Chattanooga Area
of Narcotics Anonymous
Drug Problem?
Find a Meeting
November 01, 2026 |
Awakening |
| Page 319 |
| “God helps us as we help each other.” |
| Basic Text, p. 52 |
| Our addiction caused us to think almost exclusively of ourselves. Even our prayers–if we prayed at all–were self-centered. We asked God to fix things for us or get us out of trouble. Why? Because we didn’t want to live with the problems we’d created for ourselves. We were insecure. We thought life was about getting, and we always wanted more. And in recovery we get more–more than just not using. The spiritual awakening we experience in working the Twelve Steps reveals to us a life we never dreamed possible. We no longer need to worry about whether there will be “enough,” for we come to rely on a loving Higher Power who meets all our daily needs. Relieved of our incessant insecurity, we no longer see the world as a place in which to compete with others for the fulfillment of our desires. Instead, we see the world as a place in which to live out the love our Higher Power has shown us. Our prayers are not for instant gratification; they are for help in helping each other. Recovery awakens us from the nightmare of self-centeredness, strife, and insecurity that lies at the core of our disease. We wake up to a new reality. All that is worth having can be kept only by giving it away. |
| Just for Today: My God helps me as I help others. Today, I will seek help in giving away the love my Higher Power has given me, knowing that is the way to keep it. |
| Copyright (c) 2007-2026, NA World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved |
November 01, 2026 |
Acceptance Takes Practice |
| Page 316 |
| “Acceptance is not an all-or-nothing event, and it doesn’t necessarily happen all at once.” |
| Living Clean, Chapter 1, “Growing Pains” |
| We talk about “practicing spiritual principles” because they take practice. That’s certainly true of acceptance. At times, the only thing we fully accept is the fact that we’re addicts. On those days, that’s good enough. We practice acceptance by not picking up. And if we don’t pick up, we won’t use. As we grow in recovery, we start to recognize where our acceptance falls short. Sometimes we might acknowledge a problem, but not fully accept its implications, especially when a solution requires us to take responsibility and make an effort. For example, we might sense relationship trouble, but may or may not adjust how much time we spend with a partner. Some of us can’t accept, or even recognize, that we’ve been dishonest until we do a Tenth Step; the disease calls us to stop writing. Our ability to practice acceptance sometimes wavers depending on who else is involved. We may be able to accept relapse from others, but not when it’s a family member. Maybe we can accept the blunders of newcomers but not those mistakes made by oldtimers. We celebrate the progress we make, no matter how small: “Today I told my boss why I was really late; that was a first!” Or big: “The loss of my beloved dog opened the floodgates, allowing me to revisit the grief of other losses and come to new levels of acceptance.” As we recover just a little more each day, practicing acceptance pays off. We experience rare and remarkable epiphanies with acceptance and recognize the path it took to get there. We can hear other members’ struggles with acceptance and think, Yep, they’re right where they’re supposed to be. |
| Today I’ll look at the conditions I place on acceptance and try to practice this principle more fully. |
| Copyright (c) 2007-2026, NA World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved |
About NA
Anonymity
The basic premise of anonymity allows addicts to attend meetings without fear of legal or social repercussions. This is an important consideration for an addict thinking about going to a meeting for the first time. Anonymity also supports an atmosphere of equality in meetings. It helps insure that no individual’s personality or circumstance will be considered more important than the message of recovery shared in NA.
Who are members of NA?
Anyone who wants to stop using drugs may become a member of Narcotics Anonymous. Membership is not limited to addicts using any particular drug. Those who feel they may have a problem with drugs, legal or illegal, including alcohol, are welcome in NA. Recovery in NA focuses on the problem of addiction, not on any particular drug.
How does NA work?
Addicts helping each other recover are the foundation of NA. Members meet regularly to talk about their experiences in recovery. More experienced members (known as sponsors) work individually with newer members. The core of the NA program is the Twelve Steps. These “steps” are a set of guidelines outlining a practical approach to recovery. By following these guidelines and working closely with other members, addicts learn to stop using drugs and face the challenges of daily living.
Narcotics Anonymous is not a religious organization and does not mandate any particular belief system. It does teach basic spiritual principles such as honesty, open-mindedness, faith, willingness, and humility that may be applied in everyday life. The specific practical application of spiritual principles is determined by each individual. Recovery in NA is not a miracle cure that happens within a given period of time. It is a process, ongoing and personal. Members make an individual decision to join and recover at their own pace.
NA Meetings
Financial contributions from non-members are not accepted. Most NA meetings are held regularly at the same time and place each week, usually in a public facility. There are two basic types of meetings those that are open to the general public and those closed to the public (for addicts only). Meetings vary widely in format. Some formats are: participation, speaker, question and answer, topic discussion, and some have a combination of these formats. The function of any meeting is always the same: to provide a suitable and reliable environment for personal recovery.
NA’s primary approach to recovery is its belief in the therapeutic value of one addict helping another. Members take part in NA meetings by talking about their experiences and recovery from drug addiction. NA meetings are informally structured, held in space rented by the group, and are led by members who take turns opening and closing the meeting. NA meetings and other services are funded entirely by member contributions and the sale of recovery literature.
Reprinted from A Resource In Your Community.
Anonymous World Services, Inc.
PO Box 9999, Van Nuys, CA 91409
November 01, 2026 |
Awakening |
| Page 319 |
| “God helps us as we help each other.” |
| Basic Text, p. 52 |
| Our addiction caused us to think almost exclusively of ourselves. Even our prayers–if we prayed at all–were self-centered. We asked God to fix things for us or get us out of trouble. Why? Because we didn’t want to live with the problems we’d created for ourselves. We were insecure. We thought life was about getting, and we always wanted more. And in recovery we get more–more than just not using. The spiritual awakening we experience in working the Twelve Steps reveals to us a life we never dreamed possible. We no longer need to worry about whether there will be “enough,” for we come to rely on a loving Higher Power who meets all our daily needs. Relieved of our incessant insecurity, we no longer see the world as a place in which to compete with others for the fulfillment of our desires. Instead, we see the world as a place in which to live out the love our Higher Power has shown us. Our prayers are not for instant gratification; they are for help in helping each other. Recovery awakens us from the nightmare of self-centeredness, strife, and insecurity that lies at the core of our disease. We wake up to a new reality. All that is worth having can be kept only by giving it away. |
| Just for Today: My God helps me as I help others. Today, I will seek help in giving away the love my Higher Power has given me, knowing that is the way to keep it. |
| Copyright (c) 2007-2026, NA World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved |