Keeping the gift

"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 routine maintenance, until it expired on the road? Of course not! You would go to great lengths to maintain the condition of such a valuable gift.

Recovery is also a gift, and we have to care for it if we want to keep it. While our recovery doesn't come with an extended warranty, there is a routine maintenance schedule. This maintenance includes regular meeting attendance and various forms of service. We'll have to do some daily cleaning-our Tenth Step-and, once in a while, a major Fourth Step overhaul will be required. But if we maintain the gift of recovery, thanking the Giver each day, it will continue.

The gift of recovery is one that grows with the giving. Unless we give it away, we can't keep it. But in sharing our recovery with others, we come to value it all the more.

––––=––––

Just for today:

My recovery is a gift, and I want to keep it. I'll do the required maintenance, and I'll share my recovery with others. Just For Today Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Spiritual Principle a Day for September 21, read by David

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 21

Forgiving Others, Forgiving Ourselves

"Sometimes the path to forgiving ourselves begins with forgiving another for their lack of forgiveness."

—Living Clean, Chapter 5, “Amends and Reconciliation”

––––=––––

At first glance, this quote may sound like a riddle, but our experience validates its wisdom.

Hoping to be forgiven is only human. Despite advice to the contrary, we sometimes harbor expectations about how amends should be received. We have ideas about how and when we’ll be forgiven. We anticipate the relief it will bring—only to be disappointed at times.

Given the harm we’ve caused, it’s understandable that some people may not be quick to forgive us. It hurts nonetheless. The conventional wisdom that “expectations are just premature resentments” makes even more sense to us now. Regardless of how our amends were received, we do our best to clean up our side of the street and let go of any ill will.

We take ownership of the damage we’ve caused and earnestly make an effort to compensate for our wrongs and change our behavior. We release those expectations we had about receiving forgiveness, let go of any hard feelings we set ourselves up for, and— with time—find forgiveness for ourselves and those who were unable to forgive us. Letting all of that go frees up a lot of headspace and energy.

We’re not as attached to how our formal amends were or were not received; we’ve done the work to make things right whether or not others recognize it. Our actions lead us to a deeper level of self-acceptance—who we were then and who we are now. We can focus our energy on becoming the best version of ourselves by continuing to work the Twelve Steps.

––––=––––

Spiritual Principle:

Today I will empathize with those who have yet to forgive me. I will contemplate forgiveness in my Eleventh Step practice and seek to forgive on a deeper level. I will forgive others for not forgiving me.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Just for Today meditation for September 21, read by David

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 21

Prayer

"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 weren't sure we believed in those words anymore. Whatever our background, in recovery we struggled to find words that spoke truly from our hearts.

Often the first prayer we attempt is a simple request to our Higher Power asking for help in staying clean each day. We may ask for guidance and courage or simply pray for knowledge of God's will for us and the power to carry that out. If we find ourselves stumbling in our prayers, we may ask other members to share with us about how they learned to pray. No matter whether we pray in need or pray in joy, the important thing is to keep making the effort.

Our prayers will be shaped by our experience with the Twelve Steps and our personal understanding of a Higher Power. As our relationship with that Higher Power develops, we become more comfortable with prayer. In time, prayer becomes a source of strength and comfort. We seek that source often and willingly.

––––=––––

Just for today:

I know that prayer can be simple. I will start where I am and practice. Just For Today Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Just for Today meditation for September 20, read by David

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 20

Courage to change

""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 we're doing may not be working, but at least we're familiar with it. It takes courage to step out into the unknown. How do we find that courage? We can look around ourselves at NA meetings. There, we see others who've found they needed to change what they were doing and who've done so successfully. Not only does that help quiet our fear that change-any change-spells disaster, it also gives us the benefit of their experience with what does work, experience we can use in changing what doesn't. We can also look at our own recovery experience. Even if that experience, so far, has been limited to stopping the use of drugs, still we have made many changes in our lives-changes for the good. Whatever aspects of our lives we have applied the steps to, we have always found surrender better than denial, recovery superior to addiction. Our own experience and the experience of others in NA tells us that "changing the things I can" is a big part of what recovery is all about. The steps and the power to practice them give us the direction and courage we need to change. We have nothing to fear."

––––=––––

––––=––––

Just for today:

I welcome change. With the help of my Higher Power, I will find the courage to change the things I can. Just For Today Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Spiritual Principle a Day for September 20, read by David

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 20

Hope Around the World

"Narcotics Anonymous offers hope to addicts around the world, regardless of any real or imagined differences that might separate us."

—Guiding Principles, Tradition One, Opening Essay

––––=––––

“Addiction doesn’t discriminate. Fortunately, hope doesn’t either,” a speaker shared during an international marathon meeting held online. “And neither should we.”

Our hope lives at the intersection of anonymity, unity, acceptance, and inclusiveness. We believe that any addict can get and stay clean in NA, no matter who we are, what we’ve done, where we live, or any aspect of ourselves that, on the surface, would seem to separate us. To help us feel like we belong, we encourage each other to look for the similarities, not the differences; to focus on the message, not the messenger. We strive to bring this openness to visitors to our home group, and to meetings and NA events we’re lucky enough to attend in unfamiliar settings with unfamiliar setups, in other areas, in other countries, in other languages.

The universality of hope in our program and our message doesn’t diminish the fact that there are differences among us, real ones. As important as it is for us to take responsibility to see past our own differences, we have perhaps an even greater responsibility to be inclusive of those who may have experiences or identities that depart from the group’s majority. Actively including others assures a place for each of us and elevates hope for all of us in the rooms.

To give hope to those who feel intimidated or unheard by the majority, some of us find it important to establish meetings that embrace a similarity of experience or identity. There is room for this diversity of hope’s expression within NA; autonomy also ensures that addicts are able to find each other in ways that are welcoming and safe—and acknowledge and honor the similarities inherent within our differences.

––––=––––

Spiritual Principle:

NA’s message of hope is heard around the world. I am an integral part of this whole. Today I strive to receive that message from whoever offers it and to take responsibility for carrying it to whoever needs it.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Spiritual Principle a Day for September 19, read by David

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 19

A Bond of Selflessness

"Make us servants of Your will and grant us a bond of selflessness, that this may truly be Your work, not ours—in order that no addict, anywhere, need die from the horrors of addiction."

—Basic Text, Introduction

––––=––––

The service work we do in NA is all about carrying our message of hope to addicts seeking recovery. No matter what our beliefs about a Higher Power are, most of us can agree that anything capable of keeping addicts all over the world clean, just for today, is a power greater than any of us as individuals. “I couldn’t keep myself clean,” one member shared.

“So there’s no way I have the power to keep anyone else clean either!”

The same holds true with our service efforts: Our job is not to keep anyone clean or make anyone recover. We carry the message. Our Service Prayer was adapted from the literature prayer in the Basic Text, acknowledging the crucial role selflessness plays in our services.

Many of us understand a Higher Power to simply be whatever force keeps us clean, and when we serve selflessly, we can be a part of that force for the addicts who benefit from our work.

Selflessness isn’t always easy. Self-centeredness will try to make our work about us, rather than those we serve. Maybe we think a certain service position will make us popular or powerful. Maybe we think sponsoring a lot of addicts, or the “cool” addicts, will lend us some prestige in our anonymous Fellowship. Maybe we think having the biggest home group or the best conventions means we are recovery rock stars. Some members say that ego can stand for “edging God out,” and there’s some truth in that: When we allow ourselves to move to the center, we have to push something (or someone) else out of the center.

The Service Prayer reminds us to keep the needs of the still-suffering addict at the heart of our service efforts. We do our part and then try to stay out of the way. We won’t get it perfect, but practice helps!

––––=––––

Spiritual Principle:

I will practice selflessness by striving to keep the message—and a power greater than myself—at the center of my service efforts.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Just for Today meditation for September 19, read by David

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 19

Fellowship

"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 don't 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, we become able to take pleasure in the joys of living clean.

But our joys pass all too quickly if we don't share them with others, while hardships borne alone may be long in passing. In the Fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous, we often multiply our joys and divide our burdens by sharing them with one another.

We addicts experience pleasures in recovery that, sometimes, only another addict can appreciate. Fellow members understand when we tell them of the pride we take today in fulfilling commitments, the warmth we feel in mending damaged relationships, the relief we experience in not having to use drugs to make it through the day. When we share these experiences with recovering addicts and they respond with similar stories, our joy is multiplied. The same principle applies to the challenges we encounter as recovering addicts. By sharing our challenges and allowing other NA members to share their strength with us, our load is lightened.

The fellowship we have in Narcotics Anonymous is precious. Sharing together, we enhance the joys and diminish the burdens of life in recovery.

––––=––––

Just for today:

I will share my joys and my burdens with other recovering addicts. I will also share in theirs. I am grateful for the strong bonds of fellowship in Narcotics Anonymous. Just For Today Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Spiritual Principle a Day for September 18, read by David

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 18

Living Life in Balance

"Sometimes we get confused and think that to live spiritually means that we are happy and get what we want, and that if we’re not happy or don’t get our way, something is out of balance."

