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

  • THEN and NOW

    Written by, Al E. The sixties, everybody was tuning in, turning on, and dropping out. I wanted to feel a part of it all. Love-ins, concerts, flowers in my hair, Beatles, Doors, Stones, and even the music went against the “norm.” I’d swear to this day that the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper told us to “smoke…

    THEN and NOW
  • Thought for the Day

    “Yesterday ended last night. Every day is a new beginning learn the skill of forgetting and move on.” – Written by, Norman V.P. Published in A New Leaf – May 1991

    Thought for the Day
  • The Heart of the Seventh Tradition

    Written by, an Anonymous Trusted Servant The Seventh Tradition is about more than “just” money. It’s about unity, responsibility, and protecting MA’s integrity. By declining outside contributions, we remain free from outside influence. That means it’s up to us to keep our fellowship strong. This Tradition is vital to MA’s growth. It deepens our spiritual…

    The Heart of the Seventh Tradition
  • Contemplating Fellowship

    Written by, Geoff F. Recently, it came to my attention that a new MA meeting has been started at the Gay & Lesbian Community Center in West Hollywood. I knew one day such a meeting would start, for if we believe even Master’s and Johnson’s conservative statistics, 10% of all marijuana addicts are gay. I…

    Contemplating Fellowship
  • Being of Service

    Written by, Kathy C. Webster’s Dictionary defines commitment as:“An act of doing or performing something; a promise or pledge to do something.” I describe commitment as a simple extension of oneself in service to others, done in the name of gratitude. We can have no speakers without listeners, no takers without givers. Being of service…

    Being of Service
  • Heard in a Meeting

    “MA is a Higher-Power-help program — not a self-help one.” Published in A New Leaf – July 2025

    Heard in a Meeting