Welcome to the e-Meeting of Earth Group of Narcotics Anonymous! Please imagine we are sitting around in a
comfortable, cozy meeting room. On the walls are NA posters of the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions. Over in the
corner, a big silver coffee pot just finished percolating. On a table by the door is NA literature. There's an empty
chair in the middle of the room signifying the addict who has yet to find the rooms of Narcotics Anonymous.
There's a warm, comfortable feeling in the room. You've come home.
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"Every N.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions."(7th Traditon). "We need money
to run our group; there is rent to pay, supplies and literature to buy. We take a collection in our meetings to cover
these expenses and whatever is left goes to support our services and to further our primary purpose."-BT pg71
(7th Tradition). To donate via PayPal you can just click "donate" on our homepage, You may also send donations by
U.S. Mail. We accept checks, money orders, travelers checks and cash (be sure to wrap it up good). The address is
below. Thanks Family.
Earth Group of Narcotics Anonymous
4407 Shetland Way
Westville, NJ 08093
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Hi Family. I'm Jim T, and I am an addict and Earth Group NA e-Meeting chairperson/mailer.We'd like to open this
meeting with a moment of silence for the addicts who still suffer, both in and out of these rooms, followed by the Serenity
Prayer:
God.
Grant us the Serenity to accept the things we cannot change.
Courage to change the things we can,
and the Wisdom to know the difference.
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NA READINGS
Who is an addict?
Most of us do not have to think twice about this question. We know! Our whole life and thinking was centered in drugs in
one form or another-the getting and using and finding ways and means to get more. We lived to use and used to live.
Very simply, an addict is a man or woman whose life is controlled by drugs. We are people in the grip of a continuing and
progressive illness whose ends are always the same: jails, institutions, and death.
What Is The Narcotics Anonymous Program?
NA is a nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. We are recovering
addicts who meet regularly to help each other stay clean. This is a program of complete abstinence from all drugs.
There is only one requirement for membership, the desire to stop using. We suggest that you keep an open mind and give
yourself a break. Our program is a set of principles written so simply that we can follow them in our daily lives. The most
important thing about them is that they work.
There are no strings attached to NA. We are not affiliated with any other organizations. We have no initiation fees or dues, no
pledges to sign, no promises to make to anyone. We are not connected with any political, religious, or law enforcement groups,
and are under no surveillance at any time. Anyone may join us, regardless of age, race, sexual identity, creed, religion, or lack
of religion.
We are not interested in what or how much you used or who your connections were, what you have done in the past, how much
or how little you have, but only in what you want to do about your problem and how we can help.
The newcomer is the most important person at any meeting, because we can only keep what we have by giving it away. We have
learned from our group experience that those who keep coming to our meetings regularly stay clean.
Why Are We Here?
Before coming to the Fellowship of NA, we could not manage our own lives. We could not live and enjoy life as other people do.
We had to have something different and we thought we had found it in drugs. We placed their use ahead of the welfare of our
families, our wives, husbands, and our children. We had to have drugs at all costs. We did many people great harm, but most of
all we harmed ourselves. Through our inability to accept personal responsibilities we were actually creating our own problems. We
seemed to be incapable of facing life on its own terms. Most of us realized that in our addiction we were slowly committing
suicide, but addiction is such a cunning enemy of life that we had lost the power to do anything about it. Many of us ended up in
jail, or sought help through medicine, religion, and psychiatry. None of these methods was sufficient for us. Our disease always
resurfaced or continued to progress until, in desperation, we sought help from each other in Narcotics Anonymous. After coming
to NA we realized we were sick people. We suffered from a disease from which there is no known cure. It can, however, be arrested
at some point, and recovery is then possible.
How It Works
If you want what we have to offer, and are willing to make the effort to get it, then you are ready to take certain steps. These are the
principles that made our recovery possible.
1. We admitted that we were powerless over our addiction, that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. We made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him,
praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to addicts, and to practice these principles
in all our affairs.
This sounds like a big order, and we can't do it all at once. We didn't become addicted in one day, so remember-easy does it. There is one
thing more than anything else that will defeat us in our recovery; this is an attitude of indifference or intolerance toward spiritual principles.
Three of these that are indispensable are honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness. With these we are well on our way.