—Living Clean, Chapter 3, “Spirituality Is Practical”

––––=––––

For many of us, our lives get so much better so quickly in the early years of recovery that it’s only natural to think we’ve found the key to happiness, unencumbered by life’s difficulties.

It’s nice while it lasts, but ultimately, as one member puts it, “Life is more than killing time between meetings, and I eventually experienced hardships despite working a pretty good program.” Life is not always fair—that’s a fact. Sometimes we lose loved ones, homes, and relationships even when we’re spiritually centered.

The results of day-to-day life are not always what we would have hoped for. Nevertheless, we learn how to walk through situations by living according to spiritual principles. If we don’t get the job we wanted or a long-term relationship comes to an end, we hold on and stay clean. Our world may still be thrown out of balance from time to time but, as long as we stay clean, we can survive sadness, disappointment, and uncertainty and return to balance again and again. We experience the full range of human emotions and marvel at the strength of our spiritual foundation.

Life is in session, and we get to choose how we want to participate.

––––=––––

Spiritual Principle:

Today I will not equate my program of recovery with the circumstances of life on life’s terms. I will show up in my life even when things don’t go my way and remind myself how much I have to be grateful for.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Just for Today meditation for September 18, read by David

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 18

Honest relationships

"One of the most profound changes in our lives is in the realm of personal relationships."

Basic Text p.55

––––=––––

Recovery gives many of us relationships that are closer and more intimate than any we've had before. As time passes, we find ourselves gravitating toward those who eventually become our friends, our sponsor, and our partners in life. Shared laughter, tears, and struggles bring shared respect and lasting empathy.

What, then, do we do when we find that we don't agree with our friends on everything? We may discover that we don't share the same taste in music as our dearest friend, or that we don't agree with our spouse about how the furniture should be arranged, or even find ourselves voting differently than our sponsor at a service committee meeting. Does conflict mean that the friendship, the marriage, or the sponsorship is over? No!

These types of conflict are not only to be expected in any long-lasting relationship but are actually an indication that both people are emotionally healthy and honest individuals. In any relationship where both people agree on absolutely everything, chances are that only one person is doing the thinking. If we sacrifice our honesty and integrity to avoid conflicts or disagreements, we give away the best of what we bring to our relationships. We experience the full measure of partnership with another human being when we are fully honest.

––––=––––

Just for today:

I will welcome the differences that make each one of us special. Today, I will work on being myself. Just For Today Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Spiritual Principle a Day for September 17, read by David

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 17

Hospitality and the Newcomer

"Feeling welcome, and welcoming others to our new way of life, helps us see the world as a less hostile place."

—Guiding Principles, Tradition Three, “Spiritual Principles”

––––=––––

“I don’t remember many details about my first NA meetings, but I can tell you this: I left every one of them feeling a little better, a little more hopeful, and a little more convinced that you folks had found a way out, one that could work for me, too,” a member shared.

“Meetings still have that effect on me.” And maybe that’s the point of hospitality as a spiritual principle and practice in NA. It’s not the individual things we do or say that are most memorable, it’s all of those things taken together and the way we make each other feel. All of us can contribute to a group’s hospitality, and all of us reap the benefits.

Hospitality gives our various strengths a chance to shine. There are great huggers among us and others who remember the names of new members. Still others offer a sincere welcome to all of us every week, such as “I’m so glad y’all made it another week ’cause I need each and every one of you.” We might notice how the member charged with setting out literature always recruits someone to help them. Could they do this task alone? Sure, but we carry the message by being more inclusive. We help others feel a part of and affirm the same for ourselves. Each time we tell newcomers, “Welcome home,” we’re reminded that we’re home, too.

Hospitality is made up of these words and actions—and so many more. The atmosphere of recovery that emerges is greater than the sum of its parts. We embrace the worth and dignity of each of our fellow addicts and of ourselves. Through our hospitable actions, we contribute to a world in which we are all treated with equality and compassion.

––––=––––

Spiritual Principle:

I will contribute to the collective efforts that make up NA hospitality and consider how my words and actions can bring some of the same warmth and camaraderie to my life outside of NA.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Just for Today meditation for September 17, read by David

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 17

Going beyond Step Five

"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 aren't too keen on writing out our Fourth Step; others take it to an obsessive extreme. To our sponsor's growing dismay, we inventory ourselves again and again. We discover everything there is to know about why we were the way we were. We have the idea that thinking, writing, and talking about our past is enough.

We hear none of our sponsor's suggestions to become entirely ready to have our defects removed or make amends for the harm we've caused. We simply write more about those defects and delightedly share our fresh insights. Finally, our worn-out sponsor withdraws from us in self-defense.

Extreme as this scenario may seem, many of us have found ourselves in just such a situation. Thinking, writing, and talking about what was wrong with us made us feel like we had it all under control. Sooner or later, however, we realized we were stuck in our problems, the solutions nowhere in sight. We knew that, if we wanted to live differently, we would have to move on beyond Step Five in our program. We began to seek the willingness to have a Higher Power remove the character defects of which we'd become so intensely aware. We made amends for the destruction we had caused others in acting out on those defects. Only then did we begin to experience the freedom of an awakening spirit. Today, we're no longer victims; we are free to move on in our recovery.

––––=––––

Just for today:

Although necessary, Steps Four and Five alone will not bring about emotional and spiritual recovery. I will take them, and then I will act on them. Just For Today Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Spiritual Principle a Day for September 16, read by David

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 16

We Are Responsible for Our Recovery

"Although we are not responsible for our disease, we are responsible for our recovery."

—Basic Text, Chapter 3: Why Are We Here?

––––=––––

Responsibility was a dirty word in active addiction. We feared it. We avoided it. The people close to us—and perhaps those in law enforcement and the justice system—told us over and over: “Take some responsibility for your life.” We thought freedom meant freedom from responsibilities, but, ultimately, we found it to be quite the opposite. We were enslaved by our addiction. For many of us, this version of freedom landed us behind bars.

We are not “bad” people because we suffer from the disease of addiction, and we’re not bad people trying to become “good” in NA. But while having the disease isn’t our fault, it’s still important to recognize that many of the consequences we face stem from our own decisions. We made choices. We took action. A member shared, “All my life I saw myself as a victim of my circumstances, and I made blaming others the centerpiece of my victimhood.” Through stepwork, we discover that it’s important to take responsibility for our past, even though we are powerless to change it. To move forward, we cannot cling to guilt over our past actions, nor can we succumb to the shame from the social stigma of being an addict. We can’t let our disease continue to overwhelm and paralyze us. We must act differently.

NA offers us a chance to take responsibility for our present and future lives. We do this slowly at first—perhaps by performing the most basic of life tasks, being of service in meetings, getting a sponsor. We discover that people can influence our recovery, but we have to do the work ourselves if we are to reap its benefits. “No one goes to meetings for me, calls my sponsor, or works Steps for me,” the member continued. “No one else is to blame if I choose to neglect my recovery and am caused pain by my choices—or cause pain to others.”

For many of us, the work we do in NA reveals a new perspective on our disease. Many of us become grateful for our addiction because our journey toward responsibility in recovery has made our lives so beautiful and fulfilling. And so free.

––––=––––

Spiritual Principle:

I’m not responsible for the way I’m wired, but I am responsible for my life and my choices. Today I will refrain from blaming others for the consequences of my actions. Today, for me, responsibility equals freedom.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Just for Today meditation for September 16, read by David

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 16

Emotional balance

"Emotional balance is one of the first results of meditation, and our experience bears this out."

Basic Text p.45

––––=––––

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 of what may be happening around us. To some, it might mean an understanding of our emotions that allows us to respond, not react, to our feelings.

It can mean that we experience our feelings as intensely as we can while also moderating their excessive expression. Emotional balance comes with practice in prayer and meditation. We get quiet and share our thoughts and hopes and concerns with the God of our understanding. Then we listen for guidance, awaiting the power to act on that direction. Eventually, our skills in maintaining near-balance get better, and the wild up-and-down emotional swings we used to experience begin to settle.

We develop an ability to let others feel their feelings; we have no need to judge them. And we fully embrace our own personal range of emotions.

––––=––––

Just for today:

Through regular prayer and meditation, I will discover what emotional balance means to me. Just For Today Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Continuing our September series, “Teen Recovery,” we bring you the story of David, a young man from Massachusetts who entered recovery as a teenager and grew into adulthood clean.

David grew up in a house where addiction was the norm and using was encouraged. At the age of 10, he began repetitively coughing and convinced the adults around him to give him an opiate-containing cough syrup. At just 13 years old, he began intentionally drinking and using drugs, quickly escalating to harder substances. What started as a way to feel “a part of” left him more isolated than ever—he soon realized he was the only one in his group who actually even used those drugs, and worse still, he kept using.

In an effort to escape, David left Massachusetts for New York, but his addiction followed him. In college, he was caught selling drugs to pay for his habit, leading to expulsion and the threat of criminal charges. An inpatient stay spared him legal consequences and introduced him to the Fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous.

Early recovery was shaky. At his first men’s meeting, someone questioned whether he even belonged, but that doubt gave him the exact fire he needed to keep coming back. With a sponsor, a home group, and support from an intensive outpatient program, David began to build a foundation. By eight months clean, he reached back out to his school—and against all odds, they allowed him to return, on the condition that he continue drug testing and attend meetings.

By the time his miracle year rolled around, David celebrated clean time both in Massachusetts and New York. He poured himself into school and leaned on the fellowship to teach him how to live the life he had never been shown. Still, the journey wasn’t easy. Being the youngest person in the room left him feeling isolated, and living clean in a college environment where everyone around him was using set him apart. Relationships, too, became a substitute drug until he learned what it really meant to love another person—and himself.

Today, David is a 30-year-old man who has survived and thrived through his twenties entirely clean. From a teenage boy running from addiction to a man anchored in recovery, his story shows how surrender, dedication, and service can transform a life. David reminds us that recovery isn’t just about surviving—it’s about growing up, one day at a time.

Just for Today meditation for September 15, read by David

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 15

Filling the emptiness

"...we think that if we can just get enough food, enough sex, or enough money, we'll 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 inside us.

Though we tried as hard as we could to fill that emptiness ourselves, we never succeeded. In the end, we realized that we lacked the power to fill it; it would take a Power greater than ourselves to do that.

So we stopped using, and we stopped trying to fill the emptiness in our gut with things. We turned to our Higher Power, asking for its care, strength, and direction.

We surrendered and made way for that Power to begin the process of filling our inner void. We stopped grabbing things and started receiving the free gift of love our Higher Power had for us. Slowly, our inner emptiness was being filled.

Now that we've been given our Higher Power's gift of love, what do we do with it? If we clasp that gift tightly to ourselves, we will smother it. We must remember that love grows only when it is shared. We can only keep this gift by freely giving it away.

The world of addiction is a world of taking and being taken; the world of recovery is a world of giving and being given. In which world do we choose to live?

––––=––––

Just for today:

I choose to live in the fullness of recovery. I will celebrate my conscious contact with the God of my understanding by freely sharing with others that which has been freely shared with me. Just For Today Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Spiritual Principle a Day for September 15, read by David

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 15

Practicing Honor the NA Way

"We learn to trust our intuition and honor our feelings."

—Living Clean, Chapter 5, “Conscious Contact”

––––=––––

The concept of honor comes with some baggage. It brings to mind ideas about virtue and morality that resonate with some members but aren’t really our thing within NA. Another form of honor refers to expressions of admiration and respect. That might mean awards and fanfare in some walks of life. But honor doesn’t require big, bold, public recognition; in fact, we find that practicing honor as a spiritual principle is often pretty quiet. Although many of us are no strangers to spectacle, we intuitively know that for honor to serve a spiritual purpose, it might be best to dial down the drama and draw on humility instead.

Thinking about what it means to honor our feelings and experience gives the concept of honor a new purpose and reveals its utility as a spiritual principle. We practice honor in a classic, low-key, NA way when we approach recovery with a healthy degree of respect and humility. In the experience of at least one member, “This is the kind of low-key honor that feeds my soul.” For many of us, that starts with conceding that those who came before us were on to something. When we give the Steps, NA literature, and each other an honest try, it’s a choice to set aside thoughts of going it alone. We honor the process and the path cleared by our predecessors when we read a book or two, consult with our sponsor and friends in recovery, dive in, and find some relief.

The same process that brings relief also allows us to access feelings anew. We may find this uncomfortable, but it’s worth the effort. We honor our feelings by feeling the full range of human emotions. We resist the urge to repress the unpleasant ones or deny ourselves the benefits of sharing our emotional burdens by being “fine” all the time. Because we’ve honored our recovery process, we know ourselves and can truly be ourselves.

––––=––––

Spiritual Principle:

I will practice honor the NA way by engaging with the recovery process, connecting with my emotions, and sharing my feelings and experience with someone else.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Spiritual Principle a Day for September 14, read by David

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 14

Service, Purpose, and Belonging

"Service helps us feel like we belong. We have a place and a purpose. The experience can be humbling. Doing as the group asks, rather than as we choose, is a form of surrender."

—Guiding Principles, Tradition One, “For Groups”

––––=––––

Feelings of belonging don’t often come easy for us addicts, though some of us faked it well.

We were social chameleons who so often felt like imposters, masking insecurity with perfectionism and hiding our control issues behind allegedly high standards and attention to detail. For others of us, that game seemed like way too much work. We were too cool for all that. We prized our loner status. Or maybe we were just too high to care. Whatever our situation was, most of us have been on a difficult path to a sense of community and solidarity.

In meetings, we hear right away that our desire to get clean—no matter how desperately or indifferently we feel it—is our ticket to membership. We are also told—and shown by example—how important service is in solidifying our relationship to the Fellowship and in helping us to stay clean.

“Until I eventually took my sponsor’s direction and took on a service commitment, I never felt like I was really a part of in NA,” one member shared. “I never thought I wanted to be.

All of a sudden, I had a voice. I started to use it, and people even listened.”

“I took on five commitments in the first 30 days,” a newer member shared. “I stayed clean, but I made everyone bananas with my brilliant ideas to make everything better. Soon I found out about ‘group conscience’—which wasn’t necessarily the same as my conscience. I always wanted to know why why why.”

And someone with a lot of time shared, “After 33 years, I still find it hard to ‘let go and let the group.

’ . . . I want to explain all the history of how we do things in NA. I may be older, but that doesn’t always make me the wisest. Unfortunately!”

––––=––––

Spiritual Principle:

If I’m not an NA service warrior, I’m going to become one (within reason). If I’m a talker in business meetings, I’m going to make an effort to be a listener. If I’m a doer, I’m going to teach someone else how. If I’m a control freak, I’m going to try to “let go, and let the group”—just for today.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Just for Today meditation for September 14, read by David

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 14

Secrets are reservations

"Eventually we are shown that we must get honest, or we will use again."

Basic Text p.82

––––=––––

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. Big secrets may represent a more obvious, immediate danger to our recovery. But the little secrets do their own kind of damage, the more insidious perhaps because we think they're "harmless!" Big or little, our secrets represent spiritual territory we are unwilling to surrender to the principles of recovery. The longer we reserve pieces of our lives to be ruled by self-will and the more vigorously we defend our "right" to hold onto them, the more damage we do. Gradually, the unsurrendered territories of our lives tend to expand, taking more and more ground.

Whether the secrets in our lives are big or little, sooner or later they bring us to the same place. We must choose-either we surrender everything to our program, or we will lose our recovery.

––––=––––

Just for today:

I want the kind of recovery that comes from total surrender to the program. Today I will talk with my sponsor and disclose my secrets, big or small. Just For Today Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Spiritual Principle a Day for September 13, read by David

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 13

Sincerity and Keeping It Real

"We listen to one another with an open mind and an open heart, and we share our experience with the understanding that it won’t necessarily be shared by everyone else."

—Living Clean, Chapter 3, “A Spiritual Journey”

––––=––––

Among the first things many of us notice about NA is how recovering addicts get very real with each other when sharing in meetings. Sincerity is sometimes mistaken for weakness, especially among using addicts. Showing up to recovery meetings for the first time and seeing people willingly exposing vulnerabilities the way we do can be both shocking and refreshing. We start to listen and to open up.

Being present and showing up wholeheartedly would mean a 180-degree change from our old approach. We were accustomed to wearing masks, deflecting attention, or adapting to whatever was happening around us. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we played along. Not making any waves was key to our survival before we got clean.

Early in recovery, we may find ourselves listening to others and then trying to match how they share. Not wanting to call attention to ourselves, we might string together slogans or pretend to be something we’re not. One addict wrote, “I would tailor my shares to try to appeal to the listeners, and the harder I tried to make people relate, the phonier I felt (and sounded). When I just tell my own story my own way, people seem to connect so much more.”

Something within us shifts as we do the work of staying clean. We prioritize honesty and authenticity over ease, empathy over shallow connection, from-the-heart sincerity over fitting in. When we share, we allow ourselves and each other the dignity of our own understanding and experience. We each take on the responsibility of expressing what’s going on with us. It’s harder to talk the talk when we don’t walk the walk. We share what we’ve found, what we think, and where our uncertainties lie. The truer we are in what we share with others, the better the odds that they will be able to relate.

––––=––––

Spiritual Principle:

As a recovering addict, sincerity makes it possible for me to connect with others wholeheartedly. I will keep it real today.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Just for Today meditation for September 13, read by David

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 13

Something different

"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 we're 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, to fix that "different" place inside us, to make us whole and acceptable. Drugs seemed to fill that need.

When we were high, at least we no longer felt the emptiness or the need. There was one drawback: The drugs, which were our solution, quickly became our problem.

