YOU CAN’T BUY SOBRIETY IN SPITE OF WHAT BIG BUSINESS IS TRYING TO SELL

Is AA really as horrible as some like to say it is?

AA, rehab, and God all were and are the ingredients in saving my life. In AA I have done the 12 step work many times and at many levels. Demonizing rehab or AA as a whole would be drastically inaccurate. I got sober at a $2 a day rehab called Bridgehouse at Meridian in Gainesville, Fl in 2006. My therapists were nothing short of brilliant. Not all the counselors were savvy. The government paid for my stay even before Obama care. http://mbhci.org/treatment-services/residential-inpatient-services/

I went to the AA bashing sites

https://aarmedwithfacts.wordpress.com/official-aarmed-blog-roll/comment-page-1/#comment-567

Recently I have done an extensive study on Alcoholics Anonymous. Also I have been an active member for ten years. I refuse to white-wash AA by pretending its processes and members are either ALL GOOD or ALL BAD. I myself admit an annoyance of Club level sobriety which participates in much dysfunction in the name of AA.

That being said in my study, I have found several websites (listed at the link above) and people of reputation and high education who claim Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous are ALL BAD and literally killing people. In some cases sick sponsors have been responsible for just that. Because of my own open minded and sometimes critical views on some widespread AA misconceptions, and bringing those into light I have been mistaken as an AA hater which I am not. I have been badgered to say the least by some less mature new members. I understand these members are in deep pain and need someone to blame. For some newcomers if their perceptions of AA and all it’s members are not ‘perfect’ and whitewashed they delude that it reflects on them. For their benefit I have curbed my critical articles. In the beginning of sobriety it’s not uncommon for a member to attach their identity to AA. Similar to my own search early-on for the perfect sponsor who in my mind had to be perfect AA to sponsor me. Lol I learned early on the ingredient of perfect-program requires imperfect people. All my sponsor needs to be good at is staying sober.

THE CONCLUSION OF MY STUDY

We should go into our recovery with eyes wide open knowing that in any human arena things can go bad and people prey on weakness and vulnerability. Desperation by family members to save their loved one’s life is being exploited full force. We must be aware of that and not automatically trust these organizations. At the same time we need to give both rehab and AA a chance as if we were shopping for a car from used car lots. Pic and choose our meetings and rehab with prudence. As you can see by my own financial rehab experience ($2 a day) money doesn’t necessarily buy sobriety.

WILLINGNESS, OPEN-MINDEDNESS, AND HONESTY are the keys to sobriety.

A new documentary by a former rehab insider shines a skeptical light on the business of high-priced addiction centers. However demonizing all of rehabs could be fatal. Just as demonizing all of AA could be fatal.

It seems that some Insurance companies, big business, rehab centers will do anything to get the money of suffering addicts families, as shown in the following article: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/05/02/the-million-dollar-rehab-racket-that-drains-family-savings.html

The centers “paint this picture that they’re going to fix everything. These families in crisis are so vulnerable, and they want to believe what they hear.”

But in truth, Horvath says, the biggest motive of rehab facilities, some of which charged upwards of $50,000 a month, was simpler still: profit. One rehab he worked with, he said, had an employee whose job was to guide families through the process of refinancing their home to pay the tens of thousands of dollars charged for treatment.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/catferguson/the-rehab-scam

I believe big money is trying it’s best to sabotage and discredit AA so they can profit from our pain per-say. And that they are behind many of these negative websites and are using disgruntled AAers to their advantage. Granted these disgruntled often have truly been wronged by members. However like addicts do they have gone to an extreme about AA. And if it is big business behind many of these sites since Obama care agreed to pay for rehab, they are not doing a very good job of discrediting AA. God is the author and finisher of AA in my opinion.

January 19, 2016

Glen Frye “Take it Easy” Rule 62

“Take it easy, don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy. Lighten up while you still can don’t even try to understand, just find A place and make your stand and take it easy yee ha!” This line has helped me lighten up on myself many times. It is basically saying the same thing to me as the unwritten rule 62 in AA “don’t take yourself so damn seriously!” I gotta say I have never ever cried over the loss of someone I didn’t know personally. But I am crying now. Listen to the song “Take it Easy” and “Hotel California” now.
CLICK TO SEE/HEAR “TAKE IT EASY”

CLICK TO HEAR “HOTEL CALIFORNIA” Hotel California Glenn Frye (front right guitarist), Don Henley, Joe Walsh and the gang.

One of the founding members of the Eagles, Glenn Frey, died today in New York City, his family and bandmates announced on the band’s website.

He was 67.

According to the statement from his loved ones and colleagues, Frey’s death was caused by complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia.

“The Frey family would like to thank everyone who joined Glenn to fight this fight and hoped and prayed for his recovery,” read a statement on the Eagles’ website. “Words can neither describe our sorrow nor our love and respect for all that he has given to us, his family, the music community and millions of fans worldwide.”

A Detroit native, Frey met Don Henley when they were in their 20s and new to the music business. Soon after, they formed the Eagles with Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon, quickly becoming one of the most popular rock bands of all time, with hits including “Take It Easy,” “Desperado,” and “Hotel California.” (Meisner was replaced by Timothy B. Schmit in 1977 and Joe Walsh took over for Leadon in 1975.) ABC NEWS click here to read entire article abc.com

January 17, 2016

Bill and Lois

BILL AND LOIS ON CAMERA

Bill and Lois Wilson the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-anon tell their story

January 17, 2016

DEMONIZING SOBER-SEX

Stop demonizing sober sex!

There is an unwritten rule in AA that is not without merit. “No sex for the first year sober” is the suggestion. Unwritten indeed. The rule teeters on a scale defined as either a beneficial and spiritual quest or controlling and insane demand depending on the context by which it is administered. Granted the “no sex” rule is not as well established as the “no relationships” for the first year rule. But admittedly they are similar, and sex can be huge distraction in early sobriety that leads directly to the cliff called “relationships”. After all a sexual relationship is still a relationship.

How can the rule of no sex for a year be potentially either spiritual or character defect both? It is a spiritual quest if we choose it to stay clear of distractions and deny the flesh to empower the spirit. And it is a decision I can change at any time preferably without being called an evil 13th stepper. If someone is demanding that I “stop all sex for a year” no questions asked and insisting I won’t stay sober if I have sex as a blanket rule for everyone…well then it’s insanity because there are a host of circumstances in life which could prove that newly sober sexual relationships can work. It depends on the person and the situation. Perhaps I enter the rooms married, or maybe I meet my soul mate in the rooms. Him with 13 years sober and me 13 days sober. We fall deeply in love and are still together many years later, in harmony. And yet the frigid and judgmental call it a 13th step. The most horrid of the AA offences, that is other than relapse.

Live by the golden rule and show others respect.

In the words of our great guru, king of the 12 steps, validator of the suffering addict, Bill W. himself. “We do not want to be the arbiter of anyone’s sex conduct.” Well you sure as hell could of fooled me! If “we” means the people at meetings I have been to that is. Seems to me the rule forbidding sex in the first year of recovery supersedes many of the more important sobriety suggestions. And Bill W. continues: “We remembered always that our sex powers were God-given and therefore good, neither to be used lightly or selfishly nor to be despised and loathed.” He goes on to mention that “everyone has sex problems.” I am sure that’s true also for the majority of humans, eventually.

Are certain members of AA mimicking religious fanatics?

Yes ironically, since the word “religion” is by far the most evil word in the AA pirate dictionary.

And the interesting part about all this shame inducing sex talk? We hear a very similar message echoing from the pulpit of many churches. Even though the Bible itself doesn’t talk much about sex. But rather the Bible condemns the betrayal called adultery. The word “fornication” in my opinion implies ‘betrayal’ and some sort of hurtfulness not sex alone. Let consenting adults alone with their consensual sex. Why, with all the violence, torture, abuse, murders, maiming, and molestation happening does an act of sexual harmony rate being called sin? Only for the misguided, clearly only for the misguided. Common sense tells me that harmonious sex is no more a sin than eating food. Sex is right there in line with eat, sleep, drink water, have sex, have babies, and breath air. Granted I am not referring to sex abuse that my friend is another mater.

What is addiction in the arena of substance abuse? Addiction means un-manageability. That is the difference between using a drug to help us and abusing a drug to hurt us. But don’t think you escape un-manageability just because your sober. ha ha ha ha

Recovery is about what we do to recover not about what we are forbidden. (excluding alcohol and our drug of choice of course)

Recovery happens when we go to meetings and do the work regardless of whether we are having sex with a newcomer who by the way used to be a prostitute. The program works if we work it. If you have sex you still make your meetings. If you have sex with a newcomer you still make your meetings and if the newcomer doesn’t make his or her meetings, well that’s on them isn’t it?

We are adults, we make our own choices. Newcomers make their own choices. Some programs like to take away the power of choice, even imprison or restrain adults but Alcoholics Anonymous is not one of them and the literature proves it.

WEBSITE ARTICLES THAT ADVOCATE NO INTIMATE, SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS FOR THE FIRST YEAR

https://www.recoveryranch.com/articles/sex-ruining-recovery/
The Addicts Prayer

Turn your recovery over by giving it to God through a more tried and true Higher Power than a door knob.

Pray this: God I realize we have not talked much, please, please reveal yourself to me that I may know you and understand what my relationship with you should be from here on out. Thank you for hearing my plea. I humble myself before you the Creator of The Heavens and earth. Amen Oh ya, P.S. Please let me know what your name truly is and that you do Love me as your child and blessed creation cursed as it has been. I fear if I don’t do something different I will end up back in the Hell that addiction has taken me. Please Help! Amen

If the above prayer makes you nauseous then you may not be a child of that God. It’s your choice to pray the following prayer instead.

