Just for Today
February 25, 2026
Sick as our secrets
Page 57
"It would be tragic to write [out an inventory only to] shove it in a drawer. These defects grow in the dark and die in the light of exposure."
Basic Text, p. 32
How many times have we heard it said that we are only as sick as our secrets? While many members choose not to use meetings to share the intimate details of their lives, it is important that we each discover what works best for us. What about those behaviors we have carried into our recovery that, if discovered, would cause us shame? How much are we comfortable disclosing, and to whom? If we are uncomfortable sharing some details of our lives in meetings, to whom do we turn?
We have found the answer to these questions in sponsorship. Although a relationship with a sponsor takes time to build, it is important that we come to trust our sponsor enough to be completely honest. Our defects only have power as long as they stay hidden. If we want to be free of those defects, we must uncover them. Secrets are only secrets until we share them with another human being.
Just for Today: I will uncover my secrets. I will practice being honest with my sponsor.
Spiritual Principle a Day
"Oh, that's 'ALL we have to do,' is it?!" we mutter to ourselves. "I'm supposed to trust these folks and do something I don't understand? Yeah, right." We learn to recognize this voice of our internal cynic. Sometimes we hear from an entire committee of smartasses living between our ears! Call it what you will--the disease, the committee, or an inner demon--it tries to sabotage our recovery from the start. We learn to talk back to that voice, thank it for sharing, and then seek better counsel from other members.
The members we consult may tell us: "If you want what we have, do what we do." When we balk at the idea of relying on others, as many of us do, we're reminded that it wasn't so long ago that we'd hand our money to a stranger, trusting they'd return with drugs. Despite our resistance, we find ourselves desperate enough to follow the lead of those who came before us. Some of us start by nibbling at the edges of their advice; others swallow it whole. Either way, we can see the value of taking action. We learn to act as if we trust the process, relying on blind faith instead of trying to grasp why and how. "Understanding is overrated," a wise new friend suggests. "'Figure it out' is not an NA slogan."
It takes a measure of trust for us to come back for a second meeting, and then a third--whether we were inspired by seeing stone-cold addicts who'd turned their lives around or we'd simply run out of options. It takes courage to take direction. We put one foot in front of the other, taking suggestions from a growing circle of support, and trusting that we're moving in the right direction.