Overheard At An NA Meeting.........

[cj.]

I'm always curious to know what someone heard at a meeting that helped them with their recovery. What was said that gave you hope? Did someone put a new perspective on a problem that you had? Or, were you just feeling a little blue and someone said something that gave you a big belly laugh? Or maybe all you needed was a warm hug to feel connected?

I'll share a little story from my home group:

We have a trasplanted member from a New England State who has a great sense of humor and a wonderful accent. (Those fork stories are hilarious!)

Anyhow.........He was telling a story about his frame of mind when he was using and selling drugs. He actually remembers seeing himself as a great guy who was providing a valuabe service to his community. He even had a slogan! Service The People!!

Now, you must understand that my home group is very service oriented and this fellow wasn't thinking along these lines at the time.

As he continued speaking about making changes in his life and in his thinking, he realized that his old ideas of helping and giving to others wasn't that different than what it is today! What had changed, though, was the gift.

My lesson: Human goodness and morals exist in all people, especially addicts, no matter what the primary motive or intention may seem to be!

We also have a new group slogan - Service The People!!

cj

(PS: So....What did you hear? I'd really like to know!)

[Gooch]

I wouldn't know where to start ... I usually hear something great at every meeting I go to... one thing does stick out though...

seems when I have been stuck the worst with something somebody with a few days clean drops something along the lines of "today I choose to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem"

wow.. seems I can never be reminded enough that as long as I don't pick up the first one, I have choices... All those years I was under the gun, the only choice I had was to get some or suffer.

[WeDoRecover]

Yep, Gooch. That gets me everytime. I have to ask myself daily whether I'm choosing the solution or the problem. If I'm in the solution, I have a chance.

I find that even after hundreds of meetings, I always hear something different in the readings. It's always as though I've never heard it before and I think "Wow- that's so profound!" Recently it was from Just For Today, "Just for Today, through N.A. I will try to get a better perspective on my life..." Ahh, perspective. I can choose my perspective. NA is a set of principles written so SIMPLY that we can follow them in our daily lives. Duh! Sometimes I need to step back and break it down, quite often the solutions are right in front of me.

[Paulie]

WOW - great topic. I hear stuff all the time, and sometimes it is the simpilest stuff that hits me the hardest.

I remember the first time I really understood that I didn't have to say to myself I would never use again, that I could just tell myself I would not use just for today. Sounds stupid but that was HUGE to me. Thinking I could never use again was too difficult, even today I try and say never. I have seen to many people say they would never use again and are using or dead.

[Imagine]

Thanks cj, very good topic, I really like what everyone shared also, thanks family. As for me I can not hear "Keep it simple, stupid." to much, really I need to hear it everyday. I can still get up in my head about something and turn it into the biggest problem the world ever seen. Thinking I can handle it on my own is very stupid of me, since "My best thinking is what got me here." Keeping it simple for me is remembering that "I can't, He can, I think I'll let him." Yes every time I'm at a meeting I hear something I can use, and more than not it comes from a newcomer.

[namommy]

This is a great topic.

My favorite. "No matter how bad things get or seem to get, as long as you don't pick up, there is hope." I have held onto this during some really screwed up situations and it has yet to fail me. As it says in "Recovery and Relapse" chapter in the basic text, "somedays all we can do is hold onto abstinence come hell or high water."

[godsonmyside]

I think one I've picked up on through listening to the readings more than anything else, "There is one thing more than anything else that will defeat us in our recovery, this is an ATTITUDE!!!!!!!! thats just it, my attitude has got to change, or my clean date will.
Another is "If you think you can controll your using, take some exlax and controll not taking a sh!t".
I like this Topic also, thanks for the shares,
Todd J.