NA JUST FOR TODAY - AUGUST 2014

[MajestyJo]

August 21, 2014

Friendships

Page 243

"Our friendships become deep, and we experience the warmth and caring which results from addicts sharing recovery and a new life."

IP No.19, "Self-Acceptance"

Most of us come to Narcotics Anonymous with few genuine friends. And most of us arrive without the slightest understanding of what it takes to build lasting friendships. Over time, though, we learn that friendships require work. At one time or another, all friendships are challenging. Like any relationship, friendship is a learning process.

Our friends love us enough to tell us the truth about ourselves. The old saying, "The truth will set you free, but first it will make you furious,' seems especially true in friendship. This can make friendships awkward. We may find ourselves avoiding certain meetings rather than facing our friends. We have found, though, that friends speak out of concern for us. They want the best for us. Our friends accept us despite our shortcomings. They understand that we are still a work in progress.

Friends are there for us when we're not there for ourselves. Friends help us gain valuable perspective on the events in our lives and our recovery. It is important that we actively cultivate friendships, for we have learned that we cannot recover alone.

Just for Today: I will be grateful for the friends I have. I will take an active part in my friendships.

So grateful for the friends who have been a part of my life. My God put a lot of people in my path, the youngest with a day and the oldest with 62 years.

The Spirit of the Fellowship, will not keep you clean and sober, if you don't learn to apply the program to your life. Your p;rogram can be anything you feel you need for your recovery. How can you change if you don't know what is there? How can you change if nothing changes? I found myself reflected in the people around me, especially in the rooms of recovery.