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=====TABLE OF CONTENTS=====
=====EDITOR'S COMMENTS
=====RECOVERY THOUGHT
=====READERS' COMMENTS
=====RECOVERY TALK
=====SPONSOR
=====FEATURED LINK
=====PURE BOLOGNA
=====SUBSCRIBE / UNSUBSCRIBE
=====EDITOR'S COMMENTS=====
PLEASE NOTE: Principles leans toward somewhat of an "eastern" perspective on recovery, which fits nicely with 12-step
programs' spiritual underpinnings--that is, if you're willing to read it that way.
PRIVACY: I will never publish, give, loan, or sell your email address to anyone. Never - Ever - No way - No how.
DISTRIBUTION: God willing, Principles hits cyberspace once a week - sometime between Thursday evening and Friday morning.
Find Subscribe & Unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of this page.
Thanks...Charles Roper
=====RECOVERY THOUGHT=====
In order to enter recovery, we had to admit first, that we had a "disease" and second, that we were powerless over our disease.
This done, we were ready to look honestly at the effects our disease had on both ourselves and others.
Read more below...in RECOVERY TALK
=====READERS' COMMENTS=====
"I held a moment in my hand, brilliant as a star, fragile as a
flower, a shiny sliver out of one hour. I dropped it carelessly. O God! I knew not I held an opportunity." --Hazel Lee
--L.S.
I'd love to hear your comments, questions, & ideas. I don't answer every email, but I do read every one, and I answer many.
Please email your comments & questions to:
<a href=" mailto:Principles-Newsletter-owner@egroups.com
"> AOL Click Here </a>
=====RECOVERY TALK=====
Many of us are afraid of looking too deeply into ourselves. But we're told that our pursuit of wholeness in recovery will be
meaningless unless we become willing to move through that fear and take a "searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves."
The very word "moral" conjures up all sorts of forbidding associations for us. For most of our lives we've been subjected to
the moral yardstick of our culture, our religion, our schools, and our family. Operating by these yardsticks, we've always fallen
short, and when guilt and shame resulted, we found solace in our disease.
This "dilemma" doesn't disappear once we stumble upon recovery. Indeed, in some respects, it intensifies. Clean and
sober, we still face the same moral yardstick, but we no longer have alcohol and drug abuse to blame for our thoughts and
actions. Guilt and shame have triggered many a relapse.
What's a poor recovering slob to do? Experience tells us that the odds are against our becoming perfect citizens. Most of us just
aren't built that way. And even though we claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection, many of us are merciless when it
comes to self-judgment.
Perhaps we should consider redefining our moral yardstick. Zen's basic premise is that good and bad have no real existence
except in our minds. The Buddha identified the cause of our suffering as the divisions in our minds, which pigeonhole our
experiences into good and bad, right and wrong, us versus them, and so forth. Zen practice seeks to alleviate the effects of this
kind of "polar thinking" by teaching us to act in a whole and spontaneous manner, according to the innate wisdom that
resides within each of us at all times.
How do we access this innate wisdom so that it guides our thoughts and actions? One way is prayer and meditation. We
ask for guidance, and we listen for answers. Prayer is asking. Meditation is listening.
More next week.
[Thanks to Mel Ash, among others, for the words that inspired these thoughts.]
=====NEWSLETTER SPONSOR=====
"I must share with you how much I appreciated and enjoyed High Bottom Drunk!
I could relate so personally to the progression of Steve's disease...the description of his fall at the ranch...I was there!
Many others were too, and just as many more remain or are yet to arrive." --C
High Bottom Drunk: A Novel...and the Truth about Addiction & Recovery, by Charles N. Roper, PhD.
Order High Bottom Drunk directly from the publisher, through the
http://www.highbottomdrunk.com website, and receive two free
gifts (modest but useful) with each copy.
http://www.highbottomdrunk.com
<a href=" http://www.highbottomdrunk.com
"> AOL Click Here </a>
=====LINK OF THE WEEK=====
This week's featured link is: Hazelden Recovery Chatroom
"I manage the Hazelden Recovery Chatrooms at Hazelden Foundation. We are an alcohol and drug abuse treatment center
in Minnesota. We have daily hosted and scheduled chats on recovery. I would like to encourage you to visit the chats."
Thanks, John F.
Visit the site at:
<a href=" http://www.hazelden.org/chat
"> Hazelden Recovery Chatroom </a>
=====PURE BOLOGNA & HOGWASH=====
A woman went to the police station with her next-door neighbor to report that her husband, a notorious alcoholic, was missing.
The policeman asked for a description. She said, "Well, he's 35 years old, 6 foot 4, has dark eyes, dark wavy hair, an athletic
build, weighs 205 pounds, is soft-spoken, always sober, and is very good to the children."
The next-door neighbor looked at her friend incredulously and said, "Your husband is 5 foot 4, chubby, bald, has a big, loud
mouth, drinks like a fish, and is mean to your children."
The wife replied, "Yes, I know, but who wants HIM back?"
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==========================
Till next week, do us all a favor and keep it simple.
Charles Roper, Editor
Principles: The Addiction & Recovery Newsletter
Alcohol & Drug Abuse - The Addiction & Recovery Information & Resources Web site:
<a href=" http://www.alcoholanddrugabuse.com
">
http://www.alcoholanddrugabuse.com
</a>
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