Narcotics Anonymous

Just For Today - Daily Email Service

   July 2                                                           Comparing

   "Our personal stories may vary in individual pattern, but in the end we
                     all have the same thing in common."

                                                            Basic Text, p. 87

                           ----=----

   We addicts are a varied bunch, coming from different backgrounds, having
   used different drugs,  and recalling different  experiences.     Our
   differences don't disappear in recovery; for some, those differences
   become even more pronounced.  Freedom from active addiction gives us the
   freedom to be ourselves, as we truly are.   The fact that we are all
   recovering doesn't mean that we all necessarily have the same needs or
   goals.  Each of us has our own lessons to learn in recovery.

   With so many differences from one addict to the next, how do we help one
   another in recovery and how do we use each other's experience?  We come
   together to share our lives in light of the principles of recovery.
   Though our lives are different, the spiritual principles we apply are the
   same.   It is by the light of these principles, shining through our
   differences, that we illuminate one another's way on our individual
   paths.

   We all have two things in common: addiction and recovery.  When we listen
   carefully, we hear others tell of suffering from the same disease we have
   suffered from, regardless of their specific backgrounds.  When we open our
   ears, we hear other addicts talk of applying spiritual principles that
   promise hope to us as well, regardless of our personal goals.

                           ----=----

   Just for today:  I have my own path to follow, yet I'm grateful for the
   fellowship of others who've suffered from addiction and who are learning
   to apply the principles of recovery, just like me.