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Build, Don't Destroy

Just for today - June 4

"Our negative sense of self has been replaced by a positive concern for others." Basic Text, p. 16

Spreading gossip feeds a dark hunger in us. Sometimes we think the only way we can feel good about ourselves is to make someone else look bad by comparison. But the kind of self-esteem that can be purchased at another's expense is hollow and not worth the price.

Direct and Indirect Amends

Just for today - June 3

"We make our amends to the best of our ability."

Basic Text, p. 40

Sick and Tired

Just for Today - June 2

"We wanted an easy way out.... When we did seek help we were only looking for the absence of pain."

Basic Text, p. 5

Keep Coming Back

Just for Today - June 1

"We don't have to be clean when we get here but, after the first meeting, we suggest that newcomers keep coming back and come back clean. We don't have to wait for an overdose or a jail sentence to get help from Narcotics."

Basic Text, p. 10

Loneliness vs. Being Alone

Just for Today - May 30

"Sharing with others keeps us from feeling isolated and alone."

Basic Text, p. 81

There is a difference between being alone and being lonely. Being lonely is a state of the heart, an emptiness that makes us feel sad and sometimes hopeless. Loneliness is not always alleviated when we enter into relationships or surround ourselves with others. Some of us are lonely even in a room full of people.

Carry Me

Just for Today - May 29

"We believe that our Higher Power will take care of us" Basic Text, p. 55

We all have times when it seems as though our lives are falling apart. There are days, or even weeks, when it seems that everything that can go wrong is going wrong. Whether it's the loss of a job, the death of a loved one, or the end of a relationship, we doubt that we'll survive the changes taking place in our lives.

As We Understand

Just for Today - May 28

"We examined our lives and discovered who we really are. To be truly humble is to accept and honestly try to be ourselves."

Basic Text, p. 35

As using addicts, the demands of our disease determined our personality. We could be whoever or whatever we needed to be in order to get our "fix." We were survival machines, adapting easily to every circumstance of the using life.

Meeting the Day's Challenge

Just for Today - May 27

"...the decision to ask for God's help is our greatest source of strength and courage." Basic Text, p. 26

A challenge is anything that dares us to succeed. Things new and unfamiliar serve as challenges, whether those things appear good or bad to us. We are challenged by obstacles and opposition from within ourselves and from without. New and difficult things, obstacles and opposition, all are a part of "life on life's terms" Living clean means learning to meet challenge.

The Power in The Group

Just for Today - May 26

"Our understanding of a Higher Power is up to us.... We can call it the group, the program, or we can call it God."

Basic Text, p. 24

"Good" And "Bad" Feelings

Just for Today - May 25

"A lot happens in one day, both negative and positive. If we do not take time to appreciate both, perhaps we will miss something that will help us grow."

IP No. 8, "Just for Today"

Risking Vulnerability

Just for Today - May 24

"As we grow, we learn to overcome the tendency to run and hide from ourselves and our feelings."

Basic Text, p. 81

Amends and Sponsors

Just for Today - May 23

"We want to be free of our guilt, but we don't wish to do so at the expense of anyone else."

Basic Text, p. 39

Symptoms of a Spiritual Awakening

Just for Today - May 22

"The steps lead to an awakening of a spiritual nature. This awakening is evidenced by changes in our lives."

Basic Text, p. 48

Keep Coming Back!

Just for Today - May 21

"Meetings keep us in touch with where we've been, but more importantly with where we could go in our recovery."

Basic Text, p. 54

Coming Out Of Isolation

Just for Today - May 20

"We find ourselves doing and enjoying things that we never thought we would be doing."

Basic Text, p. 98

A Growth Inventory

Just for today - May 19

"We review our past performance and our present behavior to see what we want to keep and what we want to discard."

Basic Text, p. 29

Friends and Amends—Keeping It Simple

Just for Today - May 18

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

Step Nine

"Defects"

Step: 
Step 6

May 17 - Just for Today

"We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character."

Step Six

After taking the Fifth Step, many of us spend some time considering "the exact nature of our wrongs" and the part they'd played in making us who we were. What would our lives be like without, say, our arrogance?

