“We say, ‘we take’ these Steps, not ‘we took’ them, because we live these Steps continually.”

– Working the Program, MA pamphlet

The only requirement for membership in our program of Marijuana Anonymous is a desire to stop using. In my case, the only requirement for getting clean and staying clean is a willingness to do the work this program requires of me.

It is not enough for me to have worked the Steps, I must continue to work the Steps. It is not enough for me to do service work, I must continue to do service work. It is not enough for me to reach out to the newcomer, or even someone who has been in the program longer than I have—I must continue to do these things.

It is not enough for me to know marijuana is bad for me, not enough for me to not want to use anymore, to be done with it, or to despise my using with every fiber of my being. I am an addict, and I must be reminded, daily, that I am incapable of stopping without the help of a Higher Power and the fellowship of addicts like me.

“This program is not easy, but it is simple.” Anything that is not easy requires hard work. While there are many, many ways of working a program, once I find a program that works for me, I must work at it hard to obtain my daily reprieve.

Final thought: Today, I will do the work needed for me to stay clean.