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 Activity in and around AA November 25, 2009 6:08 PM

When experienced AA members say that they found getting active helpful in their recovery from alcoholism, they usually mean getting active in and around AA.  If you want to, you can do that even before you decide whether or not you want to become an AA member.  You don't need anyone's permission or invitation.  In fact, before you make any decision about a drinking problem, it might be a good idea to spend some time around AA.  Don't worry, just sitting at and observing AA meetings does not make you an alcoholic or an AA member, any  more than sitting in a hen house makes you a hen.  You can try a sort of dry run or dress rehearsal of AA first, then decide about joining.

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Getting Active November 11, 2009 5:10 PM

It is very hard just to sit still trying not to do a certain thing, or not even to think about it.   It's much easier to get active and do something else - other than the act we're trying to avoid. The more we think about the drink we're trying to keep away from, the more it occupies our mind, of course.  That's not good.  It's better to get busy with something, almost anything, that will use our mind and channel our energy toward health.

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Live and Let Live August 13, 2009 8:31 AM

Those of us who began to drink alone or to sneak a drink now and then, often did so to keep some other person or people from knowing how much, or how often we drank.  When we first stopped drinking, it was a great relief to find that the people we met in AA, seemed to be quite different.  They reacted to us not with criticism and suspicion but with understanding and concern.  However, there are people in AA and everywhere else, who sometimes say things we disagree with, or do things we don't like.  Learning to live with differences is essential to our comfort.

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REMEMBERING THAT ALCOHOLISM IS AN INCURABLE, April 07, 2009 5:08 PM

PROGRESSIVE, FATAL DISEASE.

Many people in the world know they cannot eat certain foods-oysters or strawberries or eggs or cucumbers or sugar or something else-w/out getting very uncomfortable and maybe even quite sick.

A person with a food allergy of this kind can go around feeling alot of self pity, complaining to everyone that he or she is unfairly deprived, and constantly whining about not being able or allowed to eat something delicious.

To stay healthy and reasonably happy, we must learn to live with the bodies we have.  One of the new thinking habits a recovering alcoholic can develop is a calm view of self as someone who needs to avoid chemicals if he/she wants to maintain good health.



This post was modified from its original form on 07 Apr, 17:10  [ send green star]
 
Using the 24 hour plan September 02, 2008 4:08 PM

In our drinking days, we often had such bad times that we swore, "never again."  We took pledges for as long as a year or promised someone we would not touch the stuff for 3 weeks, or three months.  Of course, we tried going on the wagon for various periods of time.

We were absolutely sincere when we voiced these declarations through gritted teeth.  With all our hearts, we wanted never to be drunk again.  We were determined.  We swore off drinking altogether, intending to stay off alcohol well into some indefinite future.

Our dry forever, never lasted very long.  Although we realize that alcoholism is a permanent, irreversible condition, our experience has taught us to make no long term promises about staying sober.  We found it more realistic and more successful to say I am not taking a drink just for today.


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Something good I heard at a meeting today... March 10, 2008 7:48 PM

The longer I am sober, the closer I am to a drink....

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 March 08, 2008 11:27 AM

"If your days seem filled
with unwanted negative feelings,
there is only one cure.
When they come,
choose them.
Don't ask why,
don't wonder how,
don't fight them
and never put yourself down
for having them.
But most of all
never blame someone else
for how you feel.
If you do,
it means you are still fast asleep
and your choice is to be a victim.

When the feelings come,
even big disturbing emotional feelings
say, "I choose this feeling"
and know it comes
because of something
you have thought or done
in the past,
perhaps a certain belief
that you have learned
or an attachment
that is threatened.

Choice does not mean
you want the feelings,
but it does mean
you are taking responsibility for them.

And that is the beginning
of self mastery.
It is the first step to the healing
and resolving of your emotions.
But only the first step.

Try this today
and then ask yourself
what the next step might be.

If you are really interested to know,
you will come to know! "
~www.thoughtoftheday.com~
Image and video hosting by TinyPic


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How Do I Love Me? March 08, 2008 11:25 AM

The secret to finding true love begins with you.

By Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway

It is so important that we nourish ourselves -- body, mind and spirit -- and treat ourselves like goddesses. Being kind to oneself is a healthy habit to get into, and the best way to get into the groove is to set aside "Goddess Time" each week for you, and you alone!

We give so much to others, why be stingy with ourselves? Whether in a relationship, hoping to be, or simply enjoying single life, a date with ones self is a powerful metaphor for self-nourishment. And it is the first and most important step toward a balanced, loving relationships with others.

Where to begin? Imagine there is someone in your life you can depend on to pamper, heal and revitalize you, and treat you royally -- for at least a few undisturbed hours each week. Now, imagine that "someone" is YOU. Pick something that would bring you great pleasure -- an activity, an experience, or a material gift -- and agree to give it to yourself.

Start off with something simple. Try a "self-love bath." Crown yourself Queen for a Day or Goddess for several hours a week -- and pamper yourself. Buy beautiful candles, scented oils, flowers. Draw a bath. Play relaxing and sensual music. Slip into the warm water, daydream and allow yourself to bask in the energy of love. It truly creates an impression in your own mind and spirit that you are someone who deserves royal treatment and who is willing to receive it! I cannot tell you how much a simple act of self-love will bring you closer to receiving pampering from others. At the most basic level -- a nice warm bath with candles is very relaxing and it gives you a chance to meditate. and get a new perspective on life.

How do I love me, let me count the ways. Other simple delights include: light a candle and relax in a favorite chair for 15 minutes; take yourself to a movie, out to dinner or to a museum exhibit you've been meaning to see; buy yourself a small gift. The best way to keep your soul nourished is to create an ongoing environment for this nourishment.

Date yourself regularly: Many of us take time out for ourselves just once in awhile and neglect to create the foundation for ongoing revitalization. Why not carve out time and put things in order so that you can access these experiences of self-love and care, regularly. This may mean keeping your favorite bath oil and candles on hand at all times. or ensuring that you have several hours a week alone, to yourself. Think of it this way. if you were dating someone special, wouldn't you go out of your way to make dates and focus attention on the relationship? Do it for yourself, first. this sets the groundwork for others to treat you like the goddess you are!

 

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The Science of Addiction February 27, 2008 4:42 PM

by Elaine Gottleib

The United States is a nation of addicts. According to a 2001 survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), there are 16 million drug users, 13 million heavy drinkers, and 66 million smokers in the United States. That doesn't include the overeaters, gamblers, compulsive exercisers, and the sex obsessed. Yet most people are able to eat, drink, and exercise without becoming addicted to those activities. Why?

Defining Addiction

Neuroscientists define addiction in medical terms as "a brain disease….a chronic, relapsing disease." Addiction is considered a brain disease because it alters the brain in fundamental, long-lasting ways. That's not surprising when you consider that the brain changes constantly in response to our everyday experiences. For instance, when a student learns that the Pilgrims landed in 1620, the brain is affected by just that simple piece of information. Imagine the more dramatic changes produced by powerful substances like alcohol and heroin!

Neuro-imaging techniques like PET scans and MRIs have documented actual changes in the size and shape of nerve cells in the brains of addicts. Networks of nerve cells determine our feelings and behavior. Drugs influence behavior by transforming the way these networks function, according to Dr. Stephen Hyman, former director of the National Institute of Mental Health.

The Dopamine Connection

The biological link among all addictions is dopamine. This brain chemical is released during pleasurable activities ranging from sex and eating to more detrimental behaviors such as drinking and drug taking. "If a drug or an activity produces a sharp spike in dopamine, the odds are phenomenal that people will like it, they'll experience it as pleasurable, and it will be addictive," says Alan Leshner, PhD, of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

A powerful drug like crack cocaine elevates dopamine levels much faster than normal pleasurable activities. It creates the classic drug-induced feelings of exhilaration and power. In a landmark 1950s experiment, scientists stimulated rodent brains and found that the animals kept returning to the place where they received the stimulation.

Getting—and Staying—Hooked

Coming down from a drug high is caused by a decrease in dopamine levels. If you force brain cells to produce excessive dopamine on a regular basis, they become stressed and produce less dopamine. Over time, addicts become depressed and need drugs just to stimulate dopamine to normal levels. They become trapped in a cycle of cravings and addiction to avoid withdrawal symptoms and depression.

Leshner believes that once a person crosses the line from user to addict, the brain is so changed that he can no longer control his behavior. "... the truth is, addiction is not a voluntary behavior. It's actually a different state," he explains. "It's hard for people to understand that, but if you take drugs to the point of addiction, functionally you move into a different state. A state of compulsive, uncontrollable drug use."

This transformation helps explain why it's so difficult to break an addiction. "There is no motivator more powerful than the drug craving and the need for them," says Leshner. Cravings are more significant than physical withdrawal in keeping an addict hooked. Drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine, unlike heroin and alcohol, don't produce intense physical withdrawal symptoms, but they do produce overpowering cravings. These cravings can be aroused by external or internal stimuli that are as innocuous as walking by a pub or feeling sad, according to Patricia Owen, PhD, director of Research and Development at the Hazelden Foundation in Minnesota.

An Addictive Personality?

Although researchers have tried to determine the type of person who becomes an addict, they have failed to identify an "addictive personality," according to Owen. It is only after people become addicts that certain common personality traits emerge, like "difficulty delaying gratificati

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LIVING SOBER January 31, 2008 2:29 PM

SUCH REPEATED EXPERIENCES HAVE FORCED US TO THIS LOGICALLY INESCAPABLE CONCLUSION:  IF WE DO NOT TAKE THE FIRST DRINK, WE NEVER GET DRUNK.  THEREFORE, INSTEAD OF PLANNING NEVER TO GET DRUNK, OR TRYING TO LIMIT THE NUMBER OF DRINKS OR THE AMOUNT OF ALCOHOL, WE HAVE LEARNED TO CONCENTRATE ON AVOIDING ONLY ONE DRINK:  THE FIRST ONE.....PG 5

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