NA Message from Dwayne
IP #19
Self-Acceptance:
http://www.na.org/admin/include/spaw2/uploads/pdf/litfiles/us_english/IP/EN3119.pdf
The problem
The lack of self-acceptance is a problem for many recovering addicts.
Many of the problems we experience in ongoing recovery stem from an inability to accept ourselves on a deep level. We may not even realize that this discomfort is the source of our problem because it is often manifested in other ways.
The Twelve Steps are the solution
Self-acceptance permits balance in our recovery. We no longer have to look for the approval of others because we are satisfied with being ourselves. We are free to gratefully emphasize our assets, to humbly move away from our defects, and to become the best recovering addicts we can be. Accepting ourselves as we are means that we are all right, that we are not perfect but we can improve.
This Information Pamphlet was one of the first ones I read when I got to Narcotics Anonymous. In the beginning, it was one of the first things to help me break through my false pride and inflated ego. Also, it was probably one of the first readings that provoked feeling in me.
Today this reading takes on new meaning for me, I understand that nothing outside of me will satisfy or fix the inside of me. When I find myself being very critical of others, shopping too much, going out to eat too much or traveling too much, I am not ok with me. When I see these behaviors I know that it is time to look inward.
