Mood:  special

A NUTSHELL: FULL OF ADDICT’S THINKING:

A FEW MONTHS BEFORE I found the programme, I was working in retail and found a wonderful supplier for my habit, my manager. Now all I had to do was to make it to work. In fact, all of a sudden, work was not all that bad. I began to work fourteen-hour days. It was my perpetual and ultimate connexion, and life became more blurry every day. I found myself doing things for drugs that I didn’t want to do. But I did anything that I had to do to stay high. Using became so much a part of my routine that, at one point, it was accepted behaviour to cut lines of cocaine on the restaurant table. I became oblivious to the fact that what I was doing was illegal. I never could figure out why it seemed like people were always staring at me! I remember thinking, “God grant me the power to change the people, places, and things that do not agree with my way of thinking.” I could never figure out why this world would not devote itself to making me happy.

From “Alien”, p165, Narcotics Anonymous “Blue Book”. ©1988 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc., Van Nuys, California, USA.

Tel: (818) 773-999

Fax: (818) 700 0700

www.na.org

Posted by gledwood at 12:25 AM GMT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Mood:  a-ok

One Man’s Turning Point…

LIVING ON THE NORTH SHORE made it easy to stay out of trouble. There weren’t many police in that area. I stayed loaded, my wife left and I knew that I would never stay clean again. One time I ran out of dope and I shot several hundred milligrams of caffeine tablets and went into shakes for hours. I seemed to be so desperate to die. Although I never woke up in the gutter or on skid row, I woke up on the beach, under a palm tree, with my face in the sand. The feelings were the same, skid row is in the mind.

    I really feel that it doesn’t matter what or how much we use, where we live or how much money we have, it’s what is going on inside that counts. For me, I knew I was dying but still couldn’t stop. I’d given up on NA, everyone I knew in the programme had left. My sponsor and a group of clean addicts were in Europe and one of the clean addicts was living on another island and would call every so often to see if I was still alive.

   On the morning of October 20, 1971, I woke up with dope in the house and for some reason I walked out to the beach and didn’t get loaded the moment I opened my eyes. I remember it was a grey, overcast day and I was feeling hopeless. I just sat on the beach crying, just wanting to die; I couldn’t go on. A feeling went through me that I never experienced before in my life. I felt warm and peaceful inside. A voice said, “It’s over, you never have to use again.” I felt a peace I had never felt before.

    I returned to the house, packed some stuff and headed for the airport. I was going to the island of Maui, where my clean friend was. My recovery started with miracles. I had no money, yet I was led to the right places at the right times and I got to Maui. I walked in and told him that I was ready to go to any lengths to stay clean. Staying clean today goes a long way beyond not taking that first fix, pill or drink; it is a way of life, a life that I call an adventure.

From “Mid-Pacific Serenity”, pp213-218, Narcotics Anonymous “Blue Book”. ©1988 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc., Van Nuys, California, USA.

Tel: (818) 773-999

Fax: (818) 700 0700

www.na.org

Posted by gledwood at 12:36 AM GMT

Updated: Monday, 25 December 2006 12:40 AM GMT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink