The Reginald & Dionne Smith Foundation

02/11/2026

And just like every community, they took what they learned from black folks and pushed black folks to the bottom or completely out of their movement.

This week, for our Black Disability History campaign, we are highlighting how the Civil Rights Movement inspired the Disability Rights Movement. Through the use of sit-ins and other tactics learned from the civil rights movement, disability rights activists were able to advocate for historic civil rights legislation like the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Learn more about the link between these two important movements: bit.ly/BHM2

02/09/2026

Inclusive for whom? Georgia is moving forward with HB 657 to strengthen recovery services across our state. That is an important step. But recovery only works if people can actually get through the door.

About 1 in 4 adults lives with a disability . Many people in recovery also live with physical, sensory, cognitive, or neurodevelopmental disabilities. When recovery spaces are not accessible, they create stress, frustration, and exclusion. Those are well-known relapse risk factors.

As a blind man in long-term recovery and a certified peer specialist living in rural Southwest Georgia, I know what it feels like when systems are not built for people like me. Recovery should not depend on whether you can climb the steps, read the screen, or follow complicated instructions.

HB 657 is an opportunity to build recovery services the right way from the start.

We are asking the House Rules Committee to ensure that any state-funded Recovery Community Organization includes:

• Physical accessibility under the ADA
• Digital accessibility for screen readers and assistive technology
• Plain-language, cognitively accessible materials
• Partnership with local Centers for Independent Living No recovery system should be built with public funds if it excludes part of the public. Call the Georgia House switchboard: 404-656-5020

Ask for the Rules Committee office and say:
“Please support cross-disability accessibility standards in HB 657.”

02/08/2026

08 February

Willing to Walk in Faith

Page 40

"When we show up for life with willingness and an open mind, the next right thing tends to present itself."

Living Clean, Chapter 3, "Spirituality Is Practical"

"I have a full, rich life in recovery," a member shared to knowing nods. "But I'm facing some decisions about what comes next for me. I'm willing to do the next right thing if only I knew what that is. The options are all good, so how do I figure out what God's will is for me?" After the meeting, some more experienced NA members offered their insights on Steps Three and Eleven.

"I would freak out trying to know, really know, if my choices aligned with my Higher Power's will," one member shared. "I was told: 'If you're looking for a burning bush, you're going to be disappointed.'" When we're dealing with clear-cut questions of right and wrong--Should I steal this candy or pay for it?--the next right thing is obvious. But looking for one correct response to life's multifaceted dilemmas can be paralyzing. The member continued, "I came to understand that Step Three is all about my decision. My willingness to work the rest of the Steps is that decision in action. My job is to show up, be willing, and do the work in front of me. So long as I'm plugged into the Steps, I can trust my intuition."

"I used to pray to know God's will for me, too," another member confessed. "My sponsor pointed out that self-centeredness had distorted my hearing: Step Eleven isn't about me. It's about us." She went on to explain how a focus on us broadened her perspective. "It changed my outlook and influenced how I pray and meditate. That made it easier to live by principles and to listen to my heart, trusting that my choices would enrich my ability to serve." Viewing life through a wide-angle lens puts our decisions within a larger context filled with love, support, and service. When we practice willingness and awareness, even our missteps expand our usefulness to others.

When we're spiritually fit, doing the next right thing doesn't have to be complicated. We find the willingness to walk in faith, knowing that we'll be alright. People like saying, "When one door closes, another opens." As NA members, we become better equipped to navigate hallways with multiple doors, some leading nowhere, others to new worlds, and all of them preparing us to serve.

I am willing to be guided by my Higher Power today. I will make principled decisions and take positive action, secure in the knowledge that my service will be enhanced.

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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02/08/2026

08 February

What is a sponsor?

Page 40

"...an NA sponsor is a member of Narcotics Anonymous, living our program of recovery, who is willing to build a special, supportive, one-on-one relationship with us."

IP No. 11, "Sponsorship", Revised

❖

What is a sponsor? You know: That nice person with whom you had coffee after your first meeting. That generous soul who keeps sharing recovery experience free of charge. The one who keeps amazing you with stunning insight regarding your character defects. The one who keeps reminding you to finish your Fourth Step, who listens to your Fifth Step, and who doesn't tell anyone how weird you are.

It's pretty easy to start taking all this stuff for granted once we're used to someone being there for us. We may run wild for a while and tell ourselves, "I'll call my sponsor later, but right now I have to clean the house, go shopping, chase that attractive..." And so we end up in trouble, wondering where we went wrong.

Our sponsor can't read minds. It's up to us to reach out and ask for help. Whether we need help with our steps, a reality check to help us straighten out our screwy thinking, or just a friend, it's our job to make the request. Sponsors are warm, wise, wonderful people, and their experience with recovery is ours--all we have to do is ask.

❖

Just for Today: I'm grateful for the time, the love, and the experience my sponsor has shared with me. Today I will call my sponsor.

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.
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02/07/2026

07 February

Recovery Makes Us More Resilient

Page 39

"As we progress, we learn that we can always begin a new journey in recovery, and we can start over whenever we need to. We don't need to blow up our lives to get a fresh start."

Living Clean, Chapter 3, "Spirituality in Action"

Life on life's terms comes with some inevitable setbacks. Recovery gives us choices about how we deal with those occasional stumbling blocks or misfortunes. Do we summon our inner drama queen, back ourselves into a corner, and turn a minor setback into a full-blown catastrophe? Sometimes, yes. And, sadly, relapse can be part of that story.

Fortunately for us, recovery makes us more resilient. We learn we can reset our attitude instead of resetting our cleantime. We're reminded that change is the only constant. Life's challenges don't end when we get clean. Rather, we learn to respond to change and challenges in a different way, summarized by one member: "Get knocked down three times? Get up four."

Early on, it may have taken a toxic relationship or some regrettable financial mismanagement for us to reach for the reset button. Our tolerance for emotional pain or spiritual disconnection lessens over time, however. Our setbacks are less dramatic because we're quicker to get into the solution. We accept new realities more readily. Instead of resisting the storms of life, we learn to bend with the wind.

The Twelve Steps offer us a spiritual path through life. It crosses the same rough terrain, but we become more sure-footed. We navigate the obstacles and have the courage to explore uncharted territory. With the support of our fellow members and our Higher Power, we may stumble, but it gets easier to get back up. With the hope that our best days are ahead and the courage to make that so, we dust ourselves off and continue on our journey.

I will recognize the sources of my resilience today and be grateful for all that contributes to my ability to put one foot in front of the other.

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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02/07/2026

07 February

This is not a test

Page 39

"...we have found a loving, personal God to whom we can turn."

Basic Text, p. 27

❖

Some of us come into recovery with the impression that life's hardships are a series of cosmic tests designed to teach us something. This belief is readily apparent when something traumatic happens and we wail, "My Higher Power is testing me!" We're convinced that it's a test of our recovery when someone offers us drugs, or a test of our character when faced with a situation where we could do something unprincipled without getting caught. We may even think it's a test of our faith when we're in great pain over a tragedy in our lives.

But a loving Higher Power doesn't test our recovery, our character, or our faith. Life just happens, and sometimes it hurts. Many of us have lost love through no fault of our own. Some of us have lost all of our material wealth. A few of us have even grieved the loss of our own children. Life can be terribly painful at times, but the pain is not inflicted on us by our Higher Power. Rather, that Power is constantly by our sides, ready to carry us if we can't walk by ourselves. There is no harm that life can do us that the God of our understanding can't heal.

❖

Just for Today: I will have faith that my Higher Power's will for me is good, and that I am loved. I will seek my Higher Power's help in times of need.

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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02/06/2026

HIV Criminalization and Black Americans - Williams Institute

Black Americans are disproportionately affected by both the HIV epidemic and by over-policing and mass incarceration. This research summary examines how these intersecting crises contribute to the HIV criminalization of Black people in the United States.

02/06/2026

06 February

Unconditional Love and Step Five

Page 38

". . . many of us have looked up and seen unconditional love in the eyes of the person hearing our Fifth Step."

It Works, Step Five

From addict to addict, sponsor to sponsor, sponsee to sponsee, there's nothing in NA that all of us experience the same way. There's the popularized, or even idealized, notion of how things should go, and there's how they actually happen. Many of us resist Step Four because of Step Five. The thought of being that vulnerable with someone is scary. And when we hear those wonderful stories of members reading their inventories to their sponsors and immediately feeling relief and acceptance, we may feel more intimidated than reassured. Many of us do have a sponsor whose eyes reflect unconditional love and who says all the right things. But what about tomorrow?

Like all other spiritual principles, unconditional love takes work. It's not a snap-your-fingers moment, a switch we turn for the perfect moment that stays bright without fail. NA provides a place for all of us, a place where any addict can find hope. We deserve the love of the Fellowship, yet that requires the individual effort of members. Unconditional love is more than merely loving someone for who they are regardless of . . .

In the sponsor-sponsee relationship, loving is more than just accepting. A sponsor shared, "Unconditional love says that I will invest in your growth, no matter what. I intentionally decide to invest in someone regardless of who you are or what you've done. We all deserve that. I also have to be working on myself to loosen and remove the conditions on love that my life experiences have placed there." We don't do it perfectly, and how we express unconditional love isn't uniform from addict to addict or from day to day.

