Friday Noon

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Fifth month,

Fifth Step,

The Daily Reflections

reading for this date

quoted from the

Twelve and Twelve

about how necessary

to longtime sobriety

and peace of mind

it is to complete this step. .

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Todays noon meeting of Let Go & Let Go group

took this reading and laughed their way through

the reflections of the character defects

that no one thought or knew that they had.

There were also a few remarks

in advance of Mother's Day where members

reflected on the patience of mothers and wives

who were kind enough to ignore the character defects.

As usual a great meeting

where all were grateful to be sober.

Many noted that there was real satisfaction

in working even the difficult steps four and five

when they were rewarded with a life

that was happy, joyous and free.

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ME

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Happy

Anniversary

to ME

4-28-1993 .

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A week late posting...

The Tuesday Promises Meeting was celebration day,

the last Tuesday in the month and there were two celebrants,

ME and a young lady celebrating 28 years.

Since I was the younger in years celebrating

I was elected to tell my story first.

I only lied a little.

Funny thing, it was the same story I told the last time,

in sobriety I can now remember all of the lies I told.

I am glad I went first because the young ladies story

is very strong and it would have been a hard act

for me to follow.

Even though the group had heard our stories before

they were still very attentive and told us

that they were appreciative.

We had a larger than average attendance,

not too sure if it was the speakers

or the pizza and cake

that brought them to the meeting.

I am making a promise to get current on the meeting reports.

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ME and the Boss

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Promises Group

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Tuesday,

5:00 PM

Spring Hill,

Florida

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Went to a meeting

and a bunch of drunks talked about

the fourth of the 9th step promises

found on pages 84 and 85 of the

Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous.

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"We will comprehend the word serenity

and we will know peace."

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Sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly,

the group shared about when they first felt serene,

when they learned to quiet the noisy mind

and they found peace.

After doing the steps, mostly the fourth and fifth,

when the wreckage of the past was identified,

many first discovered peace and serenity.

For some it was following the ninth step,

when the amends were made,

when the guilt and shame were relieved

following the admission of errors

made while under the influence.

Many long timers noted that they

continue to come to meetings

because this is where they recharge their batteries,

where they connect with their program

and subsequently regain that feeling

of serenity and peace,

especially when life is throwing

lemons and bricks at them.

Love a good meeting, thanks to Bobby W. for chairing.

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ME

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Common Strivings

. "We recovered alcoholics

are not so much

brothers in virtue

as we are brothers

in our defects,

and in our common strivings

to overcome them."


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Bill W. Letter, 1946

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A funny thing happened at the men's Friday meeting,

a young lady showed up.

She accompanied a couple of young men

and since they all said that they needed a meeting

they were invited to participate in the meeting.

The topic was the last nine pages of the Twelfth Step.

As usual, the sage men of the fellowship shared

their experience, strength and hope on the topic

and most expressed their gratitude for sobriety,

the program and a loving Higher Power.

My friend Brian now has a drivers license

but has yet to secure some wheels.

No big deal, I enjoy his company as we talk recovery

before and after the meetings.

God bless and may all of your meetings be better ones.

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Michael E.

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No Ego's

. A whole month ? ? ?

Went to a bunch of meetings,

just forgot to post.

Friday, 4-3-15,

Step in the Right Direction,

men's meeting.

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Brian has not yet had his drivers license reinstated

so it has been my pleasure to take him to some meetings.

The meeting topic was the Eleventh Step.

Following Friday's meeting he posed some typical questions;

what made this meeting so special ? ? ?

is it weird that I can feel the serenity in the room ? ? ?

why did I not hear any drunk-a-logs ? ? ?

There is no such thing as a bad meeting, it is just that

some meetings are better than others,

why is this a better meeting ? ? ?

The answers :

The men at this meeting are very serious about their recovery

and the smiles, the closed eyes, the nodding heads all add to

the sense of serenity which can almost be felt.

There are no egos.

The topic is the only thing discussed and living in today,

not drinking today and doing the next right thing

are the focus of everyone's message.

Today, wishing you a better meeting.

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ME and the Boss

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Tuesdays Promises 4-3-15

The Promises Group

...

Tuesday @ 5:00

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Ninth step promises,

#11 from page 84

of the Big Book.

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We will intuitively

know how to handle

situations which used to

baffle us.

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Great meeting as usual, lots of strength and hope

shared by all who participated.

The person who selected this promise related that

their sponsor had recently died but because of

what he learned in the rooms it was not a reason

to drink.

Many others who knew the deceased

praised his recovery and his example of how

the program should be lived.

Great to see a few new faces at the meeting.

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ME and the Boss

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Group Conscience

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A day or two behind;

Friday, noon at Cabrini

and the usual souls

were in attendance,

give or take a few.

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The topic bounced

but it was mainly based on the

daily readings and of course

not drinking one day at a time.

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The Daily Reflections topic was how the group conscience

kept A. A. on track and what the role of the long timer,

the elder statesmen and stateswomen, was in making

sure that the groups primary purpose did no waver.

Some less than humble long timers had something to say,

most of the long timers just sat quietly and nodded their heads.

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Saturday ; 1;00 PM on Century Drive,

Just the core group and the discussion was

mainly focused on the miracles that recover.

Where were the new comers ???

also took some discussion time,

attraction rather than promotion,

court appointed, drugs,

the demographics of living in Florida

where there are lots of older

and long time fellowship members.

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Just keep coming back ...

ME and the Boss

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Saturday

February 21, 2015

1: 00  PM

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A friend has recently started

a Saturday afternoon meeting.

A few of us are showing up regularly however,

more support will be needed to keep the meeting going.

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It only takes two to have a meeting

and we were fortunate to have more than a few attend.

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Great meeting with the topic of "One day at a time"

The sharing related stories when, as new comers,

the thought was not drinking one day at a time

and as the twenty four hours passed the program

worked its magic the thoughts become how to live

a life doing the will of a Higher Power

one day at a time.

Everyone shared positive messages

of experience, strength and hope.
.

Keep coming back ...

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ME and the Boss

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Gratitude

. Just a note while I ponder doing some yard work. . GRATITUDE . Thanks to a Higher Power and the rooms of AA I have a yard to ponder. I also have a life that is happy, joyous and free, a life where the choices I make today are mine. Prior to AA all choices were made for me by my disease. Where to go, when to go, who to go with, and the why was always to find alcohol and drink it in a place, with people, where I would not feel any guilt or shame for drinking the way my diseases wanted me to drink, and that was alcoholically. Following the suggestions I still attend meetings and the benefits I receive from the fellowship are many. The two most important benefits are lessons learned from the long timers on how to become a long timer and the lessons from the newcomer who point out the obvious, a drunk who drinks too much will usually find a lot of trouble, if trouble doesn't find him first. Time to go trim the lawn, God is good, all of the time. . Love, hugs and blessings... ME and the Boss . . . . ..

Recovery...as this drunk sees it #5

Assuming the client is still in rehab, has physically detoxed,

and has admitted to having a small problem with alcohol

 it is now time to start a treatment plan.

At this juncture every rehab in the world diverges.

The extreme left does not believe in the disease concept

and they use voodoo tactics to have the alcoholic cured.

The extreme right use traditional religion and faith to cure

the alcoholic. The middle of the road uses a combination of physical, mental and spiritual understandings to allow the alcoholic to recover.

Every alcoholic is different and only if the alcoholic wants to change will there be any chance of cure or recovery.

All forms of treatment agree on the most significant point of rehabilitation being that the client must change, willingly.

At this time the client is often ask to answer a detailed questionnaire or just to write about or make a list of people, places and things associated with their drinking behaviors.

This list of people, places and things becomes the foundation of the treatment program.

Some of the items on the list are obvious bad habits which need to be changed. The client can no longer continue going to the local bar or package store and buy more alcohol.

Hiding the booze all over the house so the spouse cannot find it must stop. The spouse who has returned home is advised to search the house thoroughly and remove all bottles.  If the spouse likes to drink and is adverse to dismantling the family bar there may be a long uphill battle for the development of a treatment program that will achieve the intended result of total abstinence for the client. If the client cannot go fishing, go to a ball game, go to his buddies’ garage, or go shopping with the girls without having a few social drinks with some friends, those people, places and things may have to (must) be changed.

The list of bad habits, the people, places and things are the easiest part of the clients drinking behaviors to be identified. The more difficult part of treatment is the emotional part of the clients’ reasons for drinking. The alcoholic drinks because they have a physical addiction to the alcohol and also a mental compulsion to believe that they have a reason to drink poison. The physical addiction can be held in remission by complete abstinence. The emotional reasons for drinking are as varied as there are individual drinkers and the treatment programs must identify the uniqueness of that individual.

My parents did not love me, I could not live up to the standards set by my older brother/sister, my boss is a real stinker, my wife ignores me, I was abused by the priest /sister, I am just having fun with my friends, I belong to the club to advance my career, if you worked as hard as I do, you would enjoy having one too, my team lost, my team won, it’s raining, the sun is shining and the reasons go on into the millions. For as many drinks that were consumed today, there are as many reasons to justify each one of them. The emotional reasons that the addict/alcoholic fabricate to justify their actions may also be deep rooted, sub-conscious misperceptions that may require many months or years of treatment to be exposed and identified for change.

The development of a treatment plan that addresses the emotional disparities suffered by most alcoholics/addicts may be started during the inpatient rehabilitation stay and are then transferred to an extended care treatment program.

During inpatient treatment the patient and the therapist review the list of habits and behaviors identified by the patient. If the alcoholic/addict is not in a treatment program and they are using the self help program of AA, they are doing the Fourth of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous when the make their list, and they are doing the Fifth Step when they share their list with another person.

Another successful tool to identify habits and misconceived reasons to justify alcoholic drinking behaviors is the small group therapy session. Guided by a trained counselor or therapist, the small group helps its members to identify inappropriate behaviors and may even make suggestion as to how these behaviors can be corrected. The sexual makeup of the group, all one sex, or mixed, is usually determined by the philosophy of the treatment facility. This idea of one alcoholic helping another and the idea of suggested methods to correct bad habits is also the foundation of Alcoholics Anonymous. This practice of discussing behaviors with others is the basic training for the alcoholic to learn how to reach out for help. A part of the disease of Alcoholism is the emotional mindset that the drinker is a loner, they do not fit in, they want to isolate, they want to push away anyone who loves them and they want to kill themselves. Asking for help is not a reasonable concept or a normal activity for the problem drinker or the addict. The support group that many recovered alcoholics use to keep sober in their life after the rehab is a carry over from the small group that was used as a part of their inpatient treatment. The newcomer to AA is greeted at the first meeting and given a list of telephone numbers that can be used to start a support group. In AA it is strongly suggested that the men stick with the men and the women with the women.

Change now becomes paramount in the recovery of the addict/alcoholic.

Every day the world changes and normal people accept changes as growth, maturation, aging, what is expected of life. The alcoholics/addicts do not know how to change, it is stated that when the first drink or drug is used to stuff the feelings the emptional growth of the individual stops. The recovering individual who is honest will identify the emotional age at which they stopped growing and what they are now doing daily to learn to accept life on the terms of their Higher Power.

For extended treatment the professionals may recommend additional professional one on one treatment, small group therapy treatment, more intense behavioral modification treatment, AA, or a combination of any of the recommendations, and the emphasis of all treatment is "change."

Michael_e

Recovery...as this drunk sees it #4

   We are now going to assume that the individual presented to treatment or assigned to a self help group has successfully detoxified and it appears that they are not crazy.

At this stage of treatment detoxification still has two important influences on treatment.

Younger, more resilient bodies clean up in a hurry,

look great, feel great, what is the problem??,

I’m O.K. and I think I can go home now.

The patient has just awakened from a relatively long drug and alcohol induced stupor

and the guilt and shame

that is felt once they realize where they are is

too much to handle, time to leave.

   Most treatment facilities enforce a blackout of five to seven days after the patient has been committed to prevent the patient from trying to arrange transportation to “Get me out of Here.”  The excuses to leave are as varied and as creative as there are clients in every rehab center.  Most alcoholics have been rightly accused of lying once or twice in their lives and trying to flee rehab is a suitable challenge to any alcoholics creative story telling.

   The second thing that must be understood is that the entire cleansing of the body and mind usually takes a whole year and many times up to two years. Many recovered alcoholics will describe the experience of total detoxification as an event where at a given moment, a year or two after drinking has stopped, there is a feeling that a fog has lifted from their brain.

Now begins the most critical process of recovery treatment.

   Through the use of personal interviews and introduction into small group therapy sessions the counselor and the client must agree to be honest, trusting and to agree to thoroughly examine why the client is in treatment.

Self realization is the key to recovery.

There is very little emphasis on how much or what kind of alcohol was consumed, when the alcohol was consumed or where the alcohol was consumed. The emphasis is on the consequences of the drinking.

Most alcoholics agree that they rarely had trouble every time they drank, but when there was trouble it was usually because of drinking. The emphasis of the self education is to have the client understand, in their own words, what control the alcohol had over their actions.

As an example: I had only two drinks three nights ago, because I said I was only going to have two. I had only two drinks two nights ago, because I said I was only going to have two. Last night I said I was only going to have two, but I lost count.

Group therapy is one of the strongest forms of assisting the client to begin self realization. In the normal 28 day, 4 week treatment program, there are two clients who have three weeks exposure, two who have two weeks, two who have one week and two who are just out of detox, recently admitted. By sharing experiences and learning to identify with someone who has the same apparent problems, the client is guided to self realization. A peer group admonishment is not as damaging to the fragile ego as a direct condemnation from family or other authority figures. A good therapist asks questions and allows the group to provide an answer or explanation. Are you being honest?

Many of the best, one on one, client therapist discussions end with the therapist recommending the client take the issue to their group session. Most clients who do not like their groups are incapable of being honest and are having trouble facing reality.

The group does not like them either.

Admitting that there is a problem with alcohol is the springboard to the next step of the treatment program.

If the alcoholic is trying to sober up using the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, they have just completed step 1.

“We admitted we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable”.

Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

Michael_e

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Recovery...as this drunk sees it #2

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.
 Addictive disease contains
all FIVE conditions that are
required to qualify as a disease.

 1) PRIMARY: The disease is not a symptom
of another condition, and exists independently
 of other disease processes.

 2) CHRONIC: There is no cure. Abstinence
is necessary to stop the behavioral and physical
progression of the disease.

 3) PROGRESSIVE: Signs and symptoms
become more severe over time.

 4) PRONE TO RELAPSE: Once the disease
has progressed to the point where the symptoms
are obvious, it becomes abnormal for the individual
not to use.The individual must learn how to not use
and must have a preventive program in place to prevent relapse.

 5) POTENTIALLY FATAL: All addictive diseases can kill
either directly or indirectly.

 There are also TWO dominant characteristics of addiction.

 1) TOLERANCE: As the result of cellular adaptation at the neuron level
in the brain, it becomes necessary to have an increase in use to achieve
the same affect.

2) PHYSICAL DEPENDENCY: Progressively severe withdrawal symptoms
of which the most important are those which originate in the brain itself.
As an addictive disease progresses it is these characteristics, tolerance
and dependency, which motivate continued use rather than anything else
in the addict/alcoholics life.

 The above is a definition, alcoholics are individuals, therefore, every alcoholic
has his own diagnosis, his own time frame for the progression of the disease,
the different nuances of this and that, which they (the alcoholic) use to deny
that they have a problem.

Every alcoholic is a square peg trying to fit into a round hole,(or visa verse).

As regards the Chronic part of the definition, medication may help some, hypnosis may
help some, but once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic and the only sane way to survive
the disease is not to drink or drug, ever.

 Progression can be illustrated by noting that some teenagers begin way out of control
and are dead by the time they are twenty-one. Some addicts and alcoholics start out hard
and hardy and have a good long run before the problems catch up to them. Some start out
slowly and go many years, with few problems, until they reach a point where they are sick
and tired of being sick and tired. There are exceptions: the traffic accident victim who is
severely hurt and requires large doses of pain killers to survive and when they are healed,
they are hooked. Grandma and Grandpa retire, never drank, now they decide to have a toddy
to help them sleep; the kids finally catch on and send them to the rehab.

The Prone to Relapse part of the disease definition is a topic that will be discussed in a series
of separate blogs after more discussions about the bad behaviors of alcoholics. The only constant
is that all of the victims will deny that they have a problem.

 Alcoholism is the only disease that tells you that you do not have a disease.

The pain, the agony, the suffering and the misery are always caused by someone else.
Be sympathetic of the addict who is trying to quit drinking and drugging, but remember,
tough love may be the only sane way that you have to defend yourself from the alcoholic.
Please remember, they are sick people trying to get well, not bad people trying to become good.

The following is a link to one of the more highly recommended rehabilitation facilities on the east
coast of the United States.

http://www.fathermartinsashley.com

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Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

ME and the Boss

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Recovery...as this drunk sees it #1

"The cost of living has gone up another dollar 

a quart." 
~ W. C. Fields

The first word that needs to be understood 

before anyone  can even begin to deal with 

an addict/alcoholic is:

Denial....

D - don't 
E - even 
N -no (know)
I - I 
A - am 
L - lying

How can you tell when an alcoholic is lying?? 
- His lips are moving.

   Most people are good, moral, upstanding individuals who know the difference between right and wrong. Under the influence, alcoholics forget everything that has to do with making the right choice and they go into a survival mode. If it takes lying, cheating and stealing to get more of the substance that their bodies crave, they will do what they must to get it. The denial system of survival set up by the sick and suffering may and usually involves and affects everyone around them.
   Those who allow (or refuse to admit) the alcoholics immoral behaviors become the enablers of the addict/alcoholic. Enablers, (husband, wives, parents, bosses, friends? employers, significant others) 
are in themselves very sick and need education or treatment just as badly as the alcoholic.

   Rehabilitation means to return an individual back to a sane and normal moral existence.

   During the rehabilitation process education means to discover those behaviors that are destructive to the alcoholic and those around him, and compare them to the behaviors that are acceptable. 
Treatment is the series of exercises and activities suggested to change the identified negative behaviors into acceptable ones.
   After the in-patient treatment, most good rehab facilities will have a new lifestyle plan for the client to put into place upon their release from the facility. This next phase of recovery is a topic for future posts.
   One drink for the alcoholic who is trying to rehabilitate themselves means a total destruction of any progress that may have been made towards the return to a normalized behavior pattern. Often, a relapse by an addict/alcoholic, may add insult to injury. The affected has, by relapsing, added additional guilt and shame to their already diminished egos.Treatment for the relapsed addict/alcoholic (a client who has completed at least one prior stay at a 28 day facility) is a totally different and specific entity in the rehab/treatment field. Some of the more prominent rehabilitation centers in the United States have separate satellite locations or separate on campus facilities specifically assigned to relapse clients.

   Rehab, education, and treatment are to no avail if the affected do not cooperate.

   You can tell a drunk, but you can't tell him much.

   Although this article is addressed to the Addict/Alcoholic, most of the attitudes and behaviors described can be attributed to those who suffer from addictive personalities. It is not what substance one uses, but how they abuse the substance. Gambling, food, sex, workaholic, or any other obsessive compulsive behavior that cause an individual to neglect normal responsibilities or make improper moral judgements, are included in the treatable realm of addictive disorders. 
   Many rehabilitation centers are exclusive to one type of addiction or to a select few addictions that they deem to be equally well treated by their program. 
   Be aware that some of the addictions may be better treated in a clinic situation . Sex and Love addicts and the dual diagnosed usually do better when they are in controlled therapy sessions (Self-help programs) in addition to their twelve step program work. Many self help meetings are not advertised the way AA meetings are publicly scheduled and may need to be sought out by seeking professional guidance. This secrecy is not to hide from public scrutiny to avoid the social stigma, it is done to keep sexual predators and untreated deviates from stalking the vulnerable individuals who need to attend the meetings. Doctors and lawyers have a referral system they use to keep their self help meetings limited to only those in their profession. This type of activity is against the traditions of AA, however, this type of exclusivity only helps to underscore the negative stigma that alcoholism has in the general society.

The following link is to one of the most highly recommended Drug and Alcohol treatment centers in theUnited States. This facility is located in the eastern mid-Atlantic states area.
http://www.fathermartinsashley.com

Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

Michael_e

Head To The Hills

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 He who stays in the valley will never see over the hill.

 Many of life's journeys have milestones that are

marked by hill tops.

 Be smart and do not to judge your life by one hilltop

 that you have reached.

 Winning the championship game? 

The birth of a child or grandchild?

 The pinnacle of success?

 The age of forty? (Seventy ???)

 Retirement?

 Be wise to know that this hill top is just a better vantage point

to see where you might want to go next.

 Celebrate the milestone.

 Have gratitude that you have reached that milestone. 

Use the knowledge and strength you have gained from climbing the small hills

to reach for the summit of the tallest mountain on the horizon.

Many say that when you go over the hill you begin to pick up speed

going down the other side.  Use that speed as momentum to start up the next hill.

As long as you are moving forward with your head held high, and your eyes are fixed

on the next milestone you will be able to cross the lowest valley in your life in peace and comfort.

Up hill or down hill, never travel alone.

When life puts a fork in the road have a someone help you read the map.

If they have traversed this swamp before your hope is they know the shortest route

to higher ground.

Higher ground may be just as good as a hill if you are up to your tush in alligators.

If you had ask your friend for advice at the last fork in the road, maybe you would

not have found yourself in the swamp.

Where you think you are going and where your Higher Power wants or lets you go may

be two separate directions.

Pray for guidance.

The stories of the wisest masters tells us that if you want to find your way out of the desert,

follow God.

Whether you are in the valley of despair or on the highest mountain,

today's journey will begin with the first step.

What you have earned from yesterdays travels will pay the road tolls for today's journey.

 If you do not learn and earn from today's journey, 

tomorrow's forecast may be down hill and out of control. 

Celebrate, keep your head up, focus on the next hill top,  move a muscle, change a thought,

and live your life to it's fullest.

Life is a roller coaster ride.
Sit in the first car.
Fill the car with friends and family.
Throw your arms up in the air,
and scream as loud as you can from the top of every hill.

Enjoy the ride.

Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

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 ME and the Boss

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The Whole Body Smile

Smile, it makes them wonder what you are up to.
No, not that smarmy, guilty looking grin that the 

Cheshire Cat wore to help make Alice into the 

star she is today.

No, not that slight curvature of the corners of your 

mouth that you force onto your face when the little 

old lady pinches your cheek.

Yes, your real smile, the one that goes from 

the top of your head all the way down to your toes, 

“the whole body smile.”

Never heard of it, don't know how to do it??

Just follow these simple instructions,  these twelve easy steps:

1) Be happy. It is an attitude, just do it.

2) Clear your brain of any activity. (Like thinking) For most of us
there is no effort required, this is better known as our normal state of mind.

3) Open your eyes. Sparkling, smiling, laughing eyes are beautiful to behold
and the wonder is how those smiling eyes see things more clearly.
Every day something new is born into this world.
Smile, God made it just for you to enjoy.

4) Shut your mouth. You cannot hear when your mouth is moving,
nor can you smile when you mouth is moving.

5) Clean out your ears. Listen closely to others and heed the word of God.
God has endowed man with the ability to make beautiful music,
learn to listen and listen to enjoy.

6) Relax.
Ever notice that the back of your neck is always tense,
bad habit, smiles make the stress go away.

7) Follow your heart.
Love enormously, love often and smile when you think of those that you love.
Remember that you may like things, you may enjoy things, you may want things,
but your only need is to love people, God and pets.

8) Hug everything, even trees.
God has given you two arms and two hands so that you may hold onto
those things that make you smile, however, we must remember that
God’s will may take those things from us at anytime and we must let go
and learn to smile when we remember the good times.
Hand in hand we will do for each other what we cannot do alone
If you are holding my hand I cannot pick up a drink.

9) Trust your gut feelings.
God has given you the intuitive instincts to protect your feelings from being hurt.
Learn to smile when you say "I told you so."

10) Move out of the way.
God has given you two legs to allow you to motivate your body to places that are happy.
Go there.
Smile in anticipation while you are moving towards your happy destination,
and make the smile even larger when you have reached your goal.

11) Dance.
God has given you two feet to celebrate the rest of your body.
Don't think about it, don't talk about it, see it, feel it, trust it,
listen to the music and move to the rhythm of God's earth.

12) Toes know.
When your toes are happy,
you will know you have learned “the whole body smile.”

Smile, this is God's candid camera watching you do his will.

Be yourself...everyone else is already taken.

The Doctors orders are to repeat the process as often as necessary and share
with everyone whom you think would also benefit from 

“The Whole Body Smile.”           :)

Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

Me and the Boss (Michael Erb)

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Compass

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.

May your

moral compass

always point

towards

Happiness.

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"Conscience is a man's compass."        ~ Vincent Van Gogh

Check the map of your life, your moral conscious and if you consciously
seek happiness today, you will find it. Have an attitude of gratitude.

Thank your Higher Power for giving you another day to celebrate living
a life of service. Happiness is looking for the things in life that are pleasing.
If your compass is upside down you will find trouble. Look for the negative
and you will find it. Dwell on the negative and you will be miserable.
Live in today, the here and now, and do your best to keep your compass
right side up. Do not know where your compass is, look inside of yourself.

If you do not know which way your compass is pointing, ask a friend.
Keep life a simple matter, check your moral compass on an as needed basis,
and make sure it is always pointed towards the better things for everyone.
Lying, cheating and stealing only complicate ones life.
Do not rely solely on your thinking, sometimes your best thinking
is what may put you in harms way.

Learn to rely on your feelings and be aware of when your compass
may be out of alignment with the will of your Higher Power.
When you know in your heart that this is the best you can do,
be happy and enjoy.

Live up to your expectations for yourself, not the expectations
others may have for you.

Compasses never need fixing.

You are lying if you say your compass is broken, you are cheating if you hold
your finger on the needed and do not feel what is in your heart, you are stealing
when you try to manipulate the compass of another person.

God has given everyone a compass; learn to use your compass often and wisely.
Share your compass with others until they learn how to read their own.
Do not try to be the compass of another person, unless they ask,
or the judge request that you sit on the jury.

God is His own judge and jury; He does not need your help.

Keep your compass clean so you may see it clearly.
Avoid the dark when it becomes impossible to see your compass.

Today, may all of your compass points be good feelings of happiness,
kindness, patience and tolerance, love and understanding, and willingness
to do the next right thing.

Happiness is helping someone help themselves

ME and the Boss

.

.

.

.

..

I Don’t Care

I don’t care

that you don’t care

about your sobriety,

but please

respect the rights

of others.

A 12 Step meeting usually last one hour and for a number of reasons you should be in you seat when the meeting is started and you should still be in your seat when the meeting is over.

Although the format of the meeting is arbitrary the reason for the meeting and the participation of the attendees is always a constant, to carry the message to all who seek sobriety.
If the meeting begins with prayer or readings one should listen closely to the words, there may be a key to today’s peace of mind in the message.
If you had a good sponsor, the person who walked you through the steps and explained How It Works for him and others, he would be remiss if he did not explain that the way to recovery is change.
Therefore, no matter how many times you have heard the prayer, no matter how many times you have heard the readings, listen closely because today is a different day, the world has changed and the words in the message may be heard differently today because hopefully you also have changed.

It was once pointed out to me that when someone is sharing there are a few reasons that we should be very attentive to their story:
Hopefully their message has to do with the topic of the meeting and hopefully the topic is about not drinking, one day at a time.
It also can be very devastating to a person sharing their pain, struggles, guilt, remorse and shame to look up and see two people talking and laughing, the automatic reaction is for the sharer to believe that they are laughing at him and his reason for seeking sobriety is shattered, his trust in the fellowship destroyed.
The person you are talking to may miss the necessary tool to keep their sobriety because you were taking their focus away from the true message.
Respect, if someone is sharing from the heart about HOW the program works,
“learn to listen and listen to learn.”

Although the program of AA is suggested, there are some rules of etiquette that should be adhered to at meetings:
Get your coffee and sit down, the next cup will wait until the meeting is over.
Only one activity at a time should be happening, do not pass around telephone list, collection baskets, announcements, cake or cards while readings or sharing is happening.
Clean up is after the meeting is over, coffee for after the meeting is important.
Do not put your telephone on vibrate and leave the meeting at any time to answer calls, if you are on call and you must be available to be called in case of emergencies, sit next to the door in the rear, and do not share your experience, strength and hope unless you are able to do so without interruption.
You know, keep your sharing brief, you know, and to the topic, you know, because most people, you know, begin to repeat themselves in three to five minutes, you know, and no, I do not know, because
if I did know I would not be at a meeting seeking wisdom from someone who can help me stay sober,
one day at a time.

AA is a spiritual program shared by humble people who leave their egos at the door.

There is no such thing as a bad meeting; it is only that some meetings are better than others.

Today, do your part, sit for an hour and make your meeting the best meeting in town.