Spiritual Principle a Day for May 4, read by Moe

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

May 4

Willingness Gets Us into Action

"Willingness without action is fantasy."

—Living Clean, Chapter 6, “Commitment”

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Those of us who weren’t stoned out of our minds for middle school science may recall the law of inertia: “An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an external force.” In other words, things tend to keep doing what they’re doing unless something intervenes. The same might be said for people.

When humans experience inertia, it can signal our resistance to change. Addicts sometimes take this to extremes—imagine that! When we get stuck in place or in constant motion, a powerful force may be needed to provoke change. That’s why getting through the doors of our first meeting is so extraordinary. This first, often tentative action demonstrates a sublime willingness. Looking back on this first hint of surrender, many of us might sense the presence of an external force that propelled us into action. Individually and collectively, you might say that the force is strong with us.

Then and now, meetings can provide a potent antidote to inertia. They offer inspiration and help us imagine a future without drugs. Beyond fantasizing, we learn from each other’s experience and try out practical new tools. We give ourselves a break and learn to let momentary or even obsessive thoughts of using come and go. By attending meetings regularly, we get frequent reminders about the kinds of actions we can take to sustain our cleantime or delve more intensely into recovery.

The NA program holds the potential to change the direction or speed of the addict who still suffers, but it takes some cooperation and effort on our part. As one member pointed out, “We say, ‘It works if you work it,’ not ‘It works if you fantasize about it.’” We’re not strangers to wishing things were different. In NA, we still hope and pray, but then we roll up our sleeves and get to work. As the age-old saying goes, “If nothing changes, nothing changes.”

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Spiritual Principle:

Whether I’ve let complacency grind my forward momentum to a halt or let constant motion block my awareness, I invite a loving force greater than myself to nudge me out of inertia.

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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 May 4, read by Moe

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

May 4

What about the newcomer?

"Each group has but one primary purpose-to carry the message to the addict who still suffers."

Tradition Five

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Our home group means a lot to us. After all, where would we be without our favorite NA meeting? Our group sometimes sponsors picnics or other activities. Often, home group members get together to see a movie or go bowling. We have all made good friendships through our home group, and we wouldn't trade that warmth for the world.

But sometimes we must take inventory of what our group is doing to fulfill its primary purpose-to carry the message to the still-suffering addict. Sometimes when we go to our meetings, we know almost everyone and get caught up in the laughter and fun. But what about the newcomer? Have we remembered to reach out to the new people who may be sitting by themselves, lonely and frightened? Do we remember to welcome those visiting our group?

The love found in the rooms of Narcotics Anonymous helps us recover from addiction. But once we have gotten clean, we must remember to give to others what was so freely given to us. We need to reach out to the addict who still suffers. After all. "the newcomer is the most important person at any meeting."

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Just for today:

I'm grateful for the warm fellowship I've found in my home group. I will reach out my hand to the still-suffering addict, offering that same fellowship to others.

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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 May 3, read by Moe

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

May 3

Sharing our gratitude

"My gratitude speaks when I care and when I share with others the NA way."

Gratitude Prayer

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The longer we stay clean, the more we experience feelings of gratitude for our recovery. These feelings of gratitude aren't limited to particular gifts like new friends or the ability to be employed. More frequently, they arise from the overall sense of joy we feel in our new lives.

These feelings are enhanced by the certainty of the course our lives would have taken if it weren't for the miracle we've experienced in Narcotics Anonymous. These feelings are so all-encompassing, so wondrous, and sometimes so overwhelming that we often can't find words for them. We sometimes openly weep with happiness while sharing in a meeting, yet we grope for words to express what we're feeling. We want so badly to convey to newcomers the gratitude we feel, but it seems that our language lacks the superlatives to describe it.

When we share with tears in our eyes, when we choke up and can't talk at all-these are the times when our gratitude speaks most clearly. We share our gratitude directly from our hearts; with their hearts, others hear and understand. Our gratitude speaks eloquently, though our words may not."

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Just for today:

My gratitude has a voice of its own; when it speaks, the heart understands. Today, I will share my gratitude with others, whether I can find the words or not.

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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 May 3, read by Moe

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

May 3

The Attraction of Goodwill

"Like so many things in recovery, how we do the work is as important as the work we do."

—Guiding Principles, Tradition Eleven, Opening Essay

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Many of us have had the experience of encountering a newcomer at a meeting or working with a sponsee who just can’t seem to get this recovery thing. We have wished that we could just pour experience, strength, and hope into their minds and hearts, but we know it simply doesn’t work that way.

By participating in the hospitals and institutions and public relations service committees, many of us get a front-row seat to newcomers’ awakening when we take H&I meetings to inmates or present PR panels to local schools. Initially, some students might attend to get out of class and prisoners to get out of their cells. Regardless of the motivation, many can’t help but identify. We see the looks on their faces change from indifference and apathy to relief and understanding. The NA message has a way of penetrating through that tough exterior and getting right to the heart of the still-suffering addict. Sharing openly and honestly, from the heart, is the most attractive thing we have to offer.

If we were to run around like fanatics, proclaiming the spoils of recovery based on our specific gains and achievements, this would be a misrepresentation of the truth. The practice of goodwill in Tradition Eleven comes when we exercise discretion and deliver a simple message: Narcotics Anonymous can work for anyone with a desire to stop using.

When the message is clear, recovery can take root.

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Spiritual Principle:

Today I will be mindful of how I represent myself inside and outside of the rooms, knowing that my story is not the Narcotics Anonymous program and that I might be the only Basic Text some people ever see.

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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 May 2, read by Moe

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

May 2

"Just maybe..."

"There is one thing more than anything else that will defeat us in our recovery; this is an attitude of indifference or intolerance toward spiritual principles."

Basic Text, p, 18

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When we first came to NA, many of us had great difficulty accepting the spiritual principles underlying this program-and for good reason. No matter how we'd tried to control our addiction, we'd found ourselves powerless. We grew angry and frustrated with anyone who suggested there was hope for us, because we knew better.

Spiritual ideas may have had some bearing on other peoples' lives, but not on ours.

Despite our indifference or intolerance toward spiritual principles, we were drawn to Narcotics Anonymous. There, we met other addicts. They'd been where we'd been, powerless and hopeless, yet they'd found a way not only to stop using but to live and enjoy life clean. They spoke of the spiritual principles that had pointed the way for them to this new life of recovery. For them, these principles were not just theories but a part of their practical experience. Yes, we had good reason to be skeptical, but these spiritual principles spoken of by other NA members really seemed to work.

Once we admitted this, we didn't necessarily accept every spiritual idea we heard.

But we did start to think that, if these principles had worked for others, just maybe they'd work for us, too. For a beginning, that willingness was enough.

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Just for today:

Just maybe the spiritual principles I hear spoken of in NA might work for me. I am willing, at least, to open my mind to the possibility.

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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 May 2, read by Moe

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

May 2

Empathy in Hard Times

"We find people who have been through what we’re going through, and got through it clean. We need other people to walk us through hard times, and we need to reach out and help others as we heal."

—Living Clean, Chapter 1, “Growing Pains”

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For many of us, when we were new to NA, getting clean—and staying clean—was the hardest thing we’d ever been through. Our life seemed impossibly dark, and it took every bit of effort not to go back to our old lives. But we didn’t pick up, no matter what. We survived that time, in large part, because of our connection to other recovering addicts. A member shared: “In my first meeting someone told me, ‘I understand you, and you don’t have to go through this alone.’ For years, people had said so many things to me, trying to help, but until NA, no one said they’d had the same experience—and that they’d survived it.”

