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=====TABLE OF CONTENTS=====
=====EDITOR'S COMMENTS
=====THINGS YOU ALREADY KNEW, BUT...
=====TIP & TALK FEATURED ARTICLE
=====SPONSORS' SPOT
=====WHAT WOULD BUDDHA DO?
=====PURE BOLOGNA
=====SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE/COMMENT
=====EDITOR'S COMMENTS=====
PUBLICATION: Principles: Addiction & Recovery Tips & Talks is published
every Friday morning by the folk(s) at Alcohol & Drug Abuse - The Addiction &
Recovery Information & Resources Treasure Chest. Visit the Website:
http://www.alcoholanddrugabuse.com
DISTRIBUTION: Principles is distributed only to subscribers. If you have received
this newsletter by mistake, please accept our apologies. SUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE, and
COMMENT instructions are located at the bottom of this page.
PRIVACY: Please know that I will NEVER publish, give, loan, or sell your e-mail address to
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HELP: If you would like to submit an article or story, please contact me through the
newsletter address listed at the bottom of this page.
Thanks...Charles Roper
=====THINGS YOU ALREADY KNEW, BUT...=====
In order to learn anything at all, we must first empty our minds of our cherished notions
and assumptions. An open mind is a necessary prerequisite to learning. To receive a cup of
tea, we must hold an empty cup.
For the person on the spiritual path, there is always more to learn. The journey is not
finished or completed; it is endlessly deepened and broadened. We do not, for example,
"learn" compassion, humility, or wisdom, or any other of the other factors that
make up the spiritual life. We simply deepen and broaded them as we live our lives.
From: Chop Wood Carry Water
=====TIP & TALK FEATURED ARTICLE=====
RECOVERY TIP: "Denial" and "Lying" are two very different things.
(This is PART 1 of a two-part series).
RECOVERY TIP TALK: Just about anytime we approach the subject of addicts' and
codependents' denial, they (we) become defensive. There are many reasons for that.
One of those is because they (we) mistakenly associate the word "denial" with
the word "lying." This is unfortunate because denial and lying are two very
different things.
Lying is something that a person does consciously--something that he or she is aware of on
a conscious level. People know when they're lying. They may not be able to control their
lying, but they're aware of it.
Denial, on the other hand, occurs on a level below consciousness--on a subconscious or
unconscious level. It is a psychological process that acts to block out reality--that is,
to block out conscious awareness within the individual of something that feels threatening
to that individual.
People honestly do not know when they are "in denial." Indeed, if one were to
say, "I know I'm in denial about that," then he/she is not really in denial
about it.
It's not that denial is invisible. It isn't. We can often see denial as it occurs in other
people. We just can't see it in ourselves.
--Charles Roper
Next week: PART 2--"Movement through denial is tricky business."
=====SPONSOR'S SPOT=====
High Bottom Drunk: A Novel...and the Truth about Addiction & Recovery, by
Charles N. Roper, PhD.
"It's no longer necessary to wade through textbooks or self-help manuals to get to
'the truth about addiction & recovery.' This book--this NOVEL--has it all. Even though
parts of it are a little raunchy for my tastes, the story is enormously interesting. In
fact, I'd go one step further and say it's compelling. I don't know...maybe it has to be
raunchy to be real. At any rate, I now understand addiction and recovery on a whole
different level, and for that, I'm appreciative." --E-mail from a psychologist
in Seattle, WA.
Read excerpts of High Bottom Drunk: A Novel... at the Website:
http://www.highbottomdrunk.com
Please Note: I have been asked to add the following warning: Like real-life addiction,
High Bottom Drunk is not a "pretty" story and is not recommended for the
easily-offended or faint-hearted reader.
=====WHAT WOULD BUDDHA DO?=====
Q: What would Buddha do when fearing personal failure?
A: "Am I strong enough to save the world?...Remembering all he had heard, he thought
again and resolved, "I will teach the truth for the sake of saving the world."
--Buddhacharita 15.81-82
It is hard to think of Buddha as having doubts, especially after his awakening, but Buddha
was just a person, and all persons--even enlightened ones--have doubts.
Buddha thought about the enormity of his goal--saving the world and all living
things!--and asked himself, "Do I really have the strength to accomplish this?"
He found the answer was "yes," and he followed his duty. (Interestingly, the
Sanscrit word for duty--dharma--also means "teaching" and "truth."
When we face the greatest challenges--even when we know we are right (especially
when we know we are right)--we may feel acutely conscious of the greatness of our
aspirations and the smallness of our ability. But like Buddha, we must draw on everything
we know, find our resolution, and, like him, throw ourselves into our duty (our dharma).
Our dharma may not compare to Buddha's in scale, but it remains our duty, and if we let it
teach us, it will become our truth.
Paraphrased from: What Would Buddha Do? 101 Answers to Life's Daily Dilemmas, by
Franz Metcalf.
=====PURE BOLOGNA=====
Words of Wisdom from Addicts & Codependents around the Globe:
1. Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry,
he'll be a mile away - and barefoot.
2. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
3. If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you've never tried before.
4. My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.
5. Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.
Submitted by: Sorry, I don't know where this came from, and I have
more for next week.
=====LINK OF THE WEEK=====
This week's featured link is "Alcoholics Anonymous: A Photographic Journey Through
It's History."
"AA: A Photographic Journey..." delivers exactly what its title promises.
Included are photographs of not only Bill & Lois & Dr. Bob, but also some of very
early members of AA plus selected memorabilia.
Visit the site at:
http://www.angelfire.com/ny/AAHistoryPhotos
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==========================
Till next week...do us all a favor and keep it simple.
Charles Roper, Editor
Principles: Addiction & Recovery Tips & Talks
Alcohol & Drug Abuse - The Addiction & Recovery Information & Resources Website:
http://www.alcoholanddrugabuse.com
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