The Reginald & Dionne Smith Foundation

02/19/2026

19 February

Being Flexible through Life's Challenges

Page 51

"Just when we think we know all that recovery has to offer, more is revealed--if we are willing to accept the gift."

Living Clean, Chapter 7, "Awakenings"

Recovery allows us to take life by the reins. With a clear head and a clean conscience, we're able to deal with situations that would have mystified us in our previous lives. With time and effort spent on our recovery, we find the balance--often repeatedly--between confidence and humility, patience and action, faith and persistence. Flexibility sits at the intersection of all of these principles, allowing us to adapt and be resilient as recovery reveals its gifts.

When life takes an unexpected turn, sometimes there's magic in what we discover--other times, disappointment. In either case, practicing flexibility helps us to go with the flow. We keep breathing, regardless of the circumstances. A difficult living situation, an unhappy marriage, or a dead-end job may call on us to make decisions and take action. Our problems don't solve themselves just because we're clean. The work we put into our recovery helps us to understand our part in every situation. With that, we figure out what we can accept, what we should change, and when it's time to walk away. We take the reins of our lives, but we leave enough slack for the right pace and direction to reveal itself.

With faith and flexibility as our guideposts, new challenges seem more like serendipity and less like a curse. "I grew up hearing 'We plan, God laughs,'" one member shared. "When something gets in the way of my plans, I take it as divine intervention prompting me to explore other options." We often emerge from our most painful times with gifts we could not have imagined. Recovery helps us let go of some of our fixed ideas and look for the horse when all we see is manure.

I can learn new things and discover unique gifts at any phase of life in recovery. I will loosen the reins today and be flexible enough to accept the grace that comes my way.

All NAWS subscriptions are free. We are able to provide this service due, in part, to the generous contributions of our members. If you are a member, you can make a contribution here: www.na.org/contribute

UNSUBSCRIBE to stop receiving all NAWS emails.

UPDATE SUBSCRIPTION PREFERENCES to update which emails you receive.

NA World Services, Inc.
19737 Nordhoff Place
Chatsworth, CA 91311

Copyright © 2026 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

02/19/2026

19 February

Reservations

Page 51

"Relapse is never an accident. Relapse is a sign that we have a reservation in our program."

Basic Text, p. 79

❖

A reservation is something we set aside for future use. In our case, a reservation is the expectation that, if such-and-such happens, we will surely relapse. What event do we expect will be too painful to bear? Maybe we think that if a spouse or lover leaves us, we will have to get high. If we lose our job, surely, we think, we will use. Or maybe it's the death of a loved one that we expect to be unbearable. In any case, the reservations we harbor give us permission to use when they come true--as they often do.

We can prepare ourselves for success instead of relapse by examining our expectations and altering them where we can. Most of us carry within us a catalog of anticipated misery closely related to our fears. We can learn how to survive pain by watching other members live through similar pain. We can apply their lessons to our own expectations. Instead of telling ourselves we will have to get high if this happens, we can quietly reassure ourselves that we, too, can stay clean through whatever life brings us today.

❖

Just for Today: I will check for any reservations that may endanger my recovery and share them with another addict.

All NAWS subscriptions are free. We are able to provide this service due, in part, to the generous contributions of our members. If you are a member, you can make a contribution here: www.na.org/contribute

UNSUBSCRIBE to stop receiving all NAWS emails.

UPDATE SUBSCRIPTION PREFERENCES to update which emails you receive.

NA World Services, Inc.
19737 Nordhoff Place
Chatsworth, CA 91311

Copyright © 2026 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

02/18/2026

18 February

Making Room for Humility

Page 50

"Understanding that we are not unique is a good indication of humility."

It Works, Step Seven

The disease of addiction turns us into masters of self-deception. A distorted view of the world might convince us that we're smarter than the average addict. When we're new to Narcotics Anonymous, this outlook can keep us separate from everyone in the room and lead us right back out the door.

The pain of stubbornly holding on to our perceived uniqueness can keep us stuck in isolation. As one member found, "Eventually the pain was great enough, and it didn't matter how different I thought I was from everyone else. I was an addict, and if I didn't want to die, I had to start doing some work."

Step Seven shows us that in surrendering the defect of denial, we can let go of arrogance and pride, creating room for humility and identification within the Fellowship. We can see our humility grow when we can sit in a meeting and naturally hear the similarities rather than our differences.

When we trust a loving Higher Power to remove our shortcomings, we begin to make space for our true selves and develop a sense of our place within an NA community. Regardless of how long we have been clean, how old we were when we got here, or our career status--we remain teachable. The gift of humility allows us to learn how to ask for help and take suggestions.

Sometimes, even with years clean, we can convince ourselves that "our case is different" or "we are the exception." Calling our sponsors, regularly attending meetings, and continuing to practice spiritual principles remind us that we share the bond of addiction, as well as a common solution in NA. Whether we think we are "nowhere near that bad" or "the most flawed person in the room," we eventually find a place where we can be right-sized by continuing to work the Steps.

Today I will be grateful for freedom from the sharp edges of my uniqueness and find opportunities to identify with my fellow addicts.

All NAWS subscriptions are free. We are able to provide this service due, in part, to the generous contributions of our members. If you are a member, you can make a contribution here: www.na.org/contribute

UNSUBSCRIBE to stop receiving all NAWS emails.

UPDATE SUBSCRIPTION PREFERENCES to update which emails you receive.

NA World Services, Inc.
19737 Nordhoff Place
Chatsworth, CA 91311

Copyright © 2026 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

02/18/2026

18 February

The recovery partnership

Page 50

"As long as I take it easy and make a commitment with my Higher Power to do the best I can, I know I will be taken care of today."

-

❖

Many of us feel that our fundamental commitment in recovery is to our Higher Power. Knowing that we lack the power to stay clean and find recovery on our own, we enter into a partnership with a Power greater than we are. We make a commitment to live in the care of our Higher Power and, in return, our Higher Power guides us.

This partnership is vital to staying clean. Making it through the early days of recovery often feels like the hardest thing we've ever done. But the strength of our commitment to recovery and the power of God's care is sufficient to carry us through, just for today.

Our part in this partnership is to do the very best we can each day, showing up for life and doing what's put in front of us, applying the principles of recovery to the best of our ability. We promise to do the best we can--not to fake it, not to pretend to be superhuman, but simply to do the footwork of recovery. In fulfilling our part of the recovery partnership, we experience the care our Higher Power has provided us.

❖

Just for Today: I will honor my commitment to a partnership with my Higher Power.

All NAWS subscriptions are free. We are able to provide this service due, in part, to the generous contributions of our members. If you are a member, you can make a contribution here: www.na.org/contribute

UNSUBSCRIBE to stop receiving all NAWS emails.

UPDATE SUBSCRIPTION PREFERENCES to update which emails you receive.

NA World Services, Inc.
19737 Nordhoff Place
Chatsworth, CA 91311

Copyright © 2026 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

02/17/2026

17 February

Open-Mindedness Keeps Us Teachable

Page 49

"The principle of open-mindedness helps us to remain teachable, and to look for teachers all around us."

Living Clean, Chapter 5, "Being a Parent"

When we read "Just for Today"--as we do at many meetings--we're reminded to cultivate a better perspective on life. Open-mindedness is one of the keys to attaining this improved outlook. Without an open mind, we limit ourselves to what we already know. As one member pointed out, "If I knew how to fix myself, why would I come to NA?" Knowing we don't have all the answers can be a real asset. Such humility helps us to stay teachable.

In addition to looking within, we can find lessons and teachers in our experience and all around. Desperation, no matter the degree, can be a teacher. It has a way of opening our minds to the possibilities recovery has in store. When we're open to finding teachers, we're quicker to detect life's guardrails and correct course to avoid some of the harshest lessons. When things don't go our way, open-mindedness helps us find opportunities to stretch ourselves. New ideas seem less like a personal attack and more like a chance to increase our understanding. Instead of avoiding criticism, we seek to learn from it without getting defensive.

Once we stop using and lose the desire to use, the job of finding a new way to live is a lifelong project we chip away at each day. It takes on new meaning as we mature in recovery. "The new way to live I found when I was 20 and new to NA would kill me today," one member shared with a wink. "I need to be in bed by ten!" Regardless of our preferred bedtime, it helps to remain open and teachable if we want to continue to learn and grow. Life never stops offering new lessons. Instead of resenting life's twists and turns, we try to focus on what we can discover about ourselves as we navigate them.

I will stretch myself to consider perspectives that may be different from my own today. I will look at my challenges as opportunities for growth.

All NAWS subscriptions are free. We are able to provide this service due, in part, to the generous contributions of our members. If you are a member, you can make a contribution here: www.na.org/contribute

UNSUBSCRIBE to stop receiving all NAWS emails.

UPDATE SUBSCRIPTION PREFERENCES to update which emails you receive.

NA World Services, Inc.
19737 Nordhoff Place
Chatsworth, CA 91311

Copyright © 2026 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

02/17/2026

17 February

Carrying the message, not the addict

Page 49

"They can be analyzed, counseled, reasoned with, prayed over, threatened, beaten, or locked up, but they will not stop until they want to stop."

Basic Text, p. 65

❖

Perhaps one of the most difficult truths we must face in our recovery is that we are as powerless over another's addiction as we are over our own. We may think that because we've had a spiritual awakening in our own lives we should be able to persuade another addict to find recovery. But there are limits to what we can do to help another addict.

We cannot force them to stop using. We cannot give them the results of the steps or grow for them. We cannot take away their loneliness or their pain. There is nothing we can say to convince a scared addict to surrender the familiar misery of addiction for the frightening uncertainty of recovery. We cannot jump inside other peoples' skins, shift their goals, or decide for them what is best for them.

However, if we refuse to try to exert this power over another's addiction, we may help them. They may grow if we allow them to face reality, painful though it may be. They may become more productive, by their own definition, as long as we don't try and do it for them. They can become the authority on their own lives, provided we are only authorities on our own. If we can accept all this, we can become what we were meant to be--carriers of the message, not the addict.

❖

Just for Today: I will accept that I am powerless not only over my own addiction but also over everyone else's. I will carry the message, not the addict.

All NAWS subscriptions are free. We are able to provide this service due, in part, to the generous contributions of our members. If you are a member, you can make a contribution here: www.na.org/contribute

UNSUBSCRIBE to stop receiving all NAWS emails.

UPDATE SUBSCRIPTION PREFERENCES to update which emails you receive.

NA World Services, Inc.
19737 Nordhoff Place
Chatsworth, CA 91311

Copyright © 2026 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

02/17/2026

02/16/2026

16 February

Service and Carrying NA's Message

Page 48

"Everything that occurs in the course of NA service must be motivated by the desire to more successfully carry the message of recovery to the addict who still suffers."

Basic Text, Introduction

Of all the spiritual principles in this book, service may be the most directly related to action. Sure, service has a place in our hearts, minds, and souls, but we aren't practicing this principle unless we are doing something.

Our primary purpose in Narcotics Anonymous is service. Essentially, that means carrying the message of recovery to the still-suffering addict who can be any of us at any moment. Participating in service to other addicts, both on an individual level and within the Fellowship, helps us to keep each other and NA alive and thriving.

We often say there are no "musts" in NA, but the Basic Text says otherwise in one of its earliest passages. Depending on who we are, where we are in our recovery, or even what we ate for breakfast that morning, we may find this direction--that all of NA service must be motivated by our primary purpose--either inspirational or distressing. Some of us may be more driven than ever to carry the message. Others may start to second-guess our motivations for service. We may get defensive at the absoluteness of the statement that "everything" we're doing "must" be motivated by the purest, most fundamental "desire" to help another. Really? All the time?

Truthfully, the framework of NA--the Steps, Traditions, Concepts, and principles--are indeed oriented toward our singular purpose. Because of the simplicity of service as a principle and its reliance on action to practice it, showing up is all we have to do, really: go to a meeting and share what's going on, answer the phone when our sponsee calls, pitch in for the Seventh Tradition, fill the teakettle. We come early and stay late.

Our purely motivated desire to carry the message won't always be there, but we take the action anyway. That's service in a nutshell.

Simply, I will carry the message to the still-suffering addict today with intention. I'll contemplate my level of desire--and practice willingness along with service.

All NAWS subscriptions are free. We are able to provide this service due, in part, to the generous contributions of our members. If you are a member, you can make a contribution here: www.na.org/contribute

UNSUBSCRIBE to stop receiving all NAWS emails.

UPDATE SUBSCRIPTION PREFERENCES to update which emails you receive.

NA World Services, Inc.
19737 Nordhoff Place
Chatsworth, CA 91311

Copyright © 2026 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

02/16/2026

16 February

Faithful feelings

Page 48

"When we refuse to accept the reality of today, we are denying faith in our Higher Power. This can only bring more suffering."

IP No. 8, "Just for Today"

❖

Some days just aren't the way we wish they would be. Our problems may be as simple as a broken shoelace or having to stand in line at the supermarket. Or we may experience something far more serious, such as the loss of a job, a home, or a loved one. Either way, we often end up looking for a way to avoid our feelings instead of simply acknowledging that those feelings are painful.

No one promises us that everything will go our way when we stop using. In fact, we can be sure that life will go on whether we're using or not. We will face good days and bad days, comfortable feelings and painful feelings. But we don't have to run from any of them any longer.

We can experience pain, grief, sadness, anger, frustration--all those feelings we once avoided with drugs. We find that we can get through those emotions clean. We won't die and the world won't come to an end just because we have uncomfortable feelings. We learn to trust that we can survive what each day brings.

❖

Just for Today: I will demonstrate my trust in God by experiencing this day just as it is.

All NAWS subscriptions are free. We are able to provide this service due, in part, to the generous contributions of our members. If you are a member, you can make a contribution here: www.na.org/contribute

UNSUBSCRIBE to stop receiving all NAWS emails.