Accepting the unconditional love that's offered also takes work. For many of us, the Fifth Step is an opportunity to do just that. Perhaps even more so, it's the day after, when we call our sponsor and they're there for us, just like yesterday.

Love is a decision that needs to be made over and over again. I'm willing to take action about that decision today regarding a fellow member and unconditionally express love as best I can.

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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02/06/2026

06 February

I can't--we can

Page 38

"We had convinced ourselves that we could make it alone and proceeded to live life on that basis. The results were disastrous and, in the end, each of us had to admit that self-sufficiency was a lie."

Basic Text, p. 62

❖

"I can't, but we can." This simple but profound truth applies initially to our first need as NA members: Together, we can stay clean, but when we isolate ourselves, we're in bad company. To recover, we need the support of other addicts.

Self-sufficiency impedes more than just our ability to stay clean. With or without drugs, living on self-will inevitably leads to disaster. We depend on other people for everything from goods and services to love and companionship, yet self-will puts us in constant conflict with those very people. To live a fulfilling life, we need harmony with others.

Other addicts and others in our communities are not the only ones we depend on. Power is not a human attribute, yet we need power to live. We find it in a Power greater than ourselves which provides the guidance and strength we lack on our own. When we pretend to be self-sufficient, we isolate ourselves from the one source of power sufficient to effectively guide us through life: our Higher Power.

Self-sufficiency doesn't work. We need other addicts; we need other people; and, to live fully, we need a Power greater than our own.

❖

Just for Today: I will seek the support of other recovering addicts, harmony with others in my community, and the care of my Higher Power.

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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02/05/2026

🗣️ Share this if you believe recovery must be for EVERY body. ♿🦯
🚨 URGENT: Georgia’s Recovery System is Being Built Right Now—And It’s Leaving People Behind. 🚨
The Georgia State Legislature is fast-tracking House Bill 657. This bill will define the legal standards for every Recovery Community Organization (RCO) in our state. While professionalizing peer support is a major victory, there is a dangerous gap in the draft: It is silent on accessibility.
As the Executive Director of BAIN, Inc. and a Peer Specialist in long-term recovery, I am sounding the alarm. There is NO recovery without ACCESSIBILITY.
Why is this a fight worth having? Because 1 in 4 Georgians lives with a disability.
* If a recovery center isn’t wheelchair accessible, you are locking the door on 25% of the community.
* If recovery apps and materials aren’t compatible with screen readers like JAWS or VoiceOver, you are silencing the Blind recovery community.
* If the "Lived Experience" on an RCO board doesn’t include a cross-disability perspective, it is not a full picture of recovery.
True professionalism in recovery requires a commitment to the whole person. If a program is not accessible to every Georgian—regardless of how they move, see, hear, or process information—it is not a solution; it is a barrier.
We must act NOW to ensure HB 657 reflects the reality of the 1-in-4 Georgians living with disabilities. Recovery must not be a privilege for the few; it must be an accessible reality for all!

—don't leave accessibility out of the law.

02/04/2026

04 February

Courage in the Face of Self-Doubt

Page 36

"There are times when we must find the courage to be the lone voice on an issue or stand up for principle against a strong majority."

Guiding Principles, Tradition Two, Opening Essay

Tradition Two reassures us that, as individual members, we don't need to have all the answers. But sometimes we do have an answer to an issue that comes up in our group, and we're sure it's the right one. It's well thought-out. It's aligned with our Traditions. Its airtight adherence to our primary purpose of carrying the message is sharp as an axe blade. It's undeniably the right answer--except no one else seems to view the issue the way we do. The group's conscience seems to be veering away from logic, principles, and the spirit of NA. So, do we go with the flow or make waves?

When we were using, many of us lived by the old standby "go along to get along." Even though we may not have agreed with what was being said or done by those around us, we lacked the courage to stand up for ourselves, our beliefs, or other people. Working a program helps to reveal what our convictions are and how they're aligned with NA's. In a group situation where going with the flow might be the easier choice, we, first of all, check our motives honestly to make sure we're driven by our common welfare and not our ego. We ask our Higher Power to help us find our voice, shaky as it might be in the face of a strong majority. Courage is the strength to stand up for what we believe in.

Courage helps us beat back self-doubt and fears of disappointing or angering others. It keeps us engaged, even open-minded, when our "right" answer is, in the end, sidelined by the majority. Humility can steady us, no matter which way it goes. And, once we find the courage, we can continue to be emboldened to keep using our voice and standing up for principles, while inviting in a Higher Power to influence our group decisions and staying out of the result.

I ask for the strength to practice courage to change the things I can. I know what I believe in and will have the courage to stand up for it--and the willingness and humility to accept the outcome.

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.
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