August 17: Just for Today meditation, read by Fern

Just for Today meditation for August 17, read by Fern

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August 17

Tell the truth

Basic Text, p.80

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"A symptom of our disease is alienation, and honest sharing will free us to recover" Truth connects us to life while fear, isolation, and dishonesty alienate us from it. As using addicts, we hid as much of the truth about ourselves from as much of the world as we possibly could. Our fear kept us from opening ourselves up to those around us, providing protection against what others might do if we appeared vulnerable. But our fear also kept us from connecting with our world. We lived like alien beings on our own planet, always alone and getting lonelier by the minute.

The twelve Steps and the fellowship of recovering addicts give people like us a place where we can feel safe telling the truth about ourselves. We are able to honestly admit our frustrating, humbling powerlessness over addiction because we meet many others who've been in the same situation-we're safe among them. And we keep on telling more of the truth about ourselves as we continue to work the steps.

The more we do, the more truly connected we feel to the world around us.

Today, we need not hide from the reality of our relations with the people, places, and things in our lives. We accept those relationships just as they are, and we own our part in them. We take time every day to ask, "Am I telling the truth about myself?" Each time we do this, we draw that much further away from the alienation that characterizes our addiction, and that much closer to the freedom recovery can bring us.

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Just for today:

Truth is my connection to reality. Today, I will take time to ask myself, "Am I telling the truth?"

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© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Episode Transcript

(00:03):
Welcome to the Voices of Recovery podcast.
This is your Just For Today episode featuring a recovering
addict. Hi, my name is Fern.

(00:23):
My claim date is January 5th, 1984.
You're listening to the Voices of Recovery podcasts.
This is the just for today, for August 17th.
To tell the truth, a symptom of our disease is alienation, and

(00:44):
honest sharing will free us to recover.
Basic text page 83. Truth connects us to life, while
fear, isolation, and dishonesty alienate us from it.
As using addicts, we hid as muchof the truth about ourselves
from as much of the world as we possibly could.

(01:07):
Our fear kept us from opening ourselves up to those around us,
providing protection against what others might do if we
appeared vulnerable. But our fear also kept us from
connecting with our world. We live like alien beings on our
own planet, always alone and getting lonelier by the minute.

(01:28):
The 12 steps in the Fellowship of Recovering Addicts gave
people like us a place where we can feel safe telling the truth
about ourselves. We are able to honestly admit
our frustrating, humbling powerlessness over addiction
because we meet many others who've been in the same
situation. We're safe among them, and we

(01:53):
keep on telling more of the truth about ourselves as we
continue to work the steps. The more we do, the more truly
connected we feel to the world around us.
Today. We need not hide from the
reality of our relations with people, places, and things in
our lives. We accept those relationships

(02:15):
just as they are, and we own ourpart in them.
We take time each day to ask, amI telling the truth about
myself? Each time we do this, we draw
that much further away from the alienation that characterizes
our addiction and that much closer to the freedom recovery

(02:36):
can bring us. Just for today, truth is my
connection to reality. Today I will take time to ask
myself, am I telling the truth? Or any of its subsidiaries or
affiliates. While any literature may be read
during episodes for the purpose of supporting recovery, such use

(02:57):
does not constitute an official endorsement or representation by
Narcotics Anonymous. In accordance with any
tradition, the NA name is not tobe used to endorse or be
affiliated with any outside enterprise, and no such
endorsement or affiliation is implied.
Music is by SAGE. Thanks for listening to the
Voices of Recovery podcast.