July 24

As the disease of addiction progressed in our lives, our True selves seemed to have disappeared. Our personalities took a dark twist for the worst, on a deep level. Addiction took us to places we've never gone before.

Using drugs, for a lot of us was a twenty-four hour job. Just the getting, using and finding the means and ways to use some more, was a destructive cycle. At that point we had no choice; we had to use.

We were in the grip of a destructive, deadly powerful force. Our defects of character became the tools that enabled us to use drugs. We wore many masks to manipulate people, places and things to make our addiction possible.

Most of us even broke some, if not all, of our personal beliefs and morals. We were not ourselves, we were more of the disease in our practices.

We live to use and use to live. Our low self-esteem and insecurities became one of the reasons we picked up in the first place. After arriving to Narcotics Anonymous, we find out that we were sick from the disease of addiction before we even started using drugs. Our First Step confirms that we're not addicts because we use drugs.

We use drugs because we're addicts. It's the disease of addiction that makes us addicts, not the drugs.

Active addiction and withdrawal distorted rational thoughts. Denial, self-obsession and selfcenteredness became our core problem. Practicing the Spiritual Principles of Narcotics Anonymous gives us the Blueprint for a much-needed personality change. This is a daily transformation that's possible with the God Of Our Own Understanding and by Practicing the Living Program of Narcotics Anonymous.

With each Step we Live we make the Surrender needed to Grow in this Journey of Recovery. We are no longer seeking approval from others to validate our True selves. We Gain the Promise Of Freedom that Narcotics Anonymous offers, but we must continue to do the footwork each day.