 Welcome to the Hill Country Area of Narcotics Anonymous website. If you have found this website and have a drug problem, or know someone who does, give yourself a break and take a look around. We have been where you are and have found a way to live drug-free through Narcotics Anonymous. We invite you to take the journey of recovery with us.  It took a using addict to show us how to use; it takes a recovering addict to show us how not to use and recover. Just for today, you never have to use again! Recovery is possible in NA. The proof is in our meetings, but you have to get there first. We think you’ll be glad you came; we know we’ll be happy you made it!  Just keep coming back!
Just For Today
December 17, 2025 |
Service motives |
| Page 367 |
| "Everything that occurs in the course of NA service must be motivated by the desire to more successfully carry the message of recovery to the addict who still suffers." |
| Basic Text, p. xxvi |
| Our motives are often a surprise to us. In our early days of recovery, they were almost always a surprise! We've learned to check our motives through prayer, meditation, the steps, and talking to our sponsor or other addicts. When we find ourselves with an especially strong urge to do or have something, it's particularly important to check our motives to find out what we really want. In early recovery, many of us throw ourselves into service with great fervor before we have started the regular practice of motive-checking. It takes awhile before we become aware of the real reasons for our zeal. We may want to impress others, show off our talents, or be recognized and important. Now, these desires may not be harmful in another setting, expressed through another outlet. In NA service, however, they can do serious damage. When we decide to serve NA, we make a decision to help addicts find and maintain recovery. We have to carefully check our motives in service, remembering that it's much easier to frighten away using addicts than to convince them to stay. When we show them game-playing, manipulation, or pomposity, we present an unattractive picture of recovery. However, the unselfish desire to serve others creates an atmosphere that is attractive to the addict who still suffers. |
| Just for Today: I will check my motives for the true spirit of service. |
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