SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information

SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information - Alcoholism-12 Step Support http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/ 12-step based recovery forum for individuals with alcoholism. Your experiences, strength and hope make a difference and might just help another alcoholic. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:18:09 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/images/misc/rss.jpg SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information - Alcoholism-12 Step Support http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/ AA Thoughts For The Day-Honesty http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188954-aa-thoughts-day-honesty.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:56:37 GMT

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^

^*^*^*^*^
Honesty

"I know the biggest word for me in AA is 'honesty.'
I don't believe this program would work for me
if I didn't get honest with myself about everything.
Honesty is the easiest word for me to understand
because it is the exact opposite of what I've been doing
all my life.
Therefore, it will be the hardest to work on.
But I will never be totally honest -- that would make me perfect,
and none of us can claim to be perfect.
Only God is.
If I work on it every day, it will be easier
to be honest with myself.
Then getting and staying honest with other people
will come automatically.
I know I will be grateful for a chance to make amends
to everybody I have hurt in the past."

c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 482
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Honesty is the absence of the intent to deceive.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O P E = Honest, Open, Positive, Environment

]]> Alcoholism-12 Step Support CarolD http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188954-aa-thoughts-day-honesty.html Daily Reflections http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188953-daily-reflections.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:52:27 GMT *~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*

"THY WILL, NOT MINE"

. . . when making specific requests, it will be well to add to each one of them this qualification. ". . . if it be Thy will. "

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 102

I ask simply that throughout the day God place in me the best understanding of His will that I can have for that day, and that I be given the grace by which I may carry it out. As the day goes on, I can pause when facing situations that must be met and decisions that must be made, and renew the simple request: "Thy will, not mine, be done."

I must always keep in mind that in every situation I am responsible for the effort and God is responsible for the outcome. I can "Let Go and Let God" by humbly repeating: "Thy will, not mine, be done." Patience and persistence in seeking His will for me will free me from the pain of selfish expectations.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC. ]]> Alcoholism-12 Step Support CarolD http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188953-daily-reflections.html 24 Hours A Day http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188952-24-hours-day.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:49:33 GMT *~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~* A.A. Thought for the Day I no longer try to escape life through alcoholism. Drinking built up an unreal world for me and I tried to live in it. But in... *~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*

A.A. Thought for the Day

I no longer try to escape life through alcoholism. Drinking built up an unreal world for me and I tried to live in it. But in the morning light the real life was back again and facing it was harder than ever, because I had less resources with which to meet it. Each attempt at escape weakened my personality by the very attempt. Everyone knows that alcohol, by relaxing inhibitions, permits a flight from reality. Alcohol deadens the brain cells that preside over our highest faculties and we are off to the unreal world of drunkenness. A.A. taught me not to run away, but to face reality. Have I given up trying to escape life?

Meditation for the Day

In these times of quiet meditation, try more and more to set your hopes on the grace of God. Know that whatever the future may hold, it will hold more and more of good. Do not set all your hopes and desires on material things. There is weariness in an abundance of things. Set your hopes on spiritual things so that you may grow spiritually. Learn to rely on God's power more and more and in that reliance you will have an insight into the greater value of the things of the spirit.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may not be overwhelmed by material things. I pray that I may realize the higher value of spiritual things.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012 ]]> Alcoholism-12 Step Support CarolD http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188952-24-hours-day.html Big Book Quote http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188951-big-book-quote.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:48:18 GMT *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Once more: The alcoholic at certain times has no effective mental
defense against the first drink. Except in a few rare cases, neither
he nor any other human being can provide such a defense. His defense
must come from a Higher Power."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 1st. Edition,
More About Alcoholism, pg. 43~ ]]> Alcoholism-12 Step Support CarolD http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188951-big-book-quote.html Unhappy with sponsor http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188948-unhappy-sponsor.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:19:46 GMT I am unhappy about things that my sponsor has said to me. The 3 most hurtful things have been: You deserve to be visiting your kid behind plate glass windows., and If you go back to... I am unhappy about things that my sponsor has said to me.

The 3 most hurtful things have been:

You deserve to be visiting your kid behind plate glass windows., and

If you go back to drinking, you will get cirrhosis, and your kid will end up in an institution, because no foster parent will want a child with delays like yours, and

Most people's livers never get better...and...why not one more zinger,

You have nothing to offer a newcomer, you can't even stay sober yourself.

I understand being tough, but come on.

I have 6 weeks yesterday. I read somewhere that the liver sheds it's lining every six weeks, and that if you don't drink, after six weeks, the new lining receives more oxygen, get's healthier, and I share with her that I am excited about making it to 6 weeks, and her reply is to pull the joy from me. Who does this?