We feel that our approach to the disease of addiction is completely realistic, for the therapeutic value of one addict helping another is without
parallel. We feel that our way is practical, for one addict can best understand and help another addict. We believe that the sooner we face our
problems within our society, in everyday living, just that much faster do we become acceptable, responsible, and productive members of that
society.
The only way to keep from returning to active addiction is not to take that first drug. If you are like us you know that one is too many and
a thousand never enough. We put great emphasis on this, for we know that when we use drugs in any form, or substitute one for another, we
release our addiction all over again.
Thinking of alcohol as different from other drugs has caused a great many addicts to relapse. Before we came to NA, many of us viewed alcohol
separately, but we cannot afford to be confused about this. Alcohol is a drug. We are people with the disease of addiction who must abstain from
all drugs in order to recover.
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The Twelve Traditions of NA
We keep what we have only with vigilance, and just as freedom for the individual comes from the Twelve Steps, so freedom for the group springs from
our traditions. As long as the ties that bind us together are stronger than those that would tear us apart, all will be well.
1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends on NA unity.
2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority-a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but
trusted servants; they do not govern.
3. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using.
4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or NA as a whole.
5. Each group has but one primary purpose-to carry the message to the addict who still suffers.
6. An NA group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the NA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property,
or prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
7. Every NA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
8. Narcotics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
9. NA, as such, ought never be organized, but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
10. Narcotics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the NA name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio,
and films.
12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.
Understanding these Traditions comes slowly over a period of time. We pick up information as we talk to members and visit various groups. It
usually isn't until we get involved with service that someone points out that "personal recovery depends on N.A. unity," and that unity depends
on how well we follow our Traditions. The Twelve Traditions of N.A. are not negotiable. They are the guidelines that keep our Fellowship alive
and free.
By following these guidelines in our dealings with others, and society at large, we avoid many problems. That is not to say that our Traditions
eliminate all problems. We still have to face difficulties as they arise: communication problems, differences of opinion, internal controversies, and
troubles with individuals and groups outside the Fellowship. However, when we apply these principles, we avoid some of the pitfalls.
Many of our problems are like those that our predecessors had to face. Their hard won experience gave birth to the Traditions, and our own
experience has shown that these principles are just as valid today as they were when these Traditions were formulated. Our Traditions protect us
from the internal and external forces that could destroy us. They are truly the ties that bind us together. It is only through understanding and
application that they work.
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Hello and hugs Earth Group NA family My name is Caren K. and I am an addict and the group’s current online meeting servant. I would like to
remind our fellowship that we offer 11 NA online meetings weekly with daily nooners (12 PM EDT) Tuesday-Friday and several meetings at night
on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Sunday sunrise at 7:30 AM EDT. Our newest meeting is the Saturday Step study
meeting which starts at 10 AM EDT. Our chat room is open 24/7 for our membership. If you would like further information or are interested in
being of service for our meetings or chat room, please contact me at chat@earthgroupna.org. Thank you and be blessed in your recovery. ((hugs))
Caren K.
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Clean Time Celebrants!! We love to celebrate clean time anniversaries in Narcotics Anonymous! It is such a miracle for any addict to go one day
without using, but to put together 30 days or more is beyond our wildest dreams and truly a miracle worth celebrating. Below are those celebrating
their accomplishment this week. Please join us in congratulating each one of these miracles!
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Wednesday
07/28/2010
Greg C.--------------------------------------8 Years Today!
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Thursday
07/29/2010
Shari R.-------------------------------------1 Year Today!
Atom---------------------------------------5 Years Today!
Andrew L.---------------------------------6 Years Today!
Dave B.----------------------------------18 Years Today!
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Friday
07/30/2010
Mette S.------------------------------------3 Years Today!
Daisy B.-----------------------------------4 Years Today!
Dorrit T.-----------------------------------7 Years Today!
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Saturday
07/31/2010
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Sunday
08/01/2010
Paul R.------------------------------------60 Days Today!
Heather L.---------------------------------3 Years Today!
Michelle A.--------------------------------7 Years Today!
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Monday
08/02/2010
Dave B.----------------------------------90 Days Today!
Mandy-------------------------------------3 Years Today!
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Tuesday
08/03/2010
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THANK (GOD) THAT WE ALL HAVE TODAY!! If we miss announcing your clean time anniversary, please let us know! If you would
like to celebrate with us, please send an email with your first name, last initial, and email address and clean date to
congratulator@earthgroupna.org. Thank you! Congratulations everyone! Keep coming back!
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A few quick notes on our eMeeting:
1. You are welcome to use your first name and last initial or the name you use to log into Earth Group's BBS to identify yourself
when you submit your share for publishing in our eMeeting.
2. Our eMeeting is a once a week mailer that is generally emailed out on Wednesdays. Ever so often it may be sent out a little
early or a little late depending on participation. There no deadlines for sharing. We include all shares received right up until the
moment the meeting is sent out. We strongly encourage everyone's participation. After all, we keep what we have by giving
it back. You may not always need the meeting, but the meeting almost always needs you and your experience, strength, and
hope.
3. Please share your personal experience, strength, and hope as you would in a live face-to-face meeting, either on the topic
provided, or whatever may be affecting your recovery. We ask that no outside issues, written materials, non-NA recovery oriented
documents or plagiarism be sent in as a share.
4. We do not publish the email address of the person sharing, nor any email addresses or website addresses that might be included
in a share. Of course, email addresses or website addresses that are included as part of an announcement may be published, after
the group has reviewed the announcement for adherence to the 12 Traditions of Narcotics Anonymous and Earth Group NA group
policy.
5. If you've used today, or need help in your efforts to stay clean, please feel free to reach out to one of our online sponsors at /esponsor.html
6. Please visit our website at www.earthgroupna.org for detailed information regarding functions, locating NA Meetings, Online Sponsorship,
Message Board, Chat Room, Online NA Meetings, NA Literature, etc. Thank you.
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The Topic for this eMeeting: A STORY IN RECOVERY
Hi, family. I’m a recovering addict named Vic. I am humbled to serve Earth Group as Discussion Leader for this meeting.
Sometimes I’m not sure if I have anything to offer other addicts but my own experience, strength and hope. And when that proves hard to come by, I
always have NA literature to lean on. For today, I found hope in someone else’s story. “Today staying clean is the most important thing I can do. To
accomplish that, I need the Twelve Step, a sponsor, a Higher Power, and service. I have lived through many bad experiences being clean, because I am
stubborn. I tend to prioritize other things like my work, my mate, and fun. When I do this my life becomes a disaster. I am not a quick learner, but I am
beginning to understand that as long as I take care of my recovery, everything else will get better.
“Today, Narcotics Anonymous makes more sense to me than anything else. Giving to others fills me up more than drugs, sex, food, or money ever did.
I have a Higher Power now and that makes me feel more tranquil. I trust that no matter what happens I won't be alone. Today all things are better balanced.
“I am very dramatic. When I don't get what I want, I suffer too much. I must learn to allow things to happen, always doing the best I can. But the emptiness
I feel today is not as deep as it was in the past. I am not very stable emotionally, and I have occasional obsessive thoughts. I still have a lot of work ahead of
me. But nothing compares to the nightmare of using. I know that I don't have to make a storm in a glass of water*.
“There's a lot to be done for the fellowship in my country. There are more meetings now than when I met the program, but many people still don't know that
Narcotics Anonymous exists here. I didn't know. Today it is my commitment to let everyone know that we exist, because I don't want addicts like me to
believe that it is not possible to recovery.
“Life on life's terms has ups and downs. People I loved have passed away. I went through a divorce, and I lost a job. But I no longer hurt myself the way I did
when I was using. ...You have taught me that today there is no reason to use again.
“I want to be here and be part of all this. To feel that I belong to this fellowship has been fundamental to staying clean. I once thought that if I survived to my
thirtieth birthday I would kill myself. All my idols were musicians and artists who died young from overdoses. Today I am thirty-two years old and I love to be
alive. The best experience of my life has been to see how the eyes of an addict who begins to recovery don't have that look of death anymore. Seeing that
awakening is worth more than anything else. Forever and ever, thanks for opening the door of life to me. - Basic Text, pgs 190-191, ‘Restored to Dignity’
One of the blessings I receive these days is the Sixth Edition of NA’s Basic Text. Our ‘worldwide fellowship’ went international in its latest version. This story
is from a woman in Mexico. It reminded me, again, that NA is enriched by our diversity. And that a ‘simple message of recovery is proving itself in the lives of
addicts’ no matter where they are.
As it says in my favorite reading: ‘Just for today, I will get a better perspective on my life.’ What does NA provide to your perspective today? What is your
experience, strength and hope? What is your: Story in Recovery?
(You may share on this topic through July 28th to be included in Earth Group’s eMeeting, which is sent out the next day.)
Ready to Share on this week’s topic, which is, I guess, where you are in your recovery today? There are now two ways to participate! You can send your share
to Jim at mailer@earthgroupna.org. Or visit the eMeeting/Topic heading on our Forum at http://www.earthgroupna.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=5 where you can
read the current topic and hit ‘post reply:’ Either way works.
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The floor is open:
Melanye C
My name is Melanye and I am an alcoholic/addict. I have been disabled since 2004 due to a severe spinal Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia.
I attended face 2 face meetings until it became physically too taxing. I have been sober for 5 years in this my second time around with sobriety. See, I
started drinking in 1989 when my boyfriend decided, "You need to learn how to drink!" From the first time I always drank to get drunk.
For the first 2 years it was just in his words, "To have a good time and loosen up." In 1991 I was beginning my struggle with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia.
It was very painful even then. I was not properly diagnosed so they really didn't do much for me other than start me on painkillers. This is when my addiction to
them began. My drinking turned to avoidance and drowning it all out. I did all of this for 5 years until I was brought to the point of attempting suicide. I was placed in a hospital
and forced into sobriety. I still didn't think I really had a problem. Once out I maintained things for only 1 year. I went to AA meetings and I did the steps (got
stuck on step 4). But I still had closed eyes to the fact that I truly was an alcoholic. My physical pain was increasing, too. So, in an effort to "forget" my pain
I went back out there I spent the next 10 years out there.
The doctors started telling me I was killing myself with the booze and pills. Once I got married I had a non-drinking husband who was very concerned for me. My
faith in God was allowing me to finally start hearing His voice that I was not doing the right things. All of this led me back into the rooms of AA. In 2005, July 1st, I
took my huge step back into sobriety. With my health failing and being disabled.no longer able to teach middle school Science and Math.I felt I had no choice. I
was finally fully faced with the truth of my alcoholism. I restarted the steps.
When I got to step 4 I faithfully faced my inventory, saw my life for what it had been, and then moved on. Over the last 4 years I have truthfully and with many, many
tears gone through the steps. It has been the most wonderful journey of my life!
I believe I should always be learning and honestly evaluating, so, I am currently doing the 12 steps again. It is so very eye-opening!! On 3-30-09 I suffered kidney
failure, due to the narcotics I had taken for 18 years and 2 days later I had a heart attack.I died twice. This was also due to the narcotics. They took me off of
them and let me know if I ever had another one of ANY kind I would die for good. I have been clean of any opiate drug for over 6 months! I am very slowly recovering.
My body was already weakened by the RA, so I may never fully recover. But I take things one day at a time.
I share all of this not to tout my accomplishments but in order that it might help another alcoholic. I may be unable to actually go to meetings, but I can surely
reach out through email meetings and online meetings. I have nothing to keep if I am unwilling to give it away!
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Jim T
Welcome home to all the new members of our Earth Group family and congratulations to all the members of our family celebrating clean time anniversaries.
Always remember that you never have to use again and that you never, ever have to go through anything alone again. We are family here at Earth Group
and family supports and loves family first and foremost. Today, by the grace and mercy of the God of my understanding; I am an addict. My name is Jim.
I am living proof that hope is never lost! To let you know how far I've come, let me tell you where I've been. Not that long ago, there were nights I went to
sleep in strange places praying I wouldn't wake up. After another night of bad decisions, I'd lie down with my heart speeding inside my chest like it was
about to burst through the skin. My thinking was clouded, and my life was one day closer to being totally wasted.
I prayed to be spared another day of guilt and depression and addiction. I couldn't continue living the life of an addict, and I couldn't stop, either. It was a
horrible downward spiral that I had to pull out of, or die. I lay there (in a hot and dry hotel room in Arizona) and prayed to whatever was out there to take
me away from the nightmare my life had become.
When I think of those terrible times, there's one memory that stands out. I was sitting on the balcony of my room on the 12th floor of a hotel with a bottle
of Jack in one hand and a handful of pills in the other. I just knew that my family would be better off if I was dead. Little did I realize that my life insurance
would not pay one thin dime if my death were a suicide, but that didn’t matter to me at that time. I had moved the chair to the railing and stood on the
balcony railing ready to take my first step into eternity when my cell phone rang. I knew intuitively it would be my dear wife calling before she went to bed
back in Mississippi. I stepped down and avoided getting my dance card punched at the final point of the triangle of self-obsession: Jails. Institutions. Death!
I was so out of it I was in and out of consciousness, but my body had kept going. I knew that I was very close to the edge of reality and loaded with the right
combination to help me get my ticket punched. I was never good at doing things by the steps in the right order. If the directions were do step 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and
6; I would do 1 and 6 and if I had to go back to fill in the blanks, well, that was just the way it was. I was taking a prescription anti-anxiety drug, along with
whatever else I could get my hands on at the time, and the combination had put me over the edge. It's the perfect example of what I was: a dead man walking.
Today, I repeatedly ask myself one simple question: How did I get here from there? So far, I haven’t put together the complete answer to that question. Perhaps,
I never will! But today, I can go to sleep every night with a clear mind and a clear conscience. How am I here? I can only shrug and say, "It's a God thing." It's
the only possible explanation. There's a reason my prayers weren't answered during those dark, messed-up nights I spent scared out of my mind. There's a
reason I have this blessed opportunity to share my story with other recovering addicts.
My dear wife predicted this day would come. At my lowest point, when I was wasting away to skin and bones and listening to nobody, she told me I was slowly
committing suicide. She had no reason to believe in me. During that time, I did everything to destroy my body with drugs. I was a bad husband and a bad father,
and I had no relationship with God. Living wasn’t even on my radar screen as the drugs controlled everything that happened in my life at that point. Still my wife
kept telling me: "You're going to stop this behavior because I just know that there's a bigger plan for you." I couldn't even look her in the eye. I said something like:
"Yeah, yeah, quit talking to me."
Today, I realize that she is pretty smart because I have a mission now. My mission is to be the beacon of hope, the guy who steps up and stands out and owns
up to his mistakes and lets people know it's never completely hopeless, no matter how bad it seems at the time. I have a platform and a message, and now I go
to bed at night, clean and happy, praying I can be a good messenger for just another 24 hours.
Addiction is a humbling experience. Getting it under control is even more humbling. I got better for one reason: I surrendered. Instead of asking to be bailed out,
instead of making deals with God by saying, "If you get me out of this mess, I'll stop doing what I'm doing," I asked for help. I wouldn't do that before. I was a big,
strong man, and I was supposed to be able to handle my problems myself. That didn't work out so well.
Every day I'm reminded that my story is bigger than me. It never fails. Every time I talk to people who are either battling their own addictions or trying to help
someone else who is; I give back what has been so freely been given to me. Who talks to me? It really doesn’t matter because I don’t wear my recovery on my
sleeve. Just about everybody who has gone through an addiction and successfully has become a more productive member of society wants to share their story.
I do this each and every day, listening with empathy, understanding where they have been and perhaps most important; minding my own business.
I am reminded every day that this isn't really about Jim. It's amazing that the God of my own understanding pulled me from the brinks of hell and opened the
doors to Narcotics Anonymous right here at Earth Group. I have been around here about as long as I have been clean. Today, I feel like I can do anything
anywhere with the help of my Higher Power. This may sound crazy, but I wouldn't change a thing about the path my Higher Power has given me to walk as
I make my way back home. I’ll bet right about now, you're probably thinking: Bad decisions and addiction almost cost me my life, and I wouldn't change
anything? I wouldn't change a thing because if I hadn't gone through all the hard times, this whole story could never be told. My life right now, behind my
relationship with God and my family is my relationship with my on line recovery family right here at Earth Group. Without the first two, there wouldn’t be a
Jim T. sharing with you just now. Believe me, I know!
I no longer feel the shame I once felt was my constant companion. I know I'm different. I am an addict. I have been blessed with a family and friends who have
been very accepting. When I went back to my old job after going through treatment, I was walking by a group where one of the folks who I work with said in a
tone he thought I wouldn’t hear: “There goes the old man. Ain’t it too bad we have to work with a dope fiend?” I spun around on a dime and said: "Say Johnny;
try telling me something I don't know, dude," I said. The whole group started laughing and cheering, and Johnny turned to them and said, "I'm sorry". I said one
other thing to Johnny that day: “By-the-way, Johnny, the correct word is “Isn’t” not “Ain’t”. I hope you aren’t using “ain’t’ when you’re talking to our customers. The
group cheered me from that point on.
