“Words cannot describe the sense of spiritual awareness that we receive when we have given something, no matter how small, to another person.”– Basic Text, page 100 The world can
“When we admit that our lives have become unmanageable, we don’t have to argue our point of view… We no longer have to be right all the time.”– Basic Text,
“Our best thinking got us into trouble… Recovery is an active change in our ideas and attitudes.”– Basic Text, page 53 In active addiction, the world often felt intolerable. We
“Before we got clean, most of our actions were guided by impulse. Today, we are not locked into this type of thinking.”– Basic Text, page 87 In active addiction, many
“We emphasize setting our house in order because it brings us relief.”– Basic Text, page 93 In recovery, it’s tempting to focus on the flaws and actions of others as
“We suspect that if we do not use what we have, we will lose what we have.”– Basic Text, page 75 In active addiction, our lives were dominated by destructive
“As recovering addicts, we find that we are still dependent, but our dependence has shifted from the things around us to a loving God and the inner strength we get
“Projections about actually making amends can be a major obstacle both in making the list and in becoming willing.”– Basic Text, page 38 Making amends is a critical part of
“Many of us have difficulty admitting that we caused harm to others… We cut away our justifications and our ideas of being a victim.”– Basic Text, page 37 Recovery brings
“We have learned from our group experience that those who keep coming to our meetings regularly stay clean.”– Basic Text, page 9 One of the most vital elements of recovery
“When we first begin to enjoy relief from our addiction, we run the risk of assuming control of our lives again. We forget the agony and pain that we have
“Our egos, once so large and dominant, now take a back seat because we are in harmony with a loving God. We find that we lead richer, happier, and much
“We grasp the limitless strength provided for us through our daily prayer and surrender as long as we keep faith and renew it.”– Basic Text, page 44 Recovery is a
“We learn that pain can be a motivating factor in recovery.”– Basic Text, page 29 Pain is often seen as something to avoid, a source of suffering that serves no
“Our real value is in being ourselves.”– Basic Text, page 101 Throughout our lives, many of us struggled with the pressure to meet the expectations of others. We were conditioned
“When we stop living in the here and now, our problems become magnified unreasonably.”– Basic Text, page 96 “Just for today” is more than just a comforting thought—it’s a guiding
“Gradually, as we become more God-centered than self-centered, our despair turns to hope.”– Basic Text, page 92 For many of us in active addiction, despair was a constant presence. No
“There is something in our self-destructive personalities that cries for failure.”– Basic Text, page 77 Many of us entered recovery weighed down by a pattern of self-doubt, failure, and a
“It will not make us better people to judge the faults of another.”– Basic Text, page 37 One of the easiest habits to fall into is judging others. In recovery,
“We may fear that being in touch with our feelings will trigger an overwhelming chain reaction of pain and panic.”– Basic Text, page 29 The Fourth Step of Narcotics Anonymous
“The only suggested guidelines are that this Power be loving, caring, and greater than ourselves. We don’t have to be religious to accept this idea. The point is that we
“In accordance with the principles of recovery, we try not to judge, stereotype, or moralize with each other.”– Basic Text, page 11 Recovery in Narcotics Anonymous often requires us to
“Life takes on a new meaning when we open ourselves to this gift.”– Basic Text, page 102 Recovery is a precious gift, one that brings freedom, peace, and purpose into
“Prayer takes practice, and we should remind ourselves that skilled people were not born with their skills.”– Basic Text, page 45 For many of us, prayer is a new and
“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
“One of the most profound changes in our lives is in the realm of personal relationships.”– Basic Text, page 55 Recovery transforms many aspects of our lives, and one of
“We may think that we have done enough by writing about our past. We cannot afford this mistake.”– Basic Text, page 32 The journey through the Twelve Steps of Narcotics
“Emotional balance is one of the first results of meditation, and our experience bears this out.”– Basic Text, page 45 Emotional balance is something we all seek, especially in recovery.
“We had to have something different, and we thought we had found it in drugs.”– Basic Text, page 13 Many of us, long before discovering drugs or even addiction, carried
“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, page 262