When we joined Narcotics Anonymous, some of us didn't go to meetings regularly and then wondered why we couldn't stay clean. One of the first things we learned was that in order to stay clean, we had to make gatherings our priority.
So we started again from the beginning. Following our supporter's suggestion, we committed to attend ninety rallies in ninety days. We would pretend to be newcomers in the early days of our recovery so that the other members would get to know us better. Our supporter's guidance was to talk less, to learn to listen. We slowly began to look forward to going to a gathering. And so we started to stay clean.
Today we go to gatherings for many different reasons. Sometimes we go to share our experience, strength and hope with younger members. Other times we go to see friends. And sometimes we go simply because we need a hug. Sometimes, leaving, we realize that we didn't hear anything that was said at the meeting, and yet we feel better. The love and healing atmosphere at the gatherings kept us clean for another day. No matter how busy our schedule is, our priority is to go to a gathering.
