Just For The Day
Just For The Day
#12 - August 22, 2025 - Contribution in Recovery
Jay and Diane explore the idea of contributions from the NA (Narcotics Anonymous) Daily Reader.
Each person has a unique quality to offer others on their journey. The reading reminds us that we may be exactly the person someone needs at a particular moment, even when we doubt our ability to help effectively.
Our podcast represents our 12th step work by offering both the addict and codependent perspectives and sharing our journey as a couple who survived addiction together
Question: What are some ways people have contributed to your recovery from addictions, like alcoholism, pornography, overeating, etc?
Jay and Diane's Just For The Day podcast is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Just for Today, any 12-Step program, or any other recovery-based product or organization. They should not replace your regular group or sponsor meetings.
The views expressed are solely those of the hosts and guests. Take what you like and leave the rest.
Welcome back everyone to another episode of Just for the Day. I'm Jay and I'm a recovering addict.
Speaker 2:I'm Diane and I'm codependent.
Speaker 1:And today is August 22nd. The title of the reading today is called Contribution. The quote at the top says we recognize our spiritual growth when we are able to reach out and help others.
Speaker 2:To make a difference in the world, to contribute something special, is perhaps the highest aspiration of the human heart. Each one of us, no matter what our personal makeup, has a unique quality to offer.
Speaker 1:Chances are that at some point in our recovery we met someone who reached us when no one else could. Whether it was someone who made us laugh at our first meeting, a warm and compassionate sponsor, or an understanding friend who supported us through an emotional storm, that person made all the difference in the world.
Speaker 2:All of us have had the gift of recovery shared with us by another recovering addict. For that we are grateful. We express our gratitude by sharing freely with others what was given to us. The individual message we carry may help a newcomer. Only we can reach.
Speaker 1:There are many ways to serve our fellowship. Each of us will find that we do some things better than others, but all service work is equally important. If we are willing to serve, we're sure to find that particular way to contribute. That's right for us.
Speaker 2:Just for today, my contribution makes a difference. I will offer a helping hand today.
Speaker 1:I really like this reading and I'll tell you why. I feel like oftentimes we get in our heads that we're not the right person to help. Someone else could help them better if maybe I could do it just a little bit different. And what I realized today I was reflecting on this that the reality is there's no one else there. I'm the person in front of this person, that, if this person has a higher power and this person's higher power needs me to be to this person what they need and there's no one else to use, so I'm just going to offer the best version of myself to them and hope that it's enough. And oftentimes it is, and too often do we beat ourselves up because we wish we could reach farther and do better, and yet the reality is the one is important, the individual we're here to touch and impact, and if you have that opportunity, it's crucial that you take it because you're there and you have something to offer. So, anyway, I love that. I just love that reading.
Speaker 2:I think it's very true, too, that I have met people in meetings where they never share and I've asked them why don't you ever share? And they say, well, my problems are so minuscule compared to what other people, I don't have anything to share. That would be worthwhile. What they say well, my problems are so minuscule compared to what other people, I don't have anything to share that would be worthwhile. What they have is you know, I just have nothing left to contribute. They, they cover everything Right Now.
Speaker 2:I love the idea, too, about someone special that at some point someone special supported us in a way that we needed, and in my mind I have a couple of people that kind of come to mind at various points in my life, and I don't know if I have a specific person with recovery. We we didn't have a recovering addict lead us to recovery. You and I sought it out ourselves. But in that first meeting that we went to I did hear an Al-Anon speaker and that led me to the Al-Anon group for my support. But I wouldn't necessarily say that anybody kind of brought us in through their 12th step, if that makes sense.
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely Because we, at least for my experience. I started coming to the program a year before I really came into the program, and so, although I didn't have someone that led me to NA, I do have a handful of people that are special to me because they introduced me to the real program and I hold them.
Speaker 1:I was thinking about them in the last reading yesterday about friendship, where people in my mind, people I haven't talked to in six months, were crossing my mind. These very people, what we're talking about right now. And I need to reach out to them because it's been too long and they are special to me because they offered the realness of their life to me. And I need to reach out to them because it's been too long and they are special to me because they offered the realness of their life to me and I've recovered because of their interactions with me. And they're simple people, they're super, just ground down to earth. You know, just lovely people and but they're hard and it's so interesting you wouldn't expect from looking on the outside that they would be that way, because of the way they dress and they look and they take care of themselves.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's fascinating how the recovery group brings us into contact with people that maybe wouldn't have been in our natural social circles.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and yet they become very special to us. Right circle groups yeah, and yet they become very special to us right. Um, I also have had meaningful experiences and meaningful conversations with a few other people in my life. But, yeah, definitely, when you come into the recovery group speaking with sponsors, speaking on more intimate terms with other people, those I I can name off several people in my recovery who have made a contribution to the work, the step work that I've done, to the way that I understand myself and the world, definitely, yeah.
Speaker 1:So any other thoughts on contribution, the gifts we receive from others and the gift we give to others when we share.
Speaker 2:Well, I guess this is really reading is really about a step 12, right? Yeah?
Speaker 2:step 12 and this is what we're trying to do. We know that there are, and there have been, lots of podcasts where people share daily readers. Um, this is not the first attempt that has been made at this. Um, jay and I have this beautiful relationship and we have this history that includes so many different addictions, so much trauma, so many other things in it, and then we almost divorced and we have our separation and then we have our recovery. That's individual and together, doing therapy and counseling and all these different things and and I know in a lot of the groups that we've attended people say I want what you have.
Speaker 2:How do you, how did you get through all of this and still stay married, which is something that is not common in recovery. Usually people do end up getting divorced because one of the couples, one of the partners, is willing to change and the other one isn't willing to change, or they change and they grow apart or fill in the blanks, right, but not a lot of people make it through the recovery program with their original partner, and Jay and I have a relationship and the ability to kind of talk things through that. We thought we do have something that we can share and so maybe people will be interested in the banter between the recovering addict and the codependent, who went through it all together and have the two different perspectives and are still trying to make it work and still improving ourselves each day and working our programs.
Speaker 1:I guess we're hoping that there will be people out there that, and I guess we're hoping that there will be people out there that you know our thoughts and reflections and the diversity of our experiences, both collectively and individually, being on both sides of the addiction coin Al-Anon and AA&A whatever. Every other version of that will be a benefit to some people and they'll find a community here and that will find a community right.
Speaker 2:So, because we we've always loved going to open meetings, open speaker meetings, when there's the addict and the codependent and you get to see both sides and maybe they're not sharing the same story Sometimes they are, but to be able to see both perspectives really helps you to understand things so much better and we are willing to be vulnerable. So we thought, if we're willing to do this and it can help other people, let's do it. This is our contribution, this is our 12th step, and so that's why I thought I would bring that up on this reading I love, love it.
Speaker 1:So just for today. Our contributions make a difference when presented with the opportunity no-transcript.
