We've heard it said that we often see God most clearly in one another. We see the truth of this when we practice our Twelfth Step. When we carry the recovery message to another addict, we sense the presence of a Power greater than ourselves. And as we watch the message take hold, we realize something else: It's the message that brings recovery, not the messenger. A Higher Power, not our own power, is the source of the change that begins when we carry the message to a still-suffering addict.

As the message does its work, transforming the life of another addict, we see a Higher Power in action. We watch as acceptance and hope replace denial and despair. Before our very eyes, the first traces of honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness begin to appear. Something's happening inside this person, something bigger and more powerful than either of us. We're watching the God we've come to understand at work in someone's life. We see the Higher Power in them. And we know with greater certainty than ever that this Higher Power is in us, too, as the force driving our recovery.

What bound our predecessors together in NA's early days is what connects us today: It's our identification as addicts through the common lens of the disease of addiction and our desire to get clean. That commonality alone means we belong here and with each other—despite what or how much we used, the specifics of our stories and experiences, and what makes us different as people. One of NA's gifts, we hear members say over and over again, is having relationships with people whom we very likely would never even have met, let alone connected with, outside the rooms.

NA's success as a Fellowship since its inception has hinged on this fact: Our best hope for recovery from addiction is banding together to help each other. Our common welfare—the health and well-being of our groups and NA as a whole—underpins our personal recovery. That includes every member of this Fellowship, past and present. Even our future members depend on the "we" of NA. Though we may approach them in a variety of ways, it's no accident that eleven of the Twelve Steps start with the word "We."

But "we" isn't just a concept. Like all principles, its practical application is what makes it spiritual. When we identify, we connect. When we share our true selves, that connection deepens. When we help each other and accept help, we stay connected. Above all, practicing "we" is fulfilling our primary purpose of carrying the message of recovery to the still-suffering addict.