Drug Rehab Options Blog

*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Much to our relief, we discovered we did not need to consider
another's conception of God. Our own conception, however inadequate,
was sufficient to make the approach and to effect a contact with
Him. As soon as we admitted the possible existence of a Creative
Intelligence, a Spirit of the Universe underlying the totality of
things, we began to be possessed of a new sense of power and
direction, provided we took other simple steps."


~Alcoholics Anonymous, 1st Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 46~

Brent Crowe

:Xmas7

The secret of life is to know when enough is enough.
- Dr. Vincent Ryan

This was my father's favorite saying in his final years, and one of the last thing he said to me before he died. I was contemplating selling my house and moving to a smaller one, and that was his pronouncement on the subject.

It was kind of ironic, since there he was, a family doctor for forty years, gasping and wheezing over the phone, barely able to speak, dying from smoking too much. But the fact that he learned the lesson late doesn't negate the truth. And it goes straight to the heart of the issue of gratitude; namely, that gratitude makes us feel like we have enough, whereas ingratitude leaves us in a state of deprivation in which we are always looking for something else.

That's why the idea of cultivating "the gratitude attitude" is so popular among twelve-step programs. As Emmet Miller notes in "Gratitude: A Way of Life". "Gratitude has to do with feeling full, complete, adequate - we have everything we need and deserve; we approach the world with a sense of value." Addictions of all sorts come from a sense of deprivation, a feeling of lack that the user believes can be filled with a substance or activity, whether it's drugs, shopping, alcohol or food. Caught up in lack, we feed the need but never feel truly satisfied because our substance of choice can't fill the lack. Consequently we continue to want more and more.

As many people have pointed out, our consumer society owes its very existence to its ability to fuel a sense of never being satisfied. If we were happy about the way we looked, for example, why would we spend billions on cosmetics and plastic surgery? Or on expensive cars that supposedly convey a certain image that we don't have?

An attitude of gratitude gets us off the treadmill and out of the rat race. As we cultivate a true and deep appreciation for what we do have, we realize that our sense of lack is, for the most part, an illusion. No matter our material circumstances, the richness of our soul is ultimately what brings happiness, not another Martini, bigger breasts, or the latest video game. In the words of Lao Tzu, "He who knows enough is enough will always have enough."
From the book "Attitudes of Gratitude" by M.J.Ryan, pages 73 and 74.
M.J.Ryan is the executive editor of Conari Press, publisher of the best-selling "Rainbow Acts of Kindness" series, and the editor of "A Gratteful Heart" and The Fabric of the Future". She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and daughter.

You will notice that the word fear is bracketed alongside the difficulties with Mr. Brown, Mrs. Jones, your employer, and your wife. This short word somehow touches about every aspect of our lives. It is an evil and corroding thread; the fabric of our existence is shot through with it. It sets in motion trains of circumstances which bring us misfortune we feel we don't deserve. But did not we, ourselves, set the ball rolling? Sometimes we think fear ought to be classed with stealing as a sin. It seems to cause more trouble.

Review your fears thoroughly. Put them on paper, even though you have no resentment in connection with them. Ask yourself why you have them. Isn't it because self-reliance has failed you? Self-reliance was good as far as it went, but it didn't go far enough. Some of us once had great self-confidence, but it didn't fully solve the fear problem, or any other. When it made us cocky, it was worse.

Perhaps there is a better way - we think so. For you are now to go on a different basis; the basis of trusting and relying upon God. You are to trust infinite God rather than your finite self. You are in the world to play the role he assigns. Just to the extent that you do as you think He would have you, and humbly rely on Him, does He enable you to match calamity with serenity.

You must never apologize to anyone for depending upon your Creator. You can laugh at those who think spirituality the way of weakness. Paradoxically, it is the way of strength. The verdict of the ages is that faith means courage. All men of faith have courage. They trust their God. Never apologize for God. Instead let Him demonstrate, through you, what He can do. Ask Him to remove your fear and direct your attention to what He would have you be. At once, you will commence to outgrow fear.

REMEMBER AND BE THANKFUL
by Pastor Leon Fontaine

Being thankful is synonymous with being happy.

