shydawg
07-11-2009, 01:13 PM
Our Not So Basic, Basic Text
« on: August 20, 2008, 05:48:05 AM »
I'm not an N.A. history buff, so I don't know
the dates, or the place, or the players who
wrote the central piece of our literature ...
the Basic Text, but that's exactly the nature
of our literature. It is timeless, and in a real
sense, faceless. To emphasize the fact that
we do not prejudge each other in N.A. by
age, race, creed, religion, lack of religion,
drug of choice, what or how much we have,
etc., etc., etc., our literature is not credited
to any individual addict or group of addicts.
It is enough to know that it is the collective
wisdom of addicts just like us. Just
like you, and just like me. Addicts
who "kept coming back", and who stayed
clean "no matter what". I breezed through
the steps the first time I read them in the Basic
Text. It wasn't hard to do. The chapters
are ridiculously short, some of them little
over a page of material. I thought,
"Wow! This is great! I should get an A+ on
the test!" Little did I know that these written
words, although they are true in their
content, could only represent the beginning
of my understanding of life in recovery.
Like so many things in life, the real
learning is in the application of the ideas,
not just reading about them. Even so, the
addicts who wrote these short and sweet
chapters knew what they were talking
about, and the words they wrote shot though
me with their clear and concise truth.
Step One talks about our inability to control
our usage of drugs, and addiction being a
physical, mental and spiritual disease. And
that our disease is progressive, incurable
and fatal. Willpower, reservations, unmanageability,
surrender, freedom from active
addiction .... hope.
A rollercoaster of concepts and my emotional
reaction to these concepts in just three
pages of writing. Even now, as I look at this
chapter to help me in writing this article, I
am moved remembering what it was like to
be introduced to these ideas ... and to the
awakening of hope in my life.
Step Two awakens us to the realities of the
insanity of the disease of addiction and our
obsession to use drugs. In our need for restoration
to sanity we are encouraged to seek
a power greater than ourselves, our only
guideline being that it be a power that is
loving, caring and greater than ourselves.
We are invited to look for something
spiritual in the group, the program, or
higher power of our own understanding as a
source of strength to help us overcome our
fear of life. This process of coming to believe
helps us in our restoration to sanity.
And these concepts are conveyed in just
two pages.
Welcome to Step Three. In just two more
pages we learn about becoming willing,
(making a decision), to turn our will
and our lives over to the care of our
higher power, which the literature calls
"God". The literature also reminds us that
we don't have to be religious to take this
step. Our concept of "God" can simple be
whatever force keeps us clean. We learn
about the action of surrendering to our
higher power on a daily basis ... and
just "turning it over."
Three and a half pages are all that are written
in the Basic Text about Step Four. We
learn about writing our inventory -- telling
our story on paper -- to the best of our ability.
Think of all the gyrations most addicts
go through with the Fourth Step, and consider
that the addicts who wrote our Basic
Text only had three and a half pages of
guidance to guide them. Their simple, direct
instructions should inspire us to be simple
and direct with this process, so that we can
just sit down with paper and pen and our
higher power.
Although I could write about each step as
our predecessors did in the Basic Text, I will
instead invite you to discover the depth and
wisdom that these addicts managed to convey
so clearly and simply. If you are new to
N.A., and these materials seem mysterious,
call your sponsor. In time and with effort
you will find what the authors of the Basic
Text meant to share with you. You will not
be disappointed.
"We are not connected with any political,
religious or law enforcement groups, and
are under no surveillance at any
time." (Whew! How did they know I was
worried about that kind of stuff? Maybe I
really could feel safe here?) "We had to
have drugs at all costs. We did many people
great harm, but most of all we harmed ourselves…….
After coming to N.A. 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." (There
it was! Addiction was a disease, not a moral
deficiency. I wasn't a bad person after all,
and there was hope. Recovery was possible!)
Even though it was a little strange to
feel like I had been "read like a cheap
novel", it was also a huge relief to know
that I was in the company of people who
knew who I was and what I had been doing.
It gave me the idea that there might be help
for me in Narcotics Anonymous. In just a
few short minutes -- my first exposure to
N.A. literature gave me what I desperately
needed -- identification and hope.
~~Anonymous~~
« on: August 20, 2008, 05:48:05 AM »
I'm not an N.A. history buff, so I don't know
the dates, or the place, or the players who
wrote the central piece of our literature ...
the Basic Text, but that's exactly the nature
of our literature. It is timeless, and in a real
sense, faceless. To emphasize the fact that
we do not prejudge each other in N.A. by
age, race, creed, religion, lack of religion,
drug of choice, what or how much we have,
etc., etc., etc., our literature is not credited
to any individual addict or group of addicts.
It is enough to know that it is the collective
wisdom of addicts just like us. Just
like you, and just like me. Addicts
who "kept coming back", and who stayed
clean "no matter what". I breezed through
the steps the first time I read them in the Basic
Text. It wasn't hard to do. The chapters
are ridiculously short, some of them little
over a page of material. I thought,
"Wow! This is great! I should get an A+ on
the test!" Little did I know that these written
words, although they are true in their
content, could only represent the beginning
of my understanding of life in recovery.
Like so many things in life, the real
learning is in the application of the ideas,
not just reading about them. Even so, the
addicts who wrote these short and sweet
chapters knew what they were talking
about, and the words they wrote shot though
me with their clear and concise truth.
Step One talks about our inability to control
our usage of drugs, and addiction being a
physical, mental and spiritual disease. And
that our disease is progressive, incurable
and fatal. Willpower, reservations, unmanageability,
surrender, freedom from active
addiction .... hope.
A rollercoaster of concepts and my emotional
reaction to these concepts in just three
pages of writing. Even now, as I look at this
chapter to help me in writing this article, I
am moved remembering what it was like to
be introduced to these ideas ... and to the
awakening of hope in my life.
Step Two awakens us to the realities of the
insanity of the disease of addiction and our
obsession to use drugs. In our need for restoration
to sanity we are encouraged to seek
a power greater than ourselves, our only
guideline being that it be a power that is
loving, caring and greater than ourselves.
We are invited to look for something
spiritual in the group, the program, or
higher power of our own understanding as a
source of strength to help us overcome our
fear of life. This process of coming to believe
helps us in our restoration to sanity.
And these concepts are conveyed in just
two pages.
Welcome to Step Three. In just two more
pages we learn about becoming willing,
(making a decision), to turn our will
and our lives over to the care of our
higher power, which the literature calls
"God". The literature also reminds us that
we don't have to be religious to take this
step. Our concept of "God" can simple be
whatever force keeps us clean. We learn
about the action of surrendering to our
higher power on a daily basis ... and
just "turning it over."
Three and a half pages are all that are written
in the Basic Text about Step Four. We
learn about writing our inventory -- telling
our story on paper -- to the best of our ability.
Think of all the gyrations most addicts
go through with the Fourth Step, and consider
that the addicts who wrote our Basic
Text only had three and a half pages of
guidance to guide them. Their simple, direct
instructions should inspire us to be simple
and direct with this process, so that we can
just sit down with paper and pen and our
higher power.
Although I could write about each step as
our predecessors did in the Basic Text, I will
instead invite you to discover the depth and
wisdom that these addicts managed to convey
so clearly and simply. If you are new to
N.A., and these materials seem mysterious,
call your sponsor. In time and with effort
you will find what the authors of the Basic
Text meant to share with you. You will not
be disappointed.
"We are not connected with any political,
religious or law enforcement groups, and
are under no surveillance at any
time." (Whew! How did they know I was
worried about that kind of stuff? Maybe I
really could feel safe here?) "We had to
have drugs at all costs. We did many people
great harm, but most of all we harmed ourselves…….
After coming to N.A. 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." (There
it was! Addiction was a disease, not a moral
deficiency. I wasn't a bad person after all,
and there was hope. Recovery was possible!)
Even though it was a little strange to
feel like I had been "read like a cheap
novel", it was also a huge relief to know
that I was in the company of people who
knew who I was and what I had been doing.
It gave me the idea that there might be help
for me in Narcotics Anonymous. In just a
few short minutes -- my first exposure to
N.A. literature gave me what I desperately
needed -- identification and hope.
~~Anonymous~~