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March 9 |
One Addict Helping Another in Unity |
Page 71 |
"Groups flourish with the loving support of addicts helping addicts. We strengthen our unity by participating in each other's recovery." |
It Works, Tradition One |
After living in turmoil and fear for so long, the warm and welcoming atmosphere we found in NA meetings may have been puzzling at first. Some of us wondered if we were in the wrong place. We watched as members jumped in to help set up chairs and greeted each other with hugs. This behavior was unfamiliar and yet strangely compelling. Despite our suspicions, we wanted to find out more. Some of us looked for excuses to leave or for reasons that we didn't belong but found ourselves relating nevertheless. One member recalled, "I heard the speaker share about the despair that brought her to rock bottom. She gave voice to my own fears and regrets. It was a moment of clarity for me: I was not alone in my struggles." It dawns on us that NA members understand the desperation and isolation of active addiction because they've lived it. They found a way out and a new way to live. We begin to hope that the solution they found would work for us too. Over time, we come to appreciate what once confused us. We grow to value what we see and hear in meetings. We follow the lead of more experienced home-group members and participate in some of our meetings' unity-building practices: We welcome new members, empathize with each other's struggles, and celebrate the milestones of recovery. We notice what unity does for individual members as well as for the group--the way we treat each other contributes to a vibrant atmosphere of recovery in which members and groups thrive. |
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Group unity starts with one addict helping another. I will be a part of group unity by offering loving support to a fellow member today. |
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