Once we gave up the drugs, the sense of emptiness returned. At first we felt despair because we didn't have any solution of our own to that miserable longing. But we were willing to take direction and began to work the steps. As we did, we found what we'd been looking for, that "something different". Today, we believe that our lifelong yearning was primarily for knowledge of a Higher Power; the "something different" we needed was a relationship with a loving God. The steps tell us how to begin that relationship.

––––=––––

Just for today:

My Higher Power is the "something different" that's always been missing in my life. I will use the steps to restore that missing ingredient to my spirit. Just For Today Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Spiritual Principle a Day for September 12, read by David

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 12

Individuality, Openness, and Our Spiritual Lives

"Each of us finds our own way to live spiritually, and that allows us freedom to make choices about how we live."

—Living Clean, Chapter 3, “A Spiritual, Not Religious Program”

––––=––––

Throughout our literature, in meetings, from the podium, over a coffee or tea, during late- night phone calls, alone in quiet meditation or prayer, we’re reminded that NA is a spiritual program. Whatever our individual beliefs or practices or methods or paths are or aren’t— whether they be secular or religious, or do not fit within that binary—we can’t deny that spirituality is central to a life of recovery in NA. Who we are spiritually and how we express that aspect of our individuality is unique to us, though we may use elements from all kinds of traditions, or none at all. Many of us can—and will—easily explain our relationship with our Higher Power. For many others, it’s not intelligible through words. And it’s private, something we’d rather not share about in a specific way.

For NA members, the road to recovery is paved by the same Twelve Steps, yet the journey we choose is varied. Our path to living spiritually is personal, though there’s some commonality and mutual understanding derived from the principles that appear throughout this book. Application of these principles is based on our individual needs and desires. We respond differently to everyday situations; we see through our own lenses and react to events in our own ways. And how we connect to the program—and its principles and spiritual nature—most often doesn’t look the same when we’re new as when we’ve become more comfortable in our own skin, or as we undergo life’s upswings and tragedies.

As we continue our recovery journey, we find the Steps prepare each of us to meet our individual circumstances.

Reciprocity is important here, too, as described by a member: “You have your own spiritual expression and your beliefs, and I have mine. That I can be my own person in NA reminds me that as you let me be me, I must let you be you.”

––––=––––

Spiritual Principle:

My aim is to be open to the rich mosaic of spiritual expression I find in NA. I’ll explore and nurture my own beliefs as I apply the principles in our Steps.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Just for Today meditation for September 12, read by David

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 12

New horizons

"My life is well-rounded and I am becoming a more comfortable version of myself, not the neurotic, boring person that I thought I'd be without drugs."

Basic Text p.262

––––=––––

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 from reality.

Narcotics Anonymous opens the door to a new way of life for our members. The only thing we lose in NA is our slavery to drugs. We gain a host of new friends, time to pursue hobbies, the ability to be stably employed, even the capacity to pursue an education if we so desire. We are able to start projects and see them through to completion. We can go to a dance and feel comfortable, even if we have two left feet. We start to budget money to travel, even if it's only with a tent to a nearby campsite. In recovery, we find out what interests us and pursue new pastimes. We dare to dream.

Life is certainly different when we have the rooms of Narcotics Anonymous to return to. Through the love we find in NA, we begin to believe in ourselves. Equipped with this belief, we venture forth into the world to discover new horizons. Many times, the world is a better place because an NA member has been there.

––––=––––

Just for today:

I can live a well-rounded, comfortable life-a life I never dreamt existed. Recovery has opened new horizons to me and equipped me to explore them. Just For Today Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Spiritual Principle a Day for September 11, read by David

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 11

Self-Support Takes Faith

"Belief in self-support is a massive leap of faith. We commit to the idea that we will be enough."

—Guiding Principles, Tradition Seven, Opening Reflection

––––=––––

For many of us, a belief in our own inadequacy was a constant undercurrent in our lives before NA. We did our best to keep it hidden by putting on a brave front. Behind our masks, thoughts that we were not enough still plagued us. This idea that we lacked sufficient ability, power, or means follows a lot of us into recovery. Although we’d stopped using, we still felt incapable of dealing with life.

We can start to rebuild our self-image by embracing a practical application of humility; we commit to seeing ourselves as part of humanity, no better or worse than the rest of it. With time and effort put into stepwork, we get a more accurate picture of who we are. We warm up to the idea that we will have and will do enough, and even that we are enough.

When self-support seems like too big of a stretch, we entrust our support system to help us make that leap. We pay attention to the experience of our fellows and emulate their commitment to self-determination. We lean into acceptance and faith as we figure out what the next right thing might look like. Our collective experience tells us that action is the key to moving an idea from our heads to our hearts. So, what actions align with self- support?

When we are present, plugged in, and ready, we can step through doors as they open, find the right words to match the situation, and otherwise take leaps of faith we weren’t sure we had in us. One member’s experience speaks to such a moment: “My mom was paying my rent for my first year clean, but she would also always come around and tell me I wasn’t keeping the place clean enough or that I needed to do something different with my hair.

The idea of saying ‘no’ to her support was scary; the freedom that came with it was a big step toward believing in myself . . . maybe for the first time in my life.”

––––=––––

Spiritual Principle:

How can I stretch toward self-support today? What conversations might inspire me to take that leap of faith or prepare me for opportunities on my horizon?

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Just for Today meditation for September 11, read by David

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 11

Bend with the wind

"We learn to become flexible.. As new things are revealed, we feel renewed."

Basic Text p.98

––––=––––

"Flexibility" was not a part of the vocabulary we used in our using days. We'd become obsessed with the raw pleasure of our drugs and hardened to all the softer, subtler, more infinitely varied pleasures of the world around us. Our disease had turned life itself into a constant threat of jails, institutions, and death, a threat against which we hardened ourselves all the more. In the end we became brittle.

With the merest breath of life's wind we crumbled at last, broken, defeated, with no choice but to surrender.

But the beautiful irony of recovery is that, in our surrender, we found the flexibility we had lost in our addiction, the very lack of which had defeated us. We regained the ability to bend in life's breeze without breaking. When the wind blew, we felt its loving caress against our skin, where once we would have hardened ourselves as if against the onrush of a storm.

The winds of life blow new airs our way each moment, and with them new fragrances, new pleasures, varied, subtly different. As we bend with life's wind, we feel and hear and touch and smell and taste all it has to offer us. And as new winds blow, we feel renewed.

––––=––––

Just for today:

Higher Power, help me bend with life's wind and glory in its passing. Free me from rigidity. Just For Today Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Spiritual Principle a Day for September 10, read by Katherine F.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 10

Surrendering to a New Way of Life

"Admitting our powerlessness is a surrender, an admission that we don’t know the solution to our problems."

—IP #17, For Those in Treatment, “Recovery in Narcotics Anonymous”

––––=––––

Admitting powerlessness over our addiction is often the first time we surrender to anything.

Never mind the fact that we used to surrender to the drugs every day! Many of us had tried to clean up on our own, without success. We couldn’t control our using, so what makes us think we can control our recovery?

We experience one of the greatest paradoxes in NA when we let go of our attempts to control the recovery process and find peace and freedom as a result. One member shared, “Surrender is like learning how to float in water, instead of thrashing about. It’s a process of letting go.”

We can surrender quietly to this new way of life and allow the experience of other addicts to guide our next steps. There is a sense of relief that accompanies surrender, a peace in powerlessness. Giving up our illusions of self-control frees us to become better versions of ourselves.

And, in NA, we don’t have to walk this journey alone. We ask for help when we need it.

Sometimes that’s the hardest thing we do, but it gets easier with practice. We learn to surrender our old ideas, listen to suggestions, consult a Higher Power, and make up our minds about what course of action we need to take. We do the footwork, let go of the outcome, and move on—confident that surrender will help us accept whatever unfolds.

––––=––––

Spiritual Principle:

I will practice admitting my powerlessness in any situation and free myself to see new solutions. I will surrender the things I can’t control.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Just for Today meditation for September 10, read by Katherine F.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 10

More powerful than words

"We learn that a simple, loving hug can make all the difference in the world"

Basic Text p.88

––––=––––

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 relieve their suffering. We wished we had more experience to share. We didn't know what to say.

But sometimes life deals wounds that can't be eased by even the most heartfelt words. Words can never express all we mean when our deepest feelings of compassion are involved. Language is inadequate to reach a wounded soul, as only the touch of a loving Higher Power can heal an injury to the spirit.

When those we love are grieving, simply being present is perhaps the most compassionate contribution we can offer. We can rest assured that a loving Higher Power is working hard at healing the spirit; our only responsibility is to be there. Our presence, a loving hug, and a sympathetic ear will surely express the depth of our feelings, and do more to reach the heart of a human being in pain than mere words ever could.

––––=––––

Just for today:

I will offer my presence, a hug, and a sympathetic ear

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Just for Today meditation for September 9, read by Katherine F.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 9

Feet of clay

"One of the biggest stumbling blocks to recovery seems to be placing unrealistic expectations on... others."

Basic Text p.78

––––=––––

Many of us come into Narcotics Anonymous feeling pretty poorly about ourselves. By comparison, the recovering addicts we meet at meetings may seem almost superhumanly serene. These wise, loving people have many months, even years of living in accordance with spiritual principles, giving of themselves to others without expecting anything back. We trust them, allowing them to love us until we can love ourselves. We expect them to make everything alright again.

Then the glow of early recovery begins to fade, and we start to see the human side of our NA friends and sponsor. Perhaps a fellow member of our home group stands us up for a coffee date, or we see two oldtimers bickering at a committee meeting, or we realize our sponsor has a defect of character or two. We're crushed, disillusioned-these recovering addicts aren't perfect after all! How can we possibly trust them anymore?

Somewhere between "the heroes of recovery" and "the lousy NA bums" lies the truth: Our fellow addicts are neither completely bad nor completely good. After all, if they were perfect, they wouldn't need this program. Our friends and sponsor are ordinary recovering addicts, just like we are. We can relate to their ordinary recovery experience and use it in our own program.

––––=––––

Just for today:

My friends and my sponsor are human, just like me-and I trust their experience all the more for that.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Spiritual Principle a Day for September 9, read by Katherine F.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 9

Humility Is Living in Reality

"Humility is most easily identified as an acceptance of who we truly are— neither worse nor better than we believed we were when we were using, just human."

—NA Step Working Guides, Step One, “Spiritual Principles”

––––=––––

In early recovery, we often find ourselves going from unrealistic, grandiose self-perception to believing we are the worst person in history. It’s that familiar addict pendulum swing— from one extreme to the other (with an optional sound effect): I’m a spiritual giant deserving of high praise—WHOOSH!—I’m a worthless piece of trash.

I’m the hottest person here—WHOOSH!—I’m repulsive and don’t deserve to live.

I’m the only parent who knows what they’re doing—WHOOSH!—I’m going to screw up my kid worse than my parents screwed me up.

Torchbearer of overblown self-importance—WHOOSH!—barren self-pity farm.

Hero—WHOOSH!—zero.

Getting clean and working the Twelve Steps of NA can slow our addict pendulum and greatly narrow the distance of its swing. The humility that ensues from working Steps will help us to find that serene sweet spot somewhere in the middle. This place is where our true selves reside. Here lives reality.

Humility is like kryptonite to our self-indulgence, jealousy, and entitlement. It allows us to accept the beautiful muddle of our humanity, the truth of our perfectly imperfect selves, and our authentic place in the world. We can have reasonable expectations of ourselves and let others be who they are without our interference. We can find humor in our shortcomings and try to do better when criticized, instead of wanting to annihilate ourselves when we make a mistake.

Perhaps most crucially, we don’t boast about our spiritual growth, especially in comparison to other members, nor do we overindulge in denigrating who we “used to be” when we were using. We were human then, and we’re human now.

––––=––––

Spiritual Principle:

I will try to be mindful of where my pendulum is swinging today. Though I can accept where I am, I’ll still try to move toward the center because that’s what’s real.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Just for Today meditation for September 8, read by Katherine F.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 8

Rebellion

"We need not lose faith when we become rebellious"

Basic Text p.34

––––=––––

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-examination can show us how we react to the world around us. We can ask ourselves if our rebellion against people, places, and institutions is justified.

If we keep writing long enough, we can usually get past what others did and uncover our own part in our affairs. We find that what others did to us was not as important as how we responded to the situations we found ourselves in.

Regular inventory allows us to examine the patterns in our reactions to life and see if we are prone to chronic rebelliousness. Sometimes we will find that, while we may usually go along with what is suggested to us rather than risk rejection, we secretly harbor resentments against authority. If left to themselves, these resentments can lead us away from our program of recovery.

The inventory process allows us to uncover, evaluate, and alter our rebellious patterns. We can't change the world by taking an inventory, but we can change the way we react to it.

––––=––––

Just for today:

I want freedom from the turmoil of rebelliousness. Before I act, I will inventory myself and think about my true values.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Spiritual Principle a Day for September 8, read by Katherine F.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 8

Gratitude Transforms Us

"Gratitude in action is an engine for change: As we carry the message, our own lives transform."

—Guiding Principles, Tradition Five, Opening Reflection

––––=––––

We tell the newcomer, “Welcome home,” as we give them our number, an IP, and a meeting list. “Call me anytime. Hang in there—it gets better.” This simple act of gratitude carries a powerful message, just as Tradition Five and Step Twelve intend. Simple words and actions like these take place in meetings every day. Though our intention may be to help the new or potential member, we end up helping ourselves, too. We’re reminded of where we came from, and our gratitude engine gets tuned up.

In NA, all of our service efforts focus—directly or indirectly—on our primary purpose.

Groups are the main vehicle for carrying the message, and it takes trusted servants to make them run smoothly. Likewise, events carry a message and require a lot of work behind the scenes. We serve to ensure that the addict who reaches out for help by phone or online finds the information they need to get to their first meeting. All of this and more happens within a bigger context for NA service that goes largely unnoticed. Our fellow members are hard at work translating literature, telling the world that we’re here to help, and demonstrating that NA is a reliable program of recovery.

We tell the newcomer that change is possible and barely notice how our lives transform as we carry that message. It’s a happy by-product, a pleasant surprise, an unintended consequence. Call it what you will, there is no doubt that our lives change, just as we do.

Each Step has an impact on who we are and how we see ourselves. We connect with a Higher Power, with ourselves, and with other people.

By the time we get to Step Twelve, we’re not the same people, and all of that change has made us increasingly able to serve. Our newfound approach to life reflects this transformation. We are there for each other in moments of crisis and celebration. It’s who we are and what we do. We take this “How can I help?” mindset into the community, and it changes the way we interact with the world.

––––=––––

Spiritual Principle:

I will look for opportunities to give of myself today and take time to appreciate my transformation.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Spiritual Principle a Day for September 7, read by Katherine F.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 7

Patience and the Process of Healing

"Healing takes time, but it does happen. We must be patient with ourselves."

—Living Clean, Chapter 4, “Sex”

––––=––––

Some of us came into NA hoping for a speedy recovery, like the way we’d bounced back after that accident and got over the flu right quick. We wanted to put addiction behind us, and then we could get on with life. A mixture of hope and denial convinced us that detoxing would fix us. Our experience told a different story. We’d been able to stop using on occasion, but we could never seem to stay stopped. At some point, we realized we needed more than a spin-dry, and we rallied the patience to persevere on a just-for-today basis.

We face our lives and ourselves in everyday living, as the Basic Text suggests. We strive for progress while taking care not to expect perfection. Sticking with it calls on us to be patient with the process and ourselves. Recovery is ongoing for folks like us, not something we can look at in the rearview mirror. We consider ourselves recovering, not recovered, addicts.

Practicing patience requires us to be more gentle with ourselves. We attempt to nurture kind and encouraging thoughts, shutting down the harsh self-talk that says, “I should be better than this by now.” When we measure our progress against some unrealistic benchmark, or worse, compare our insides to others’ outsides, it’s no wonder we come up short. We focus on finding satisfaction with the pace of our progress. Patience serves as a bridge to some much-needed hope, faith, and humility as we learn to trust the process.

We’ll need all of these spiritual principles and more as we navigate the minefields of our past with the Twelve Steps and a sponsor’s guidance. Trauma and abuse cast a long shadow on many of our lives; we learn to be patient with ourselves as an expression of love. We come to understand our past without allowing it to define us. All of this takes time—time that’s available to us because we’re learning to practice patience.

––––=––––

Spiritual Principle:

I invite patience to help me find satisfaction with my progress and access the resources I need for continued recovery and healing.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Just for Today meditation for September 7, read by Katherine F.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 7

Resentment and forgiveness

"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 we'll find someone stepping on our toes. And such are the circumstances in which resentments are often born.

Resentments, justified or not, are dangerous to our ongoing recovery. The longer we harbor resentments, the more bitter they become, eventually poisoning us. To stay clean, we must find the capacity to let go of our resentments, the capacity to forgive.

We first develop this capacity in working Steps Eight and Nine, and we keep it alive by regularly taking the Tenth Step. Sometimes when we are unwilling to forgive, it helps to remember that we, too, may someday require another person's forgiveness.

Haven't we all, at one time or another, done something that we deeply regretted?

And aren't we healed in some measure when others accept our sincere amends?

An attitude of forgiveness is a little easier to develop when we remember that we are all doing the very best we can. And someday we, too, will need forgiveness.

––––=––––

Just for today:

I will let go of my resentments. Today, if I am wronged, I will practice forgiveness, knowing that I need forgiveness myself.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Spiritual Principle a Day for September 6, read by Katherine F.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 6

Anonymity and Selfless Service

"The fact that we are anonymous means that the work we do in NA really can be selfless service. We don’t want or need credit for helping others; it’s what we do to save our own lives."

—Living Clean, Chapter 6, “Anonymity”

––––=––––

The first thought some of us have when given the chance to help someone is What’s in it for me? We stay clean, work Steps, experience freedom—and still, our diseased thinking whispers that we ought to be rewarded for our selflessness.

“I volunteered in the merchandise room at our convention right after celebrating ten years clean,” a member shared. “I folded T-shirts and unboxed coffee mugs for hours, wondering all along what kind of goodie I’d get for doing my part. A mug? A shirt? At the end of my shift, they said, ‘Thanks for your service!’ and gave me a hug. In a matter of moments, I went from being disappointed in them to being disappointed in myself!”

The good we do for others is not limited to our service in NA. Another member wrote, “My sponsor told me to do something for someone else and keep it a secret. On my way to a meeting, I saw someone asking for change, and I bought them a sandwich. The first thing I did when I shared at the meeting was congratulate myself for being so generous.”

Perfect selflessness may be out of reach, but we can always strive to be less self-centered.

We don’t have to disappear completely; we simply step out of the spotlight for a moment.

When we feel the impulse to make a moment about ourselves, we learn to say, “Thanks for sharing,” and let the impulse go.

Feeling like we are owed for our service and comparing our generosity to that of those around us are just a couple of the ways addiction seeks to separate us from others. Service and kindness help us reconnect. We keep our focus on those we are helping. We hope that the convention-goers who purchase a mug or a T-shirt look back fondly on their convention experience for years to come. We hope that the hungry person felt some relief for a little while; we hope that if we see them again, they look and feel better. We think of ourselves a bit less, we think of others a bit more, and we begin to feel gratitude.

––––=––––

Spiritual Principle:

I may never be perfectly selfless, but I can try to serve as though it’s not all about me. I will make my service about others today.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

==================================================

Just for Today meditation for September 6, read by Katherine F.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 6

Regular meeting attendance

"We have learned from our group experience that those who keep coming to our meetings regularly stay clean."

Basic Text p.9

––––=––––

The NA program gives us a new pattern of living. One of the basic elements of that new pattern is regular meeting attendance. For the newcomer, living clean is a brand new experience. All that once was familiar is changed. The old people, places, and things that served as props on the stage of our lives are gone. New stresses appear, no longer masked or deadened by drugs. That's why we often suggest that newcomers attend a meeting every day. No matter what comes up, no matter how crazy the day gets, we know that our daily meeting awaits us. There, we can renew contact with other recovering addicts, people who know what we're going through because they've been through it themselves. No day needs to go by without the relief we get only from such fellowship.

As we mature in recovery, we get the same kinds of benefits from regular meeting attendance. Regardless of how long we've been clean, we never stop being addicts.

True, we probably won't immediately start using mass quantities of drugs if we miss our meetings for a few days. But the more regularly we attend NA meetings, the more we reinforce our identity as recovering addicts. And each meeting helps put us that much further from becoming using addicts again.

––––=––––

Just for today:

I will make a commitment to include regular meeting attendance as a part of my new pattern of living.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Kicking off our September series, “Teen Recovery,” is the extraordinary journey of Katherine—a young woman who made the courageous decision to stop using before addiction could take her as a teenager. Her story is raw, unflinching, and filled with hope for young people trapped in the grip of the disease.

From childhood, alcohol was a cultural norm at the dinner table. But by age twelve, Katherine’s relationship with alcohol had already revealed itself—she drank to excess, whenever she obtained alcohol, no matter how sick it made her. What started with occasional wine at family meals quickly escalated to harder drugs as she navigated junior high and high school.

Her grades plummeted, her behavior worsened, and though she tried to hide it, the truth was visible to teachers, administrators, and her parents. The breaking point came at the age of just sixteen, when her normally calm father called her in anger, demanding she come home immediately. Instead, Katherine disappeared.

For days, she was missing, while raging forward in full-blown addiction. Blackouts left her waking in strange places with people she didn’t know, until one day, the police knocked at the door in a moment that would change everything.

As her so-called friends scattered to avoid accountability, Katherine was left to face the officers alone. She was offered a choice: the easy way or the hard way. Behind them, she noticed the light of day breaking through—symbolizing a dawn after the long darkness of her disease.

In that moment, she chose life.

Returning home, she found her parents surrounded by family and loved ones who had spent days languishing over her disappearance. For the first time in years, Katherine was honest with her parents, telling them everything. Though it shocked and devastated them, she knew she was “sick and tired of being tired and sick.” That admission became her turning point.

In treatment, she heard those same exact words echoed by members of H&I and knew she was finally in the right place. With new tools and support, she began the process of recovery.

Even after changing schools, Katherine realized her environment was filled with the same characters, the same temptations—but this time she had new tools. Recovery and therapy equipped her to stay clean in the midst of using peers. While others were getting drunk and high at parties, she spent days and nights at meetings with her fellow addicts.

Her parents shuttled her to meetings before she could drive, often sleeping in the car outside just to help their daughter stay clean. Inside those rooms, Katherine often felt out of place—surrounded by addicts with mortgages, marriages, and full-time jobs she couldn’t yet imagine—but she kept coming back. She also saw what could have been her future: peers her own age who went out on their 21st birthdays for a legal drink, many of whom never returned to recovery.

Her high school years and college years unfolded in a completely different way. Though she stumbled early on by not fully “doing the work,” she eventually realized that working the program was essential to long-term recovery. By her 21st birthday, she surrounded herself with friends who respected her sobriety, and she celebrated not with alcohol, but with joy—dancing the night away, just another day clean.

Katherine went on to finish college and, determined to deepen her purpose, returned to graduate school, and earned her master’s degree. Today, she is a therapist working in the field of mental health. She sponsors others, continues to work with her sponsor, and engages in service throughout the fellowship.

Just for Today meditation for September 5, read by Katherine F.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 5

Not hopelessly bad

"We find that we suffer from a disease, not a moral dilemma. We were critically ill, not hopelessly bad."

Basic Text p.16

––––=––––

For many of us, Narcotics Anonymous was the answer to a personal puzzle of long standing. Why did we always feel alone, even in a crowd, we wondered? Why did we do so many crazy, self-destructive things? Why did we feel so badly about ourselves so much of the time? And how had our lives gotten so messed up? We thought we were hopelessly bad, or perhaps hopelessly insane.

Given that, it was a great relief to learn we suffered from a disease. Addiction-that was the source of our problems. A disease, we realized, could be treated. And when we treat our disease, we can begin to recover.

Today, when we see symptoms of our disease resurfacing in our lives, we need not despair. After all, it's a treatable disease we have, not a moral dilemma. We can be grateful we can recover from the disease of addiction through the application of the Twelve Steps of NA.

––––=––––

Just for today:

I am grateful that I have a treatable disease, not a moral dilemma. I will continue applying the treatment for the disease of addiction by practicing the NA program.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Spiritual Principle a Day for September 5, read by Katherine F.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 5

Cooperation Despite Friction

"Time and time again, in crises we have set aside our differences and worked for the common good."

—Basic Text, Chapter 6, “Tradition One”

––––=––––

Cooperation is fundamental to what we do in NA, starting from the moment when the message is first carried to us. “I didn’t get clean because of my own Step One,” an addict shared. “I got clean because of someone else’s Step Twelve.” Whether we first heard the message from one member, a group, or a piece of literature, carrying the message to a using addict requires cooperation. We are clean because other members cooperated with each other—and we cooperated by listening and believing that recovery was possible for us, too.

Our cooperation in NA continues well beyond that first moment of willingness to listen and receive a message of hope. As we stay clean and get to know our fellow members better, we cooperate with each other and keep the doors open for the addicts yet to come. We’re sure to see or experience friction at some point, but addicts in recovery can be surprising in our ability to come together when it really matters.

“I got clean in a small town, and there were only two addicts at my first meeting,” a member wrote. “They carried a message to me that night. I thought they were best friends.

Later, I learned that they couldn’t stand each other. I never would have known it from my first night clean.”

Some differences are more extensive than just a personality clash. “Our city was divided along racial/ethnic lines,” a group wrote. “We had two areas with big overlaps, and they didn’t get along. Some members finally had enough and created an annual unity event bringing both areas together. It was sort of controversial at first, but every year it gets bigger and better. Since it started, our areas have started collaborating on H&I and public relations service, too.”

––––=––––

Spiritual Principle:

Placing principles before personalities means cooperating whether or not I get along with someone. I will do my best to set aside differences for NA unity.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Spiritual Principle a Day for September 4, read by Katherine F.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 4

Choosing Freedom

"We are free to change our minds, to change our perspective, and to change our lives. Freedom means that we are no longer living by default."

—Living Clean, Chapter 3, “Awakening to Our Spirituality”

––––=––––

In active addiction, we lived in a kind of default mode. We neglected responsibilities and disregarded the consequences of our actions or inaction. We were utterly vulnerable to our defects. We self-destructed and harmed others. A member offered this metaphor: “I was on an amusement park ride that started off fun . . . until it made me sick. But by then, I couldn’t get off of it.”

Although living by default made us miserable, even the slightest suggestion that we could change would elicit a defensive “That's just how I am!” Trapped is how we were! Trapped by our resistance to getting off the “ride” we were on. Fearing and avoiding change, still today, we’re sometimes trapped by our willful denial and rigidity.

Outside ourselves, change is inevitable. Recovery helps us deal with this fact. Within ourselves, change is a net positive. It’s a dynamic force exercised through the freedom of choice we now have. “Freedom isn’t just a state of being,” the member continued. “We practice it by choosing to change. We’re no longer trapped on a nauseating ride. We leave the active addiction amusement park behind. Life in recovery is a whole different park!”

As we realize our true selves, we achieve some freedom in NA. Maybe it’s less that we change and more that we become who we truly are. We grow less attached to our story; we can write a new one. We can reexamine aspects of ourselves we never thought to question—our religion, political leanings, musical tastes, even the food we eat. We get to be curious. We’re free to not be so cool.

Being clean allows us to challenge our belief systems and behavior patterns, to be and to feel a little less trapped. We don’t act on impulse as often; a breath provides a moment to respond with love, not fear. At our best, we are flexible, evolving, able to be influenced by others. There’s freedom in open-mindedness. We learn how to say no and to say yes.

Though there will be times when we fall back to default mode, we don’t have to linger there. We have a new life to live.

––––=––––

Spiritual Principle:

I will live this day consciously and with purpose. In choosing to change, I’m choosing to be myself. I’m choosing freedom.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Just for Today meditation for September 4, read by Katherine F.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 4

Cluttered spirits

"We try to remember that when we make amends we are doing it for ourselves."

Basic Text p.40

––––=––––

As long as we still owe amends, our spirits are cluttered with things we don't need.

We're carrying the extra load of an apology owed, a resentment held, or unexpressed remorse. It's like having a messy house. We could leave so we don't have to see the mess, or maybe just step over the piles of debris and pretend they aren't there. But ignoring the disorder won't make it disappear. In the end, the dirty dishes, the crumb-filled carpet, and the overflowing wastebaskets are still there, waiting to be cleaned up.

A cluttered spirit is just as hard to live with as a messy home. We always seem to be tripping over yesterday's leavings. Every time we turn around and try to go somewhere, there is something blocking our path. The more we neglect our responsibility to make amends, the more cluttered our spirits become. And we can't even hire someone to clean up. We have to do the work ourselves.

We gain a deep sense of satisfaction from making our own amends. Just as we would feel after we've cleaned our homes and have time to enjoy a bit of sunshine through sparkling windows, so will our spirits rejoice at our freedom to truly enjoy our recovery. And once the big mess is cleaned up, all we have to do is pick up after ourselves as we go along.

––––=––––

Just for today:

I will clear away what's cluttering my spirit by making the amends I owe.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Spiritual Principle a Day for September 3, read by Katherine F.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 3

Free to Be Authentically Me

"We can be ourselves in the present moment without fear or apology, without the need for approval or justification."

—Living Clean, Chapter 7, “Awakenings”

––––=––––

As we lived through active addiction, few of us felt free to be fully ourselves. We often needed to pretend to be someone we weren’t to get what we wanted or needed, and it didn’t take long before we were confused about who we really were—if we ever had any idea in the first place. We were so accustomed to wearing masks that we didn’t know what our own faces looked like anymore.

The atmosphere of acceptance and welcome we found in NA was a breath of fresh air for those of us who couldn’t breathe freely for a long, long time. The Basic Text tells us, “The masks have to go,” and we notice that when the metaphorical masks come off, it’s so much easier to breathe. For some of us, NA might be the very first place we have been where we suspected that we might be able to show our true selves to others. We may not feel that way in every meeting or with everyone we know in NA, but little by little, we become much more comfortable showing who we really are.

The freedom to be ourselves flows directly out of the sense of security we develop by being welcomed and accepted in NA. Admitting that we are addicts was the first of many admissions; each time we show a bit more of who we truly are to our fellow members, we increase our sense of security and become free to learn even more about ourselves. We accept who we are and lose the need for approval from others. We no longer feel the need to justify our existence. The insecurity that defined so much of who we were in active addiction fades away, and we become who we were meant to be all along.

––––=––––

Spiritual Principle:

I will take off my mask and breathe more easily, knowing that others in NA will accept me for who I am.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Just for Today meditation for September 3, read by Katherine F.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 3

Humility expressed by anonymity

"Humility is a by-product that allows us to grow and develop in an atmosphere of freedom and removes the fear of becoming known by our employers, families, or friends as addicts."

Basic Text p.72-23

––––=––––

Many of us may not have understood the idea that "anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions." We wondered how this could be. What does anonymity have to do with our spiritual life?

The answer is, plenty! By guarding and cherishing our anonymity, we earn spiritual rewards beyond comprehension. There is great virtue in doing something nice for someone and not telling anyone about it. By the same token, resisting the impulse to proudly announce our membership in NA to the world-in effect, asking everyone to acknowledge how wonderful we are-makes us value our recovery all the more.

Recovery is a gift that we've received from a Power greater than ourselves. Boasting about our recovery, as if it were our own doing, leads to prideful feelings and grandiosity. But keeping our anonymity leads to humility and feelings of gratitude.

Recovery is its own reward; public acclaim can't make it any more valuable than it already is.

––––=––––

Just for today:

Recovery is its own reward; I don't need to have mine approved of publicly. I will maintain and cherish my anonymity.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Spiritual Principle a Day for September 2, read by Katherine F.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 2

Untangling Life’s Knots with the Serenity Prayer

"The Serenity Prayer is a tool we use again and again in our recovery: Considering what we can change and what we cannot becomes increasingly powerful."

—Living Clean, Chapter 2, “Connection to the World Around Us”

––––=––––

The simple binary offered in the Serenity Prayer—sorting between what we can and cannot change—provided quite a bit of relief to many of us as newcomers, especially when our minds were racing. Having this prayer as a new tool in our belt in early recovery enables many of us to muster a bit of courage to work on ourselves and, perhaps, achieve just enough serenity to tolerate those around us. Over time, we realize there is more depth in the Serenity Prayer than we might see at first glance.

Our wisdom to know the difference grows as we accumulate more experience with trying to change our lives. Inserting “Me!” into the Serenity Prayer—as in “the courage to change the things I can: Me!”—might remind us to stay focused on ourselves, but many of us soon encounter traits that are not so easily changed. “They told me I only have to change one thing—and that’s everything,” a member wrote. “I had these visions as a newcomer of changing my diet, getting fit, folding my laundry as soon as it dries, achieving enlightenment, and all that. It didn’t take long before I wasn’t feeling very much serenity at all. I had to adjust my expectations.”

If our lives were all knotted up when we first got here, we aren’t likely to get it all untangled right away. Talking to other addicts helps us better see what knots we can loosen now, and what parts of the thread we’ll need to accept—at least for the moment—while we work on what’s right in front of us. Sometimes a knot gets tighter, which can be a vexing part of the process. As our Basic Text mentions, “We learn that we are growing when we make new mistakes instead of repeating old ones.” As we draw on recovery experience—our own and what others share with us—our wisdom grows. Serenity and courage are likely to follow.

––––=––––

Spiritual Principle:

The wisdom to know the difference evolves as I do. When I say the Serenity Prayer, I will try to connect with the principles behind it.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Just for Today meditation for September 2, read by Katherine F.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 2

Higher Powered

"Daily practice of our Twelve Step program enables us to change from what we were to people guided by a Higher Power"

Basic Text p.83

––––=––––

Who have we been, and who have we become? There are a couple of ways to answer this question. One is very simple: We came to Narcotics Anonymous as addicts, our addiction killing us. In NA, we've been freed from our obsession with drugs and our compulsion to use. And our lives have changed.

But that's only the tip of the iceberg. Who have we really been? In the past, we were people without power or direction. We felt like we had no purpose, no reason for living. Our lives didn't make any more sense to us than they did to our families, our friends, or our neighbors.

Who are we really becoming? Today, we are not merely clean addicts, but people with a sense of direction, a purpose, and a Power greater than ourselves. Through daily practice of the Twelve Steps, we've begun to understand how our addiction warped our feelings, motivations, and behavior. Gradually, the destructive force of our disease has been replaced by the life-giving force of our Higher Power.

Recovery means more than cleaning up-it means powering up. We have done more than shed some bad habits; we are becoming new people, guided by a Higher Power.

––––=––––

Just for today:

The guidance I need to become a new person is ready at hand. Today, I will draw further away from my old lack of direction and closer to my Higher Power.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Spiritual Principle a Day for September 1, read by Katherine F.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 1

Interdependence Knows No Borders

"Just as we learned in early recovery that we need each other to stay clean, we come to believe that all of us, every NA meeting and group, are interdependent."

—It Works, Tradition One

––––=––––

Interdependence may not be a word many of us use, but expressions of this principle in Narcotics Anonymous are very familiar. Our program is one of mutual aid, recognizing the therapeutic value of one addict helping another. As per Tradition One, our individual recovery is uplifted, enriched, secured by—and dependent upon—unity in purpose and a simple message of recovery. A worldwide network of meetings, groups, and service bodies are a part of the same whole. We need each other to stay clean and to carry our message using all the strategies we have to do so, such as H&I, helplines, public relations, creation of new literature, translations, and Fellowship development—all over the globe.

Working this spiritual principle is, in large part, coming to the understanding and acknowledging that we are already practicing interdependence—by being a member of NA and participating in our recovery. We recognize that healthy relationships inside and outside NA aren’t unidirectional. They’re reciprocal, mutually beneficial. One prime example is that sponsors help sponsees, and sponsees help sponsors. The “come to believe” in the quotation above is a result of the broadening of our experience of recovery in NA. We start to better comprehend the role of service and the interconnectedness among our local meetings and beyond—as our group’s conscience combines with others through various layers of NA services.

Interdependence knows no borders; it is the tie that binds us. It’s the ripple effect that empathy and participation have on our Fellowship. It’s the integrity of our movement to help addicts heal from the disease of addiction and to increase our connection to each other, to our surroundings, and to a life worth living.

––––=––––

Spiritual Principle:

I need others to practice interdependence, so I’ll connect with other addicts today. I’ll contribute to the recovery of others and participate in my own, recognizing that they are intricately linked.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Just for Today meditation for September 1, read by Katherine F.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

September 1

Real values

"We become able to make wise and loving decisions based on principles and ideals that have real value in our lives."

Basic Text, page 101

––––=––––

Addiction gave us a certain set of values, principles we applied in our lives. "You pushed me" one of those values told us, "so I pushed back, hard." "It's mine" was another value generated by our disease. "Well, okay, maybe it wasn't mine to start with, but I liked it, so I made it mine." Those values were hardly values at all-more like rationalizations-and they certainly didn't help us make wise and loving decisions.

In fact, they served primarily to dig us deeper and deeper into the grave we'd already dug for ourselves.

The Twelve Steps give us a strong dose of real values, the kind that help us live in harmony with ourselves and those around us. We place our faith not in ourselves, our families, or our communities, but in a Higher Power-and in doing so, we grow secure enough to be able to trust our communities, our families, and even ourselves.

We learn to be honest, no matter what-and we learn to refrain from doing things we might want to hide. We learn to accept responsibility for our actions. "It's mine" is replaced with a spirit of selflessness. These are the kind of values that help us become a responsible, productive part of the life around us. Rather than digging us deeper into a grave, these values restore us to the world of the living.

––––=––––

Just for today:

I am grateful for the values I've developed. I am thankful for the ability they give me to make wise, loving decisions as a responsible, productive member of my community.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Just for Today meditation for August 31, read by Eddie D.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

August 31

Gratitude

"Hopeless living problems have become joyously changed. Our disease has been arrested, and now anything is possible."

Basic Text p.102

––––=––––

The NA program has given us more freedom than we ever dreamed possible.

Sometimes, though, in the daily routine, we lose track of how much we've been given. How, exactly, have our lives changed in Narcotics Anonymous?

The bottom line of recovery, of course, is freedom from the compulsion to use. No longer must we devote all our resources to feeding our addiction. No longer must we endanger, humiliate, or abuse ourselves or others just to get the next "fix".

Abstinence itself has brought great freedom to our lives.

Narcotics Anonymous has given us much more than simple abstinence-we've been given a whole new life. We've taken our inventory and have identified the defects of character that bound us for so long, keeping us from living and enjoying life. We've surrendered those shortcomings, taken responsibility for them, and sought the direction and power we need to live differently. Our home group has given us the personal warmth and support that helps us continue living in recovery. And topping all this off, we have the love, care, and guidance of the God we've come to understand in NA.

In the course of day-to-day recovery, we sometimes forget how much our lives have changed in Narcotics Anonymous. Do we fully appreciate what our program has given us?

––––=––––

Just for today:

Recovery has given me freedom. I will greet the day with hope, grateful that anything is possible today.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Spiritual Principle a Day for August 31, read by Eddie D.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

August 31

Fidelity to the NA Message

"Fidelity suggests that we are true and faithful to our message, that it is consistent on all occasions."

—Guiding Principles, Tradition Ten, “Spiritual Principles”

––––=––––

As a spiritual principle, fidelity signifies loyalty and commitment. We clarify our shared understanding of the disease of addiction and our common solution when we share the NA message with fidelity. Translators think similarly about fidelity as a concept in their work. In translations—NA or otherwise—fidelity refers to how well a translated document corresponds to the original. Although computers can substitute the words of one language with those of another, the results often make little sense. It takes the human touch and the work of skilled translators to convey the meaning, style, and tone of any piece of writing.

They do more than transcribe; they interpret.

In Narcotics Anonymous, local translations committees and their professional partners assure that translated literature is faithful to our message. That’s no easy task. Each new language group has to grapple with words and phrases like addict, clean, and the disease of addiction to figure out how to capture their meaning, essence, and spirit in the target language. NA members serving on local translations committees play an important role in ensuring fidelity. Their experience with the NA program and often impressive language skills help to ensure that translated NA literature precisely reflects the ideas and spirit of the original.

Whether translating literature, speaking at a unity day celebration, or sharing with our home group, we strive to use NA language with the same precision. A clear NA message is about more than avoiding certain words. Clarity comes from living the NA way and addressing the disease of addiction with our program of recovery. When our predecessors wrote, “We admitted we were powerless over our addiction,” they focused Step One on the disease, not the drugs. This stroke of genius makes the First Step relevant to members at any phase of recovery. When we use NA language to convey our experience with fidelity, we contribute to an atmosphere of identification for all to hear. The NA message mirrors our experience. Fidelity to it solidifies our bond with other members and our common solution.

––––=––––

Spiritual Principle:

As I share and listen, I will make an effort to faithfully connect the dots between lived experience and the proposition that “an addict, any addict, can stop using drugs, lose the desire to use, and find a new way to live.”

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Just for Today meditation for August 30, read by Eddie D.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

August 30

Doing good, feeling good

"We examine our actions, reactions, and motives. We often find that we've been doing better than we've been feeling."

Basic Text p.42

––––=––––

The way we treat others often reveals our own state of being. When we are at peace, we're most likely to treat others with respect and compassion. However, when we're feeling off center; we're likely to respond to others with intolerance and impatience.

When we take regular inventory, we'll probably notice a pattern: We treat others badly when we feel bad about ourselves.

What might not be revealed in an inventory, however, is the other side of the coin: When we treat others well, we feel good about ourselves. When we add this positive truth to the negative facts we find about ourselves in our inventory, we begin to behave differently.

When we feel badly, we can pause to pray for guidance and strength. Then, we make a decision to treat those around us with kindness, gentleness, and the same concern we'd like to be shown. A decision to be kind may nurture and sustain the happiness and peace of mind we all wish for. And the joy we inspire may lift the spirits of those around us, in turn fostering our own spiritual well-being.

––––=––––

Just for today:

I will remember that if I change my actions, my thoughts will follow.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Spiritual Principle a Day for August 30, read by Eddie D.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

August 30

The Value of Honest Self-Assessment

"Honest self-assessment is one of the keys to our new way of life."

—Basic Text, Chapter 4, “Step Four”

––––=––––

As we begin to work on the Fourth Step for the first time, it’s highly likely we already have an opinion about it. Chances are that it’s not very positive. Most of the words of this Step are daunting in their own right. Searching. Fearless. Moral. Inventory. Ourselves. That last one is the core of it. We will be getting to know ourselves honestly, something that most of us have had limited experience doing prior to getting clean. Isn’t that who we ran from for so long?

By the time we get to Step Four, we’re already practicing some self-honesty. We’ve admitted that we are powerless over our addiction and that we need help. The next step is to learn what we’re holding on to that is keeping us from progressing in our lives. We identify our resentments toward other people, institutions, and ourselves. We look at our guilt and shame, our fears, our sexual and relationship behaviors, abuses we’ve suffered and wrought upon others, and our secrets.

Working Step Four also provides another, perhaps unexpected, gift—revealing our assets.

For many of us, this is the most difficult part. We tend to be far more comfortable obsessing about what’s wrong with us than owning our positive qualities. But our inventory is inclusive of our whole selves. Assessing our assets is absolutely critical to our new way of life. We need to know what we have that we want more of, not just the negative aspects we want to rid ourselves of.

Our honest and courageous self-assessment doesn’t end with Step Four, or with Step Ten that helps us to make this process a consistent practice. Beyond what happened during our using days, we continue to look at the patterns and behaviors that follow us into recovery.

We learn to differentiate what’s really true about us now from what our head tells us.

Through this work, we develop trust in ourselves and in this new way of life. Our pasts instruct us; they do not define us, and they no longer control us.

––––=––––

Spiritual Principle:

No matter where I am in the Steps, I am committed to looking at myself as honestly and completely as possible. I have the fearlessness I need to examine the parts of myself I want to cultivate and those I strive to diminish.

––––=––––

© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom