Growing Honestly
“On a practical level, changes occur because what’s appropriate to one phase of
recovery may not be for another.”
Basic Text p. 101
When we first came to Narcotics Anonymous, many of us had no legitimate
occupation. Not all of us suddenly decide we’re going to become honest and
productive model citizens the moment we arrive in NA. But we soon find, in
recovery, that we are not so comfortable doing many of the things we once did
without a second thought when we were using.
As we grow in our recovery, we begin to be honest in matters that probably hadn’t
bothered us when we used. We start returning extra change a cashier may have
given us by mistake, or admitting when we hit a parked car. We find that if we can
begin to be honest in these small ways the bigger tests of our honesty become much
easier to handle.
Many of us came here with very little capacity to be honest. But we find that as we
work the Twelve Steps, our lives begin to change. We are no longer comfortable
when we benefit at the expense of others. And we can feel good about our newfound
honesty.
Just for today: I will examine the level of honesty in my life and see if I’m
comfortable with it.