People who make it a daily practice to be thankful for all that God has done for them have a way of attracting quality relationships and excellent opportunities into their life. They exude an uplifting and infectious attitude that is inspiring to others and seem to handle problems with greater ease and happiness.

Then there are those who have lost their attitude of thankfulness, or perhaps never developed one, and repel others with their cynical attitude and negative predictions. They struggle to keep good friends and seem to always be creating unfortunate circumstances for themselves and others. They mistakenly believe they would be more happy and thankful if only they had a reason to be, and they fail to understand itÂ’s not circumstance, but rather attitude, that sets them apart from those who are happier.

In reality, there are plenty of reasons for everyone to be unhappy in this world, but many people choose a better route by deciding to develop an attitude of thankfulness.

Here are a few more thoughts about thankfulness:

1. Thankfulness keeps peace in your life. Good fortune does not always translate into a peaceful, happy existence. In fact, the Bible warns about guarding your heart in times of prosperity because that is when it becomes easy to take things for granted, become proud and lose an attitude of thankfulness, which ultimately leads to poor choices and unhappiness. Regardless of the season youÂ’re in, a thankful attitude and an ability to convey thankfulness will lead to lasting joy.


2. Everything in your life that is good comes from God. Develop, on purpose, an attitude of thankfulness by expressing gratitude each day to Him for the good things in your life, whether itÂ’s your health, your family, career, opportunities or whatever else God has blessed you with. When you fail to practice an attitude of being thankful, you run the risk of gravitating towards negative topics in life and begin thinking, dwelling and talking about all thatÂ’s wrong in the world. But when you practice giving thanks to God for the goodness in your life, you won't become an unhappy pessimist because youÂ’ll be in habit of practicing thankfulness and will automatically retain your joy.


3. In order to increase your blessings in life, you must be truly thankful for what you already have. You will ultimately lose what you arenÂ’t thankful for. ItÂ’s not enough to feel thankfulness; you need to express the feeling in the way you treat others. Find a way each day to show the people around you how thankful you are for the goodness in your life, whether itÂ’s by doing your work with a smile or going out of your way to do something nice for another person. When youÂ’re thankful, youÂ’ll experience God's presence in your life like never before. Give thanks to Him in every circumstance and show appreciation to others and you'll be amazed at the miracles released in your life.

I started drinking when I was nine. I've been a daily marijuana smoker since '01. The law got me last year and after the process I am now on probation with random UA's. Instead of cheating the system I am trying to soberiety for the first time.

First came the physical withdrawals (marijuana is addictive, I don't care who says other wise - it physically hurts), then the mental rationalizing (I can smoke if I can just continue to buy detox drinks, right?), and now I have no drive to do anything. I can't focus on work, I can't focus on my art, I can't even make love to my wife. I never thought weed was so fundamental to my existence. I had a chance to smoke tonight but I didn't partake.

I can't even play music anymore - everyone I play with abuses marijuana and anything else you can think of.

I recently lost my best friend to heroin less than a month ago; you would think this would set me straight but all I want to do is smoke.

I am looking for an outlook, a perspective unknown to me. I am in rehab but I do not trust the counselor or program; I have a bitter taste in my mouth from the whole criminal justice system.

Tell me your stories. It would help.

Thanks.

"No words can tell of the loneliness and despair I found in that bitter morass of self-pity. Quicksand stretched around me in all directions. I had met my match. I had been overwhelmed. Alcohol was my master.

"Trembling, I stepped from the hospital a broken man. Fear sobered me for a bit. Then came the insidious insanity of that first drink, and on Armistice Day 1934, I was off again. Everyone became resigned to the certainty that I would have to be shut up somewhere, or would stumble along to a miserable end. How dark it is before the dawn! In reality that was the beginning of my last debauch. I was soon to be catapulted into what I like to call the fourth dimension of existence. I was to know happiness, peace, and usefulness, in a way of life that is incredibly more wonderful as time passes."



(All excerpts used are solely from the First Edition of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous.)



I read the Big Book before I dared to venture out to my first AA meeting.

This was the passage that changed my life. For the first time, I realized that my alcohol problem is not unique -- and there is a solution.

Thank you all for showing up to those meetings. We need each other.