Welcome to the Dorset Area of Narcotics Anonymous website

We have created this website in order to better carry the message of recovery to the still suffering addict.
Recovery from drug addiction is possible in NA.
We are interested in what you want to do about your problem and how we can help

To subscribe to the the Dorset NA Mailing list please email resources@nadorset.co.uk

ASC minutes and other communications will be sent to you once you have subscribed.

Just for Today

October 27, 2026

Living in the present

Page 313

"We want to look our past in the face, see it for what it really was, and release it so we can live today."

Basic Text, p. 29

For many of us, the past is like a bad dream. Our lives aren't the same any more, but we still have fleeting, highly charged emotional memories of a really uncomfortable past. The guilt, fear, and anger that once dominated us may spill into our new life, complicating our efforts to change and grow.

The Twelve Steps are the formula that helps us learn to put the past in its place. Through the Fourth and Fifth Steps, we become aware that our old behavior didn't work. We ask a Higher Power to relieve us of our shortcomings in the Sixth and Seventh Steps, and we begin to be relieved of the guilt and fear that plagued us for so many years. In the Eighth and Ninth Steps, by making amends, we demonstrate to others that our lives are changing. We are no longer controlled by the past. Once the past loses its control over us, we are free to find new ways to live, ways that reflect who we truly are.

Just for Today: I don't have to be controlled by my past. I will live this new day as the new person I am becoming.

Spiritual Principle a Day

October 26, 2026

The Impact of Consistency

Page 309

". . . a group needs the consistent commitment of its members to show up and take part in its meetings. Upon that commitment rests the group's stability; without it, no group can survive long."

It Works, Tradition Seven

Consistency is a key part of the messages we first receive in NA. Keep coming back. 90 meetings in 90 days. Meeting makers make it. It's suggested that we find a home group--and become a home-group member, not merely visit it. We're encouraged to get a service commitment there--and to show up for that commitment.

When we lack consistency in our groups, when we're not kept informed by our service body reps, when we don't provide the human or financial resources needed to carry out our requests, our groups and services aren't as strong. NA suffers as a result, and we miss potential opportunities to help newcomers.

The direct impact of our consistency may occur beyond the walls of a meeting. Many of us live in densely populated areas with plenty of groups to participate in. Many other NA communities are limited: only a few meetings--sometimes days and considerable distance apart--and perhaps too few members to fill service positions. Many groups thrive for decades, never dark for any reason; others burn bright, then falter; others struggle to stay afloat week by week. At times, it's a real misfortune to lose a group. Other times, a loss blooms into a new opportunity.

There are way too many home-group scenarios to describe here, but one thing we know is true: It takes reliable and committed NA members to turn and keep the lights on at any meeting, service committee, or NA event. And it's no exaggeration to say that being consistent saves addicts' lives, including our own. To carry the message of recovery and to conduct necessary NA business, we need to show up with our time, funds, skills, and willingness. We take on tasks of all sizes and shapes, and, in the spirit of rotation, we mentor others to step up.

What can I do to keep my home group more stable? How can I help others become more involved and consistent in their contributions to homegroup stability? Where do I need to step aside in the spirit of rotation so that others can grow from consistent service to our NA community?