Gibson Serenity Home

17/03/2026

******************************

March 17

*💪🏽True Courage💪🏽*

*"Those who make it through these times show a courage not their own."*

*Basic Text, p. 86*

*_Before coming to NA, many of us thought we were brave simply because we had never experienced fear. We had drugged all our feelings, fear among them, until we had convinced ourselves that we were tough, courageous people who wouldn't crack under any circumstances._*

*_But finding our courage in drugs has nothing to do with the way we live our lives today. Clean and in recovery, we are bound to feel frightened at times. When we first realize we are feeling frightened, we may think we are cowards._* Were afraid to pick up the phone because the person on the other end might not understand. *_We're afraid to ask someone to sponsor us because they might say no. We're afraid to look for a job. We're afraid to be honest with our friends. But all of these fears are natural, even healthy._* What's not healthy is allowing fear to paralyze us.

*_When we permit our fear to stop our growth, we will be defeated. True courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the willingness to walk through it._*

*Just for Today:*

*I will be courageous today. When I'm afraid, I'll do what I need to do to grow in recovery.*

******************************

16/03/2026

******************************

March 16

*🖋️Inventory🗓️*

*"The purpose of a searching and fearless moral inventory is to sort through the confusion and the contradiction of our lives so that we can find out who we really are."*

*Basic Text, p. 27*

*_Using addicts are a confused and confusing bunch of people. It's hard to tell from one minute to the next what they're going to do or who they're going to be. Usually, the addict is just as surprised as anyone else._*

*_When we used, our behavior was dictated by the needs of our addiction._* Many of us still identify our personalities closely with the behavior we practiced while using, leading us to feel shame and despair. *_Today, we don't have to be the people we once were, shaped by our addiction; recovery has allowed us to change._*

*_We can use the Fourth Step inventory to see past the needs of the old using life and find out who we want to be today. Writing about our behavior and noticing how we feel about that behavior helps us understand who we want to be. Our inventory helps us see beyond the demands of active addiction, beyond our desire to be loved and accepted-we find out who we are at the root. We begin to understand what's appropriate for us, and what we want our lives to be like. This is the beginning of becoming who we really are._*

*Just for Today:*

*If I want to find out who I am, I'll look at who I've been and who I want to be.*

******************************

15/03/2026

"The Fellowship, after a meeting, is a good opportunity to share things we didn't get to discuss at the meeting."

Gray Book, p. 148
Lines 14-15
Chapter Nine

"Come early, stay late" was one of the sayings we first heard. It was suggested that we join the 20/20 club. That meant to come twenty minutes before the meeting starts and stay twenty minutes after the meeting ends. How about those late-night meetings at the diner, until the wee hours in the morning. As we think back to our beginnings, we can recall that they were some of the most revealing moments in our Recovery. We got to discuss some high points of the meeting, sometimes we asked questions about things we didn't understand. Some of us even got the opportunity to choose a Sponsor, as we saw how some members interacted in public. Some of us were embarrassed because another member offered to buy us food. We didn't want to admit we didn't have money. We shared jokes and were able to laugh at ourselves. Sometimes there were functions and N.A. events that forced us to socialize with one another, without the safety and structure of the meeting. These were opportunities for us to get out of isolation and learn how to interact with each other without the use of drugs. We were Accepted by those who, like us, experienced the same thing when they were new. We felt welcome, perhaps, for the first time we felt unconditional love. The members that have been around before us, didn't want anything from us, and that felt strange. We began to feel the WE of the Program, the Fellowship part. Our walls began to fall, we began to feel Accepted, we began to feel Loved. In Narcotics Anonymous we will Love you, until you learn to Love yourself. Our diversity giv.es us the Opportunity to come in contact with people that we wouldn't necessarily have gotten high with. For the first time in a long time, we didn't feel alone

15/03/2026

14/03/2026

******************************
March 14

*🥰Relationships😡*

*"Also, our inventories usually include material on relationships."*

*Basic Text, p. 29*

*_What an understatement this is! Especially in later recovery, entire inventories may focus on our relationships with others. Our lives have been filled with relationships with lovers, friends, parents, co-workers, children, and others with whom we come in contact. A look at these associations can tell us much about our essential character._*

*_Often our inventories catalog the resentments that arise from our day-to-day interactions with others. We strive to look at our part in these frictions. Are we placing unrealistic expectations on other people?_* Do we impose our standards on others? Are we sometimes downright intolerant?

