Narcotics Anonymous

Just For Today - Daily Email Service

   February 23                                        Messages and messengers

      "Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever
           reminding us to place principles before personalities."

                                                             Tradition Twelve

                           ----=----

   The Twelfth Tradition  reminds us  of the  importance of  putting
   "principles before personalities."  In recovery meetings, this might
   be paraphrased, "don't shoot the messenger."  We often get the
   message confused with the messenger, and negate what someone shares at a
   meeting because we have personality conflicts with the person speaking.

   If we are having problems with what certain people have to share at
   meetings, we might want to seek the guidance of our sponsor.  Our sponsor
   can help us concentrate on what's being said rather than who's saying
   it.  Our sponsor can also help us address the resentments that may be
   keeping us from acknowledging the value of some particular person's
   recovery experience.  It is surprising how much more we can get out of
   meetings when we allow ourselves to do as our Twelfth Tradition suggests,
   focusing on recovery principles rather than personalities.

                           ----=----

   Just for today:  I will practice the principle of anonymity in today's
   NA meeting.  I will focus on the message of recovery, not the personality
   of the messenger.