WestSide Recovery MN

08/28/2025

The Big Red Stop Sign

I used to lash out at others even though such behavior only alienated them. I used to think that ruminating over something I could not change, like a bad call in a tennis match, was somehow going to improve a lost outcome. But all it did was distract me and make me resentful. I used to think that trying to be perfect was an asset, but all it did was make me feel worse when I inevitably was not perfect. I used to think that worrying would somehow help me, but all it did was make me more fearful. I used to think selfishness, impatience, dishonesty and other character defects actually helped me. But all they did was make me anxious, depressed and then drunk. Part of my problem was my mistaken belief that these character defects (angry outbursts, ruminating, worrying. perfectionism, etc.) had some value in getting my way. The beginning of change for me was realizing that they are NEVER effective in any way.

TODO: Today I will remember that character defects don't help me or anyone else. I will be aware of my feelings, and if a feeling is threatening to make me "act out" in a self-defeating way, I will remember that "acting out" is a character defect, and my character defects do not have any redeeming value. I will then envision a RED STOP SIGN, take three deep breaths, and enjoy the freedom that results from not turning a challenging feeling into a character defect.
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04/24/2025

April 24, 2025
Twelve steps of life
Page 118

"Through abstinence and through working the Twelve Steps of Narcotics Anonymous, our lives have become useful."

Basic Text, p. 8

Before coming to Narcotics Anonymous, our lives were centered around using. For the most part, we had very little energy left over for jobs, relationships, or other activities. We served only our addiction.

The Twelve Steps of Narcotics Anonymous provide a simple way to turn our lives around. We start by staying clean, a day at a time. When our energy is no longer channeled into our addiction, we find that we have the energy to pursue other interests. As we grow in recovery, we become able to sustain healthy relationships. We become trustworthy employees. Hobbies and recreation seem more inviting. Through participation in Narcotics Anonymous, we help others.

Narcotics Anonymous does not promise us that we will find good jobs, loving relationships, or a fulfilling life. But when we work the Twelve Steps to the best of our ability, we find that we can become the type of people who are capable of finding employment, sustaining loving relationships, and helping others. We stop serving our disease, and begin serving God and others. The Twelve Steps are the key to transforming our lives.

Just for Today: I will have the wisdom to use the Twelve Steps in my life, and the courage to grow in my recovery. I will practice my program to become a responsible, productive member of society.

04/21/2025

April 21, 2025
Fear
Page 115

"We have found that we had no choice except to completely change our old ways of thinking or go back to using."

Basic Text, p. 22

Many of us find that our old ways of thinking were dominated by fear. We were afraid that we wouldn't be able to get our drugs or that there wouldn't be enough. We feared discovery, arrest, and incarceration. Further down the list were fears of financial problems, homelessness, overdose, and illness. And our fear controlled our actions.

The early days of recovery weren't a great deal different for many of us; then, too, fear dominated our thinking. "What if staying clean hurts too much?" we asked ourselves. "What if I can't make it? What if the people in NA don't like me? What if NA doesn't work?" The fear behind these thoughts can still control our behavior, keeping us from taking the risks necessary to stay clean and grow. It may seem easier to resign ourselves to certain failure, giving up before we start, than to risk everything on a slim hope. But that kind of thinking leads only to relapse.

To stay clean, we must find the willingness to change our old ways of thinking. What has worked for other addicts can work for us--but we must be willing to try it. We must trade in our old cynical doubts for new affirmations of hope. When we do, we'll find it's worth the risk.

04/10/2025

"You are free to choose, but you are not free from the consequence of your choice."

Every decision we make carries weight. In recovery, in relationships, in life—our choices matter.
I’ve learned this the hard way. For years, I made choices that almost cost me everything—my health, my freedom, my relationships, even my life. But today, I make different choices. Better ones. Not perfect, but intentional.

And while the consequences look a lot different now—peace, healing, restoration—I never forget where the old road led.

03/03/2025