Most of us will face choices that challenge our recovery. If we find ourselves in extreme physical pain, for example, we will have to decide whether or not we will take medication. We will have to be very honest with ourselves about the severity of our pain, honest with our doctor about our addiction and our recovery, and honest with our sponsor. In the end, however, the decision is ours, for we are the ones who must live with the consequences.

Another common challenge is the choice of attending a party where alcohol will be served. Again, we should consider our own spiritual state. If someone who supports our recovery can attend the event with us, so much the better. However, if we don't feel up to such a challenge, we should probably decline the invitation. Today, we know that preserving our recovery is more important than saving face.

All such decisions are tough ones, requiring not only our careful consideration but the guidance of our sponsor and complete surrender to a Higher Power Using all of these resources, we make the best decision we can. Ultimately, however, the decision is ours. Today, we are responsible for our own recovery.

There is a link between the improved conscious contact we seek as individuals in Step Eleven and the collective conscience that may express itself in the decision-making processes of our groups, according to Tradition Two. When we're spiritually fit, it's easier to tune in to group conscience. It turns out that seeking our Higher Power's will for ourselves positions us to tap into the same for our NA groups.

We recover over time, not overnight. Likewise, our spiritual awakenings take time to unfold. In Step Two, we come to believe that a Higher Power could restore us to sanity. We make a decision in Step Three, a decision we recommit to by surrendering daily and working the rest of the Steps.

By the time we get to the Eleventh Step, most of us are ready to enhance our sense of spirituality. We explore different ways to pray and meditate. We get in the groove of a daily routine that strengthens our conscious contact with a Higher Power. We notice the payoff: less noise between our ears, more harmony in our dealings with others.

As with so many aspects of our personal and spiritual growth, improving our conscious contact improves our ability to serve. Our egos become "right-sized." It becomes less important that we are heard as individuals and more important that our voices reflect our Higher Power's will and harmonize with those of our fellow members, our coworkers, even our families. We make an effort to sing from the same songbook, even when we're not singing the same notes. In fact, singing in harmony means just that: We hit different notes, but they complement each other as the group's voice emerges.