When our members celebrate birthdays in recovery, they often share that they "grew up" in NA. This word troubles us. We begin to wonder if we are really adults. We examine our lives and indeed all the clues are there: bankbook, children, work, responsibilities. Inside, however, we often feel like children. Many times life still confuses us. We don't know how to behave. Sometimes we wonder if we have matured even a little or if we are children in grown-up bodies, given adult responsibilities.
Maturity is not just about age or the responsibilities we have taken on. We determine how much we have matured based on our spiritual condition, which is the foundation of our recovery. If, in order to feel good about ourselves, we are still dependent on people, places and situations, like a child who expects everything from his parents, then we really need to grow up. But if we remain committed to our spiritual principles, considering this to be our most important responsibility, then we can say that we have matured. With this as a prerequisite, our potential for development is limitless.