However, staying clean doesn’t mean the difficult times are over. Inevitably, “no matter what” situations await all of us. Sometimes these challenges can add to our lives in significant ways: We get off the street and live on our own for the first time or we buy property or start a family or a business. For many of us, we experience catastrophic events that easily eclipse the suffering of early recovery. We have to care for an aging parent or we lose a child to the disease of addiction. There’s economic hardship, divorce or widowhood, infertility, cancer or chronic pain; the list is endless.

And so is the depth of the empathy and experience of our NA Fellowship. None of us has to go through any hardship alone. We get through these times clean, just as we did when we were new—with willingness to accept help from those who understand us and who have endured similar situations.

The member continued: “Without each other, we are stumbling around in the dark. I let people in, not only because I needed help, but because allowing others who love us to support us in our time of need also shows compassion and generosity.” Speaking about the loss of his spouse to suicide, he added, “Ultimately, my own struggle became more bearable because I helped someone going through the same thing. That mutual aid is empathy in action.”

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Spiritual Principle:

I am committed to being there for others who have been down similar roads. We can walk together and welcome others along the way.

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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 May 1, read by Moe

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

May 1

Self-worth and service

"Being involved in service makes me feel worthwhile."

Basic Text, p. 212

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When most of us arrived in Narcotics Anonymous, we had very little self-worth left to salvage. Many members say that they began to develop self-esteem through being of service early in their recovery. Something just short of a miracle occurs when we begin to have a positive impact on others' lives through our service efforts.

Most of us don't have a lot of experience, strength, or hope to share at thirty days clean. In fact, some members will tell us in no uncertain terms that what we can do best is listen. But at thirty days, we do have something to offer to that addict just coming into the rooms of NA, struggling to get twenty-four hours clean. The very newest NA member, the one with only a desire to stop using and none of the tools, can hardly imagine anyone staying clean for a year, or two years, or ten. But he or she can relate to those people with thirty days clean, picking up a keytag with a look of pride and disbelief emblazoned on their faces.

Service is something that is our unique gift-something that no one can take away from us. We give, and we get. Through service, many of us start on the sometimes long road back to becoming productive members of society.

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Just for today:

I will be grateful for the opportunity to be of service.

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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 May 1, read by Moe

Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to:

voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com

May 1

Service as an Expression of Love and Gratitude

"Service changes our relationship to our own lives. We learn to put love and gratitude into action, and when we mobilize our good feelings they have a way of spreading through all our affairs."

—Living Clean, Chapter 7, “Being of Service”

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The Basic Text tells us that “we can only keep what we have by giving it away.” That’s as true for us as individuals as it is for NA as a whole. When we share our experience with new members, we’re reminded where we came from and exactly how far we’ve come. We don’t need loads of cleantime to start reaping the benefits of service. One member recalled, “My sponsor taught me to carry a pen to every meeting so that I could give my phone number to newcomers. I asked, ‘But aren’t I still a newcomer?’ and was reminded that I had 30 more days than the person that just walked in the door.” Reflecting on service in early recovery, another member shared, “I was making more than just coffee, I was making friends and beginning to feel a part of my home group.” We gain a sense of belonging as we give of ourselves. It feels good, and we want more. We put love and gratitude into action as we serve.

We focus on carrying the message and let the other details—in life, in meetings, in our heads—sort themselves out in their own time. A shared commitment to service helps us to hear each other and to choose to believe that we’re all doing our best. We love and, therefore, serve NA even when we disagree about the best way to go about it. We contribute to the lively and loving atmosphere of recovery in our meetings and participate in the countless incognito efforts that make this thing work. We arrive at meetings early to welcome each new face or stay late to clean up and put away chairs. Each of these actions expresses our gratitude.

We bring this mindset with us into the world outside NA. We recognize our capacity to help others and know that it feels good to do good. We get some freedom from self-obsession and the opportunity to practice loving kindness in our affairs. We gain a sense of fulfillment as we engage in acts of service inside and outside Narcotics Anonymous.

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Spiritual Principle:

I will express love and gratitude by serving the greater good.

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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