April 24

In Narcotics Anonymous there is Life after drugs. We arrive at N.A. hopeless and helpless, and at the verge of a destroyed life. For many, N.A. was the last house on the block; it was the last thing we tried, but it was the only thing that worked.

We were told by other members to remain Abstinent, and the Miracle would happen. We waited and waited, but the only thing that happened was that we felt worse. We were living without the use of drugs and nothing to medicate us, so we felt everything.

Since addiction affected every area of our lives, we needed to Live by Spiritual Principles. The only Solution for a Life guided by self-will, was a Life Guided by Spiritual Principles. Our only Solution was locked in the Steps and Traditions.

First, we work the Steps, then the Steps work us, and then we Live them. It's only through Understanding and Application that these Principles work.

Practicing the Principles is how the Steps work. Studying our Literature is good, but as one of our predecessors said, "Knowledge is not a substitute for Surrender. " Surrendering requires Action, it requires us to align our actions, and our wills, to the Will of our Higher Power. The Steps make Recovery possible, but first we must clear all the barriers that stand in between The God of Our Understanding and ourselves. In the first Three Steps, we get right with God. The next Three Steps we get right with self.

The next Three Steps we get right with others, and the final Three Steps we get right with the world at large. This Process is not overnight, it's over time, and we don't do this alone. We have God, our N.A.

Sponsors, and the Fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous.