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Using Our "Using Dreams"

Just for today - July 17

"Do we fully accept the fact that our every attempt to stop using or to control our using failed?"

Basic Text, p. 18

Self-esteem

Just for today - July 16

"Deep inside, I had feelings of inadequacy and inferiority."

Basic Text, p. 112

Somewhere along the way, many of us developed strong feelings of inadequacy and inferiority. Deep inside was a voice that continually cried out, "You're worthless!" Many of us learn to recognize this characteristic of low self-esteem very early in our recovery. Some of us may feel that our feelings of inferiority were where all our problems began.

Relations with Others

Just for today - July 15

"We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all." Step Eight

All human beings struggle with self-centeredness. The chronic self-centeredness that lies at the very core of addiction makes that struggle doubly difficult for people like us. Many of us have lived as if we believed we were the last people on earth, utterly blind to the effect our behavior has had on those around us.

An "Inside Job"

Just for today - July 14

"Social acceptability does not equal recovery."

Basic Text, p.21

One of the first things that happens to many of us in recovery is that we start to look better. We get healthier; we bathe; we dress more appropriately. And without the goading of active addiction, many of us finally stop stealing, lying, and hustling. We start to look normal - just by removing the drugs.

Humility in Action

Just for today - July 13

"If we are hurting, and most of us do from time to time, we learn to ask for help."

Basic Text, p.80

Sometimes recovery gets downright difficult. It can be even more difficult to get humble enough to ask for help. We think, "I have all this time clean. I should be better than this!" But the reality of recovery is simple: whether we have thirty days or thirty years clean, we must be willing to ask for help when we need it.

Patience

Just for today - July 12

"We were trapped by our need for the instant gratification that drugs gave us." Basic Text, pp.24-25

Encouragement

Just for today - July 11

"We share comfort and encouragement with others."

Basic Text, p.95

A Positive Attitude

Just for today - July 10

"That old nest of negativism followed me everywhere I went." Basic Text, p.135

A negative attitude is the trademark of active addiction. Everything that occurred in our lives was someone or something else's fault. We had blaming others for our shortcomings down to a fine science. In recovery, one of the first things we strive to develop is a new attitude. We find that life goes a lot easier when we replace our negative thinking with positive principles.

We Do Recover!

Just for today - July 9

"....the time has come when that tired old lie, 'Once an addict, always an addict,' will no longer be tolerated by either society or the addict himself. We do recover."

Basic Text, p.86

The "G" Word

Just for today - July 8

"It is important for you to know that you will hear God mentioned at NA meetings. What we are referring to is a Power greater than ourselves that makes possible what seems impossible."

IP No.22, "Welcome to NA"

God in Each Other

Just for today - July 7

"One aspect of our spiritual awakening comes through the new understanding of our Higher Power that we develop by sharing another addict's recovery." Basic Text, p.51

We've heard it said that we often see God most clearly in one another. We see the truth of this when we practice our Twelfth Step. When we carry the recovery message to another addict, we sense the presence of a Power greater than ourselves. And as we watch the message take hold, we realize something else.

Exploring Spiritual Options

Just for today - July 5

"The nature of our belief will determine the manner of our prayers and meditation."

Basic Text, p.43

How do we pray? For each NA member, this is a deeply personal matter. Many of us find that, over time, we develop a manner of prayer and meditation based on what we learn from others and what we are comfortable with.

"I'm Sorry"

Just for today - July 6

"The main thing the Eighth Step does for us is to help build awareness that, little by little, we are gaining new attitudes about ourselves and how we deal with other people." Basic Text, p.38

Conflict

Just for today - July 4

"We learn that conflicts are a part of reality, and we learn new ways to resolve them instead of running from them."

Basic Text, p.87

From time to time, we all experience conflicts. It may be that we just can't get along with that new co-worker. Maybe our friends are driving us crazy. Or perhaps our partner isn't living up to our expectations. Dealing with any conflict is difficult for recovering addicts.

Quiet Time

Just for today - July 3

"Many of us have found that setting aside quiet time for ourselves is helpful in making conscious contact with our Higher Power."Basic Text, p.92

Most of us pay lip-service to the value of conscious contact with a Higher Power. Yet how many of us consistently take time to improve that conscious contact? If we've not already established a regular regimen of prayer and meditation, today is the day to start one.

Comparing

Just for today - July 2

"Our personal stories may vary in individual pattern, but in the end we all have the same thing in common."

Basic Text, p.84

A Simple Program

Just for today - July 1

"The program is simply sharing, working the Twelve Steps, attending meetings, and practicing the principles of the program."

Basic Text, p.188

Our complicated lives can be made a lot less complicated if we concentrate on a few simple things-sharing our experience, strength, and hope with others, regular meeting attendance, and practicing the principles of the program in our daily lives.

Maintaining the Foundation

Just for Today - June 30

"Our newly found faith serves as a firm foundation for courage in the future." Basic Text p. 93

The foundation of our lives is what the rest of our lives is built upon. When we were using, that foundation affected everything we did. When we decided that recovery was important, that's where we began to put our energy. As a result, our whole lives changed. In order to maintain those new lives, we must maintain the foundation of those lives: our recovery program.

Keeping Recovery Fresh

Just for Today - June 29

"Complacency is the enemy of members with substantial clean time. If we remain complacent for long, the recovery process ceases."

Basic Text, p.80

Group Conscience

Just for Today - June 28

"Working with others is only the beginning of service work." Basic Text, p.56

Service work calls for a selfless devotion to carrying the message to the still-suffering addict. But our attitude of service cannot stop there. Service also requires that we look at ourselves and our motives. Our efforts at service make us highly visible to the fellowship. In NA, it is easy to become a "big fish in a small pond." Our controlling attitude can easily drive away the newcomer.

Change and Growth

Just for Today - June 27

"When someone points out a shortcoming, our first reaction may be defensive. There will always be room for growth." Basic Text, p. 35

Surrendering Self-Will

Just for Today - June 26

"Our fears are lessened and faith begins to grow as we learn the true meaning of surrender. We are no longer fighting fear, anger, guilt, self-pity, or depression."

Basic Text p. 26

Not Just Lucky

Just for Today - June 25

"The process of coming to believe restores us to sanity. The strength to move into action comes from this belief."

Basic Text p. 24

Tolerance

Just for Today - June 24

"...ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."

Tradition Twelve

Surrender

Just for Today - June 23

"We didn't stumble into this fellowship brimming with love, honesty, open-mindedness, or willingness....When we were beaten, we became willing."

Basic Text, p. 20

Surrender may be the necessary foundation for recovery, but sometimes we fight it. Most of us look back after some clean time and wonder why on earth we fought so hard to deny our powerlessness when surrender is what finally saved our lives.

Accepting Life As It Is

Just for Today - June 22

"In our recovery, we find it essential to accept reality. Once we can do this, we do not find it necessary to use drugs in an attempt to change our perceptions."

Basic Text, p. 87

New Levels of Honesty

Just for Today - June 21

"We have been experts at self-deception and rationalization."

Basic Text, p. 27

Meditation for Beginners

Just for Today - June 20

"For some, prayer is asking for God's help; meditation is listening for God's answer. Quieting the mind through meditation brings an inner peace that brings us into contact with the God within us." Basic Text, pp.44-45

"Be patient when you're learning to meditate," many of us were told. "It takes practice to know what to ‘listen’ for."

A Sense of Humor

Just for Today - June 19

"We find that when we lose self-obsession, we are able to understand what it means to be happy, joyous, and free."

Basic Text, p.103

The laughter in our meetings often surprises the newcomer. As a group, we appreciate the healing that healthy laughter brings. Even if we are deeply troubled, the joy that often fills the meeting rooms allows us, for a time, to have some fun with our recovery. Through humor, we can be temporarily relieved of our obsession with self.

Indirect Amends

Just for Today - June 18

"Indirect amends may be necessary where direct ones would be unsafe or endanger other people."

Basic Text, p.40

When we used, we allowed nothing to stand in the way of that next high. As a result, many of us didn't always know precisely whom we had injured, either financially or emotionally. When it came time to make amends through our Ninth Step, we found that there were so many people we had victimized that we might never remember them all.

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