*_Often just the writing of our inventory will release some of the pressure that a troubled relationship can produce. But we must also share this inventory with another human being. That way, we get some needed perspective on our part in the problem and how we can work toward a solution._*

*_The inventory is a tool that allows us to begin healing our relationships. We learn that today, with the help of an inventory, we can start to enjoy our relationships with others._*

*Just for Today:*

*I will inventory the part I play in my relationships. I will seek to play a richer, more responsible part in those relationships.*

******************************

12/03/2026

******************************

March 12

*➡️Getting Out🔜*
*😫Of the Rut😟*

*"Many times in our recovery, the old bugaboos will haunt us. Life may again become meaningless, monotonous, and boring."*

*Basic Text, p. 78*

*_Sometimes it seems as though nothing changes. We get up and go to the same job every day. We eat dinner at the same time every night. We attend the same meetings each week. This morning's rituals were identical to the ones we performed yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that. After the hell of our addiction and the roller-coaster craziness of early recovery, the stable life may have some appeal-for a while. But, eventually, we realize we want something more._* Sooner or later, we become turned off to the creeping monotony and boredom in our lives.

*_There are sure to be times when we feel vaguely dissatisfied with our recovery. We feel as though we're missing something for some reason, but we don't know what or why. We draw up our gratitude lists and find literally hundreds of things to be grateful for. All our needs are being met; our lives are fuller than we had ever hoped they'd be. So what's up?_*

*_Maybe it's time to stretch our potential to its fullest. Our possibilities are only limited by what we can dream. We can learn something new, set a new goal, help another newcomer, or make a new friend. We're sure to find something challenging if we look hard enough, and life will again become meaningful, varied, and fulfilling._*

*Just for Today:*

*I'll take a break from the routine and stretch my potential to its fullest.*

******************************

11/03/2026

******************************

March 11

*🤔Lightening the Load😫*

*"It will not make us better people to judge the faults of another It will make us feel better to clean up our lives."*

*Basic Text, p. 38*

*_Sometimes we need something tangible to help us understand what holding a resentment is doing to us. We may not be aware of how destructive resentments actually are. We think, "So what, I have a right to be angry;" or, "I might be nursing a grudge or two, but I don't see the harm."_*

*_To see more clearly the effect that holding resentments is having in our lives, we might try imagining that we are carrying a rock for each resentment. A small grudge, such as anger at someone driving badly, might be represented by a pebble. Harboring ill will toward an entire group of people might be represented by a enormous boulder. If we actually had to carry stones for each resentment, we would surely tire of the weight._* In fact, the more cumbersome our burden, the more sincere our efforts to unload it would be.

*_The weight of our resentments hinders our spiritual development. If we truly desire freedom, we will seek to rid ourselves of as much extra weight as possible._* As we lighten up, we'll notice an increased ability to forgive our fellow human beings for their mistakes, and to forgive ourselves for our own. *_Well nourish our spirits with good thoughts, kind words, and service to others._*

*Just for Today:*

*I will seek to have the burden of resentments removed from my spirit.*

******************************

10/03/2026

******************************

March 10

*👊🏽Our Own Recover🙏🏽*

*"The steps are our solution. They are our survival kit They are our defense against addiction, a deadly disease. Our steps are the principles that make our recovery possible."*

*Basic Text, p. 19*

*_There's lots to like in Narcotics Anonymous. The meetings, for one, are great. We get to see our friends, hear some inspiring stories, share some practical experience, maybe even hook up with our sponsor._* The campouts, the conventions, the dances are all wonderful, clean fun in the company of other recovering addicts. *_But the heart of our recovery program is the Twelve Steps-in fact, they are the program!_*

*_We've heard it said that we can't stay clean by osmosis-in other words, we can't just attend meetings, no matter how many, and expect to breathe recovery in through the pores of our skin. Recovery, as another saying goes, is an inside job. And the tools we use in working that "inside job" are the Twelve Steps._* Hearing endlessly about acceptance is one thing; working the First Step for ourselves is something very different. Stories about making amends may be inspiring, yet nothing will give us the freedom from remorse that taking the Ninth Step ourselves will give. The same applies to all twelve steps.

*_There's much to appreciate about NA, but to get the most from our recovery we must work the Twelve Steps for ourselves._*

*Just for Today:*

*I want everything my personal program has to offer. I will work the steps for myself.*

******************************

09/03/2026

******************************

March 9

*🧐Small Things💩*

*"In the past, we made simple situations into problems; we made mountains out of molehills."*

*Basic Text, p. 90*

*_Making mountains out of molehills seems to be our specialty. Have you heard it said that to an addict, a flat tire is a traumatic event? Or how about those of us who forget all pretense of principle when confronted with a bad driver?_* And what about that can opener that won't work-you know, the one you just threw out the second story window? We can relate when we hear others share, "God, grant me patience right now!"

*_No, it's not the major setbacks that drive us to distraction. The big things-divorce, death, serious illness, the loss of a job-will throw us, but we survive them. We've learned from experience that we must reach out to our Higher Power and others to make it through life's major crises._* It's the small things, the constant day-to-day challenges of living life without the use of drugs, that seem to affect most addicts most strongly in recovery.

*_When the little things get to us, the Serenity Prayer can help us regain our perspective. We can all remember that "turning over" these small matters to the care of our Higher Power results in peace of mind and a refreshed perspective on life._*

*Just for Today:*

*I will work on patience. I will try to keep from blowing things out of proportion, and walk with my Higher Power through my day.*

******************************