persons have visited this site since January 3, 2008
~ 2008 Form ~
THIS INPUT FOR THIS CHAPTER
ONLY -
IF YOU WISH TO PARTICIPATE, LOCATE THE NUMBER OF THE PARAGRAPH
WITHIN THE MAIN DOCUMENT DISPLAYED ON WWW.NAWOL.ORG
AND SEND WITH COMMENTS AND TITLE OF CHAPTER TO
When It
Works: 12 Basics
Twelve Principles of NA
PRINCIPLE
TWELVE - SHARING AND CARING
Note:
All edits are done in this green color and are to be thrown into the
spirit well-God will handle the rest.
Note:
The yellow highlighted areas are the areas to be omitted
and the red areas are paragraphs
that should be connected.
Note:
Our Middletown, Connecticut NAWOL group is honored to be part of the
process. We have no expectations
other than staying in the process and possibly helping other addicts.
"Sharing and caring is the active and passive forms of
love
that keeps us alive and allows God to use us as instruments."
The
spiritual principle of sharing occurs when we
our spoken word
provides an addict with hope.
Each member
shares in our
a special way from the beginning of recovery. Sharing is the follow
through that takes place after caring begins. It validates the NA promise:
freedom from active addiction for any addict who thoroughly
applies these principles that
are embedded in the twelve steps of
Narcotics Anonymous. Sharing takes
place between addicts with a who
have a desire for recovery. They share their passion for the program that has been saving
their lives on a daily basis.
Through working the twelve steps of Narcotics Anonymous with a sponsor
and living the principles in them, the spiritual principle of caring
for another addict is the feeling
that brings about incidents of
sharing. Caring
for other addicts should be the sole intention of sharing .
We share our experience, strength, and hope so that others can find a new
way of life. Sharing with others is demonstrating through action that we
care.
Anonymity
from Step Twelve is the absence of labeling, possessing the beauty of
acknowledging our Higher Power as the primary force in our lives. It creates the
environment we need to recovery. We can shed old labels that may no longer apply. However, our
personality remains to dilute the experience with the idea that
we must of our "having
to run the show." With ego set aside, the spirit within
us is allowed to emerge untainted by selfish desire. We can experience the
miracle of personality change enhanced by anonymity, freedom from labels that
applied to us in our past.
Regardless
of how far addiction has taken them down, newcomers are welcomed. The only
requirement for membership is their desire to stop using..remain
clean and live a new way of life.
We let newcomers know that any addict can get clean, loose the
desire to use, and find a new way of life.
Few of us are comfortable judging the newcomer's sincerity. It is when they
share their pain brought on by active addiction that they begin to gain our
respect. Our terrific ability to mask who and what we are from intruding eyes is
an ability we retain in recovery. It is part of our survival skills. Far too
often, the assessment between one or two members has been crucial in a
newcomer's recovery. Fortunately, it only takes one to carry our message. This
is part of the awakening experience of our Twelfth Step, an element of the step's
maturation as we grow. Applications of principles are endless. Our need for surrender, hope, faith, trust, unconditional love, and
all of the other principles rsbelief,
inventory, confiding, letting-go, and amends
help
us builds healthy
lives. Our inability to live such principles is a measure result
of our illness.
Among
all our principles, we find ideas like inclusiveness, openness, trust,
helpfulness, selfless-giving, and caring help offset our addict's tendency
to do the opposite. Our self-destructiveness opposes the principles that bring
peace and happiness to the willing. These words are from the recovery language
within NA. The currency of our program is a language born of deep, applied love
and commitment that has endured great pain and hardship.
We
become aware that our program results from a huge amount of deliberate,
consistent effort on the part of all of our members. As the hours of scheduled
meetings approaches, how many thousands of automobiles are started for the
express purpose of attending an NA meeting? How many light switches are thrown
and chairs arranged to seat our multitude? In a day, how many hours do members
share? Travel in the Fellowship is convincing because we hear the same
principles working for other people, far from where we live. Change comes to
members exposed to the greater NA beyond the boundaries of their local
Fellowship.
Ultimately,
if we are passionate about our recovery, we find ourselves
staying clean and living the Narcotics Anonymous Way of Life.
we find our in our own way.