I live by a simple philosophy: Nobody can insult me as much as I've insulted myself. I've learned that I have to keep doing the right things and not worry about what
people think. Fortunately, I have a strong support group with dear wife, my family, my sponsor and Johnny. If I ever get in a bad situation, I know I would have to get
out of it by calling my sponsor and making amends for what my role in that situation is. The key for me is not getting myself into those situations! I have a plan
because that’s just one part of understanding the reality of my addiction.
Being honest (brutally honest) each day in everything I do is critical to my recovery. I can't avoid my past, so I don't try. It's not always easy, though. I can't control
what people think. I have had to learn how to dream all over again. When I was using, I never dreamed. I'd sleep the dead, dreamless sleep of a stalled brain. When
I stopped using, I found my dreams returned. They weren't always good dreams; most of the ones I remember were haunting and dark. They stayed with me long after
I woke up. I had the most haunting and repeating dream for the first year or so of recovery. I was fighting a devil, an awful-looking thing. I had a stick or a bat or
something, and every time I hit the devil, he'd fall and get back up. Over and over I hit him, until I was exhausted and he was still standing. I’d wake up in a sweat, as
if I'd been truly fighting, and the terror that gripped me makes that dream feel real to this very day. I'd been alone for so long, alone with the fears and emotions I
worked so hard to kill. I'm not embarrassed to admit that after I wake up from that dream the nights I have them I turn it all over to God and go back to sleep
without a lot of struggle.
After that nightmare stopped bouncing around inside my head another dream very similar to it began (and still) to visit me now and then. It is basically the same
dream, with one important difference. I would hit the devil and he still bounces back up, the ugliest and most hideous creature you can imagine. This devil seems
unbeatable; I can't knock him out. But just when I felt like giving up, I felt a presence by my side. I turn my head and see the God of my understanding battling
alongside me. We keep fighting, and I am always filled with strength that flows from my Higher Power. That devil doesn't stand a chance today. Doubt me if you
choose (that is your perogative) but I dream it. When I wake up, I feel at peace. I am no longer scared. To me, the lesson is obvious: Alone, I couldn't win this battle.
With God, I can't lose.
I get cravings at times yet today, and I see it as the devil trying to catch me in a weak moment. The best thing I can do is get the thought out of my mind as soon as
I can, so it doesn't turn into an obsession. When it happens, I talk to him. I talk to the old devil and say, "These are just thoughts, and I'm not going to act on them."
When I talk like that, when I tell him he's not going to get the best of me, I feel the warmth of the presence of God fill my entire body and peace and serenity
rule the day. Believe it or not, talking to this dream devil is no harder to explain than many other experiences I've had since the day when my life changed. You see, I
may not know how I got here from there, but every day I get a better understanding of why.
_________________________________________
The topic for our next eMeeting is: SELF ACCEPTANCE
Hi, family. I’m a recovering addict named Vic. I am so privileged to serve as your Discussion Leader for this meeting.
"As we grow, we come to understand humility as acceptance of both our assets and our liabilities. What we want most is to feel good about ourselves. Today
we have real feelings of love, joy, hope, sadness, excitement.”
- Basic Text, pg. 101
My first home group in NA met on Saturday mornings in the room with where the walls were pink. Hot pink. ‘Gay and Straight Together’ has moved on from those
days, but the topic format remains the same. The Chairperson takes three suggestions from the members and then the group votes on which topic is most relevant
to them that day. I used to laugh at how many times the IP Pamphlet on ‘Self Acceptance’ was considered and then chosen by huge margins. It is pink too. It
matched the room. And it matched our member’s concerns. We went around the room, taking turns reading.
“The problem -
The lack of self-acceptance is a problem for many recovering addicts. This subtle defect is difficult to identify and often goes unrecognized. …Many of the problems
we experience in ongoing recovery stem from an inability to accept ourselves on a deep level. We may not even realize that this discomfort is the source of our
problem, because it is often manifested in other ways. We may find ourselves becoming irritable or judgmental, discontent, depressed, or confused. We may find
ourselves trying to change environmental factors in an attempt to satisfy the inner gnawing we feel. In situations such as these our experience has shown that it is
best to look inward for the source of our discontent. Very often, we discover that we are harsh critics of ourselves, wallowing in self-loathing and self-rejection.
