What Is the Narcotics Anonymous Program?
NA is a nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. We are recovering addicts who meet regularly to help each other stay clean. This is a program of complete abstinence from all drugs. There is only one requirement for membership, the desire to stop using. We suggest that you keep an open mind and give yourself a break. Our program is a set of principles written so simply that we can follow them in our daily lives. The most important thing about them is that they work.
February 07, 2026 |
Recovery Makes Us More Resilient |
| Page 39 |
| "As we progress, we learn that we can always begin a new journey in recovery, and we can start over whenever we need to. We don't need to blow up our lives to get a fresh start." |
| Living Clean, Chapter 3, "Spirituality in Action" |
| Life on life's terms comes with some inevitable setbacks. Recovery gives us choices about how we deal with those occasional stumbling blocks or misfortunes. Do we summon our inner drama queen, back ourselves into a corner, and turn a minor setback into a full-blown catastrophe? Sometimes, yes. And, sadly, relapse can be part of that story. Fortunately for us, recovery makes us more resilient. We learn we can reset our attitude instead of resetting our cleantime. We're reminded that change is the only constant. Life's challenges don't end when we get clean. Rather, we learn to respond to change and challenges in a different way, summarized by one member: "Get knocked down three times? Get up four." Early on, it may have taken a toxic relationship or some regrettable financial mismanagement for us to reach for the reset button. Our tolerance for emotional pain or spiritual disconnection lessens over time, however. Our setbacks are less dramatic because we're quicker to get into the solution. We accept new realities more readily. Instead of resisting the storms of life, we learn to bend with the wind. The Twelve Steps offer us a spiritual path through life. It crosses the same rough terrain, but we become more sure-footed. We navigate the obstacles and have the courage to explore uncharted territory. With the support of our fellow members and our Higher Power, we may stumble, but it gets easier to get back up. With the hope that our best days are ahead and the courage to make that so, we dust ourselves off and continue on our journey. |
| I will recognize the sources of my resilience today and be grateful for all that contributes to my ability to put one foot in front of the other. |
| Copyright (c) 2007-2026, NA World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved |