Welcome to the Central Coast Area of Narcotics Anonymous
Serving: Paso Robles, Cambria, Atascadero, San Luis Obispo, Arroyo Grande, Santa Maria, Lompoc
" The therapeutic value of one addict helping another is without parallel "
Just for today daily meditation
October 06, 2026 |
Amends without expectations |
| Page 292 |
| "Projections about actually making amends can be a major obstacle both in making the list and in becoming willing." |
| Basic Text, p. 39 |
| The Eighth Step asks us to become willing to make amends to all persons we have harmed. As we approach this step, we may wonder what the outcome of our amends will be. Will we be forgiven? Relieved of any lingering guilt? Or will we be tarred and feathered by the persons we've harmed? Our tendency to seek forgiveness must be surrendered if we expect to receive the spiritual benefits of the Eighth and Ninth Steps. If we approach these steps expecting anything, we're likely to be very disappointed with the results. We want to ask ourselves if we are pinning our hopes on gaining the forgiveness of the person to whom we are making amends. Or maybe we're hoping we'll be excused from our debts by some sympathetic creditor moved to tears by our hard-luck story. We need to be willing to make our amends regardless of the outcome. We can plan the amends, but we can't plan the results. Although we may not be granted a full pardon by everyone to whom we owe amends, we will learn to forgive ourselves. In the process, we will find that we no longer have to carry the burdens of the past. |
| Just for Today: I will let go of any expectations I have on the people to whom I owe amends. |
| Copyright (c) 2007-2026, NA World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved |
A Spiritual principle a day
October 07, 2026 |
Harmony, Alignment, and Balance |
| Page 290 |
| "When our bodies, minds, and spirits are in harmony, our lives show the difference. We are able to live in balance." |
| Living Clean, Chapter 3, "A Spiritual Journey" |
| Addicts arrive in--or return to--NA with our lives in turmoil and out of balance. Our health is in the toilet. Mentally, we are all over the map. Spiritually, we are in a blackout. Though we may not all be at the same degree of chaos, no one bounds happily through the door of their first NA meeting--or our first one after a relapse--feeling stable and whole. We stagger or slink or sidle in. We come to NA after a brush with the law and sometimes while incarcerated. We're pushed in by family or rehab or dragged in by an NA member we used to get high with--or stayed clean with. There's some truth in the familiar wisecrack, "We are some sick puppies!" Since our journeys in recovery most often begin with the elimination of substances, our health often improves first. Our minds dip back into friendly territory, though the visits may not be as long as we'd like. Through attending meetings, working Steps, and building relationships with other members, we begin to awaken spiritually. Not all of us label it that way, or maybe we don't have words for it, but something inside of us is shifting. Outside of us, our behavior is definitely shifting. By taking commitments, showing up for others, acting "right," we stay clean. Whether we believe this is the work of a loving Higher Power or we're doing it because our sponsor told us to (because it's "spiritual"), our inner chaos lessens, and our outward stability increases. The lights come on, and they aren't so easily extinguished by the wind and rain that keep coming at us--because that's life. |
| I will take stock today of how I am physically, mentally, and spiritually. What can I do to establish some balance and spark some harmony? |
| Copyright (c) 2007-2026, NA World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved |
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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