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The Reginald & Dionne Smith Foundation, 2870 Peachtree Road NW #915-1076, Atlanta, GA (2025)

10/28/2025

28 October

Freedom, Wherever We Are

Page 311

"The ability to grow spiritually enables us to find freedom, even within the walls of a cell. Our greatest freedom is not outside ourselves but within."

Guiding Principles, Tradition Five, Opening Essay

Many addicts first hear our message of hope while incarcerated, often thanks to the hard work of our H&I trusted servants. One member shared, "When I got out, I heard someone share about a 'self-made prison,' and I was mad at first. They didn't know what it was like to be on the inside. But the more I came to meetings and heard addicts share about the disease, I realized that we had more in common than I thought. Just being out didn't mean I was free . . . yet."

Freedom comes in many forms. The ability to come and go freely as we wish, a right denied when or if we are incarcerated, is just one of those forms. We can experience mental, emotional, and spiritual freedom wherever we go--or wherever we stay. One member wrote, "I thought freedom meant doing whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, as long as I stayed clean. But I felt trapped by my impulses. I found it impossible to say no to myself, even when my behavior had consequences. When I told my sponsor I wanted to stop but didn't know how, they told me to sit with the impulse and see if I could learn something from it. I sat with it and didn't act on it, and I learned that I could survive the feeling. The feeling passed, and I felt light. I felt free."

The most obvious freedom we gain in recovery is physical--we gain freedom from our compulsive use of drugs. That physical freedom, that changed behavior, has a corresponding inner component--the peace of mind that comes with no longer being trapped in obsession and self-centeredness. We are free to think of something other than where our next fix is coming from. We are free to feel something other than despair. We are free.

Wherever I am, whatever is going on around me, I will seek inner freedom by letting thoughts and feelings come and go without disturbing my peace, without throwing me off balance.

All NAWS subscriptions are free. We are able to provide this service due, in part, to the generous contributions of our members. If you are a member, you can make a contribution here: www.na.org/contribute

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NA World Services, Inc.
19737 Nordhoff Place
Chatsworth, CA 91311

Copyright © 2025 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

10/28/2025

28 October

Attitudes

Page 314

"We can also use the steps to improve our attitudes."

Basic Text, p. 55

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Ever have a day when everything seems to be working against you? Do you go through periods when you are so busy taking people's inventories you can barely stand yourself? What about when you find yourself snapping at your co-worker or loved one for no reason? When we find ourselves in this bleak frame of mind, we need to take action.

At any point in the day, we can set aside a few moments and take a "spot inventory." We examine how we are reacting to outside situations and other people. When we do, we may find that we are suffering from a plain old "bad attitude." A negative outlook can hurt our relationship with our Higher Power and the people in our lives. When we are honest with ourselves, we frequently find that the problem lies with us and our attitude.

We have no control over the challenges life gives us. What we can control is how we react to those challenges. At any point in time, we can change our attitude. The only thing that really changes in Narcotics Anonymous is us. The Twelve Steps give us the tools to move out of the problem and into the solution.

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Just for Today: Throughout the day, I will check my attitude. I will apply the steps to improve it.

All NAWS subscriptions are free. We are able to provide this service due, in part, to the generous contributions of our members. If you are a member, you can make a contribution here: www.na.org/contribute

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NA World Services, Inc.
19737 Nordhoff Place
Chatsworth, CA 91311

Copyright © 2025 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

10/27/2025

27 October

Accepting All of Me

Page 310

"We make peace with ourselves--with all we have gained, and lost, and learned, and become."

Living Clean, Chapter 1, "A Vision of Hope"

WHO AM I?

As cliched and psychobabbling as that question may seem, many of us will identify with having asked it--and having not known the answer. Or, more to the point, we didn't want to know.

In active addiction, many of us could have answered the question like this: "Anyone you want me to be, baby."

And right after getting clean, "Nobody!" might have been the most accurate response, considering the shame we were feeling and how invisible we wanted to be in meetings.

Denial had kept us from accepting the truth of our actions and their impact on ourselves and the people who love us. Many of us paid the price for this lack of self-awareness with the loss of relationships, careers, assets, even our freedom.

The recovery process allows us to start contemplating our true identities, and it takes all the honesty we can conjure up, along with a healthy dose of courage and humility. We learn to accept that we've caused pain and injury, have done damage to ourselves and others while on our destructive paths. We also learn to accept that we aren't the sum total of those actions.

Recovery affords us the opportunity to use the hardships we've endured to help others. We divulge our deep personal struggles--those from our past and those that will inevitably arise while clean--in order to deepen our relationships with other addicts. In doing so, we show our fellow addicts that we can stay clean--no matter what.

Today I strive to accept who I am, what it took to get here, and where I am now. My past does not own me. Instead, I will use it as a tool to help others.

All NAWS subscriptions are free. We are able to provide this service due, in part, to the generous contributions of our members. If you are a member, you can make a contribution here: www.na.org/contribute

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NA World Services, Inc.
19737 Nordhoff Place
Chatsworth, CA 91311

Copyright © 2025 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

10/27/2025

27 October

Living in the present

Page 313

"We want to look our past in the face, see it for what it really was, and release it so we can live today."

Basic Text, p. 29

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For many of us, the past is like a bad dream. Our lives aren't the same any more, but we still have fleeting, highly charged emotional memories of a really uncomfortable past. The guilt, fear, and anger that once dominated us may spill into our new life, complicating our efforts to change and grow.

The Twelve Steps are the formula that helps us learn to put the past in its place. Through the Fourth and Fifth Steps, we become aware that our old behavior didn't work. We ask a Higher Power to relieve us of our shortcomings in the Sixth and Seventh Steps, and we begin to be relieved of the guilt and fear that plagued us for so many years. In the Eighth and Ninth Steps, by making amends, we demonstrate to others that our lives are changing. We are no longer controlled by the past. Once the past loses its control over us, we are free to find new ways to live, ways that reflect who we truly are.

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Just for Today: I don't have to be controlled by my past. I will live this new day as the new person I am becoming.

All NAWS subscriptions are free. We are able to provide this service due, in part, to the generous contributions of our members. If you are a member, you can make a contribution here: www.na.org/contribute

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NA World Services, Inc.
19737 Nordhoff Place
Chatsworth, CA 91311

Copyright © 2025 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, In

10/26/2025

26 October

The Impact of Consistency

Page 309

". . . a group needs the consistent commitment of its members to show up and take part in its meetings. Upon that commitment rests the group's stability; without it, no group can survive long."

It Works, Tradition Seven

Consistency is a key part of the messages we first receive in NA. Keep coming back. 90 meetings in 90 days. Meeting makers make it. It's suggested that we find a home group--and become a home-group member, not merely visit it. We're encouraged to get a service commitment there--and to show up for that commitment.

When we lack consistency in our groups, when we're not kept informed by our service body reps, when we don't provide the human or financial resources needed to carry out our requests, our groups and services aren't as strong. NA suffers as a result, and we miss potential opportunities to help newcomers.

The direct impact of our consistency may occur beyond the walls of a meeting. Many of us live in densely populated areas with plenty of groups to participate in. Many other NA communities are limited: only a few meetings--sometimes days and considerable distance apart--and perhaps too few members to fill service positions. Many groups thrive for decades, never dark for any reason; others burn bright, then falter; others struggle to stay afloat week by week. At times, it's a real misfortune to lose a group. Other times, a loss blooms into a new opportunity.

There are way too many home-group scenarios to describe here, but one thing we know is true: It takes reliable and committed NA members to turn and keep the lights on at any meeting, service committee, or NA event. And it's no exaggeration to say that being consistent saves addicts' lives, including our own. To carry the message of recovery and to conduct necessary NA business, we need to show up with our time, funds, skills, and willingness. We take on tasks of all sizes and shapes, and, in the spirit of rotation, we mentor others to step up.

What can I do to keep my home group more stable? How can I help others become more involved and consistent in their contributions to homegroup stability? Where do I need to step aside in the spirit of rotation so that others can grow from consistent service to our NA community?

All NAWS subscriptions are free. We are able to provide this service due, in part, to the generous contributions of our members. If you are a member, you can make a contribution here: www.na.org/contribute

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NA World Services, Inc.
19737 Nordhoff Place
Chatsworth, CA 91311

Copyright © 2025 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

10/26/2025

26 October

The path to self-acceptance

Page 312

"The most effective means of achieving self-acceptance is through applying the Twelve Steps of recovery."

IP No.19, "Self-Acceptance"

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Our addiction has been a source of shame to many of us. We have hidden ourselves from others, sure that if anyone got to know who we really were they would reject us. NA helps us learn self-acceptance.

Many of us find a great deal of relief just from attending meetings, hearing fellow addicts share their stories, and discovering that others have felt the same way we feel about ourselves. When others share honestly with us who they are, we feel free to do the same. As we learn to tell others the truth about ourselves, we learn to accept ourselves.

Self-disclosure, however, is only the beginning. Once we've shared the things that make us uncomfortable with our lives, we need to find a different way to live--and that's where the steps come in. We develop a concept of a Higher Power. We inventory our lives, in detail, and discuss our inventory with our sponsor. We ask the God of our understanding to remove our character defects, the shortcomings that are the source of our troubles. We take responsibility for the things we've done and make amends for them. And we incorporate all these disciplines into our daily lives, "practicing these principles in all our affairs."

By working the steps, we can become people we are proud to be. We can freely tell the truth about ourselves, for we have nothing to hide.

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Just for Today: I will walk the path to self-acceptance. I will show up, tell the truth, and work the steps.

All NAWS subscriptions are free. We are able to provide this service due, in part, to the generous contributions of our members. If you are a member, you can make a contribution here: www.na.org/contribute

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NA World Services, Inc.
19737 Nordhoff Place
Chatsworth, CA 91311

Copyright © 2025 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

10/23/2025

23 October

Expressing Our Autonomy with Integrity

Page 306

"Autonomy allows us to express who we are with integrity and to carry a message: the truth of our own experience, in our own way."

Guiding Principles, Tradition Four, Opening Reflection

The autonomy spoken of in Tradition Four has a strong appeal to many of us in NA. We are people who tend to put a pretty high value on self-determination. In active addiction, insistence on doing things our way often led to poor results, usually because "our way" had a lot to do with self-centeredness, rather than integrity. In recovery, autonomy becomes an asset rather than a liability--as our Basic Text puts it, "Our real value is in being ourselves."

It's the second half of Tradition Four that keeps us on track: "except in matters affecting other groups or NA as a whole." For NA groups, this means we think about our role as part of the Fellowship, not just what our own group wants. As individual recovering addicts, we balance our right to do as we please with our responsibilities to those around us: family, friends, the Fellowship, and society. One way we begin to learn that balance is in how we share in meetings.

"As a newcomer, my sharing was super-aggressive and put some people on edge," a member wrote. "My justification was 'Hey, this is who I am!' After a while, I tried to mimic the way others shared, but it wasn't my own voice, and it always came out wrong. Eventually, I got comfortable being me while also thinking about the feelings of those around me I finally started to connect."

If any group of people can sniff out a fake, it's addicts. Authenticity is a message that lasts, whether it comes in the form of a riveting performance or an understated, soft-spoken share. Whether we're trying to reach a still-suffering addict or save our own life, we try to strike the right balance between autonomy and responsibility, freedom and self-control, self-determination and connection.

Being autonomous doesn't mean disregarding those around me. I will practice balancing personal freedom with social responsibility.

All NAWS subscriptions are free. We are able to provide this service due, in part, to the generous contributions of our members. If you are a member, you can make a contribution here: www.na.org/contribute

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NA World Services, Inc.
19737 Nordhoff Place
Chatsworth, CA 91311

Copyright © 2025 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

10/23/2025

23 October

Surrender

Page 309

"By surrendering control, we gain a far greater power."

Basic Text, p. 44

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When we were using, we did everything we could to run things our way. We used every scheme imaginable to bring our world under control. When we got what we wanted, we felt powerful, invincible; when we didn't, we felt vulnerable, defeated. But that didn't stop us--it only led to more efforts to control and manipulate our lives into a manageable state.

Scheming was our way of denying our powerlessness. As long as we could distract ourselves with our plans, we could put off accepting that we were out of control. Only gradually did we realize that our lives had become unmanageable and that all the conning and manipulating in the world was not going to put our lives back in order.

When we admit our powerlessness, we stop trying to control and manage our way to a better life--we surrender. Lacking sufficient power of our own, we seek a Power greater than ourselves; needing support and guidance, we ask that Power to care for our will and our lives. We ask others in recovery to share their experience with living the NA program instead of trying to program our own lives. The power and direction we seek is all around us; we need only turn away from self to find it.

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Just for Today: I will not try to scheme and manipulate my way to a manageable life. Through the NA program, I will surrender myself to my Higher Power's care.

All NAWS subscriptions are free. We are able to provide this service due, in part, to the generous contributions of our members. If you are a member, you can make a contribution here: www.na.org/contribute

UNSUBSCRIBE to stop receiving all NAWS emails.

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NA World Services, Inc.
19737 Nordhoff Place
Chatsworth, CA 91311

Copyright © 2025 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

10/22/2025

Hey Ladies! 🌸

Join us for a FREE event with open, honest conversations about HIV & S*X. Let’s debunk myths, share facts, & empower each other! Enjoy goodie bags, food, & drinks as we learn & grow together. Limited space—register today! ✨
Register here:https://forms.zohopublic.com/therdsf/form/EventRegistration/formperma/6YublXy1R5pIaw2MeVn8gu_Ufi0Mt0Mj68kejQm5Tzg?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=Zoho+Social

10/22/2025

22 October

Finding Humility in Unity

Page 305

"We learn when it's important to stand for principles, and when it's best to step aside in the name of unity, knowing that a loving God is ultimately in charge."

Living Clean, Chapter 1, "Why We Stay"

We encounter different points of view in recovery and NA service. We may all be on the same path, working toward a common goal, but we're ultimately in different places along that road. For example, some of us take years to get through the Steps, while others work one Step per month. Some groups vote and others make decisions by consensus. Guided by our mentors, we take up an approach that works. It's only natural to believe that we're going about things the right way. From there, it's a short leap to believing that ours is the only right way, and that's a slippery slope to self-righteousness.

Accepting that members hold various perspectives and apply the tools of the program differently helps us understand the difference between unity and uniformity. There is, after all, more than one way to eat an apple. We learn to choose our battles and let go of our need to be right all the time. A wise sponsor once said, "Would you rather be right, or would you rather be happy?"

Knowing when to stand firm and when to bend is a sign of maturity in recovery. We learn to trust the process, and this takes away the burden of having to be right all the time. We come to rely on the good or God we find in NA. We bring unity to our groups and our relationships by allowing others--and ourselves--to be wrong, steering clear of self-righteousness, and holding firm to our beliefs.

When I feel contrary and stubborn, I can take a deep breath, let go of self-righteousness, and step aside. In quiet surrender, I will seek humility and understanding in the name of unity.

All NAWS subscriptions are free. We are able to provide this service due, in part, to the generous contributions of our members. If you are a member, you can make a contribution here: www.na.org/contribute

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NA World Services, Inc.
19737 Nordhoff Place
Chatsworth, CA 91311

Copyright © 2025 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

10/22/2025

22 October

Look who's talking

Page 308

"Our disease is so cunning that it can get us into impossible situations."

Basic Text, p.83

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Some of us say, "My disease is talking to me." Others say, "My head won't turn off." Still others refer to "the committee in my mind" or "the monkey on my back." Let's face it. We suffer from an incurable malady that continues to affect us, even in recovery. Our disease gives us warped information about what's going on in our lives. It tells us not to look at ourselves because what we'll see is too scary. Sometimes it tells us we're not responsible for ourselves and our actions; other times, it tells us that everything wrong with the world is our fault. Our disease tricks us into trusting it.

The NA program provides us with many voices that counter our addiction, voices we can trust. We can call our sponsor for a reality check. We can listen to the voice of an addict trying to get clean. The ultimate solution is to work the steps and draw on the strength of a Higher Power. That will get us through those times when "our disease is talking."

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Just for Today: I will ignore the "voice" of my addiction. I will listen to the voice of my program and a Power greater than myself.

All NAWS subscriptions are free. We are able to provide this service due, in part, to the generous contributions of our members. If you are a member, you can make a contribution here: www.na.org/contribute

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NA World Services, Inc.
19737 Nordhoff Place
Chatsworth, CA 91311

Copyright © 2025 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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