The other two comments were made that morning that I posted that I almost drank, and I traced it back to the resentment I developed over her words, I don't care what people say no one can make you drink, I don't believe that, I believe people can say hurtful things which can shake another person up, causing them to drink. I didn't drink but I don't need these comments.

I have two choices,
1. Be honest with her, and tell her all that I post here, or
2. Just thank her for the help she has given me, and move forward, realizing that I have been shown how she operates, and that it can be hurtful.

What do you think? and please don't jump on me, I don't need to read hurtful replies, if you have nothing kind, please refrain, thank you.:a108: ]]> Alcoholism-12 Step Support keepcominback http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188948-unhappy-sponsor.html 12 steps and rehab http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188943-12-steps-rehab.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:27:13 GMT Someone over in F&F mentioned that AH said he completed all 12 steps in 21 days of rehab.
That made me curious: if you are in inpatient rehab, are AA meetings organized on the premises? Where I live, the rehab facilities send people out to AA meetings. I don't know how many days they are sent to meetings a week or if it is compulsory or voluntary.
For those who have been in rehab, how did it work for you? ]]> Alcoholism-12 Step Support littlefish http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188943-12-steps-rehab.html As Bill Sees It-Groping toward God http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188891-bill-sees-groping-toward-god.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:06:54 GMT *~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*

Groping toward God

"More than most people, I think, alcoholics want to know who they are, what this life is about,, whether they have a divine origin and an appointed destiny, and whether there is a system of cosmic justice and love.
"It is the experience of many of us in the early stages of drinking to feel that we have had glimpses of the Absolute and a heightened feeling of identification with the cosmos. While these glimpses and feelings doubtless have a validity, they are deformed and finally swept away in the chemical, spiritual, and emotional damage wrought by the alcohol itself.
"In A.A., and in many religious approaches, alcoholics find a great deal more of what they merely glimpsed and felt while trying to grope their way toward God in alcohol."

LETTER, 1960
Copyright-AAWS ]]> Alcoholism-12 Step Support CarolD http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188891-bill-sees-groping-toward-god.html Daily Reflections http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188890-daily-reflections.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:04:04 GMT *~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*

"I WAS SLIPPING FAST"

We A.A.'s are active folk enjoying the satisfactions of dealing with the realities of life, . . . So it isn't surprising that we often tend to slight serious meditation and prayer as something not really necessary.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 96

I had been slipping away from the program for some time, but it took a death threat from a terminal disease to bring me back, and particularly to the practice of the Eleventh Step of our blessed Fellowship. Although I had fifteen years of sobriety and was still very active in the program, I knew that the quality of my sobriety had slipped badly. Eighteen months later, a checkup revealed a malignant tumor and a prognosis of certain death within six months. Despair settled in when I enrolled in a rehab program, after which I suffered two small strokes which revealed two large brain tumors. As I kept hitting new bottoms I had to ask myself why this was happening to me. God allowed me to recognize my dishonesty and to become teachable again. Miracles began to happen. But primarily I relearned the whole meaning of the Eleventh Step. My physical condition has improved dramatically, but my illness is minor compared to what I almost lost completely.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC. ]]> Alcoholism-12 Step Support CarolD http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188890-daily-reflections.html 24 Hours A Day http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188889-24-hours-day.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:58:45 GMT *~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~* A.A. Thought for the Day In A.A. we do not speak much of sex. And yet putting sex in its proper place in our lives is one of the rewards that has come to... *~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*

A.A. Thought for the Day

In A.A. we do not speak much of sex. And yet putting sex in its proper place in our lives is one of the rewards that has come to us as a result of our new way of living. The Big Book says that many of us needed an overhauling there. It also says that we subjected each sex relation to this test-was it selfish or not? "We remembered always that our sex powers were God given and therefore good, neither to be used lightly or selfishly, nor to be despised or loathed." We can ask God to mold our ideals and to help us to live up to them. We can act accordingly. Have I got my sex life under proper control?

Meditation for the Day

"I will lift up my eyes unto the heights whence cometh my help." Try to raise your thoughts from the depths of the sordid and mean and impure things of the earth to the heights of goodness and decency and beauty. Train your insight by trying to take the higher view. Train it more and more until distant heights become more familiar. The heights of the Lord, whence cometh your help, will become nearer and dearer and the false values of the earth will seem farther away.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may not keep my eyes forever downcast. I pray that I may set my sights on higher things.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012 ]]> Alcoholism-12 Step Support CarolD http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188889-24-hours-day.html Big Book Quote http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188888-big-book-quote.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:56:39 GMT *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"God will constantly disclose more to you and to us. Ask Him in your
morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still
sick. The answers will come, if your own house is in order. But
obviously you cannot transmit something you haven't got. See to it
that your relationship with Him is right, and great events will come
to pass for you and countless others. This is the Great Fact for us."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 1st. Edition,
A Vision For You, pg. 164~ ]]> Alcoholism-12 Step Support CarolD http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188888-big-book-quote.html <![CDATA[It's uncanny...]]> http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188885-its-uncanny.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:12:58 GMT I dusted off the BB and started reading it from the beginning. It's basically the story of my life, written before I was born. How did they know so much about me when they wrote the Big Book back in the 30's?

