Narcotics Anonymous > Quotes

“Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.”
― Narcotics Anonymous

“Every time I draw a clean breath, I'm like a fish out of water.”
― Narcotics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous

“Do we really want to be rid of our resentments, our anger, our fear? Many of us cling to our fears, doubts, self-loathing or hatred because there is a certain distorted security in familiar pain. It seems safer to embrace what we know than to let go of it for fear of the unknown.
(Narcotics Anonymous Book/page 33)”
― Narcotics Anonymous

“Addiction is nothing but voluntary madness.”
― Narcotics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous

“Each time we surrender, we find once more that the desperation that drives us to our knees fuels the passion that carries us forward. When hope manifests into reality, our lives change. Our experience affirms what we believe, and belief grows into faith. When our faith grows into knowledge, the program that we once struggled to practice has become part of who we are. We find here what we were looking for all along: connection to others, connection to a Higher Power, connection to the world around us—and, most surprising of all, connection to ourselves.”
― Narcotics Anonymous, Living Clean: The Journey Continues

“It’s not recovery that is painful; our resistance to it is what hurts.”
― Narcotics Anonymous, Living Clean: The Journey Continues

“Our disease involved much more than just using drugs, so our recovery must involve much more than simple abstinence.”
― Narcotics Anonymous Fellowship, Narcotics Anonymous

“We learn that our spirit is not apart from us; it is a part of us. We gain awareness of the exact nature of what is right about us. Our fractured personalities come back together into an integrated whole. Integrity is the state of being fully integrated: Our actions, our thinking, our feelings, our ideals, and our values all match up. It takes a long time for a lot of us to get here, and longer still for us to feel like it’s real. More and more, we are able to bring our behavior into alignment with our values and beliefs rather than our feelings and reactions.”
― Narcotics Anonymous, Living Clean: The Journey Continues

“It’s hard to spot a spiritual crisis: Usually it is disguised as a crisis in our relationships, finances, career, or family.”
― Narcotics Anonymous, Living Clean: The Journey Continues

“We can use this Power long before we understand it.”
― Narcotics Anonymous Fellowship, Narcotics Anonymous

“The vulnerability we experience allows us a different experience of love. It is an act of generosity to let people be close to us, and we try to understand that they, too, are going through feelings about what’s happening.”
― Narcotics Anonymous, Living Clean: The Journey Continues

“Our negative sense of self has been replaced by a positive concern for others. Answers are provided, and problems are solved. It is a great gift to feel human again.”
― Narcotics Anonymous Fellowship, Narcotics Anonymous

“by keeping an open mind, sooner or later, we find the help we need.”
― Narcotics Anonymous Fellowship, Narcotics Anonymous

“The search for a God of our own understanding is one of the most important efforts we will undertake in our recovery. We have complete personal choice and freedom in how we understand our Higher Power. We can each find a Higher Power that does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Because we are powerless over our addiction, we need a Power greater than ourselves to help us.”
― Narcotics Anonymous Fellowship, It Works: How and Why

“we take the time to allow ourselves the privilege of thinking”
― Narcotics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous

“We learn that the program won’t work when we try to adapt it to our life. We must learn to adapt our life to the program.”
― Narcotics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous

“When we forget the effort and the work that it took us to get a period of freedom in our lives, a lack of gratitude sinks in, and self-destruction begins again. Unless action is taken immediately, we run the risk of a relapse that threatens our very existence. Keeping our illusion of reality, rather than using the tools of the program, will return us to isolation. Loneliness will kill us inside and the drugs that almost always come next may do the job completely. The symptoms and the feelings that we experienced at the end of our using will come back even stronger than before. This impact is sure to destroy us if we don’t surrender ourselves to the NA Program.”
― Narcotics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous

“Social acceptability does not equal recovery.”
― Narcotics Anonymous

“lest problems of money, property or prestige divert us from our primary purpose.”
― Narcotics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous

“June 7 Someone Who Believes In Me "Just for today I will have faith in someone in NA who believes in me and wants to help me in my recovery." Basic Text, p. 96 Not all of us arrive in NA and automatically stay clean. But if we keep coming back, we find in Narcotics Anonymous the support we need for our recovery. Staying clean is easier when we have someone who believes in us even when we don't believe in ourselves. Even the most frequent relapser in NA usually has one staunch supporter who is always there, no matter what. It is imperative that we find that one person or group of people who believes in us. When we ask them if we will ever get clean, they will always reply, "Yes, you can and you will. Just keep coming back!" We all need someone who believes in us, especially when we can't believe in ourselves. When we relapse, we undermine our already shattered self-confidence, sometimes so badly that we begin to feel utterly hopeless. At such times, we need the support of our loyal NA friends. They tell us that this can be our last relapse. They know from experience that if we keep coming to meetings, we will eventually get clean and stay clean. It's hard for many of us to believe in ourselves. But when someone loves us unconditionally, offering support no matter how many times we've relapsed, recovery in NA becomes a little more real for us. Just for today: I will find someone who believes in me. I will believe in them.”
― Narcotics Anonymous

“No matter how many days or how many years we have been clean, we are still human and subject to defects and failings.”
― Narcotics Anonymous, It Works: How and Why

“When we are prepared, we must try out our newly found way of life.”
― Narcotics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous

“Just for today: I can find pleasure in the simple routines of daily living.”
― Narcotics Anonymous, Just for Today : Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts