'Use what is in your power...'

Old 05-05-2020, 11:05 PM
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Redmayne
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'Use what is in your power...'

'Use what is in your power and make the best of the rest,' Epictetus
For me as someone who now uses Stoic philosophy to strengthen and enhance both my recovery and my life, use what is in your power is reflected in the fact that the book,' Alcoholics Anonymous' tells us that the main problem for the alcoholic centres in the mind balanced against,' The only power you have is over your mind, all the rest is external. Remember this and you WILL gain strength,' Marcus Aurelius.
Who was a student of Epictetus.
'Make the best of the rest,' simply refers to say, AA's 12 Step program of recovery or whatever else suits the individual, noting that a high percentage of recovery programmes used in Rehabilitation centers in the US are based on AA's 12 Step programme off recovery.
Either way, if it works for you, fine. If not remember, ' The only power you have is over your mind, all the rest is external....'
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Old 05-06-2020, 07:36 AM
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In my view, in order to understand addiction, one needs to understand human psychology. What we think and what we feel, are distinct drivers of our behavior. Epictetus ​noted some 2000 years ago that “it isn’t our circumstances, but our view of them, which creates our miseries." ​Victor Frankl, psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, notes in his book, "Mans Search for Meaning," if you have any freedom, it is the freedom to choose how you think and react. Frankl's thinking is that our primary drive in life is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful.​ Our behavior is determined by what we find meaningful- what we value. Behavior, can be defined, as the way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially toward others.​ As adults, our behavior should ultimately be determined by our thinking, but is often usurped or overwritten by our feelings, our emotions. ​Emotions are the primary drivers of our behavior. Addictive behavior is driven by our emotions-our feelings. We live in an emotion charged society where people often derive their values, not based on thinking, but based on how they feel (if it feels good-do it)! Feelings, including urges to use substances or activities, are almost always temporary. It's true, we can't always control our immediate feelings, but we do have control over how we think and act, based on those feelings. Unfortunately, people often act, based on their emotions-how they perceive they should feel or want to feel.Â
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Old 05-06-2020, 11:04 AM
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Redmayne
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Well that's...

Well that's set the intellectual tone my thread, now what else have you got in real terms to help those starting to or in recovery that will help them in a caring constructive manner?
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Old 05-06-2020, 01:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Redmayne View Post
Well that's set the intellectual tone my thread, now what else have you got in real terms to help those starting to or in recovery that will help them in a caring constructive manner?
Read Man's Search for Meaning.
Without meaning in life you have no purpose. Without purpose, it's too easy to not care about ourselves and others; to give up and opt for the quick fix or mood changer of substances.
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Old 05-06-2020, 10:24 PM
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When you wake up..

'When you wake up each morning tell yourself that:The people I deal with today will be arrogant, ungrateful, meddling, dishonesty, surly and jedazlous. They are like that because they don't know good from evil.' - Marcus Aurelius
Good, in terms of the Stoic Virtues means exercising practical wisdom, temperance, courage in your dealings with others and yourself and to be just in your dealings with your environment.
Evil, means to act shamefully towards others or yourself, sometimes both at the same time.
All of which is based on logic and reason, which itself is based on an individual's ability to think cognitively.
Thank you for providing us with an example of being one of those people referred too in the quote by Marcus Aurelius, we will all be forever in your debt.
And remember,' What happened to you may not be your fault,but it is your responsibility to think about it,' William Knauss. One of the founders of Cognitive Behaviour.
As you have a book for me I return your kind offer,' Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations,' Jules Evans
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Old 05-09-2020, 07:19 PM
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Today, I faltered. Today I allowed my emotions to overtake common sense. I took the bait someone cast and I got hooked emotionally into a mental relapse of sorts. I know where I went wrong and I understand why I felt provoked. I need to forgive myself for speaking and entering a useless argument. A more skilled action would have been to ignore the provoker and just carry on. Now my body is physically still getting back to normal and it’s been hours since the incident. The further along I go in sobriety, the more important it becomes that I maintain emotional peace of mind. I don’t enjoy feeling revved up (that is, if I ever did). Thanks. I just had to get that off my chest!
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Old 05-13-2020, 03:15 AM
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Your constructive direct honesty

Thank you for your constructive, direct honesty as refreshing as the birds singing their dawn chorus.
Emotions get the better of all of us at some time or other, more often than not in a very negative manner.
The 'fall back' position is to remind yourself that the main object of recovery and sobriety accompanied by serenity is to remind yourself that the primary object of them allo is to maintain your equanimity, mental calmness, composure and eveness of temper evern in difficult situations.
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