Welcome to the Central Coast Area of Narcotics Anonymous
Serving: Paso Robles, Cambria, Atascadero, San Luis Obispo, Arroyo Grande, Santa Maria, Lompoc
Just for today daily meditation
Responsibility, responsibility--the responsibilities of life are everywhere. We're "supposed to" wear seat belts. We're "supposed to" clean our homes. We're "supposed to" do certain things for our spouse, our children, the people we sponsor. On top of all this, we're "supposed to" go to meetings and practice our program as best we can. It's no wonder that, sometimes, we want to run from all these tasks and escape to some far-off island where we're not "supposed to" do anything!
At times like these, when we've become overwhelmed with our responsibilities, we have forgotten that responsibility need not be burdensome. When we have a desire to run away from our responsibilities we need to slow down, remember why we have chosen them, and pay attention to the gifts they bring. Whether it's a job we normally find challenging and interesting, or a partner whose personality we are usually excited by, or a child whom we naturally like to play with and care for, there is joy to be found in all the responsibilities of our lives.
A Spiritual principle a day
When we were using, reliability was as rare as hen's teeth. We showed up when it was convenient, and only if we were getting something out of it. We might have made it home for the holidays but stayed just long enough to get gifts that we could return for cash. We might reliably show up to work, but mostly to steal from the till or take our patients' meds. The gratification of spending time with family or giving an honest day's work for an honest day's pay was lost on us.
It didn't take much cleantime to figure out this way of doing things wouldn't serve us well in recovery. The idea that we could live clean and enjoy stable, happy lives inspired us. We understood that reliability would be an important part of becoming a responsible, productive member of society.
For many of us, becoming reliable starts with finding a home group, accepting our first commitment, and then doing our best--as one member put it--"to live up to the trust placed in me. My sponsor told me that reliability precedes trust. As suggested, I learned to show up and do what I said I'd do." By keeping our word, we practiced the essence of reliability and built a foundation for integrity.
Our reliability makes us real assets as members of a home group. Beyond any specific duties we perform, home-group members steady the atmosphere of recovery. We think of some members as "fixtures" at certain meetings--the same people, often in the same seats, week after week--and, in time, we become them. "It's okay to take us for granted--that's what we're here for," one home-group member explained. "We're like candles you keep on hand just in case. We're here to produce some light if needed or to set the mood."
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.
For more information on Narcotics Anonymous,
please go to the:
Narcotics Anonymous World Services Website,
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