Spiritual Principle a Day for April 24, read by Sophie X.

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voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

April 24

Faith and Step Three

"In the Third Step, faith gives us the capacity to actually make a decision and carry that decision into action."

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

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When we look back at early recovery—regardless of how recent or distant that may be—we can see how faith inspired some of our decisions and helped us to act on them. Many of us credit some sort of blind faith for getting us through the doors of our first meeting. We decided to get some help and found our way to Narcotics Anonymous.

As our heads cleared, we saw that our every effort to clean up on our own had failed.

Consciously or not, we surrendered and made that crucial admission in Step One. We took another leap of faith by entertaining the possibility that we could stay clean and be restored to sanity. Faith that the recovery that we’d seen work for others could also work for us brought us to Step Three.

Deciding to turn our will and life over to the care of the God of our understanding was huge.

It might have seemed too big, really. Other members reassured us, “You’re just making a decision. You’ll have a lifetime to figure out what that looks like, plenty of time to practice.”

So, okay, we decide . . . now what?

Some of us get stuck here or find ourselves cycling through the first three Steps, sure that we’ve dropped a stitch. We get lucky—as we do so often in NA—when we’re sitting in a meeting, only half listening, and we hear just what we need to propel us into action: “The footwork of Step Three is Step Four.” And so on.

The faith we practice as NA members gives us the courage to make other momentous decisions: to change careers, to exercise more, to marry, to end a marriage. When we’re secure in our recovery, faith enables us to ask ourselves some really tough questions, like “What do I want?” and “What’s holding me back?” Faith steadies us as we make decisions, supports us as we clear the way forward, and keeps us humble as we find out what we’re capable of.

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Spiritual Principle:

Faith will show in my actions today, as I make the time to do the things I ought to do and say the things I need to say.

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© 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 April 24, read by Laurie

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

April 24

Twelve steps of life

"Through abstinence and through working the Twelve Steps of Narcotics Anonymous, our lives have become useful."

Basic Text, p. 8

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Before coming to Narcotics Anonymous, our lives were centered around using. For the most part, we had very little energy left over for jobs, relationships, or other activities. We served only our addiction.

The Twelve Steps of Narcotics Anonymous provide a simple way to turn our lives around. We start by staying clean, a day at a time. When our energy is no longer channeled into our addiction, we find that we have the energy to pursue other interests. As we grow in recovery, we become able to sustain healthy relationships.

We become trustworthy employees. Hobbies and recreation seem more inviting.

Through participation in Narcotics Anonymous, we help others.

Narcotics Anonymous does not promise us that we will find good jobs, loving relationships, or a fulfilling life. But when we work the Twelve Steps to the best of our ability, we find that we can become the type of people who are capable of finding employment, sustaining loving relationships, and helping others. We stop serving our disease, and begin serving God and others. The Twelve Steps are the key to transforming our lives.

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Just for today:

I will have the wisdom to use the Twelve Steps in my life, and the courage to grow in my recovery. I will practice my program to become a responsible, productive member of society.

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© 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 April 23, read by Laurie

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

April 23

A God of our own understanding

"Many of us understand God to be simply whatever force keeps us clean."

Basic Text, p. 25

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Some of us enter recovery with a working understanding of a Higher Power. For a lot of us, however, "God" is a troublesome word. We may doubt the existence of any sort of Power greater than ourselves. Or we may remember uncomfortable experiences with religion and shy away from "the God stuff." Starting over in recovery means we can start over in our spiritual life, too. If we're not comfortable with what we learned when we were growing up, we can try a different approach to our spirituality. We don't have to understand everything all at once or find the answers to all our questions right away. Sometimes it's enough just to know that other NA members believe and that their belief helps keep them clean.

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Just for today:

All I have to know right now about my Higher Power is that it is the Power that helps keep me clean.

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© 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 April 23, read by Laurie

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

April 23

The Value of Our Individuality

"We are mindful of our behavior and our surroundings without giving up our individuality."

—Living Clean, Chapter 6, “Moving Beyond ‘Social Acceptability’”

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Rock bottom means different things to different addicts. We come to NA in various states of unwellness, some more visible than others. No matter what kind of shape we appear to be in when we get here, we each find ourselves at the edge of our own learning curve.

Although our minds may try to get ahead of us with all kinds of knotty questions, our journeys almost always start with going to meetings and staying clean between them.

It may occur to us that we wouldn’t have used with a lot of these people—unless it was their stuff, of course; no need to be rude. We can’t imagine them using with each other either, but there they go again, hanging out together in the parking lot for an hour after the meeting. We find this mildly troubling. As using addicts, we thought we could suss out any situation and be who we needed to be. Here . . . what? Am I supposed to be myself? That seems to be the idea. Yikes!

In fact, that’s part of our charge: to figure out who we are and be that on purpose. In It Works: How and Why, we read about the value of our diversity and the “rough-and-tumble liveliness” found in NA. This rings true. We’re told there’s no one right way to be an addict in recovery. This seems reassuring or disconcerting, depending on our mood. We aspire to be as comfortable in our uniqueness as some of those eccentric oldtimers. Like them, we grow secure in our own individuality and learn to express it in context-appropriate ways.

Accepting that our value lies in being ourselves frees up all that energy we used to spend shape-shifting. We no longer feel a need to blend in with the wallpaper or shine like the brightest star. We get to be ourselves, each of us uniquely contributing to the lively whole.

We don’t need to fit in—because we belong.

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Spiritual Principle:

Knowing that my individuality contributes to the liveliness of the NA Fellowship encourages me to be wholly myself, which I’ll do to the best of my ability.

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© 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 April 22, read by Sophie X.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

April 22

Traveling the open road

"This is our road to spiritual growth."

Basic Text, p. 35

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When we arrived at our first NA meeting, it looked like the end of the road to many of us. We weren't going to be able to use anymore. We were spiritually bankrupt.

Most of us were totally isolated and didn't think we had much to live for. Little did we realize that, as we began our program of recovery, we were stepping onto a road of unlimited possibilities.

At first, just not using was tough enough. Yet, as we watched other addicts working the steps and applying those principles in their lives, we began to see that recovery was more than just not using. The lives of our NA friends had changed. They had a relationship with the God of their understanding. They were responsible members of the fellowship and of society. They had a reason to live. We began to believe these things were possible for us, too.

As we continue our recovery journey, we can get sidetracked by complacency, intolerance, or dishonesty. When we do, we need to recognize the signs quickly and get back on our path-the open road to freedom and growth.

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Just for today:

I am continuing to develop my spiritual, social, and general living skills by applying the principles of my program. I can travel as far as I wish on the open road of recovery.

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© 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 April 22, read by Sophie X.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

April 22

The Creative Action of Sharing Ourselves

"Sharing with others keeps us from feeling isolated and alone. This process is a creative action of the spirit."

—Basic Text, Chapter 7: Recovery and Relapse

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Many of us, even with time clean, find ourselves with a problem or a situation we have no idea how to deal with. For example, grateful as we are that we’ve been released from prison, we are petrified by the prospect of rebuilding our lives outside of the structure we’d become used to. Or, having fallen out of love with our spouse—who shares the same home group, no less—we want to move on. But how? Or, our supervisor at work is in active addiction. We pick up her slack because we don’t want her to get fired. But the stress is killing us.

Shame, indecision, and fear prevent us from talking about our problem with anyone. Or our ego takes over: I can figure this out on my own. We’ve been down this road before and know where it leads: denial, dishonesty, resentments, isolation. But we can make a different choice now, just as we did about our addiction.

If we share what we’re going through—with a trusted NA member, with our sponsor, or on a group level—we are acting differently, even creatively. We can rely on someone else’s creativity to take us down a road we had never considered. We just have to open our minds to their experience and perspective.

Other times it’s the act of sharing that’s the solution. Creative action of the spirit requires us to have the courage to open our hearts to share what has seemed impossible for us to talk about. In these cases, we depend on another’s empathy to get us through a situation that has no resolution but to accept it.

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Spiritual Principle:

Today I’ll ask myself: “What am I keeping to myself?” and “Who can I ask to share their creative problem-solving skills with me?” Then, I’ll seek that person out and be open to what gets revealed in the process.

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© 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 April 21, read by Sophie X.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

April 21

Fear

"We have found that we had no choice except to completely change our old ways of thinking or go back to using."

Basic Text, p. 21

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Many of us find that our old ways of thinking were dominated by fear. We were afraid that we wouldn't be able to get our drugs or that there wouldn't be enough.

We feared discovery, arrest, and incarceration. Further down the list were fears of financial problems, homelessness, overdose, and illness. And our fear controlled our actions.

The early days of recovery weren't a great deal different for many of us; then, too, fear dominated our thinking. "What if staying clean hurts too much?" we asked ourselves. "What if I can't make it? What if the people in NA don't like me? What if NA doesn't work?" The fear behind these thoughts can still control our behavior, keeping us from taking the risks necessary to stay clean and grow. It may seem easier to resign ourselves to certain failure, giving up before we start, than to risk everything on a slim hope. But that kind of thinking leads only to relapse.

To stay clean, we must find the willingness to change our old ways of thinking. What has worked for other addicts can work for us-but we must be willing to try it. We must trade in our old cynical doubts for new affirmations of hope. When we do, we'll find it's worth the risk.

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Just for today:

I pray for the willingness to change my old ways of thinking, and for the ability to overcome my fears.

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© 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 April 21, read by Sophie X.

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

April 21

Communicating Respect

"When we regard one another with respect, we open the door to a different kind of communication."

—Living Clean, Chapter 7, “Principles, Practice, and Perspective”

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Outside NA, in our specific cultures or neighborhoods, respect was often something we demanded of others or felt we were entitled to based on our status in the community or our egos. Our communication around respect had one purpose: getting our own way. What mattered was how superbly articulate we were about our beliefs, our willingness to go to battle for every one of our opinions, and the sheer loudness of our voice. And if we weren’t among those with status or volume, we usually gave in to their demands.

Inside NA, practicing respect as a spiritual principle has nothing to do with getting our own way or handing over our power to those who command it. Regarding others with respect includes paying attention to how we are communicating—with our voice, facial expressions, body language, or our silence—and then honestly examining how people hear and respond to us. “If I approach another member with my claws out,” one member shared, “I shouldn’t be surprised if they react by slashing back.”

Ideally, practicing respect results in more inclusivity of opinions and more equality in participation. Communicating our respect prioritizes listening over speaking, our common welfare over selfishness. We try to make space for others rather than cutting them out. In NA, respect breeds trust, safety, and well-being—not fear, fragility, and oversized egos.

This perspective takes plenty of work—and plenty of unlearning. For one thing, we must work against our own feelings of superiority, inferiority, or indifference. A member who’s been around for a while described their experience: “Working the NA Steps has made my own beliefs less fragile. I don’t have to defend them as fiercely as I did before. And I don’t have to express my opinion about everything.” Just because someone else’s or the group’s opinion is different from ours doesn’t mean they’re wrong. And if they are wrong, is this a battle that must be fought, or can we make peace and be part of a solution?

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Spiritual Principle:

How am I communicating respect to my fellow NA members today? How am I being respectful to the meeting, to the group’s conscience, to the Traditions, to NA as a whole?

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© NA World Services

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