Hanstead House

Hanstead House Recovery Homes for Men & Women who are living One Day At A Time.

06/25/2026

June 25, 2026
Not just lucky
Page 183

"The process of coming to believe restores us to sanity. The strength to move into action comes from this belief."

Basic Text, p. 25

Coming to believe is a process that stems from personal experience. Each of us has this experience; all addicts who find recovery in NA have solid evidence of a benevolent Power acting for good in their lives. Those of us who are recovering today, after all, are the fortunate ones. Many, many addicts die from our disease, never to experience what we have found in Narcotics Anonymous.

The process of coming to believe involves a willingness to recognize miracles for what they are. We share the miracle of being here clean, and each of us has other miracles that await only our acknowledgment. How many car accidents or overdoses or other near-catastrophes have we survived? Can we look back at our lives and see that we were not just "lucky"? Our experience in recovery, too, gives us examples of a Higher Power working for our good.

When we can look back at the evidence of a loving Higher Power acting on our behalf, it becomes possible to trust that this Higher Power will continue to help us in the future. And trust offers us the strength to move forward.

Just for Today: My recovery is more than coincidence. My strength comes from the knowledge that my Higher Power has never let me down and will continue to guide me.

Copyright (c) 2007-2023, NA World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved

06/24/2026

June 24, 2026
Tolerance
Page 182

"...ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."

Tradition Twelve

Sometimes it's hard to accept others' character defects. As we recover together, we not only listen to others talk in meetings, we also watch how they walk through their recovery. The more we get to know other members, the more we become aware of how they live their lives. We may form opinions about how they "work their program." We may find that certain members upset us, or we may even hear ourselves say, "If I worked their program, I would surely use."

We have found tolerance to be a principle that not only strengthens our own recovery, but also our relationships with individuals who are a source of irritation to us. It becomes easier to accept other members' frailties when we remember that we ourselves rarely turn over our own character defects until we become painfully aware of them.

Just for Today: I will strive to accept others as they are. I will try not to judge others. I will focus on the principles of love and acceptance.

Copyright (c) 2007-2023, NA World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved

06/23/2026

June 23, 2026
Surrender
Page 181

"We didn't stumble into this fellowship brimming with love, honesty, open-mindedness, or willingness...When we were beaten, we became willing."

Basic Text, p. 20

Surrender may be the necessary foundation for recovery, but sometimes we fight it. Most of us look back after some clean time and wonder why on earth we fought so hard to deny our powerlessness when surrender is what finally saved our lives.

As we recover, new opportunities to surrender present themselves. We can either struggle with everyone and everything we encounter or we can recall the benefits of our first surrender and stop fighting.

Most of the pain we experience comes from fighting, not surrendering. In fact, when we surrender, the pain ends and hope takes its place. We begin to believe that all will be well and, after some time, realize that our lives are much better as a result. We feel the same way we did when we gave up the illusion that we could control our using--relieved, free, and filled with fresh hope.

Just for Today: Is there a surrender I need to make today? I will remember my first surrender and remind myself that I don't need to fight anymore.

Copyright (c) 2007-2023, NA World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved

If Yoi or Someone You Know Needs a Break.........
06/22/2026

If Yoi or Someone You Know Needs a Break.........

06/22/2026

June 22, 2026
Accepting life as it is
Page 180

"In our recovery, we find it essential to accept reality. Once we can do this, we do not find it necessary to use drugs in an attempt to change our perceptions."

Basic Text, p. 90

Drugs used to buffer us from the full force of life. When we stop using drugs and enter recovery, we find ourselves confronted directly with life. We may experience disappointment, frustration, or anger. Events may not happen the way we want them to. The self-centeredness we cultivated in our addiction has distorted our perceptions of life; it is difficult to let go of our expectations and accept life as it is.

We learn to accept our lives by working the Twelve Steps of Narcotics Anonymous. We discover how to change our attitudes and let go of character defects. We no longer need to distort the truth or to run from situations. The more we practice the spiritual principles contained in the steps, the easier it becomes to accept life exactly as it comes to us.

Just for Today: I will practice self-acceptance by practicing the Twelve Steps.

Copyright (c) 2007-2023, NA World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved

06/21/2026

June 21, 2026
New levels of honesty
Page 179

"We have been experts at self-deception and rationalization."