“Before coming to NA, most of us spent our entire lives in self-rejection. We hated ourselves and tried every way we could to become someone different. We wanted
to be anyone but who we were. Unable to accept ourselves, we tried to gain the acceptance of others. We wanted other people to give us the love and acceptance we
could not give ourselves, but our love and friendship were always conditional. We would do anything for anyone just to gain their acceptance and approval, and then
would resent those who wouldn’t respond the way we wanted them to.
“Because we could not accept ourselves, we expected to be rejected by others. We would not allow anyone to get close to us for fear that if they really knew us, they
would also hate us. To protect ourselves from vulnerability, we would reject others before they had a chance to reject us.”
It doesn’t take much imagination to know why many of us felt that passage described our entire lives. There were gay men and lesbians in that meeting whose families
had disowned them. Or they were abused – emotionally, physically, or sexually – because of who they were. And I soon realized that no particular group of addicts
had a corner on self-hatred. The straight members cherished this little pink pamphlet just as much as anyone. They too had stories of feeling ‘less than,’ of even being
unworthy of recovery. They had experienced loss before, during and after their active addiction. Their every attempt at a healthy relationship failed. Everyone at that
meeting had felt the terrible sadness of isolation.
I learned over the years that most addicts lack a sense of who they are in the world. That’s why we thought using drugs would solve the problem. Until the drugs just
made us despise ourselves even more. Every time our group shared - and we chose this topic a lot – we learned more about the scars that kept us from living as other
people do. It wasn’t a laughing matter, really – though sometimes we shared the humor of recognition and identification. We were a family and together we sought
solutions. The answers, of course, seemed almost too simple. But they were right there, read aloud at the beginning of every meeting: The Twelve Steps of NA.
“Today, the first step toward self-acceptance is acceptance of our addiction. We must accept our disease and all the troubles that it brings us before we can accept
ourselves as human beings. …A spiritual understanding of self-acceptance knows that it is all right to find ourselves in pain, to have made mistakes, and to knowing
that we are not perfect. …Now that we have come to believe in a Power greater than ourselves, we can depend upon His strength to give us the courage to honestly
examine our defects and our assets. Although it is sometimes painful and may not seem to lead to self-acceptance, it is necessary to get in touch with our feelings.
Our defects are part of us and will only be removed when we practice living the NA program. Our assets are gifts from our Higher Power, and as we learn to utilize them
fully, our self-acceptance grows and our lives improve.
“Sometimes we slip into the melodrama of wishing we could be what we think we should be. … [But] we no longer have to look for the approval of others because we
are satisfied with being ourselves. We are free to gratefully emphasize our assets, to humbly move away from our defects, and to become the best recovering addicts
we can be. Accepting ourselves as we are means that we are all right, that we are not perfect, but we can improve.
“We remember that we have the disease of addiction, and that it takes a long time to achieve self-acceptance on a deep level. No matter how bad our lives have
become, we are always accepted in the Fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous.
“Accepting ourselves as we are resolves the problem of expecting human perfection. When we accept ourselves, we can accept others into our lives, unconditionally,
probably for the first time. Our friendships become deep and we experience the warmth and caring which results from addicts sharing recovery and a new life.”
- ‘Self-Acceptance’ Information Pamphlet
I have a new Home Group now. And the years have passed. And those days of huddling together in the warmth of each other’s company during long Chicago winters
can feel far away. But the joys we shared together as we worked the NA program, and the self-love and friendship that came as a product of that work, lingers still,
whispering in my ear. It is a friendly haunting. And it has been my honor to share my story with you all, my family here at Earth Group.
It is now time for you to share. What self-image problems are you dealing with, and how have you used the Steps to find solutions? How has the fellowship helped?
What is your own experience, strength and hope with
SELF-ACCEPTANCE
Ready to Share on this week’s topic? You may share on this topic through August 4th to be included in Earth Group’s eMeeting, which is sent out the next day. There
are now two ways to participate! You can email your share to Jim, at mailer@earthgroupna.org. Or you can visit the ‘eMeeting –Topic’ section on Earth Group’s Forum
at http://www.earthgroupna.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=5 where you can read the current topic and hit ‘post reply.’ Either way works!
_________________________________________
NA READINGS
We Do Recover When at the end of the road we find that we can no longer function as a human being, either with or without drugs, we all face the same dilemma. What
is there left to do? There seems to be this alternative: either go on as best we can to the bitter ends-jails, institutions or death-or find a new way to live. In years gone by,
very few addicts ever had this last choice. Those who are addicted today are more fortunate.
For the first time in history, a simple way has been proving itself in the lives of many addicts. It is available to us all. This is a simple spiritual-not
religious-program, known as Narcotics Anonymous.
Just For Today
Tell yourself:
JUST FOR TODAY: my thoughts will be on my recovery, living and enjoying life without the use of drugs.
JUST FOR TODAY: I will have faith in someone in NA who believes in me and wants to help me in my recovery.
JUST FOR TODAY: I will have a program. I will try to follow it to the best of my ability.
JUST FOR TODAY: through NA, I will try to get a better perspective on my life.
JUST FOR TODAY: I will be unafraid. My thoughts will be on my new associations, people who are not using and who have found a new way of life. So long as I
follow that way, I have nothing to fear.
________________________________________
If you have any questions, please contact us at www.earthgroupna.org for more information.
________________________________________
We invite you to join us in any of our real time weekly online NA meetings. You can find our meetings by going to www.earthgroupna.org and clicking on
Schedule. Our weekly schedule is also listed on our Forum accessible from the Home Page. Hope to see you there. If you are interested in doing service in our
meetings, we would love to hear from you. We have available spots for Greeters and Chairpersons. If you would like to be of service and need any info or have
questions about our online meetings, you can write Caren K. at chat@earthgroupna.org
________________________________________
Remember, all shares need to be sent to: mailer@earthgroupna.org and in Plain Text, not html or any fancy fonts or colors. This E-mail address is for Shares
only! If your share comes back undeliverable; please contact the Jim T. at mailer@earthgroupna.org for assistance! All other email needs to be sent to the
Trusted Servant responsible for your concern.
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"Every N.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions."(7th Traditon) "We need money to run our group; there is rent to pay, supplies
and literature to buy. We take a collection in our meetings to cover these expenses and whatever is left goes to support our services and to further our primary
purpose."-BT pg71 (7th Tradition) To donate via PayPal you can just click "donate" on our homepage, You may also send donations by U.S. Mail. We accept
checks, money orders, travelers checks and cashbe sure to wrap it up good). The address is below. Thanks Family.
Earth Group of Narcotics Anonymous
4407 Shetland Way
Westville, NJ 08093
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As outlined by IP#2-The Group, we have a team of individuals who've made a home group commitment to Earth Group of Narcotics Anonymous. If you'd like to become
involved in service as a member of the home group, simply write our home group chairperson for more information. We'd love to have you participate in service
to our home group and maintenance of our internet site! Please feel free to send any question, concerns, comments or suggestions to our home group chairperson.
Thanks.
The current home group chair is Kev B. You can contact him at kb42199@ymail.com
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Let's all hold each other's hands in the Spirit of Unity; and please join in a moment of silence to close our eMeeting; remembering the empty chair in the
middle of the floor; the addict who may die without hearing the message of recovery and HOPE; followed by the WE version of "Our Gratitude
Speaks" and the Third Step Prayer....
....in order that no addict, anywhere, need die from the horrors of addiction....
Our Gratitude Speaks,
When We Care,
and When We Share,
With Others, the NA WAY!
Many of us have said:
Take, our will and our life,
Guide us in our recovery,
Show Us How to Live!!
___________________________________________
Earth Group NA Trusted Servants (Feel free to contact us at any time about anything.)
Webservant
Diane K.
webservant@earthgroupna.org
___________________________________________
Online Meeting Coordinator
Caren K.
Chat@earthgroupna.org
___________________________________________
BBS Coordinator
Judy O.
coordinator@earthgroupna.org
___________________________________________
Discussion Leader
Vic F.
Topic@earthgroupna.org
___________________________________________
Clean Time Congratulator
Sam B.
Congratulator@earthgroupna.org
___________________________________________
e-Meeting Chairperson/mailer
Jim T.
mailer@earthgroupna.org
___________________________________________
Secretary/Treasurer/PI
Kev B.
secretary@earthgroupna.org
___________________________________________
e-Sponsor Coordinator
Ross W.
sponsors@earthgroupna.org
______________________________________
Home Group Chairperson
Kev B.
kb42199@ymail.com
______________________________________
Home Group GSR/PI
Riley G.