Quote:
December 02, 2014
Recovery: our first priority
Page 352
"We have to keep our recovery first and our priorities in order."
Basic Text p. 79
Before coming to NA, we used many excuses to justify our use of drugs: "He yelled at me" "She said this." "My partner left." "I got fired." We used these same excuses for not seeking help for our drug problem. We had to realize that these things kept happening because we kept using drugs. Only when we made recovery our first priority did these situations begin to change.
We may be subject to the same tendency today, using excuses for not attending meetings and being of service. Our current excuses may be of a different nature: "I can't leave my kids." "My vacation wore me out." "I have to finish this project so I can impress my boss." But still, if we don't make recovery our first priority, chances are that we won't have to worry about these excuses anymore. Kids, vacations, and jobs probably won't be in our lives if we relapse.
Our recovery must come first. Job or no job, relationship or no relationship, we have to attend meetings, work the steps, call our sponsor, and be of service to God and others. These simple actions are what make it possible for us to have vacations, families, and bosses to worry about. Recovery is the foundation of our lives, making everything else possible.
Just for Today: I will keep my priorities in order. Number One on the list is my recovery.
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Without it, I have nothing. That is why they say SLIP, means Sobriety loses it's priority. Many in NA don't like the word sobriety and say it belongs to the 'other' fellowship, but my NA sponsor told me it means
soundness of mind. To have soundness of mind, I have to work on my emotional sobriety every day. If my emotions are out of whack, and I start acting out on them, then there is a good chance, they will take me back out and I will deal with them in an unhealthy way.