Are we having fun yet?
“In time, we can relax and enjoy the atmosphere of recovery.”
Basic Text, pp. 53-54
Imagine what would happen if a newcomer walked into one of our meetings and was
met by a group of grim-faced people gripping the arms of their chairs with white
knuckles. That newcomer would probably bolt, perhaps muttering, “I thought I could
get off drugs and be happy.”
Thankfully, our newcomers are usually met by a group of friendly, smiling folks who
are obviously fairly content with the lives they’ve found in Narcotics Anonymous.
What an enormous amount of hope this provides! A newcomer, whose life has been
deadly serious, is strongly attracted by an atmosphere of laughter and relaxation.
Coming from a place where everything is taken seriously, where disaster always
waits around the next corner, it’s a welcome relief to enter a room and find people
who generally don’t take themselves too seriously, who are ready for something
wonderful.
We learn to lighten up in recovery. We laugh at the absurdity of our addiction. Our
meetings-those rooms filled with the lively, happy sounds of percolating coffee,
clattering chairs, and laughing addicts-are the gathering places where we first
welcome our newcomers and let them know that, yes, we’re having fun now.
Just for today: I can laugh at myself. I can take a joke. I will lighten up and have
some fun today.