UPDATE SUBSCRIPTION PREFERENCES to update which emails you receive.

NA World Services, Inc.
19737 Nordhoff Place
Chatsworth, CA 91311

Copyright © 2026 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

02/15/2026

I truly got to say this louder cause I resemble this post.

Blind people graduate with first-class honours, same as you. But when that interview call comes, it’s always “sorry, the building has no braille signage.” Or “the form is PDF, but the images aren’t tagged.”



They don’t say it out loud, but what they mean is— you can’t see, so you can’t sell. You can’t see, so you can’t code. You can’t see, so you’re a liability.



But I’ve trained teams. I’ve written scripts. I’ve closed deals— all on voice, all on trust.



Employers, don’t ask where we’re from. Ask: is your office built so I can find the restroom without begging? Is your software so clean I can code on it? Is your meeting room so simple I can walk in, speak, and walk out without feeling watched?



That’s what inclusion is. Not charity. Just basic respect.



Like if you'll give us that minute. Share with every recruiter you know. Follow Seeing Beyond Sight—because talent doesn’t wear glasses.

02/14/2026

14 February

Selflessness Brings Relief

Page 46

"Practicing selflessness gives us relief from self-obsession."

Living Clean, Chapter 5, "Fellowship"

Our Basic Text states, "Self-obsession is the core of our disease." When we look for evidence of this in our lives, most of us find plenty to go around. We see ample proof of self-centeredness and self-obsession in many of the thoughts, feelings, and actions that led us to the door of our first meeting. Coming to terms with the way our disease manifested itself in active addiction is a crucial component of the recovery process. We see much more as we stay clean and work a program--like how self-centered fear spirals into self-obsession and continues to manifest in recovery. And, thankfully, how selflessness can offer us some relief.

"Once I was able to stop using," one member wrote, "the greatest freedom I've received in NA has been freedom from intoxication with my own thoughts and way of thinking, freedom from the self-centered me. I've been freed to care about others." Simple abstinence does not eliminate self-obsession; we get a better perspective on our lives when we get out of ourselves. One member was known to tell newcomers: "If you feel lousy today, call another addict and ask how they're doing."

When we focus all our attention on ourselves, we end up feeling bad. By shifting our focus to others, we usually feel much better about everything. Especially when we are helping a newcomer, we find plenty of reasons to be grateful for what we have. Instead of worrying (or obsessing) about our own desires, we try to practice care and concern for those around us. Selflessness doesn't even have to mean we disappear from the picture altogether--we simply turn our thoughts to others for a bit, and we experience some relief from self-obsession.

When self-obsession strikes, I will help another addict. It's that simple.

All NAWS subscriptions are free. We are able to provide this service due, in part, to the generous contributions of our members. If you are a member, you can make a contribution here: www.na.org/contribute

UNSUBSCRIBE to stop receiving all NAWS emails.

UPDATE SUBSCRIPTION PREFERENCES to update which emails you receive.

NA World Services, Inc.
19737 Nordhoff Place
Chatsworth, CA 91311

Copyright © 2026 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

02/14/2026

14 February

Honesty and spirituality

Page 46

"The right to a God of your understanding is total and without any catches. Because we have this right, it is necessary to be honest about our belief if we are to grow spiritually."

Basic Text, pp. 25-26

❖

In meetings, over refreshments, in talks with our sponsor, we hear our NA friends talking about the way they understand their Higher Power. It would be easy to "go with the flow," adopting someone else's beliefs. But just as no one else can recover for us, so no one else's spirituality can substitute for our own. We must honestly search for an understanding of God that truly works for us.

Many of us begin that search with prayer and meditation, and continue with our experiences in recovery. Have there been instances where we have been given power beyond our own to face life's challenges? When we have quietly sought direction in times of trouble, have we found it? What kind of Power do we believe has guided and strengthened us? What kind of Power do we seek? With the answers to these questions, we will understand our Higher Power well enough to feel safe and confident about asking it to care for our will and lives.

A borrowed understanding of God may do on a short haul. But in the long run, we must come to our own understanding of a Higher Power, for it is that Power which will carry us through our recovery.

❖

Just for Today: I seek a Power greater than myself that can help me grow spiritually. Today, I will examine my beliefs honestly and come to my own understanding of God.

All NAWS subscriptions are free. We are able to provide this service due, in part, to the generous contributions of our members. If you are a member, you can make a contribution here: www.na.org/contribute

UNSUBSCRIBE to stop receiving all NAWS emails.

UPDATE SUBSCRIPTION PREFERENCES to update which emails you receive.

NA World Services, Inc.
19737 Nordhoff Place
Chatsworth, CA 91311

Copyright © 2026 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.