Narcotics Anonymous

Just For Today - Daily Email Service

   June 3                                          Direct and indirect amends

              "We make our amends to the best of our ability."

                                                            Basic Text, p. 40

                           ----=----

   The Ninth Step tells us to make direct amends wherever possible.   Our
   experience tells us to follow up those direct amends with long-lasting
   changes in our attitudes and our behavior-that is, with indirect amends.

   For example, say we've broken someone's window because we were angry.
   Looking soulfully into the eyes of the person whose window we've broken
   and apologizing would not be sufficient.   We directly amend the wrong
   we've done by admitting it and replacing the window-we mend what we
   have damaged.

   Then, we follow up our direct amends with indirect amends.  If we've
   acted out on our anger, breaking someone's window, we examine the
   patterns of our behavior and our attitudes.   After we repair the broken
   window, we seek to repair our broken attitudes as well-we try to "mend
   our ways." We modify our behavior, and make a daily effort not to act
   out on our anger.

   We make direct amends by repairing the damage we do.   We make indirect
   amends by repairing the attitudes that cause us to do damage in the first
   place, helping insure we won't cause further damage in the future.

                           ----=----

   Just for today:   I will make direct amends, wherever possible.  I  will
   also make indirect amends, "mending my ways," changing my attitudes,
   and altering my behavior.