Casa Solana

January 15 Fear We grow to feel comfortable with our Higher Power as a source of strength. As we learn to trust this Power, we begin to overcome our fear of life.... Basic Text, p. 25 = Powerless as we are, living on self-will is a frightening, unmanageable experience. In recovery, we have turned our will and our lives safely over to the care of the God of our understanding. When we lapse in our program, when we lose conscious contact with our Higher Power, we begin to take control of our own lives again, refusing the care of the God of our understanding. If we do not make a daily decision to surrender our lives to the care of our Higher Power, we may become overwhelmed with our fear of life. Through working the Twelve Steps, we’ve found that faith in a Power greater than ourselves helps relieve our fear. As we draw closer to a loving God, we become more conscious of our Higher Power. And the more conscious we are of God’s care for us, the less our fears. When we feel afraid, we ask ourselves, Is this fear an indication of a lack of faith in my life? Have I taken control again, only to find my life still unmanageable? If we answer yes to these questions, we can overcome our fear by turning our will and our lives back over to care of the God of our understanding. = Just for today: I will rely on the care of my Higher Power to relieve my fear of life.

January 14 A loving God Our understanding of a Higher Power is up to us.... The only suggested guidelines are that this Power be loving, caring, and greater than ourselves.... Basic Text, p. 24 = We’ve been told that we can believe in any kind of Higher Power we want as long as it is loving and, of course, greater than ourselves. Some of us, however, have trouble with these requirements. We either believe in nothing but ourselves, or we believe that anything that could be called God could only be cold-hearted and unreasonable, sending us bad luck on a whim. Believing in a loving Power is quite a leap for some of us, for many reasons. The thought of turning our will and lives over to the care of something we think might hurt us is sure to fill us with reluctance. If we come into the program believing that God is judgmental and unforgiving, we must overcome those beliefs before we can be truly comfortable with the Third Step. Our positive experiences in recovery can help us come to believe in a loving God of our own understanding. We’ve been given relief from a disease that has afflicted us for a long time. We’ve found the guidance and support we need to develop a new way of life. We’ve begun to experience a fullness of spirit where once there was only emptiness. These aspects of our recovery have their source in a loving God, not a harsh, hateful one. And the more we experience recovery, the more we’ll trust that loving Higher Power. = Just for today: I will open my mind and my heart to believe that God is loving, and trust my loving Higher Power to do for me what I cannot do for myself.

January 8 Growing up Our spiritual condition is the basis for a successful recovery that offers unlimited growth.... Basic Text, p. 44 = When our members celebrate their recovery anniversaries, they often say that they’ve grown up in NA. Well, then, we think, what does that mean? We start to wonder if we’re grownups yet. We check our lives and yes, all the trappings of adulthood are there: the checkbook, the children, the job, the responsibilities. On the inside, though, we often feel like children. We’re still confused by life much of the time. We don’t always know how to act. We sometimes wonder whether we’re really grownups at all, or whether we’re children who’ve somehow been put into adult bodies and given adult responsibilities. Growth is not best measured by physical age or levels of responsibility. Our best measure of growth is our spiritual condition, the basis of our recovery. If we’re still depending on people, places, and things to provide our inner satisfaction, like a child depending on its parents for everything, we do indeed have some growing to do. But if we stand secure on the foundation of our spiritual condition, considering its maintenance our most important responsibility, we can claim maturity. Upon that foundation, our opportunities for growth are limitless. = Just for today: The measure of my maturity is the extent to which I take responsibility for the maintenance of my spiritual condition. Today, this will be my highest priority.

January 7 Recovery Narcotics Anonymous offers addicts a program of recovery that is more than just a life without drugs. Not only is this way of life better than the hell we lived, it is better than any life that we have ever known.... Basic Text, p. 107 = Few of us have any interest in recovering what we had before we started using. Many of us suffered severely from physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Getting high and staying high seemed like the only possible way to cope with such abuse. Others suffered in less noticeable but equally painful ways before addiction took hold. We lacked direction and purpose. We were spiritually empty. We felt isolated, unable to empathize with others. We had none of the things that give life its sense and value. We took drugs in a vain attempt to fill the emptiness inside ourselves. Most of us wouldn’t want to recover what we used to have. Ultimately, the recovery we find in NA is something different: a chance at a new life. We’ve been given tools to clear the wreckage from our lives. We’ve been given support in courageously setting forth on a new path. And we’ve been given the gift of conscious contact with a Power greater than ourselves, providing us with the inner strength and direction we so sorely lacked in the past. Recovering? Yes, in every way. We’re recovering a whole new life, better than anything we ever dreamed possible. We are grateful. = Just for today: I’ve recovered something I never had, something I never imagined possible: the life of a recovering addict. Thank you, Higher Power, in more than words can say.

January 6 How does it work? I used to think that I had all the answers, but today I am glad that I don’t.... = What are the two favorite words of most addicts? I know! Unfortunately, many of us arrive in NA thinking we have all the answers. We have a lot of knowledge about what’s wrong with us. But in and of itself, knowledge never helped us stay clean for any length of time. Members who have achieved long-term recovery will be the first to admit that the longer they are here, the more they have to learn. But they do know one thing: By following this simple Twelve-Step program, they have been able to stay clean. They no longer ask why; they ask how. The value of endless speculation pales in comparison to the experience of addicts who’ve found a way to stay clean and live clean. This doesn’t mean we don’t ask why when it’s appropriate. We don’t come to NA and stop thinking! But in the beginning, it’s often a very good idea to reword our questions. Instead of asking why, we ask how. How do I work this step? How often should I attend meetings? How do I stay clean? = Just for today: I don’t have all the answers, but I know where to find the ones that matter. Today, I will ask another addict, How does it work?

Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed the holiday. Just a reminder we are still holding this fundraiser for a great deal on sylvesters burgers. The proceeds go to Casa Solana for gift beds, fun activities for the residence, home improvements and much more. Please contact us if your interested in supporting.