We all know people who could benefit from Narcotics Anonymous. Many people we encounter from all walks of life-our family members, old friends, and co-workers-could really use a program of recovery in their lives. Sadly, those who need us don't always find their way to our rooms.

NA is a program of attraction, not promotion. We are only members when we say we are. We can bring our friends and loved ones to a meeting if they are willing, but we cannot force them to embrace the way of life that has given us freedom from active addiction.

Membership in Narcotics Anonymous is a highly personal decision. The choice to become a member is made in the heart of each individual addict. In the long run, coerced meeting attendance doesn't keep too many addicts in our rooms. Only addicts who are still suffering, if given the opportunity, can decide if they are powerless over their addiction. We can carry the message, but we can't carry the addict.

Step Twelve speaks of the spiritual awakening we have as a result of working the Steps. By the time most of us begin our work on Step Twelve, we typically have had any number of awakenings of a spiritual nature. Some awakenings might seem small, like recognizing an asset we've never noticed when we write our Step Four inventory. Other awakenings are more profound, like realizing how a handful of behavior patterns all trace back to a particular character defect we are just now coming to understand. As long as we keep moving through the Steps, we will continue learning about ourselves.

The Basic Text mentions that we differ in degree of sickness and rate of recovery, so it stands to reason that the types of awakenings each of us needs may be quite different, as well. We all have our own stories, including how we got here and where we are going.

Hearing others share about their awakenings can be inspiring and instructive, but having our own experiences—even if they differ from what we hear others share—is what really matters. If we wait to have the same experience we hear others share, we may be disappointed. Worse yet, we may miss what's happening in our own heart and spirit if we look only for what others have described to us, rather than seeing what we see for ourselves.

The prospect of having a spiritual awakening that is truly our own can be both awe-inspiring and intimidating. While our awakenings may not be identical to anyone else's, the better we get to know the truth of our own experiences, the better we will be able to recognize the truth shared with us by fellow addicts. We are each on our own journey, but much of the terrain we cover is the same.