Narcotics Anonymous is the gathering of addicts who desire to stay clean and
grow spiritually on a daily basis. Many ideas, experiments, changes, conflicts,
polarization and failures are filtered through tests of application that produce
our Program. When they work, they extend our ability to apply the NA program. If
not, we move on, leaving behind what does not work. With our emphasis on sharing
and caring, we have a life. After our needs are met -- food, shelter, clothing
and solvency -- crisis may siphon time from these things yet we discovery we return to
them to keep our house in order. Our loved ones needs are reasonable and
must come
first. After living requirements are met we have
the opportunity to selflessly give by sharing. This sharing happens as the fruit
of our existence, however restricted or marginal. Our sharing is not a benefit
of the material world, it is a benefit of the spirit. Generosity is the nature
of our loving God, as we share an opportunity to reflect divine calm and trust.
Spiritual
principles can seem tenuous or wishy-washy to those who have little experience
with them. Their strength comes out as we apply them in our everyday lives and
emergencies. It may be a fixation on reality that makes an otherwise delusional
person successful. In secret, this person may also be a great giver. Spiritual
principles are more real than the rationales used to justify our active
addiction. Many doors closed to us will now
open only yield
after we apply spiritual principles.
How
often have we seen a member in the midst of a glowing recovery succumb to greed,
lust, pride, avarice, envy, hatred or anger? However convincingly they justify
their actions, they all run into impassable obstacles. Nor can they overcome
obstacles by applying more force or arguing the correctness of their position.
We share about remaining stuck until we surrender to our powerlessness. We share
how the application of this principle works in all areas of our lives.
Constantly living by spiritual principles demonstrates
an exhibits as
awakened spirit. During times of hardship we sit in silent wonder over the
beauty in our lives and the company we share. We endure without making things
worse, each time discovering an
area wherein we
lack surrender, discovering a truth in the situation and growing a little
freer, while
aligning ourselves with the powerful force that works for us. Sharing
and caring what is really going on in our lives It
is neither defeat nor an end to our pursuit of happiness. It is the way to
happiness. This is life on life's terms. When one member shares about their struggles and then comes back
the next week with the solution, other addicts benefit from their experience
when they too are put into the same situation.
Spiritual-reality
does not apologize for its ways. Without it, there would be no escape. The
delusions or our disease produce defects that arrest growth. Most obstacles
would have been simple were we not addicts. Our disease complicated our
thinking and or prevented us
from learning from
after making
simple mistakes.
a timely, clear lesson. So, instead of learning from these mistakes, we failed to grow
up. All those countless days when we could have been acquiring or practicing
skills that would equip us to live life on life's terms,
we were wasted. The marvel is that through recovery we regain what
has been lost. We might not
regain Maybe
not everything immediately but we do get
enough freedom in the beginning enough to be grateful. And As our gratitude grows, our capacity to accept responsibility and be
honest qualifies us for more good things in our lives. Caring and sharing helps
us turn the corner from being a taker to being a giver with a reasonable
interest in the well being of others.
Through
sharing and caring we gain the ability to do for others what was once done for
us. We can each remember the patience and love that kept us coming back. Now,
awakened and based in principles, we carry the message of hope and recovery.
This is as crucial for someone working a Twelfth Step as studying and grasping
the disease concept in the First Step. We cannot remain clean without it.
Personally
seeking to make one's mark in NA entitles the member to a series of unnecessary
mistakes. Caring and sharing suspends our personal agenda. Through loving
service, caring
and sharing, and applying the other
principles we�ve
acquired in Narcotics , God allows us to grow beyond
our wildest dreams.
When we care and then share
to help the still sick and suffering addict, we add hope to their lives.
The miracle occurs when the same addicts who came to the group miserable
with a few days clean come to the same group after working some steps and share
that they too have lost the desire to use and have found a new way of life!
Sharing and caring in Narcotics Anonymous is a contagious action. continue to work the steps.
This puts
ourselves into the wisdom of a clear, open
spirit of goodwill and sensibility.
in the service of abiding in the spirit.
Our Fellowship will endure. continue
to care and share so that others will keep receiving the miracles of recovery!
[7.20.08]
persons have visited this site since January 3, 2008
Reprinted from the
N.A. FELLOWSHIP USE ONLY
Copyright � December 1998
Victor Hugo Sewell, Jr.
NA Foundation Group
6685 Bobby John Road Atlanta, GA 30349 USA
404.312.5166
[email protected]
All rights reserved. This draft may be copied by members of Narcotics Anonymous for the purpose of writing input for future drafts, enhancing the recovery of NA members and for the general welfare of the Narcotics Anonymous Fellowship as a whole. The use of an individual name is simply a registration requirement of the Library of Congress and not a departure from the spirit or letter of the Pledge, Preface or Introduction of this book. Any reproduction by individuals or organizations outside the Fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous is prohibited. Any reproduction of this document for personal or corporate monetary gain is prohibited.