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PRINCIPLES: ADDICTION & RECOVERY TIPS & TALKS
Vol.1, No.9 July 7, 2000
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=====TABLE OF CONTENTS=====
=====NOTES
=====EDITOR'S COMMENTS
=====HMM...DID YOU KNOW?
=====TIP & TALK FEATURED ARTICLE
=====SPONSOR'S SPOT
=====WHAT WOULD BUDDHA DO?
=====GUEST SPOT (ANYTHING GOES)
=====SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE/COMMENT
=====NOTES=====
Principles: Addiction &
Recovery Tips & Talks is published every Friday morning by the folks at Alcohol
& Drug Abuse - The Addiction & Recovery Information & Resources. Visit the
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=====HMM...DID YOU KNOW?=====
Every day you change the world. Today will be no exception. At the end of this day, things will be different because of what you have done. You will have an impact. What kind of impact will it be? How will you make use of this power you have to change the world? There is no way to avoid it. The thoughts you think, the words you speak, the actions you take will make a difference. Your choice is whether or not that difference will be a positive one.
The choices you make and the actions you take will bring about results. You have the very real opportunity today to make your world a better place. Who are you to change the world? Indeed, who are you not to? If not you, then who?
This day is not a rehearsal. It is real. What you choose to do with it will have lasting consequences for you and for those around you. It is an awesome responsibility and a tremendous opportunity. Give it the best that you have.
-- Ralph Marston
=====EDITOR'S COMMENTS=====
This week's TIP & TALK FEATURED ARTICLE is entitled "I Am Responsible...(aren't I?)" The article was written by Dakota, the editor of a beautiful AA Recovery E-Magazine called Choices. I have done a very small amount of editing on this article in order to eliminate some references to a companion piece on anonymity. The original article and its companion can be viewed at Dakota's website: http://www.world-net.net/home/dakota/AARecoveryMagazine-ChoicesIndex.htm
NOTE: If you would like to submit a TIP & TALK article or story, please contact me through the newsletter address listed at the bottom of this page.
Charles N. Roper, Editor
=====FEATURED ARTICLE=====
RECOVERY TIP: "I Am Responsible...(aren't I?)"
RECOVERY TIP TALK:
"I am responsible." Hmm…what an interesting idea. There was a time when
these words may as well have been written in a foreign language, for they sure never
passed my lips.
I have a little note card that says, "Few blame themselves until they have exhausted all other possibilities." I keep the card in my daily meditation book so I won't forget the hard-earned lessons of taking responsibility for myself and my actions.
I figure this "responsibility thing" sets in when we start to use more than two brain cells at the same time--when we make a choice or decision about something. And although I suspect that there's nothing worse to behold than a recovering alcoholic with a decision to make, if we are to be truly free, that freedom must be paid for. The payment is the willingness to stop the buck at our own doorstep and be willing and able to say, "I am responsible."
The equation goes like this: Program = Freedom = Choices = Responsibility.
I've heard that we addicted folks have "arrested emotional development" and that recovery programs teach us how to grow beyond that "arrested point in time." That idea came home for me one day as I observed my neighbors' children blaming each other for a broken toy in the yard. I had seen which child broke the toy; it was the one who was pointing most furiously at the others. The scene reminded me of my pals and me in our early days.
"Am I responsible?" Yes, I am.
I took a few philosophy courses in college. One of the few things I remember from that experience goes like this: "If you have the knowledge of something, then you have the responsibility of that knowledge."
And that brings up the issue of anonymity. If we choose to announce our recovery status to others, then we will be judged accordingly. And that judgment might color another person's perceptions of what all people in recovery are like. That's some heavy knowledge to own. That knowledge does, indeed, come with responsibility.
Dakota 2000 ©
=====SPONSOR'S SPOT=====
High Bottom Drunk: A Novel...and the Truth about Addiction & Recovery, by Charles N. Roper, PhD.
Within the context of a powerful story populated with fascinating characters, High Bottom Drunk offers the key to understanding the true nature of addiction and recovery.
"I thought I understood what recovery means. I was wrong. Now I get it, and it blows me away. High Bottom Drunk is like highly potent self-help fiction."
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 bored?
A: "If you find one thing
boring, you will find everything boring."
--Dogen, "Guidelings for Studying the Way."
Boredom lies in our character, not in the world. I've heard it said that "If you're bored, you're boring." Think about that.
When you're bored, you tend to bore others. Conversely, when you're bored, it is because you are boring. You are the one who engages in the act of boring. It's not the world that is boring you. It is you who are boring the world. This is Buddha's meaning.
So, when you are boring, stop doing it. Look inside and ask yourself, "Why am I draining the life from this moment?" Answering this question restores you and the world to life. Boredom becomes impossible.
Paraphrased from: What Would Buddha Do? 101 Answers to Life's Daily Dilemmas, by Franz Metcalf.
=====GUEST SPOT (ANYTHING GOES)=====
Two Versions of the Same Story.
Here's HER Story (VENUS):
He was in an odd mood when I met him at the bar last night. I thought it might have been
because I was a bit late, but he didn't say much about it. The conversation
really lagged, so I suggested we go off somewhere more intimate so we could talk
privately.
We went to a restaurant, and he continued acting a bit funny. Try as I might, I couldn't seem to break the ice. I started to wonder whether it's me, or perhaps something I did. I asked him, but he said it wasn't about me. Even so, I had my doubts. I mean, what else could it be?
Anyway, on the way back to his house, I told him that I love him, and all he did was put his arm around my shoulder. I don't know what the hell that was supposed to mean, because he didn't say it back or anything.
We finally got to his place, and by now I'm wondering if he's going to dump me! So I tried to talk about it again. He just shook his head and switched on the TV. At this point, I gave up and said I was going to go to bed.
Then, after about 20 minutes, he climbed in bed with me, and we had sex. Even then, though, he still seemed distracted. To tell you the truth, I just wanted to leave.
I don't know. I just don't know what he's thinking anymore. I mean, do you think he's met someone else?
Here's HIS Story (MARS):
Shitty day at work. Tired as hell. Wasn't all bad, though; at least I got laid.
Submitted by: Who knows & who cares!?
=====LINK OF THE WEEK=====
This week's featured link is a repeat. It's Dakota's beautiful site, Choices.
Choices is a Recovery Magazine open to all 12 Step Programs based on AA's principles and practices. The website contains a good variety of information and resources.
Visit Choices at: http://www.world-net.net/home/dakota/AARecoveryMagazine-ChoicesIndex.htm
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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