Just For Today

October 19, 2026

Standing for something

Page 305

"...we could feel time, touch reality, and recognize spiritual values long lost to many of us."

Basic Text, p. 88

In our active addiction, we were prepared to compromise everything we believed in just to get our hands on more drugs. Whether we stole from our families and friends, sold ourselves, or lied to our employers, we were ignoring the values that mattered most to us. Each time we compromised another dearly held belief, another chunk of the mortar holding our characters together fell away. By the time many of us came to our first meeting, nothing was left but the ruin of our former selves.

We will locate our lost values as we carry out our first honest self-examination. But in order to rebuild our characters, we'll find it necessary to maintain those values, no matter how great the temptation to shove them aside. We will need to be honest, even when we think we could fool everyone by lying. If we ignore our values, we'll discover that the biggest fibs we've told have been the ones we've told ourselves.

We don't want to start the demolition of our spirits again after all the work we've put into their restoration. It's essential that we stand for something, or we risk falling for anything. Whatever we find important to us, we honor.

Just for Today: I stand for something. My strength is the result of living my values.

Spiritual Principle a Day

October 18, 2026

Faith When Times Are Tough

Page 301

"Getting through hard times strengthens our faith."

Living Clean, Chapter 1, "Growing Pains"

Getting those first 30 days clean is a milestone for many reasons, not least of which is that it gives us some resolve to get 31, then 32, and so on. We didn't think we could, but here we are. And the unpredictable journey continues . . . As difficult as that period of time may have been, we are going to need the faith that got us through it--a day at a time, sometimes an hour, or a minute--as life continues to reveal itself.

We may not view practicing faith as essential to our early recovery as it's happening. In retrospect, we understand that it took faith to surrender, ask for help, and allow ourselves to be supported. Something else is revealed as well: We are stronger for it. That awareness becomes very useful when we experience life's inevitable misfortunes. We've all doubted, at some point, that we can make it through certain challenges clean--death of a loved one, prison, divorce, severe illness, financial ruin, natural disasters; the list goes on. The longer we stay alive and clean, the more likely it is that we will be exposed to life's hardships.

We watch others stay clean through the worst. We hear them share about the strength they've gained by relying on faith to pull through. Witnessing their resolve strengthens our own--and our faith in NA. If someone else can do it, we can, too. And we, who at one time were emotionally unavailable or unreliable in relationships, are now able to help people we love through their suffering.

It's true that many of us have discovered that experiencing adversity can be one pathway toward gratitude, peace, and serenity. We grow through the pain. But let's also be realistic about how this may manifest. Many of us will smile and have some relief to share. Others will undergo unbelievably crushing experiences that we will have to manage daily--at times, by the hour or minute--for the rest of our lives. Most days we will be able to get out of bed, go to work, care for our families, and help others. Some days, just continuing to stay on this earth will be the best we can offer. Recovery in NA doesn't eliminate pain and suffering from our lives, but our faith gives us a way to endure it.

No matter what I'm going through, I have enough resolve to stay clean one more day. Today I have faith in NA and in myself.