April 9

Some of us came to Narcotics Anonymous to get the monkey off our backs. Some of us came to get people off our backs.

Back problems will not keep us clean. An addict will not stop using, unless they want to. Our Basic Text says that; we can be analyzed, counseled, reasoned with, prayed over, threatened, beaten, or locked up.

An addict won't stop until they've had enough. When we were beaten by our addiction, we became Willing. When the pain of changing was less than the pain of staying the same, we Surrendered.

This statement has become a common theme for many of us. Surrender for us, has to be Progressive, with each layer of the onion we peel. As we Live our Program, our hopelessness turns to Hopefulness. With each Awakening as a result of the Steps, we experience Freedom, first from addiction, ourselves, others, and then from the world at large.

This transformation only happens through our Desire to Change, and the Action we take. Willingness without Action, however, turns to despair and the Recovery process ceases. Our Surrender deepens with each Step and Tradition we Live.

Our personality change is no longer motivated by pain. "Enforced morality lacks the power that comes to us when we choose to live a spiritually-oriented life. " Either we choose Humility or we experience humiliation. Even though meetings is a fence around our Clean Time, there must be some Growth inside that fence. Recovery is a Choice that we must enforce every single day. We are Granted a Daily Reprieve which hinges on our Spiritual Maintenance.

We do Recover to Live Clean and Happy Lives.