Another Look NA

01/24/2026

January 24, 2026
We Need Willingness Every Day
Page 24

"Through some combination of desperation, courage, anguish, and hope, we find willingness."

Guiding Principles, Tradition Three, Opening Essay

Our willingness to admit to being addicts who are powerless over our addiction in Step One is linked to our willingness to be members of NA in Tradition Three. They are complementary parts of the same surrender. Resistance, doubt, and fear may forestall our initial surrender to seek help by months or years, even decades. But they ultimately are no match for the array of emotions and experiences that drive our decision to let go and allow ourselves to be welcomed into the Fellowship of NA.

All of us have been newcomers to NA; perhaps we're new right now. Regardless of the amount of cleantime we have today, as we read this passage, we have a shared experience of active addiction that compelled us to try something different. We've all had a moment of desperation--or thousands--that brought us to this moment. No doubt we've experienced pain and anguish from using. We've had the courage to walk into an NA meeting for the first time. And whether or not we are feeling it today, we've felt at least a flicker of hope for the future. All of this collective experience gives us the willingness to get through the day clean and to safeguard our NA membership.

It's not uncommon for us to rethink our membership in NA at some point. We may be hurt by or experience abuse from another member. There may be a conflict in our home group or in our region that disheartens us. Our participation in the Fellowship may fade because we're busy with our work, school, and family. Many of us have relapsed, and the reality is that many still will. But we can surrender again--and again and again--and recommit to NA, if we're willing and if we make it back.

To stay clean, experience the fullness of our lives in and out of NA, and keep what we have so we can give it away, we need at least some willingness every day--no matter what emotions are driving it.

——— ——— ——— ——— ———

Meeting the only requirement for membership is the easy part. I will summon the willingness to surrender once more and show up for my recovery today.

01/24/2026

January 24, 2026
From isolation to connection
Page 24

"Our disease isolated us... Hostile, resentful, self-centered, and self-seeking, we cut ourselves off from the outside world."

Basic Text, p. 4

Addiction is an isolating disease, closing us off from society, family, and self. We hid. We lied. We scorned the lives we saw others living, surely beyond our grasp. Worst of all, we told ourselves there was nothing wrong with us, even though we knew we were desperately ill. Our connection with the world, and with reality itself, was severed. Our lives lost meaning, and we withdrew further and further from reality.

The NA program is designed especially for people like us. It helps reconnect us to the life we were meant to live, drawing us out of our isolation. We stop lying to ourselves about our condition; we admit our powerlessness and the unmanageability of our lives. We develop faith that our lives can improve, that recovery is possible, and that happiness is not permanently beyond our grasp. We get honest; we stop hiding; we "show up and tell the truth," no matter what. And as we do, we establish the ties that connect our individual lives to the larger life around us.

We addicts need not live lives of isolation. The Twelve Steps can restore our connection to life and living--if we work them.

Just for Today: I am a part of the life around me. I will practice my program to strengthen my connection to my world.

01/22/2026

01/22/2026

January 21, 2026
Exercising Goodwill
Page 21

"When we practice living in harmony with our world, we become wiser about choosing our battles. We learn where we can use our energy to make a difference and where we need to let go."

Living Clean, Chapter 3, "Awakening to Our Spirituality"

Let's start with an uncomfortable truth: We are judgmental because we are human. Human beings assess one another; we compare ourselves. We can be territorial and take sides. We come by this honestly; our survival once depended on it! Add the self-centered nature of addiction to our humanness, and then throw in something we care passionately about (such as the Fellowship of NA)--and our judgment can become a weapon to control outcomes about NA-related issues that other members also care about.

We can, however, turn down the volume on our judgments. With the volume adjusted, we learn that we can approach people and situations without engaging our fight-or-flight instincts. Our first thoughts may still be judgmental, but recovery gives us options about our behavior. It's our actions that matter most.

When we have some cleantime and service experience, it's tempting to tell members, groups, and service committees what's what. But having knowledge and wisdom doesn't give us authority. Group conscience is always more powerful than individual conscience. Sometimes--to our great surprise--newer members don't defer to those of us who have been around for a while, offering insights or suggestions the group had been missing before.

Practicing the principle of goodwill with members doesn't mean we stay silent. Our opinions matter. Exercising goodwill assures those opinions don't matter more or less than anyone else's. We listen to others, don't force the outcome to meet our desires, allow others to make mistakes (yes, even the ones we have already made), and acknowledge that our fellow members want the same things as we do: to stay clean and to carry the message in the most effective way possible.

Goodwill invokes our primary purpose. It serves the greater good of NA, not our egos.

——— ——— ——— ——— ———

I'll take a stance of goodwill toward others by sharing my experience, not dictating outcomes--and by demonstrating openness to the suggestions of others.

01/22/2026

January 21, 2026
Unity and uniformity
Page 21

"Unity is a must in Narcotics Anonymous."

Basic Text, p. 63

Unity is not uniformity. Unity springs from the fact that we have unity of purpose--to recover, and to help others stay clean. Even so, we often find that while we strive to fulfill the same purpose, our means and methods may be radically different.

We can't impose our ideas of unity on others or confuse unity with uniformity. In fact, a big attraction of the NA program is the absence of uniformity. Unity springs from our common purpose, not from standards imposed on the group by a few well-meaning members. A group that has the unity which springs from the loving hearts of its members allows each addict to carry the message in his or her own unique way.

In our dealings with each other in NA, we sometimes disagree rather vocally. We must remember that the details of how we get things done isn't always important, so long as we keep our focus on the group's primary purpose. We can watch members who vehemently disagree over trivial things pull together when a newcomer reaches out for help. Someone was there for us when we got to the rooms of NA. Now it is our turn to be there for others. We need unity to help show the newcomer that this way of life works.

Just for Today: I will strive to be a part of unity. I know that unity does not equal uniformity.

01/17/2026

January 17, 2026
Striving for Integrity, Always
Page 17

"Integrity is the consistent application of spiritual principles, no matter what the circumstances."

It Works, Tradition Two, "Applying Spiritual Principles"

We recognize the ultimate authority in NA groups to be a loving Higher Power that's expressed in our group conscience, according to Tradition Two. For better or worse, however, we entrust mere mortals--and addicts, no less--to carry out our decisions. To do right by this Tradition, it's important to choose trusted servants who demonstrate "the full range of personal characteristics associated with a spiritual awakening," according to the Fourth Concept essay. We select such leaders and we evolve into those kinds of people as we live clean and work the Steps.

As trusted servants, we do our best to practice integrity as we fulfill our commitments. Yes, that's a big order, but the Steps prepare us well. Some might even say integrity is the proof in the pudding, the evidence of how working the Twelve Steps transforms us. "By the time Step Twelve told me to 'practice these principles in all my affairs,'" one member said with pride, "I was ready to do just that. I've come a long way, baby!" We become people with character and backbone, the kinds of people who do the right thing even when no one's watching.

Of course, the real effort of character building starts long before we get through all Twelve Steps. It's perhaps most apparent when we're in the thick of Steps Six and Seven, which give us a close look at some of our deeply ingrained bad habits. The price we've paid for living this way was starkly detailed in our inventory. We know what we don't want. Now, we take the opportunity to identify and practice healthier, more spiritual ways to deal with situations as they arise in all our affairs.

And practice we do. Like so much in recovery, thinking and character follow the course set by our actions. We might think of right actions as the seed, which--in time--produces the fruit of good character. We do good works, practice virtuous behavior, and become people with integrity.

——— ——— ——— ——— ———

Regardless of the circumstances, who's looking, or what's convenient, I will adhere to my new code of conduct today.

01/17/2026

January 17, 2026
Forgiveness
Page 17

"As we realize our need to be forgiven, we tend to be more forgiving. At least we know that we are no longer intentionally making life miserable for people."

Basic Text, pp. 39-40

In our addiction we often treated others badly, sometimes deliberately finding ways to make their lives miserable. In our recovery, we may still have a tendency to pass judgment on others' actions because we think we know how that person should behave. But as we progress in our recovery we often find that, to accept ourselves, we must accept those around us.

It may be difficult to watch as someone's insanity manifests itself. But if we detach ourselves from the problem, we can start living in the solution. And if we feel affected by another's actions, we can extend the principle of forgiveness.

Just for Today: I will strive to forgive rather than be forgiven. I will try to act in such a way that I feel worthy of self-love.

01/04/2026

January 04, 2026
The Gift of Attention
Page 4

"Hearing addicts share their experience, seeing recovery in action, feeling the love in the room--all this is as much a part of the process as the work we do on the Steps."

Guiding Principles, Tradition Eleven, Opening Essay

The "attraction, rather than promotion" that's evident in the rooms of Narcotics Anonymous is often what keeps us coming back in early recovery. If we smelled promotion, it would be a major turnoff. Many of us may start out skeptical, but desperation forces us to pay close attention. At first, the Steps, as read in "How It Works" at many meetings, may not resonate--they're not what we had in mind as our solution. But the stories we hear, the warmth we experience, takes hold.

Witnessing recovering addicts being their full selves is remarkable and absorbing, and it keeps us coming back. Someone identifies themselves as brand-new--"This is my first meeting ever"--and receives a genuine, hospitable welcome. A member celebrates two years clean, made so precious by the fact that it took way longer than that for them to reach this milestone. Another shares their story of losing connection to NA due to family responsibilities and then rekindling their bond to the Fellowship, thanks to members staying in touch. Others speak about their addictive relationship with food, s*x, or money, and about illness, loss, or lapses in judgment that have ugly consequences. And many others talk honestly about their struggles with stuff we can't control: a psycho first date, a mean boss, traffic, and the weather.

We are paying attention to all these stories, their unique threads and common messages--and their shared solutions often found in the Twelve Steps. When we work the Steps to the best of our ability, they help us undergo the profound change that allows us to stay clean and more free from the self-centered fear that can bog us down. But that's never to discount the importance of all the hard-won experience and wisdom we pick up from other members. Recovery isn't just what happens on our own with our stepwork. It's what we hear, see, and feel from each other. It's all of the elements of the program in concert.

——— ——— ——— ——— ———

Yes, I am committed to the solutions contained in the Steps. I'm also here to pay attention to my fellow addicts and enrich my recovery.

01/04/2026

January 04, 2026
The love of the fellowship
Page 4

"Today, secure in the love of the fellowship, we can finally look another human being in the eye and be grateful for who we are."

Basic Text, p. 92

When we were using, few of us could tolerate looking someone in the eye--we were ashamed of who we were. Our minds were not occupied with anything decent or healthy, and we knew it. Our time, money, and energy weren't spent building loving relationships, sharing with others, or seeking to better our communities. We were trapped in a spiral of obsession and compulsion that went only in one direction: downward.

In recovery, our journey down that spiral path has been cut short. But what is it that has turned us around, drawing us back upward into the open spaces of the wide, free world? The love of the fellowship has done this.

In the company of other addicts, we knew we would not be rejected. By the example of other addicts, we were shown how to begin taking a positive part in the life around us. When we were unsure which way to turn, when we stumbled, when we had to correct a wrong we'd done, we knew our fellow members were there to encourage us.

Slowly, we've gotten the feel of our freedom. No longer are we locked up in our disease; we are free to build and grow and share along with everyone else. And when we need support to take our next step, it is there. The security we've found in the love of the fellowship has made our new lives possible.

Just for Today: I can look anyone in the eye without shame. I am grateful for the loving support that has made this possible.

01/01/2026

January 01, 2026
Vigilance
Page 1

"We keep what we have only with vigilance..."

Basic Text, p. 60

How do we remain vigilant about our recovery? First, by realizing that we have a disease we will always have. No matter how long we\'ve been clean, no matter how much better our lives have become, no matter what the extent of our spiritual healing, we are still addicts. Our disease waits patiently, ready to spring the trap if we give it the opportunity. Vigilance is a daily accomplishment. We strive to be constantly alert and ready to deal with signs of trouble. Not that we should live in irrational fear that something horrible will possess us if we drop our guard for an instant; we just take normal precautions. Daily prayer, regular meeting attendance, and choosing not to compromise spiritual principles for the easier way are acts of vigilance. We take inventory as necessary, share with others whenever we are asked, and carefully nurture our recovery. Above all, we stay aware! We have a daily reprieve from our addiction as long as we remain vigilant. Each day, we carry the principles of recovery into all that we do, and each night, we thank our Higher Power for another day clean.

Just for Today: I will be vigilant, doing everything necessary to guard my recovery.

12/31/2025

“So long as we place spiritual principles first, our individual personalities can grow and flourish like never before, ensuring that our fellowship also continues to flourish, strong and free.”

Excerpt From
It Works: How and Why
Fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous
https://books.apple.com/us/book/it-works-how-and-why/id564200715
This material may be protected by copyright.

12/31/2025

“In a sense, Step Twelve encompasses all the steps. We must make use of what we’ve learned in the previous eleven as we carry the message and practice the principles of recovery in all our affairs.”

Excerpt From
It Works: How and Why
Fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous
https://books.apple.com/us/book/it-works-how-and-why/id564200715
This material may be protected by copyright.