Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

Decided I need to check in on you and see how you've been doing, Roy.

YaY ! on getting a new furbaby! No, she's not Girly - but I'm sure she'll bring you just as much joy - we'll have to have a puppy-naming contest - unless, that is, you've already named her.

[Jaguar]

Congrats Roy, to new addition to the family. I want pictures please.

[Reckless Roselia]

Oct 12, 2012 7:09:07 GMT -5 roygrip said:

We have another puppy! Star! She's 11 week old chihuahua mix. Dropped off at the pound a day before we got there. Meant to be for us! Complete turnaround from a pitbull! She needed us, we needed her. Black with a white star on her chest and white boots.

She's not Girly but helps alot

Awww, congrats on the new arrival, Roy. You call her by a nice name.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

Black with a white star on her chest and white boots

"Snowshoe"
"Oreo"
"Boots"
"Spats"
"Domino"

... I'll think of more as the day goes along...

[mmhmm]

So glad about the puppy, Roy! She sounds adorable and you'll bring to each other exactly what's needed.

[roygrip]

Hello everyone and thank you. Been REAL BUSY! (that's a good thing) Both shows and a David Foster Pilot.

Anyway "Lil Star" as she is so named (though I call her "bugbug") has been winning our hearts, even tempered, happy and a dynamo. She's 14 weeks now and owns the roost! Will figure out pics soon. From my phone and camera.

I'm wishing everyone on the east coast safety
Best wishes for the Holidays arriving
and a promise to stop in more.
Prayers and peace!

[Reckless Roselia]

Hi Roygrip, nice to see you about. I'd love to see lil star too.

[kimber45]

Good Morning Everyone

LOL on your new puppy ruling the roost:)

[roygrip]

Morning all

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

Hello, Roy. You'll have to get a picture of Lil Star to share with us some time. Hope you are doing well.

[roygrip]

I will Lassie! I just need to find my cable (lol) to download pics into the computer from the camera. Or email some pics from phone. Something... Funny I run a mil dollar film camera, can take it apart blind folded! But this simple act (new technology) befuddles me!

[roygrip]

Ok I think I remember.... Here she is, Lil Star! ;D
Wearing her brand new sweater

[Jake 48]

Adorable,

[roygrip]

Thanks Jake! This pic is when we first got her Early Oct. Pic above in the sweater is Oct 30th. See how much she's grown in 4 weeks!

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

What a cute pup, roy!! Thanks for the pics. You'll have to get her a bandana to wear around her neck too. She's perfectly adorable!

[roygrip]

One more set of shots on tues then she's cleared to run in the park with me

We start "puppy kindergarten" (4weeks) then (6week) obiedience school mon.

[Jaguar]

Oh what an adorable puppy she is.

[roygrip]

Thanks Sug. She's got a good heart, and several "Girly" traits. Miss my Girly, but Star is winning our hearts and filling the void. Everyone needs an animals unconditional love. It teaches us loads about ourselves. Peace

[mmhmm]

She's just darling, roygrip. I'm so glad you all found one another!

[kimber45]

Where has everyone been lately? Hope all is well.

[roygrip]

Merry Happy Holidays to all! I have no complaints. Life is good. Been real busy at work. Into my first week of a 3 week vacation. Been going to the doggy park with Star. She is 5 months now. grown 6 pds since Oct. Happy New Year to all! ;D

[femmefatale]

Roy!! Happy Holidays to you and hope you are doing well. Long time, no see.

[roygrip]

The 12-Step Prayers

1st Step Prayer

Dear Lord, I admit that I am powerless over my addiction. I admit that my life is unmanageable when I try to control it. Help me this day to understand the true meaning of powerlessness. Remove from me all denial of my addiction. Study Step 1
7th Step Prayer

My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you & my fellows. Grant me strength, as I go out from here to do Your bidding. Study Step 7



2nd Step Prayer

Heavenly Father, I know in my heart that only you can restore me to sanity. I humbly ask that you remove all twisted thought and addictive behavior from me this day. Heal my spirit & restore in me a clear mind. Study Step 2


8th Step Prayer

Higher Power, I ask Your help in making my list of all those I have harmed. I will take responsibility for my mistakes and be forgiving to others as You are forgiving to me. Grant me the willingness to begin my restitution. This I pray. Study Step 8

