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=====TABLE OF CONTENTS=====
=====EDITOR'S COMMENTS
=====THINGS YOU ALREADY KNEW, BUT...
=====TIP & TALK FEATURE ARTICLE
=====SPONSOR'S SPOT
=====WHAT WOULD BUDDHA DO?
=====FEATURED LINK
=====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://alcoholanddrugabuse.com
DISTRIBUTION: Principles is distributed only to subscribers. If you have received this newsletter by
mistake, please accept our apologies, and find UNSUBSCRIBE instructions at the bottom of this page.
PRIVACY: I will NEVER publish, give, loan, or sell your e-mail address to anyone. Never - No way - No how.
Thanks...Charles Roper
=====THINGS YOU ALREADY KNEW, BUT...=====
Great minds discuss ideas;
Average minds discuss events;
Small minds discuss people.
---Eleanor Roosevelt
=====TIP & TALK FEATURED ARTICLE=====
RECOVERY TIP: One's serenity is a mirror image of one's spiritual recovery.
RECOVERY TIP TALK: If our serenity is a reflection of our spiritual recovery, then we better understand what
spiritual recovery is. I'm pretty sure, though, that if we asked a dozen spiritual "experts" (whoever the heck they are) to define
spirituality and spiritual recovery, we would get a dozen different--perhaps very
different--opinions.
To make our task simpler then, we'll assume for the time being that spirituality is a
way
of life, an attitude toward life, a way of "being" in the world.
If asked to list positive spiritual qualities, most people would include at least some of the following:
Serenity, peace of mind, peace of conscience, goodness, honesty, genuineness, integrity,
humility, kindness, generosity, courage, faith, tolerance, acceptance, optimism, and
discipline.
Here's the kicker, though. Each of these "positive" spiritual qualities has a "negative" counterpart. Hence,
the not-so-obvious fact that spirituality has a dark side as well as a bright one, with negative spiritual qualities
being the opposites of the positive ones.
If spirituality is a way of life, an attitude toward life, and a way of "being" in the world, then negative
spirituality might be exemplified by the attitude "Life's a bitch and then you die" and by personal
qualities demonstrating that attitude. Yikes! That reminds me of a story.
One Friday afternoon, about two years before sobriety was thrust upon me, I was enjoying TGIF beers and nachos with my buddies at a local beer
garden. I went to the restroom to relieve myself, and as I stood at the urinal, I glanced
up at a piece of graffiti that caught my full imagination. It read: "The whole world
sucks; that's why outer space is a vacuum."
I remember marveling at the fact that a world class philosopher--a legitimate genius--had recently stood in
the exact same spot as me and had captured my entire philosophy of life with the single stroke of a Magic
Marker.
Of course, what the genius had captured was my spirituality--my spiritual recovery--my attitude
toward life--my way of "being" in the world.
And did I know serenity? Well, what's your guess?
Personal spiritual qualities--both positive and negative--all have something in common. They run deep. Does
recovery come easily? No, not for most of us. Does it come quickly? No, not for any of us. Thank goodness we have readily-available sets
of
instructions.
We'll look at this some more next week.
=====SPONSOR'S SPOT=====
Why read the book High Bottom Drunk?
"...exceptionally entertaining...had to force myself to put it
down."
"...tremendously educational...better than any textbook, and I think
I've read them all."
"...totally new perspective on spiritual recovery...puts AA principles
right in the middle of real-life blood & guts."
High Bottom Drunk: A Novel...and the Truth about Addiction & Recovery, by
Charles N. Roper, PhD.
Read excerpts of High Bottom Drunk: A Novel... at the Website:
http://www.highbottomdrunk.com
=====WHAT WOULD BUDDHA DO?=====
Q: What would Buddha do about changing other people?
A: "Do not examine the limitations of others. Examine how you can change your
own." --Dakini Teachings I
We never get anywhere dwelling on changing others, but that doesn't stop us from trying.
Perhaps it's our excuse for not changing ourselves. After all, the most annoying habits
and limitations of other people seem to be exactly the ones that we have, too.
Even when we must attend to others' limitations, as a teacher must do with his or her
students, we learn most when we turn the examination to our own.
Changing ourselves is not only the best way to help ourselves; it is also the best way to
help others.
Paraphrased from: What Would Buddha Do? 101 Answers to Life's Daily Dilemmas, by
Franz Metcalf.
=====LINK OF THE WEEK=====
This week's featured link is "Recovery Works."
This site calls itself "Your Addiction Resource Center," and they aren't
kidding. They offer information and links for addictions to alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling,
food, work, grief, and the internet. Simple and straightforward.
Visit the site at:
http://www.addictions.org/recoveryworks
=====PURE BOLOGNA=====
The Five Stages of Drunkenness
Stage 1 - SMART
This is when you suddenly become an expert on every subject in the known Universe. You
know you know everything and want to pass on your knowledge to anyone who will listen. At
this stage you are always *right*. And of course the person you are talking to is *wrong*.
This makes for an interesting argument when BOTH parties are SMART.
Stage 2 - GOOD LOOKING
This is when you realize that you are the best looking person in the entire bar and that
people fancy you. You can go up to a perfect stranger knowing they fancy you and really
want to talk to you. Bear in mind that you are still SMART, so you can talk to this
person about any subject under the sun.
Stage 3 - RICH
This is when you suddenly become the richest person in the world. You can buy drinks for
the entire bar because you have an armored truck full of money parked behind the bar. You
can also make bets at this stage, because of course, you are still SMART, so naturally you
win all your bets. It doesn't matter how much you bet 'cos you are RICH. You will also buy
drinks for everyone that you fancy, because now you are the BEST LOOKING person in the
world.
Stage 4 - BULLET PROOF
You are now ready to pick fights with anyone and everyone, especially those with whom you
have been betting or arguing. This is because nothing can hurt you. At this point you can
also go up to the partners of the people whom you fancy and challenge them to a battle of
wits for money. You have no fear of losing this battle because you are SMART, you are
RICH,and hell, you're BETTER LOOKING than they are anyway!
Stage 5 - INVISIBLE
This is the Final Stage of Drunkenness. At this point you can do anything because NO ONE
CAN SEE YOU. You dance on a table to impress the people who you fancy because the rest of
the people in the room cannot see you. You are also invisible to the person who wants to
fight you. You can walk through the street singing at the top of your lungs because no one
can see or hear you, and because you're still SMART, you know all the words.
Submitted by: A smart, rich, good looking, bullet proof,
invisible old friend of mine.
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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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