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How I started my healing journey !by John B Honesty is my favourite spiritual principle. It is what keeps me alive, and it is the foundation for my recovery. It is a principle for living that I did not have in the past. It is a gift that was given to me through living clean, clean in the programs of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA). I believe honesty allows me to trust people in my life who are in recovery because I can see them living by this spiritual principle, too. Being honest with others - and with my self - is what really matters in life. It is the best gift to give to anyone. Before I came to these fellowships, NA and AA, my life was based on dishonesty, and that dishonesty became my prison. The stories and the lies I told so people would like me became harder to keep straight. Keeping secrets and avoiding the truth was exhausting, and it fed my shame, self-hatred, despair, and hopelessness. It was harmful to me and my loved ones, as well as everyone else. It was also very costly. I just wanted to not be in my skin anymore. I tried to hide the degree to which my abuse was out of control, yet the only one I fooled was myself. I learned from others in AA and NA that I have a disease - addiction. I also learned a new way to live: A lifestyle that started with honesty. That was where I started my healing journey! I believe this gift of truth is one of the most valuable gifts I can give and one of the most precious things I can receive. I have been harmed, harmed by deceit, mostly in the past during my active addiction; today I am healed when people in my life love me enough to be honest with me. After a life full of deception and lies, I find that I can help the ones I love - and myself - simply by being honest and sharing the ultimate gift of love and caring. The AA and NA meetings are held weekly at: * The Uzima Centre at the Engarenarok Lutheran Church: - AA Swahili meetings on Wednesdays and Sundays at 5:00pm - NA Swahili meetings on Fridays at 5:00pm * The Arusha Community Church: - AA Swahili meetings on Saturdays at 10.00am and Mondays at 5.00pm - AA English meetings on Tuesdays at 1:00pm and 5:00pm, and on Thursdays at 1:00pm. - NA Swahili meetings on Mondays and Thursdays at 5:00pm. * The Monduli Roman Catholic Church: - AA Swahili meetings on Mondays, Wednesdays at 3:30pm, and on Saturdays at 10:00am. * The Christ Church Cathedral (Diocese of Mt. Kilimanjaro): - AA English meetings on Wednesdays at 11:00am. If you have any questions about your addiction, our doors are always open for you or call John (AA) - 0744 - 428 677 and Frank (NA) - 0744 - 428 490. Email: olwasi@yahoo.com
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