3rd Step Prayer

God, I offer myself to Thee To build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy love and Thy way of life. May I do Thy will always! Study Step 3


9th Step Prayer

I pray for the right attitude to make my amends, being ever mindful not to harm others in the process. I ask for Your guidance in making indirect amends. Most important, I will continue to make amends by staying abstinent, helping others and growing in spiritual progress. Study Step 9

4th Step Prayer

Dear God, It is I who has made my life a mess. I have done it, but I cannot undo it. My mistakes are mine & I will begin a searching and fearless moral inventory. I will write down my wrongs, but I will also include that which is good. I pray for the strength to complete the task. Study Step 4


10th Step Prayer

I pray I may continue: To grow in understanding & effectiveness. To take daily spot check inventories of myself. To correct mistakes when I make them. To take responsibility for my actions. To be ever aware of my negative & self-defeating attitudes and behaviors. To keep my willfulness in check. To always remember I need Your help. To keep love & tolerance of others as my code. And to continue in daily prayer how I can best serve You, My Higher Power. Study Step 10



5th Step Prayer

My inventory has shown me who I am, yet I ask for Your help in admitting my wrongs to another person and to You. Assure me, & be with me, in this Step, for without this Step I cannot progress in my recovery. With Your help, I can do this & I will do it. Study Step 5
11th Step Prayer

Higher Power, as I understand You, I pray to keep my connection with You open and clear from the confusion of daily life. Through my prayers & meditation I ask especially for freedom from self-will, rationalization & wishful thinking. I pray for the guidance of correct thought & positive action. Your will, Higher Power, not mine, be done. Study Step 11



6th Step Prayer

Dear God, I am ready for Your help in removing from me the defects of character which I now realize are an obstacle to my recovery. Help me to continue being honest with myself & guide me toward spiritual & mental health. Study Step 6
12 Step Prayer

My spiritual awakening continues to unfold. The help I have received I shall pass on & give to others, both in & out of the Fellowship. For this opportunity I am grateful. I pray most humbly to continue walking day by day on the road of spiritual progress. I pray for the inner strength & wisdom to practice the principles of this way of life in all I do & say. I need You, my friends and the program every hour of every day. This is a better way to live. Study Step 12

[roygrip]

Hi Femme, yep been busy, and when I post, it's been on FB hope all is good and well in your world!

[roygrip]

FOR REFERENCE ONLY:

The Religion of Alcoholics Anonymous







In a world that is becoming increasingly more secular, some people express a real sensitivity to religion and religious topics. Spirituality itself is no longer accepted by some, and talking about spiritual matters can be a turn off. The connect with psychics or fringe ideas is too easy.

A problem for AA

Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in 1935. At the time, religion wasn’t as controversial as it is today. The program hasn’t changed much since then, and the literature relies heavily on spiritual principles. It’s almost taken for granted that those who read the Big Book come from a culture that both values and understands spiritual matters. Unfortunately, society has moved away from accepting a spiritual realm in life and many find it foreign, or immediately label AA as a kind of church.

There is a chapter in the Big Book that is written to non-believers. Called simply, “We Agnostics,” it addresses atheists and agnostics directly, confronting them with the need to find a spiritual basis for their lives. At first reading it seems to call for an outright conversion experience, because it mentions finding a “spiritual awakening.” However, there is an appendix which clarifies what a spiritual experience means.

A poor religion

Many have argued that AA actually is a type of religion, or at least a cult. But to make Alcoholics Anonymous fit the mold, a few things have to be stretched, until it’s hard to make a useful comparison. For example, religions usually have an object of worship. In cults, it’s often a single, charismatic person. Religions have a hierarchy and are transmitted culturally, so that parents teach a particular religion to their young and so on.

Furthermore, it would be an odd religion that accepted the faithless as full members. One doesn’t have to declare anything other than a desire to stop drinking to be a member of AA.

With all the mismatches, AA is a very poor example of what a religion is, especially when groups are so varied. But confronting the issue directly, one finds groups that mention they are agnostic going in.

The important thing for atheists and agnostics is to find a group where religion (usually Christianity) is not built into the group simply because of the people who have joined it. A feeling of not belonging because of pressure felt to convert shouldn’t be allowed to stand between a member and sobriety. There are enough AA groups out there (and online as well) that this shouldn’t be a problem. Just as a religious person may get more out of a meeting that uses prayer as a tool, an agnostic should find a meeting that “speaks” to them on a personal basis. The spirituality will take care of itself.

[femmefatale]

Dec 28, 2012 8:50:31 GMT -5 roygrip said:

Hi Femme, yep been busy, and when I post, it's been on FB hope all is good and well in your world!

Yeah, been seeing that. Just thought I would say hello.

All is ok in my world...day by day thang, ya know? Have a good one.

[roygrip]

Alcohol 12-Step Program







There’s a ongoing criticism of Alcoholics Anonymous: the program inflates what should be a simple and straightforward behavior change into an extended, sometimes years-long process. Those that make this claim point out a single step is the only thing needed – just stop drinking.

Those who’ve participated in AA successfully strongly disagree. And the rationale for a 12 step program is also simple – people need a process to make what amounts to a complete makeover of their lives. There are too many interacting factors to expect a sudden conversion from one set of interlinked behaviors and a switch to sobriety. They point out all the different ways alcohol impacts lives and those personality and spiritual factors that underpin alcoholism.

A 12-step program is a set of discrete, focused goals that lead someone, not just to abstinence, but a different way of living, and understanding, their lives.
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable. (The admission of the problem.)
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. (Willingness to accept help.)
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.(Asking for help directly.)
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. (Explore the underlying problem.)
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. (Social proof.)
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. (Surrender.)
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. (Action to accept help.)
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. (Preparing to repair damage.)
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. (Reparing damage.)
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. (Maintenance.)
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. (Spiritual maintenance.)
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs. (Passing it on.)

Not all of these steps will apply or be practiced by every member, and not all will be done as separate items. Members usually “work the steps” in order, but there are times when review or redoing a step is in order. Still, even with this customization, there is an overarching plan and program to follow. This gives a sense of structure and a plan – critical for the struggling alcoholic.
;D

[roygrip]

Dec 28, 2012 8:58:32 GMT -5 @femmefatale said:

Dec 28, 2012 8:50:31 GMT -5 roygrip said:

Hi Femme, yep been busy, and when I post, it's been on FB hope all is good and well in your world!

Yeah, been seeing that. Just thought I would say hello.

All is ok in my world...day by day thang, ya know? Have a good one.

You too sweetie, be well, enjoy!

[roygrip]

Larry Hagman: Death Linked to Alcohol Abuse

Submitted by William Morrison Fri 11/30/2012







Noted actor, Larry Hagman made it to 81, the last seventeen years of which can be counted as bonus time. Why? In 1995 he almost died from cirrhosis of the liver. Doctors only discovered how bad things were when they performed a liver transplant because of a tumor. The operation revealed his live was failing because of his alcoholism. The transplant was successful, although doctors now reveal he nearly died from the surgery.

The legacy of alcohol stuck with Hagman though. While no longer drinking as much as before his surgery (reported to be five bottles of Champagne a day), he still had a genetic trait that made him prone to cancer, and the alcohol had made him even more vulnerable.

The latest diagnosis was cancer of the throat. According to reports about his condition, his drinking contributed to his eventual death. “Larry Hagman probably inherited a genetic tendency to cancer, but he was also such a severe alcoholic that he developed end-stage cirrhotic liver disease, which initiated a chain of events that hiked his cancer risk,” his doctor said.

While smoking was not blamed directly for his throat cancer, Hagman lived the high life, with drinking and smoking a part of the background – not uncommon in his generation.

Eight decades may seem like a ripe old age, but Hagman had recently undertaken to reprise his role on a remake of “Dallas,” and despite his diagnosis, seemed otherwise very energetic and ready to work. With ever increasing lifespans on offer, there is no telling how long he would have remained productive if he hadn’t been an alcoholic.

With a family history of cancer, it is likely his doctors informed him of the increased genetic risk. Unfortunately, by the time he cut out the drinking, the damage had already been done.

[Jake 48]

Hello RG, all is well here