It's spooky to read and see my life in the pages of a book that was written before I was born. There has to be a power out there that created this program, and I'm not just referring to the people who put the book together.

It finally clicked last night, the program of recovery they used to change their lives are the twelve steps. That's it. It's not the AA group that kept them sober, not their sponsor, or families, but those 12 steps are really the program. I've tried getting sober by doing what others suggested, but I didn't really try to apply each and every one of those steps to my life. I was picky, I'd skip where it meant to really dig down deep and look hard at myself, I've glossed over the tough parts, but the solution to my desperate state is in that book.

I also skipped to the back and read a story about a doctor who discovered that acceptance is the key to all his problems. That story really hit home with me, and cracked me up as I read it. That guy is like me in so many ways.

The section on the agnostics really helped alot too. All we need is the slightest bit of faith to start doing this program, we don't need a truck full, just a grain of faith will do. That's another key for me to open the door to freedom from insanity.

I'm beginning to really like this book and have faith that this will work for me, even if I were totally alone living in a hut on a deserted island. The 12 steps will work any where. That's grace to me. ]]> Alcoholism-12 Step Support firestorm090 http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188885-its-uncanny.html ...constitutionally incapable... http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188861-constitutionally-incapable.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:27:20 GMT When reading "How it works' I've often thought of myself as this type of person, one who is constitutionally incapable of being honest with myself.

It's not true, I am capable of being honest with myself, i just don't want to be. There's a difference. It helps to look at myself as honestly as I can, and admit that my way of managing my life has been disastrous. That's a good place to start.

constitutionally.......sure is a big word, lol. Better break out the dictionary. ]]> Alcoholism-12 Step Support firestorm090 http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188861-constitutionally-incapable.html Four simple words http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188856-four-simple-words.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:51:22 GMT That's all I could muster today.

I can't believe I actually did this, but I got down on my knees and, after waiting a little while, I closed my eyes and said, "God, please help me". That's all I could muster, I was starting to tear up, so I stood up quickly and came here to post. I just can't seem to let go, I fight breaking through, because I feel like I'd cry for a year. A grown man doesn't cry, and I still think like that, even though I know that's not true. It's like, I get close to touching my inner soul, and I get scared and back off. I haven't prayed in many many years, so I guess it's a start. At least this time, I feel a little better. ]]> Alcoholism-12 Step Support firestorm090 http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188856-four-simple-words.html Rules for Anarchy http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188843-rules-anarchy.html Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:05:12 GMT It was pointed out to me by an old-timer more experienced than I at exploring the 12 Traditions that what they really amount to is "Rules for Anarchy". His take is that for every precept towards organization that they contain they also contain a corresponding loophole.

This ensures that the anarchists will always have as much say in how AA is run as the do-gooders. In other words; now matter what forces try to bring AA down, internal or external, there will always be an element dedicated to returning it to barely functional chaos.

What do you think? ]]> Alcoholism-12 Step Support Boleo http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188843-rules-anarchy.html <![CDATA[Robert's Rules of Order, or Group Conscious?]]> http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188818-roberts-rules-order-group-conscious.html Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:13:31 GMT My Monday night home group meeting is closed. When the chairperson started the meeting he asked, parliamentary style (Robert's rules...), ie, made a motion to make the meeting open, got it seconded and we went from there....

I thought, well, maybe someone important (?) is here that is not alcoholic, like a spouse, or a confused newcomer, I don't know, didn't ask, should have. No one introduced themselves as non-alcoholic.

The chairperson at our group is informally chosen before the meeting in a rotating fashion. This person has been in the program 9 months. He is spiritually fit for the time he has been coming and works a good program. Our closed meeting is Big Book study and the chair doesn't share his own experience, (s)he just does the announcements, starts the readings and calls on those who raise their hands to speak...

But I just can't help thinking about a couple of things...

Is a group conscious and Robert's Rules of Order compatible?

Why would a closed meeting be opened at the last minute for no discernible reason?

As I type this, I realize that I have a responsibility to ask, and will at our next meeting, Thursday. But I was wondering if anyone has experienced this?

Mark ]]> Alcoholism-12 Step Support Cubile75 http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism-12-step-support/188818-roberts-rules-order-group-conscious.html