Gifts of the Program

Written by, Terri R.

I got my nine month chip at a Glendale MA meeting this week. I am the type of person who reflects on my progress whenever I reach a milestone like this. Course, I am very proud of myself. However, I’m also thinking of all the gifts I received from the program in the past nine months. Not only do I have my sobriety, but I have my friends, my higher power, and my future.

In my opinion, my friends are one of the most precious gifts I have received in MA. During the end of my using, I had no friends, like many of us marijuana addicts.  Today, I have more friends than I have ever had. What’s more, they are REAL friends. They love me unconditionally, and  I love them.  I have learned the true meaning of friendship in MA.

My Higher Power is my greatest gift from the program. I am not a religious person, but I believe I have become a spiritual person. My Higher Power guides and supports me in a way I have never known before. I think I am in conscious contact with God, at most times, and for that I am very grateful.

The most exciting thing I have gotten from my time in MA is my future. Before I got sober, I did not really have any goals for my future. As long as I could get high, I didn’t care what else I did. Now that has all changed. In September, I will be starting my third semester in college, and I am deciding what my major will be. The wonderful thing is that now I can do anything. Now that I am sober, I have confidence in myself. My future is not set in stone, but I know that if I am sober, whatever my Higher Power and I decide will be wonderful.

Published in A New Leaf – September 1991

  • Where am I, and why am I here?

    What began as a requirement to get a driver’s license back became a new way of living.

    Where am I, and why am I here?
  • How the Steps Come Alive in Meetings

    How showing up, listening, and sharing in meetings puts all Twelve Steps into practice.

    How the Steps Come Alive in Meetings
  • My Goodbye Letter to Marijuana

    After 37 years, a final goodbye — and a new course toward calmer waters.

    My Goodbye Letter to Marijuana
  • Looking Up

    Written by, Anonymous When I was high I looked up at the stars Each time I pulled in On that little pipe that got clogged up And then I cleaned it with alcohol Boil it in saltwater Boiling cloves cinnamon and nutmeg to try to cover up the smell Dumping the boiling water in the…

    Looking Up
  • Ready?

    Written by, Michael J Ready? The Universe: “Had enough?” Me: “No.” “How ’bout now?” “No!” “Now?” “NO!” “Now?” “Sh*t, sh*t… No, NO, it’s fine! I’m fine.” “?” “Leave me alone!! I said I’m fine.” “Well?” “F*ck, f*ck, f*ck!!!” “?” “One more.” “?” “Damn it. I’m fine, I can do this. I’ll handle it.” … “Where’d…

    Ready?
  • “Pink Cloud”

    Painted By, Jonathan B. Caption: This is an early watercolor painting done around day 30 expressing the excitement of early sobriety, while also acknowledging the reality that living life on life’s terms brings unpredictable weather. Published in A New Leaf – September 2026

    “Pink Cloud”