Our Higher Power's Will

May 16 - Just for Today

"God's will for us becomes our own true will for ourselves."

Basic Text, p. 46

The Twelve Steps are a path to spiritual awakening. This awakening takes the form of a developing relationship with a loving Higher Power. Each succeeding step strengthens that relationship. As we continue to work the steps, the relationship grows, becoming ever more important in our lives.

Fear of the Fourth Step

Step: 
Step 1

May 15 – Just for today

"As we approach this step, most of us are afraid that there is a monster inside of us that, if released, will destroy us."

Basic Text, p. 27

Most of us are terrified to look at ourselves, to probe our insides. We're afraid that if we examine our actions and motives, we'll find a bottomless black pit of selfishness and hatred. But as we take the Fourth Step, we'll find that those fears were unwarranted. We're human, just like everyone else—no more, no less.

Oops!

May 14 – Just for today

"Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results."

Basic Text, p. 23

Mistakes! We all know how it feels to make them. Many of us feel that our entire lives have been a mistake. We often regard our mistakes with shame or guilt—at the very least, with frustration and impatience. We tend to see mistakes as evidence that we are still sick, crazy, stupid, or too damaged to recover.

Onward On the Journey

May 13 – Just for today

"The progression of recovery is a continuous uphill journey"

Basic Text, p. 79

The longer we stay clean, the steeper and narrower our path seems to become. But God doesn't give us more than we can handle. No matter how difficult the road becomes, no matter how narrow, how winding the turns, there is hope. That hope lies in our spiritual progression.

Living with Spiritual Experiences

May 12 – Just for today

"For meditation to be of value, the results must show in our daily lives."

Basic Text, pp. 45-46

 

Balancing the Scales

May 11, Just for today
A lot of our chief concerns and major difficulties come from our inexperience with living without drugs. Often when we ask an old timer what to do, we are amazed at the simplicity of the answer.""
Basic Text, pp. 41-42

Becoming Entirely Ready

 Just for today - May 10 

"We... get a good look at what these defects are doing to our lives. We begin to long for freedom from these defects."

Basic Text, p. 33

Becoming entirely ready to have our defects of character removed can be a long process, often taking place over the course of a lifetime. Our state of readiness grows in direct proportion to our awareness of these defects and the destruction they cause.

Write About It!

 Just for today - May 9 

"We sit down with a notebook, ask for guidance, pick up our pen, and start writing."

Basic Text, p. 29

When we're confused or in pain, our sponsor sometimes tells us to "write about it." Though we may groan as we drag out the notebook, we know that it will help. By laying it all out on paper, we give ourselves the chance to sort through what's bothering us. We know we can get to the bottom of our confusion and find out what's really causing our pain when we put the pen to the paper.

Teachable

 Just for today - May 8 

"We have learned that it is okay to not know all the answers, for then we are teachable and can learn to live our new life successfully."

Basic Text, p. 93

In a way, addiction is a great teacher. And if addiction teaches us nothing else, it will teach us humility. We hear it said that it took our very best thinking to get to NA. Now that we're here, we're here to learn.

Turning Turmoil into Peace

Just for today - May 7 

"With the world in such a turmoil, I feel I have been blessed to be where I am."

Basic Text, p. 155

Are We Having Fun Yet?

May 6 – Just for today

"In time, we can relax and enjoy the atmosphere of recovery."

Basic Text, pp. 53-54

Imagine what would happen if a newcomer walked into one of our meetings and was met by a group of grim-faced people gripping the arms of their chairs with white knuckles. That newcomer would probably bolt, perhaps muttering, "I thought I could get off drugs and be happy."

Any Lengths

 Just for today - May 5 

"...I was ready to go to any lengths to stay clean."

Basic Text, p. 217

"Any lengths?" newcomers ask. "What do you mean, any lengths?" Looking back at our active addiction and the lengths we were willing to go to in order to stay high can help to explain. Were we willing to drive many miles to get drugs? Yes, we usually were. Then it makes sense that, if we are as concerned about staying clean as we were about using, we will try anything to find a ride to a meeting.

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