HOW TO TRULY FIND AND CONNECT WITH YOUR OWN HIGHER POWER

http://www.recoveryfarmhouse.com/vengeance-is-mine-sayeth-the-lord/

January 11, 2016

NOT ALL SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES ARE GOOD-“My Overdose”

THE VISION I HAD DURING MY COCAINE OVERDOSE

From: “Paradise for the Hellbound” by author Laura Edgar
http://www.recoveryfarmhouse.net/paradise-for-the-hellbound/

____________________________________________________________________

“TRAPPED IN 1978″

I was deep into my Cocaine addiction. I had a few people who enabled my drug use and one was a guy name Ed. He was a drug dealer, not a street dealer mind you. He had a three hundred-thousand-dollar house in the late 70s and it was very nice. He drove a brand new BMW which was way too small in my opinion for his fat ass. Sorry I guess there is some resentment left. He was a greasy Italian not the beautiful kind like my daughter’s father. Those dark olive skin beauties with the almond shaped eyes that wear the top lid eye liner so well. My daughter is gorgeous and I am very proud of her Italian heritage. No! This man was a pale skinned sweaty, greasy, over-weight (yet judged anybody that didn’t have a models body) jet black hair, blood like ice coursing through his heartless veins, probably connected to the mafia, he sure as hell acted like it, Italian. I resent the hell out of him EVEN STILL because of what he nearly did to me and the fact that I have not let it go. I promise to work on it.
I remember one day I rode around with him back in Tampa in the BMW that smelled like cherries all the time. He stopped to drop money off to a woman at her house in Lutz. I asked him why she was receiving money from him. He talked in the “we” context about his organization of some sort. He said that basically one of his dealers (the woman’s husband apparently” went to jail while selling the organizations goods. So the woman was hand delivered compensation on a monthly basis since her husband didn’t snitch. My drug dealing friends taught me at a very young age YOU JUST DON’T SNITCH-EVER! Unlike the attitude of the people I have met in the later years of my rampant addiction who automatically snitched at the drop of a hat. I was taught that’s the lowest most worthless thing you can do to anyone.
I went to jail myself back then not long after that conversation. Recently one of my old friends from back in-the-day said the organization almost had me killed for fear I would turn them in once I was arrested. Well, leaving town back then for a very long time may have saved my life. I refused to snitch and was on the run for thirteen years because of my principles. They didn’t know that I had refused to snitch. How would they know? I was over the deep end in their opinion. I couldn’t handle my drugs in their opinion. The drugs they supplied that is. Once I was arrested Fat Ed treated me like a bad tooth. He pulled me out and threw me away. My overdose happened prior to that. Allot went on back then but this isn’t a book about war stories. It’s a book about my recovery and how it all happened.

Our Dope Shooting Binge

We used to eat Quaalude and then break open the Cocaine bag. We snorted it, smoked it, shot it, and any other way we could find to get it into our blood stream that’s what we did. Me and “Fat Ed” as we called him were on a two-day coke shooting binge on this day. God blessed me with some very large and very strong veins. I rarely couldn’t hit myself once I learned how. However, this must have been before I learned to inject my own drugs because Fat Ed was hitting me up at this time. We were shooting up in the bathroom for some reason don’t remember why. We did shot after shot after shot but I wasn’t satisfied, it was never enough. Long story short I kept complaining “Ed it’s not enough give me more, I want more, more, more!”. And on and on I went. I can’t say I blame Ed; he finally did what I asked him to do after many warnings. He kept saying “Lori it’s too strong, we must be careful”. But the nagging finally got to him as he fixed me up the lethal shot. He knew it would kill me, he knew what he made up would kill me. He knew it was way too much. He was sick of me hounding him. Fat Ed is still alive today from what I have heard, unlike many other of my old friends.

HE GAVE ME THE HUGE SHOT
I crashed to the bathroom floor. What they told me after I woke back up was they gave me C.P.R. and I finally woke up after a couple minutes. But it wasn’t because Ed saved my life. It was because his roommate Mike was in the house and refused to let me die. Mike was Ed’s longtime partner. He knew and didn’t approve of what we were doing in the bathroom. But it was what Mike told me about his best friend after I woke and he pulled me aside that really shocked me. Mike saved my life and then said “Lori, if you ever date Ed again after this I won’t have any respect for you.” Mike continued, “Ed told me to take you out and throw you into a dumpster. He had no desire to even try to bring you back.” He said. Those were the most words Mike had ever spoken to me. I remember his concern waking me up, “are you OK Lori, do you know where you are and what day it is?” I was so lost back then. I had no identity. I didn’t know who I was emotionally or spiritually. I was back knocking on Ed’s door a few days later once I recuperated from my shocking overdose in spite of what Mike had told me. I didn’t know how to love myself….yet.

THE VISION

While I was out cold, apparently I fell flat on my back to the floor. I could feel myself as if I were shrunk down to nothing, my body left me. All I was, was a thought without a body. I was invisible as if I had been shrunk down into a minute fraction of my normal size so small the human eye could not have seen me. But my thoughts were still just as large as before. My ideas were still alive. I had a consciousness about me. I was not aware of why I was shrunk down in the center of a rock prison. I didn’t know that I had, at one time had a body and lost it. All I knew is I was crushed into the center of a rock and I couldn’t move. There was no white light. I was imprisoned and compressed inside blackness without a body there was no time or space in that consciousness. There was no light of God’s Spirit that I could feel. No warmth on my body from the sun, no wind on my shoulder.
Suddenly something happened to me abruptly someone was pulling me from the rock. It was horribly uncomfortable to come back out of the rock. Have you ever been awoken abruptly from a hangover sleep by a glass of cold water on the face? Magnify that by a million that is how it felt being brought back from the dead. My body screamed! My consciousness screamed! No! I wanted to be left in the rock, the rock would become my home even though I had no power at all to do anything crushed without a body or limb to move. I was ripped from the rock and my body ripped with the movement. I see the rock now it was white and black speckles. Like a rock you would see in a North Carolina river. But this rock was animated hanging me in anti-space where there is no time or space. Space is a wonderful thing I tell you. I never ever want to return to the prison I was in when I died. My overdose happened before I met my God, knew Jesus, before my third step. There was no white light my friend only a prison and a thought. And Fat Ed would have left me there he didn’t care. But I didn’t remember anything in my prison it was devoid of knowledge. All there was is a silent awareness. Mike was my angel that day back in 1978. Mike saved my soul from that rock prison. Mike acted in accordance with God, my God. Mike is in my prayers where-ever he may be. Please my friends seek God while it is still light. Get to know your maker lest you end up in that horrible place. Life and Love and having a vessel to call a body is the best way to be that I know of. My soul was imprisoned while I was alive, therefore when I died it was also imprisoned. I don’t know if I would have ever been freed from that prison had I not been brought back to life . In 1986 I was born again, born of the Spirit a second birth they call it¬¬. I came alive when I found that little Baptist Church in the meadow and God introduced Himself to me in a big way. (see “the Baptism of the Holy Spirit” chapter of Paradise for the Hellbound). http://www.recoveryfarmhouse.net/paradise-for-the-hellbound/#BAPTISM%20OF%20THE%20HOLY%20SPIRIT

What is the easiest way to get sober?

January 10, 2016

HOW I HEALED MY FAILING LIVER NATURALLY

Hi I am Lori a recovered addict

I can’t send you to this article until I share something with you about my own liver illness story. This is the story of how God healed my liver from Hepatitis B and more.

Completely Healed from Hepatitis B (my story)

http://www.collective-evolution.com HERE IS THE LINK TO THE LIVER HEALING ARTICLE (someone elses story)

This past February, I was thrown off of my health high-horse. What first started as a headache, fever, and body aches, quickly escalated into an excruciating migraine, debilitating muscle stiffness, and an overwhelming sense of nausea. I was hit with what I thought was a nasty case of the seasonal flu, and it sucked. But I powered through, drinking my liquids and following the natural recommended flu-protocol, knowing that it would all be over within a few days.

My prognosis proved wrong, however. Over a week into my sickness I still couldn’t eat, and I was dropping weight like a Jenny Craig story gone right. The only word I could use to describe the feeling in my stomach was “gross.” My usually clear skin had broken out, and my urine and stool were also starting to look “off” to say the least, which caused some serious concern.

READ THE ARTICLE AT COLLECTIVE EVOLUTION

January 10, 2016November 19, 2022

WHY THE GREEN PROFILE PIC?

VFX SOLIDARITY, GET THE WHOLE STORY HERE

Why have so many profile pictures gone green? Well the company behind the Life of Pi`s stunning visual effects, which made the movie possible, Rhythm & Hues went bankrupt as the film just passed the billion dollar mark in global ticket sales. The 3D & VFX (visual effects) companies that make the Hollywood blockbuster movies possible, sign on to bad deals typically at a loss, the Hollywood production companies walk away with profits, and artists who dedicate their lives to their craft get short changed on salary, over-time and eventually job security. The green is a form of solidarity and protest for change in our industry.

Take your pic of green profile pics. Click the image then right click and save image to you computer downloads. Then upload the picture to your Facebook profile pics.

GET THE WHOLE STORY HERE: VFX SOLIDARITY

January 9, 2016

SANDY BEACH-Everything is perception

SANDY BEACH CLICK THE PIC TO HEAR THE AUDIO “DROP THE ROCK”

There’s a great article in the Tampa Times about his life and legacy. read the Tampa Times article here

THE DEATH OF RICHARD JOHN BEACH

An Alcoholics Anonymous member Randy M. brought Sandy to his last meeting on Sunday night at 7:30 pm. The two were attending their meeting at Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church. The meeting was supposed to have a speaker discuss a step. While Randy went to grab some black coffee for the man, Sandy waited, perhaps looking tired. “I asked him if he was okay,” Randy explained Sandy’s last words. “He looked at me and said, ‘Thanks for bringing me to the meeting, buddy.’” Randy went to grab the man some black coffee and came back hearing his friend abruptly fell forward onto page 23 of the Alcoholics Anonymous literature, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, which ironically just so happened to discuss the first step – the most meaningful one to Sandy. As sad as the man’s death may be, Sandy lived a long life with an inspiring message sent about the gifts that sobriety can bring when you are honesty, open-minded, and willing to recover.

January 8, 2016

Khloe Kardashian: Lamar Odom Doing Well in Recovery

ABC-READ ENTIRE STORY KHLOE KARDASHIAN SUPPORTS HUSBAND’S RECOVERY.

radaronlin-Khloe continues to support her husband in his recovery

Lamar Odom blows $75k at Nevada brothel

Khloe Kardashian continues to give her public support for her husband Lamar Odom since his overdose at a Nevada cat house.

Khloe Kardashian says former NBA star Lamar Odom is doing well in his recovery from an apparent drug overdose last year in a Nevada brothel.

12 Steps of AA with Father Martin “CHALK TALK”

12 Steps of AA with Father Martin
CHALK TALK WE CALL FATHER MARTIN’S TEACHINGS IN AA
“Bill Wilson was the man who dreamed the impossible dream till he reached the unreachable star!” Beautiful quote!

SKIP COMMENTARY GO STRAIGHT TO VIDEO

Go to video and skip commentary!

If you are one of those people who automatically agree with everything any and all A.A. Guru’s say you won’t like my commentary on this video. Take what you need and leave the rest but please don’t white-wash or blind yourself to anybody’s rhetoric as if they were perfect or a God. We are all human and all make mistakes. We all occasionally engage in a little verbal error.

THE ALCOHOLIC AND HIS INFERIORITY COMPLEX

Father Martin says (paraphrased) “psychologists say, [you are alcoholic because you have an inferiority complex], his answer to that theory is, “maybe I have an inferiority complex because I AM inferior.” Hmm well I don’t believe that, not for a minute, I believe we are all equal, he is oversimplifying a profound truth about the alcoholic including himself. Maybe he is incapable of addressing his own inferiority complex. Step 12 builds the self esteem that is needed to walk in equality with our fellow man.

Step One “In weakness we are made strong” New International Version 2nd Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

INSANITY

The Priest says that Bill W. stated what the insanity of the disease is and described it as this. “When the alki is completely physically sober and yet picks up the drink of alcohol that is killing him that is insane.” Emotions, the priest says are dominating the alcoholic rather than intellect when he does this. This ideal is perfectly in line with my own theory that grave emotional disorder IS the WHY behind addiction. Furthermore that theory is why and how addiction can be cured. He says don’t use

STEP FIVE

“Admitted to God, ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs” He says Step Five is vital and a once in a lifetime job. Well I agree it’s vital but “once in a lifetime”,I question that. Obviously if I go out and murder a man I will need to do another fifth step for certain. How in the hell could a priest of all things not see that? That is baffling. Step Five should be a prescription that says “as needed” on the package. (i.m.o)

The Priest began a reference toward the human aspect of step five. “Admitted to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs”. He goes on to say with a hint of disgust in his voice “step five is the most humiliating thing that can happen to anybody>” WOW! If that is the way people really feeling about confessing their shameful misdeeds to another human being it’s no wonder so few people that cast a shadow in the doorway of A.A. actually do all 12 steps. I have had many many sponsees who have no problem doing steps one through three. But when they get to step four…they bolt. In ten years I have one sponsee who is still sober and did all twelve steps. I don’t blame myself.

“BILL WILSON’S BEST SLOGAN ACCORING TO FATHER MARTIN, IS” “THE GOOD IS OFTEN THE ENEMY OF THE BEST” Interestingly enough I wrote an article on that slogan/topic back in June of 2014.

STEP 12

The Father Martin call step 12 a command. Not a suggestion, not a request, but a command. Interesting. And finally he tells us that Bill W. wrote the steps for the first time with the word “God” in place of “Higher Power” but he realized that he had to change the title of the entity because people were just too afraid of the prospect of a relationship with “God” .

Share this with others please. Thanks. “Fair Use” Section 107 through 118 of the copyright..

January 6, 2016

YES THERE IS AN EASIER, SOFTER WAY TO GET SOBER

‘YES AS A MATTER OF FACT THERE IS AN ‘EASIER SOFTER WAY’

Men that want to marry cyborg sex robots.

But it’s not something you can buy or special order. You can put yourself in a position to get it but there are no guarantees if you do get it how long it will last as your only source of recovery. The white light experience straight from God is the only easier softer way. Usually people who receive white light experiences go on to carry the message of Jesus Christ or God while not doing any of the 12 step work on their character flaws. And why would they? They are riding a pink cloud. But pink clouds don’t last. God will remove some flaws during this experience but seldom, well I have never ever seen God make anybody perfect…ever. So usually these people fall into some flavor of character flaw. Most likely they delve into judging others, get their resentment back and relapse. Then they really hate themselves even more because now they are turning their back on a God they know exists.

I know, sad story…I am talking about myself during my first bout of recovery. And I have seen this same pattern manifest often in others, usually Christians in recovery. Never the less it does not mean God fails or Jesus has abandon us somehow. It just means God clearly WILL NOT TAKE A HUMAN’S SELF-WILL. He will enlighten us, but it’s up to us to go out and get fulfillment once we are enlightened. Hence step eleven and why it works, it fulfills us spiritually. Step twelve builds our self worth, and fulfills us spiritually. Step Ten, well I have found that Ten really isn’t enough, but instead it’s step four that I need to revisit every six months to a year and do thoroughly. When fear of relapse slips in, I remember two things, I have turned my life and will over to the care of God. And the program works, I can turn to the program, work a step. This is what keeps me sober after countless lapses. Sure if I rely on me I will fail. I rely on God, the steps, and the fact that I am being healed and healing by processing core issues.

So can I really call this a cure? ABSOLUTELY! There are many things that humans have to do to stay well. Such as eating, sleeping, nurturing and being nurtured. We do not call ourselves sick because we require food. why would I call myself sick because I require a spiritual program?

January 5, 2016

Father Martin and Step One

Priceless!

Share this with others please. Thanks. “Fair Use” Section 107 through 118 of the copyright..

January 4, 2016

Pharmageddon

Prescription drugs are now killing far more people than illegal drugs

According to an article written by By Dr. Mercola The World’s #1 Natural Health Website.

Most Likely Way To Die

Notice in this video that leading cause of death for a male 30 years old is “poisoning”, second is “suicide” and third, is “car accident”. In all of the articles I have read about death statistics they don’t call it “death by prescription drug” or “prescription and human error” or “malpractice” for instance. But rather when there is a drug related or “fatal hospital incident”. The hospital incidents happen much more than you would think. Another sad but true statistic is Death by accident is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Also between 2000 and 2008 motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death by injury, but suicide surpassed car crashes in 2009, according to a recent study in the American Journal of Public Health. So there’s a good chance we will go-out in our cars. Lol! All we do is laugh and use our time as best we know how, However that is?

Here’s an efficient article on Hospital accidents.

HOSPITAL ACCIDENTS . Or just watch the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcLXmh_BypI

DRUG OVERDOSE STATISTICS DATABASE U.S.
Now comes a study in the current issue of the Journal of Patient Safety that says the numbers may be much higher — between 210,000 and 440,000 patients each year who go to the hospital for care suffer some type of preventable harm that contributes to their death. The hospital is a dangerous place.

That would make medical errors the third-leading cause of death in America, behind heart disease, which is the first, and cancer, which is second.
This article is from 2009 the 2014 articles I read are putting “accidents” in third place for deaths in the U.S.
Nearly $1.3 billion was paid in malpractice claims for outpatient events in 2009.
SHOTS – HEALTH NEWS
Outpatient Medical Errors May Surpass Those In Hospitals
The new estimates were developed by John T. James, a toxicologist at NASA’s space center in Houston who runs an advocacy organization called Patient Safety America. James has also written a book about the death of his 19-year-old son after what James maintains was negligent hospital care.
Drug http://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-ratesCompanies are not just big business, they are some of the biggest businesses.

http://fortune.com/fortune500/

There’s a party going on and the entire country is invited. The problem is, it’s an opioid party—and too many Americans have been accepting the invitation.

Drugs Suck

TWITTER: BernieSanders: The truth is, the insurance companies and the drug companies are bribing the United States Congress.

DRUG COMPANIES ARE KILLING AMERICANS

Once you realize the connection between street drugs and prescription drugs, it’s easy to figure out why Big Pharma is such a strong supporter of the Partnership For A Drug-Free America — because they don’t want consumers getting their drugs from street dealers, they want people buying their drugs from drug companies! Drug companies’ attempts to outlaw street drugs are little more than a way of eliminating the competition and monopolizing the drug market.

Here are seven facts you probably never knew about the connection between street drugs and pharmaceutical companies: The connection between street drugs and pharmaceutical companies.

January 3, 2016

Climate Change Denial

Check out the NOAA’s Sea Level Rise Viewer Tool HERE

Addicts weather in recovery or not are well skilled in the art of emotional, and intellectual DENIAL. It would NOT surprise me one bit to find that rarely do any sober addicts believe our planet is in danger of flooding due to the melting icecaps, Greenland, and the Arctic. Nor would most believe the melting ice caps are most likely caused by man made chemical pollutants. The fact that Miami has been flooding recently isn’t enough of a slap in the face to wake people up YET. But the question to me is this, why is it when scientists give us hard facts due to research, experiments, and truthful scientific data that we believe them EXCEPT when it involves such a horrible and inconvenient truth as the destruction of life on Earth as we know it? When science tells a man “if you have an erection lasting more than four hours contact a doctor immediately…well they do it by god! Or if science tells us a cure for Cancer is discovered and works famously…we believe it! But what is it about rising seas and raging thermometers that makes people think OPINION SUDDENLY TRUMPS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH? What the hell, 60% or the world are global warming deniers?

Flooding Map and projected sea rise levels in your area. Find out how long we have till the melting Arctic and Greenland turn to floods. The small ice caps have already melted folks. Look it up. CLICK the blue “Start” to click on and see your towns flood potential.

Many scientists are saying we are living the sixth “mass extinction” and that it’s actually amazing we humans have survived as long as we have.

I have spent weeks on websites like National Geographic, NASA and NASA’s Climate Kids, Miami Times, Climate Central, floodsmart, Weather Plus, and many other reputable government weather and ecology websites. I have researched the dead zones, the red tides, the melting ice caps, the pollution, the nitrates, the carbons, the causes of our hot planet, I have even investigated the psychological causes of the male hierarchical climate change denial and why they call the science a hoax. And through all my research my conclusion is this;

The predictions are saying 4 feet rise by 2100, 2 ft rise by 2050 so that would give a 1 ft. rise by what? Well if in 33 years it rises 4 ft. then divide that by 4 that make it 8.25 years a foot higher. https://www.epa.gov/climate-change-science/future-climate-change#Sea level

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/mapping-choices-us-cities-we-could-lose-to-sea-level-rise-19542

https://www.climate.gov/news-features/videos/explaining-noaa-sea-level-rise-viewer

Man does not want to take responsibility for the demise of the Earth hence the denial. Second If we were to acknowledge the impending doom we would be forced to be inconvenienced. And given the selfish make up of human-kind we say SCREW INCONVENIENCE and climate disasters. Map of rising seas.

Mankind will not acknowledge climate change disaster until it is in his midst.  Weather the disaster is natural or man made is partly irrelevant.  What will we do?  Create giant ice cubes and throw them every morning into our seas to slow things down?  No wonder they are polluting the skies with aerial smoke to slow down the heat of the sun.

God knows addicts usually hate change and acknowledging disastrous climate change is the epitome of embracing change on a colossal level. I know it’s changing me already. Psychology of a climate change denier. Still wondering about those “FEMA coffins” that are stacked up miles high in FEMA camp locations around the country?

For me all this climate change awareness started with the rude awakening of my favorite beaches being quite literally DEAD. Yes dead no oxygen to sustain life, that’s pretty fucking bad wouldn’t you say? When I shared my disastrous scientific finding on Facebook one of my friends says; “I was just through there, my breathing was fine.” When I asked him if he went out on the beach he had no answer to the question. The oxygen is being sucked from the air on the beaches of the West coast of Florida from St.Pete to Naples. But even the local residents are deep in denial if they are not directly on the beach where life is impacted and the health risks evident. The majority of old timers in Bradenton area are coughing their asses off and blaming it on allergies. Right allergies. I had a headache the entire time I was there. I am telling you, I was there and 50% of people over the age of 60 are in the throws of coughing fits. Cats are getting asthma and pneumonia is on the rise. http://www.recoveryfarmhouse.net/and-a-third-of-the-waters-were-blood/ The person in the hotel room next to mine coughed all night. I took one gulp of beach air and new exactly what it was…Red Tide oxygen depletion.

For years the powers that be have been saying the Red Tide is from a bloom but really it’s from the death of a rampant over-run of agael due to the artificial fertilization of oceanic plant life. Which in turn dies and a bacteria over-runs the oxygen creating Dead Zones. “A natural occurrence”? Right hyped up man made fertilizers running endlessly into the Mississippi to our oceans is anything but “natural”, well I guess that depends on your definition of “natural”. Read Red Tide Here. I heard that 40 years ago when Red Tides were few and far between. Now they just won’t go away.
But who gives a fuck? Not anybody on my friends list well no I take that back…I have one or two friends out of thousands who actually think mass extinction, Red Tide, and Polar melting is an immediate threat to life on this planet.
Well there’s always the aliens opinions…and a message from the aliens on a webpage that has over 200 million page views. Interesting very interesting. http://humansarefree.com/2014/10/alien-message-to-mankind-do-you-wish.html

December 28, 2015

THE GAPING HOLE IN A.A.’s PROGRAM

THE GAPING HOLE IN ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

ABOUT 12 STEP PROGRAMS

The only hole in the 12 steps of AA is the lack of empathy by the prerequisite that we are never victims. The rule (paraphrased see below for full quote) that when there is something bothering us it is always our fault (that we are disturbed) makes way for more shame, guilt, and self punishment. There is a horrific absence of a way to process abuse, neglect, and emotional trauma. Emotional hurts and pains are often written off by members as either self-pity or unfounded and selfish character defects. Furthermore insinuating that emotions are “wrong” says that I as a person am “wrong” because my feelings are a part of me and they emerge from my heart.

pg. 417 BB

“When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing or situation- some fact of my life- unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens in God’s world by mistake. Until I could accept my alcoholism, I could not stay sober; unless I accept my life completely on life’s terms, I cannot be happy. I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes”

The notion that nothing happens in God’s world by accident, well that would mean we have no free-will and humans are nothing short of robots. We do not have to go to such extremes to make the point that God works in our lives. The reason people use extremes in conversation is they have spent a life-time not being heard and feel they must exaggerate to be heard at all. Understandable.

If there were another set of steps to address the wrongs done to us resulting in deep wounds, and emotional devastation the program would be more successful I believe. These deep emotional wounds have caused the addict much pain. Pain is the very reason that many of us drank and drugged. WE NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PROCESS EMOTIONAL HURTS RATHER THAN BEING ASHAMED OF OUR VULNERABILITIES AND HIDING THEM AWAY.

Trauma is not an outside issue. But rather it is THE Issue. Trauma and emotional disorder is the WHY behind the addiction.

Please don’t hear what I am not saying. 12 step programs are good and have helped millions including myself. There are some really twisted common belief systems running rampant in AA and NA .

One common dogma I have seen often is a kind of jealousy over the program. People will get angry and down right mean if you say that therapy or church or even rehab centers have helped to keep you sober.

We shouldn’t knock supplemental healing and recovery methods till we’ve tried them. If people have found “a cure” for addiction and are sharing it who are we to say it’s not successful? Many people find answers in places other than AA. The problem is some addicts who still suffer from low self-worth often attach their own identities to the program. These insecure addicts seem to think if there is another solution offered other than AA it is a direct reflection on them and not in a good way.

There is an unwritten rule if we don’t wear the identity of ‘sick addict’ or ‘alcoholic, addict’ then our egos will take flight and we will relapse straight away. If we don’t repeatedly identify ourselves as addicts we will then believe we can drink and drug successfully. Really, AA and NA are programs designed by addicts, there are bound to be some flaws. But now advertisements on TV and online are claiming there is a cure. So the dry drunk AA-er feels put-down by the prospect of a true cure. The dogma of AA teaches us that the minute we feel cured and no longer need meetings we are sicker than ever. When really the actual danger lies in the belief that we can drink like normal people. But alcoholics have an allergy to alcohol that will not disappear except by some rare miracle.

What’s The Cure?

If we truly work the steps, open up in long term therapy, and find our Higher Power we will be cured. Not cured to drink again, rather cured to not want to drink again, we won’t see drinking as a solution. Still it’s important also to have fellowship, not necessarily in a program. Anxiety and depression can be cured as well. Why do so many people get outside help, including Bill W? We don’t have to fear the word “emotional disorder”. All it means is our healthy emotional process has been stifled. Often the reason we have stifled it is usually that we were taught at a young age our feelings and processes were wrong. Regaining a healthy emotional process and using it on our most intense past hurts is how we heal core issues and truly recover with God’s help. It doesn’t mean that AA or Bill W is bad or wrong, it just means that no one taught Bill W this aspect of healing. He was human and did not have all the answers.

Any Negativity is a Character Defect

You don’t take deep pains and hurts and tag them as character defects. That’s absurd and crying is not self pity but rather a key healthy emotional process. The grieving process starts with feeling the pain not shutting it down. If we move straight into the “my part (what I did wrong in the past)” and character defects without processing our core pains and hurts of how we were wronged then all we are doing is putting a band-aid on an infected sore.

Why do people scream “OUTSIDE ISSUE” in the rooms whenever someone starts talking about child abuse. Abuse and neglect are why people become addicts and those who scream “outside issue” the loudest are most likely trying to further repress their own abuse as a child. People love to sit in the rooms after a horrific bout of drug abuse and swear they had a wonderful childhood. Many people have no idea what neglect and abuse looks like. But I guarantee, if these people would actually take meditation seriously and do it on a regular basis, they would most likely remember some form of childhood trauma.

Resentments are never valid-false

All feelings are valid. Feelings come from our heart, a place of truth. We get angry for a valid reason. It’s hanging on to that anger rather than letting it flow out of us in a non harmful way that gets us in trouble and gets us sick with resentment.

Children don’t usually get angry toward adults for no reason at all. If we were harmed, and many of us were then we are legitimate victims. Not everything is ‘our fault’ so we mustn’t treat it as if it were. Sharing our trauma with an understanding and empathic listener who will point out the validity of our hurt and show caring understanding is where the healing begins. Statements like “I know how you feel” or “I was abused also and the man is a son of a bitch to do what he did”, shows support, relating, caring and validation. Empathy not spankings are needed for healing wounds. And the thing is, many addicts are badly wounded. Emotional issues are not an outside issue separate from addiction, they are, I believe the biggest reasons behind addiction.