In Times of Illness - Narcotics Anonymous

Chronic Pain“The Program of Narcotics Anonymous provides an opportunityfor us to ease the pain of living through spiritual principles.”BASIC TEXTChronic physical pain is a medical condition thatmany of us live with in our recovery. The pain maybe a result of illness or injury, but the source is notas important as the solutions we find. We rememberthat the spiritual principles that improve our qualityof life in good health are the same as those we canuse when living with chronic pain. We surrenderto the pain, accept our illness, and reach out forhelp. We have learned that an addict alone is inbad company. Isolation gives our disease a chanceto flourish. We can counteract the self-deception ofour addiction by sharing honestly about our feelingsin meetings, as well as with our sponsor and trustedNA friends. This open communication allows us toexperience one of the most powerful tools that thisprogram offers: the therapeutic value of one addicthelping another.“This is what surrender is: a heartfelt belief in our ownfallibility as human beings and an equally heartfeltdecision to rely on a Power greater than our own.”IT WORKS: HOW AND WHYWe maintain our recovery by consistently practicinga spiritual program in all areas of our life. Whenwe are receiving medical treatment for chronic pain,it is important for us to apply spiritual principles.In Times of Illness31