June 6th – Service Connects Us

June 6th - a circle of people at a meeting

“What we learned is that recovery from addiction requires resources beyond the capacity of any one individual addict.”

Life with Hope, third edition, page 9

I used marijuana in isolation. When I was with others for work or socially, I couldn’t wait to get back home to smoke. I was impatient and not fully present with others or in what I was doing. Even with smoking friends, I preferred to use alone, at a high enough level to maintain the insulation from feelings. Isolating myself ever further from deep, meaningful relationships, I hid out in my garage alone.

Hearing the stories and feelings described by other addicts in meetings was the first time, in a long time, that I felt close to other human beings in a way that wasn’t superficial. In my first weeks of sobriety, I attended between two and four meetings a day. Now, I still attend one or two meetings a day. I attend a book study group and online fellowship. I laugh and cry and call fellows. I feel empathy and compassion for others. I have service positions in several meetings.

Helping and being helped by other addicts, the fellowship is now doing for me what I could not do for myself. As I work the Steps, I am discovering the nearness and comfort of learning where I end and my Higher Power takes over. Only during this clean time have I felt the depth of God in the faces, voices, and words of my fellows. I am so grateful that Marijuana Anonymous is here for us.

Final thought: Today, I will attend an MA meeting to feel connected with other addicts, to be of service, and to grow in sobriety.

Living Every Day with Hope – Copyright © 2025 Marijuana Anonymous World Services. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher. Marijuana Anonymous groups have been granted limited permission to quote Living Every Day with Hope.

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