A curse into a blessing
“We have become very grateful in the course of our recovery…. We have a disease,
but we do recover.”
Basic Text, p.8
Active addiction was no picnic; many of us barely came out of it alive. But ranting
against the disease, lamenting what it has done to us, pitying ourselves for the
condition it has left us in-these things can only keep us locked in the spirit of
bitterness and resentment. The path to freedom and spiritual growth begins where
bitterness ends, with acceptance.
There is no denying the suffering brought by addiction. Yet it was this disease that
brought us to Narcotics Anonymous; without it, we would neither have sought nor
found the blessing of recovery. In isolating us, it forced us to seek fellowship. In
causing us to suffer, it gave us the experience needed to help others, help no one
else was so uniquely suited to offer. In forcing us to our knees, addiction gave us the
opportunity to surrender to the care of a loving Higher Power.
We would not wish the disease of addiction on anyone. But the fact remains that we
addicts already have this disease-and further, that without this disease we may
never have embarked on our spiritual journey. Thousands of people search their
whole lives for what we have found in Narcotics Anonymous: fellowship, a sense of
purpose, and conscious contact with a Higher Power. Today, we are grateful for
everything that has brought us this blessing.
Just for today: I will accept the fact of my disease, and pursue the blessing of my
recovery.