14 December

In Narcotics Anonymous the disease of addiction is defined as a physical, mental, Spiritual and emotional disease that affects every area of our Lives. Our Gray Book states, "Addiction is a feeling disease. " Our drug use was just a symptom of a much deeper problem. As far back as many of us can remember, we never felt complete.

We suspected that something was wrong, but didn't know what it was. We masked our feelings with things outside ourselves.

Some of us tried religion, medication, psychiatry, and other people. All these methods failed to solve our problem, ourselves.

When these things failed to fill our void, we used more drugs. Drugs were our only solution for a while. Our drug use provided us with suicide on the time plan, instead of instant death.

When the drugs stopped working and caused us enough pain and suffering, we turned to Narcotics Anonymous. After putting down the drugs, we found ourselves physically Clean; but still suffering from the mental, Spiritual and emotional pain. In the first Three Steps, we learned that we weren't God and had to find a Power Greater than Ourselves that can relieve us of this insanity. Once we Surrendered and turned our Will and Lives over to the care of that Power we tapped into, we began to feel Hope.

Our Foundation for our Recovery was now in place. Steps One, Two and Three formed this Foundation where we can build our Recovery on.

Steps Four through Twelve treat this disease and gives us a Daily Reprieve. Practicing the Spiritual Principles of Narcotics Anonymous we Recover into a drug free Life.

We can Live Happy, Joyous and Free. We finally can Live without the use of drugs or anything to replace them. Our Eleventh Step in our Basic Text says, " our spiritual condition is the basis for a successful recovery that offers unlimited growth."

In This Moment: We will learn that we suffer from a disease that affects us in more ways than just physically.