Basic Text, p. 28

When we come to our first meeting and hear that we must be honest, we may think, "Well now, that shouldn't be too difficult. All I have to do is stop lying." To some of us, this comes easily. We no longer have to lie to our employers about our absence from work. We no longer have to lie to our families about where we were the night before. By not using drugs anymore, we find we have less to lie about. Some of us may have difficulty even with this kind of honesty, but at least learning not to lie is simple--you just don't do it, no matter what. With courage, determined practice, the support of our fellow NA members, and the help of our Higher Power, most of us eventually succeed at this kind of honesty.

Honesty, though, means more than just not lying. The kind of honesty that is truly indispensable in recovery is self-honesty, which is neither easy nor simple to achieve. In our addiction, we created a storm of self-deception and rationalization, a whirlwind of lies in which the small, quiet voice of self-honesty could not be heard. To become honest with ourselves, we first must stop lying to ourselves. In our Eleventh Step meditations, we must become quiet. Then, in the resulting stillness, we must listen for truth. When we become silent, self-honesty will be there for us to find.

Just for Today: I will be quiet and still, listening for the voice of truth within myself. I will honor the truth I find.

Copyright (c) 2007-2023, NA World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved

06/20/2026

June 20, 2026
Meditation for beginners
Page 178

"For some, prayer is asking for God's help; meditation is listening for God's answer...Quieting the mind through meditation brings an inner peace that brings us into contact with the God within us."

Basic Text, pp. 46-47

"Be patient when you're learning to meditate," many of us were told. "It takes practice to know what to 'listen' for."

We're glad someone told us that, or many of us would have quit after a week or two of meditating. For the first few weeks, we may have sat each morning, stilled our thoughts, and "listened," just as the Basic Text said--but "heard" nothing. It may have taken a few more weeks before anything really happened. Even then, what happened was often barely noticeable. We were rising from our morning meditations feeling just a little better about our lives, a little more empathy for those we encountered during the day, and a little more in touch with our Higher Power.

For most of us, there was nothing dramatic in that awareness--no bolts of lightning or claps of thunder. Instead, it was something quietly powerful. We were taking time to get our egos and our ideas out of the way. In that clear space, we were improving our conscious contact with the source of our daily recovery, the God of our understanding. Meditation was new, and it took time and practice. But, like all the steps, it worked--when we worked it.

Just for Today: I will practice "listening" for knowledge of God's will for me, even if I don't know what to "listen" for yet.

Copyright (c) 2007-2023, NA World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved

06/17/2026

June 17, 2026
Walls
Page 175

"Reaching out is the beginning of the struggle that will set us free. It will break down the walls that imprison us."

Basic Text, p. 83

Many of us came to NA emotionally shattered. Years of using people and allowing them to use us had taken their toll on our ability to trust anyone, ourselves included. But the love and acceptance we found in Narcotics Anonymous encouraged us to reach out and get close to others.

The longer we stayed clean, the more we began to long for greater intimacy with our loved ones. We began reaching out in deeper, more meaningful ways, even though we might get hurt. Despite our fears of rejection, we decided to risk revealing ourselves, our beliefs, and our needs. We decided to let down our defensive walls.

The freedom we've found has been worth the risk involved. We know there is still work to do before we will be completely free of the barriers built by years of active addiction. But by reaching out to other addicts and allowing them to reach out to us, despite our human failings, we have come to know that we have a great capacity for love and intimacy. When set free of their restraining walls, our hearts hold great power.

Just for Today: I will let down my personal walls and reach out to others. I will allow my heart the freedom to love and be loved.

Copyright (c) 2007-2023, NA World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved

06/16/2026

June 16, 2026
Accepting life
Page 174

"Some things we must accept, others we can change. The wisdom to know the difference comes with growth in our spiritual program."

Basic Text, p. 95

It's relatively easy to accept the things we like--it's the things we don't like that are hard to accept. But remaking the world and everyone in it to suit our tastes would solve nothing. After all, the idea that the world was to blame for all our problems was the attitude that kept us using--and that attitude nearly killed us.

In the course of working the steps, we begin to ask ourselves hard questions about the roles we ourselves have played in creating the unacceptable lives we've lived. In most cases, we've found that what needed changing was our own attitude and our own actions, not the people, places, and things around us.

In recovery, we pray for wisdom to know the difference between what can and can't be changed. Then, once we see the truth of our situation, we pray for the willingness to change ourselves.

Just for Today: Higher Power, grant me the wisdom to know the difference between what can be changed and what I must accept. Please help me gratefully accept the life I've been given.

Copyright (c) 2007-2023, NA World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Friends in Recovery for over 30+ years!
06/15/2026

Friends in Recovery for over 30+ years!

Address

44429 Hanstead Avenue
Lancaster, CA
93535

Telephone

+16617238520

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Hanstead House posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Featured

Share

Category