You Are Getting Sober, Now What

Ok, I am getting sober, now what? When does the good life start? When do my friends, family, loved ones, ‘significant others’ start to recognize what I am doing and giving me the respect that I am due?

Sound familiar? Well if it does, someone is in for a rude awakening. Just because a person starts to live a sober life, the praise, recognition and accolades will not start to pour in.

Alcoholics and addicts are a strange breed, we give chips, have parties and lots of recognition to someone doing what the normies do on a daily basis. And we think that everyone around us should be doing the same thin. It may not happen so get over it.

Consider how long you treated everyone around you like scum. How many times did you lie to, cheat and steal from those that you now want to respect you? You want them to see you put together a couple of days sober and want all to be forgotten, wrong.

Alcoholism, A Family Disease

I was looking around the web and found a few articles that I thought you might find interesting:

A Latter-day Voice: Addiction — A Family Disease

Addiction is a family disease—the effects of one person active in an addiction will be felt by all who are close to him or her. Family and friends of addicts can feel emotions of hurt, betrayal and loss. They may be overcome by feelings …

Publish Date: 03/25/2011 12:50

http://alatterdayvoice.blogspot.com/2011/03/addiction-family-disease.html

Is Addiction a Family Disease? | Intergenerational Transmission

Addiction is therefore a multifactorial disease that expresses and perpetuates itself within the context of family systems. Understanding addiction conceptually as a family disease highlights the need to address all members of the …

Publish Date: 12/19/2005 2:00

http://www.lacregionalhdr2009.org/60-intergenerational-transmission.html

Alcohol in the Workplace and Alcohol Workplace Training for …

So, let’s dive into the facts. The American Medical Association and the World Health Organization declared alcoholism a disease over 50 years ago. Alcoholism is not a psychiatric illness and it is not a psychological problem. … Hundreds of studies have demonstrated a family/biological link and susceptibility for alcoholism. Many studies have shown that the child of an alcoholic parent, even if adopted into a nondrinking home, will later in life have a dramatically …

Publish Date: 04/12/2011 14:40

http://www.elnokhba.net/?p=260

AMERICA’S #1 HEALTH PROBLEM – ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG DEPENDENCE

Diagnosis and treatment of this disease (yes, it is a disease) is of the utmost importance. Treatment can save lives and also dollars that would otherwise be spent in other areas of social services and medical care. … An individual that is hooked on alcohol or drugs is not only affecting his/her life, but the lives of family, friends, and co-workers. If family and friends can get the assistance of a trained specialist to conduct an intervention, hopefully, …

Publish Date: 04/12/2011 10:07

http://www.blog4safety.com/2011/04/americas-1-health-problem-alcoholism-and-drug-dependence/

Cat and Dolphins

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Improve Your Powers of Concentration

Improving your powers of concentration will help you get more done in less time. Below are some of the major benefits of developing your ability to focus as well as some practical steps for achieving extreme concentration.

The Benefits of Improved Concentration:

1. Be more productive. By devoting your full attention to whatever you’re doing at the moment, you’ll produce better quality work in less time. It really is this simple!

2. Be a better friend. Conversations are more pleasant if you feel like others are really listening to you. Paying attention to others will help you appreciate your family and friends, and understand how to support them when they need it.

3. Feel more peaceful. Many studies have found that multitasking makes people slower and less effective at performing various tasks. Trying to do too many things at once can cause stress and make you feel less alert. By contrast, focusing on one thing helps to calm your mind.

Training Your Mind To Concentrate:

1. Focus on one thing at a time. Place your mind on whatever you’re doing in the present moment. Think about how you act when you’re engrossed in a thrilling movie or a new romance and try to duplicate that experience. If you don’t feel passionate about a particular task, look for some meaningful aspect or motivate yourself with the desire to complete it in less time.

2. Abandon distracting thoughts. Your mind will wander. Remain aware of your thoughts. When you notice a distracting thought, decline to pursue it. Return your attention to your chosen object. Repeat this as often as necessary. With practice, it will get easier.

3. Meditate. To enhance your progress, try meditating. Sit and focus on your breath or spiritual attainments. You can extend that mindfulness to all your daily activities from eating lunch to playing with your children.

Other Steps to Improve Concentration:

1. Minimize external distractions. Your restless mind is probably the greatest distraction, but a controlled environment can help too. Turn off your phone and wait until later to check your email. Clear off your desk. If you can’t find a quiet spot, consider using white noise recordings, instrumental music, or earplugs.

The Art of Self-Reflection – 5 Exercises to Find Peace in Your Life

What is it you want to do with your life? How do you think you’re going to make it happen? If you’re not sure, then self-reflection is in order.

Even if you have an idea where you want to go, you may want to consider doing self-reflection exercises to ensure that you remain on the path toward success. When you are on the right path, you can also find peace in your life.

Here are 5 self-reflection exercises that you can use to put things into perspective. These exercises can help you to clear your mind, relax, and find that peace you crave:

1.    Compose affirmations. Write a list of at least 50 affirmations. These affirmations should embrace what you want to achieve and what you want to become in your life.

* Write them in present tense and be sure to use the word “I” throughout the list. For example, “I am always good at my job.”

* It is important to focus on the things that are occurring now that will lead to your future success.

You may hear words in your head such as, “But you messed this up the other day” or “You weren’t as productive a few days ago.” If you are hearing things like this, then banish those negative thoughts. It can take some time to get used to positive thinking, but it’ll be time well-spent.

* Repeating your affirmations aloud will enable you to reprogram your mind with positive thoughts.

2.    Tap into your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind is where your self-image is stored. All of your attitudes, experiences, beliefs, and values are here. Your subconscious mind is the core of who you are and it’s a very powerful force.

If you go inward and reflect upon what’s inside this storehouse within the mind, you can gain a better sense of self-awareness. Some may call this meditation. Regardless of what you call it, this process helps you to attain a higher level of consciousness.

How to Sit Comfortably While Meditating

Learning to sit comfortably while meditating will help you welcome more relaxation and peace of mind into your life. If you’d like to start meditating but feel too uncomfortable to sit for long, these steps will help.

Steps to Take Between Your Meditation Sessions:

1. Keep limber. It’s easier to sit comfortably if you work on improving your flexibility in advance. Many people use yoga to accomplish this, but any program of gentle stretching will help. Just remember to warm up first to prevent injury.

2. Maintain a healthy body weight. Meditating can give you one more good reason to shed any excess pounds. You may feel more comfortable while meditating if you keep physically fit.

3. Breathe deeply. Breathing correctly plays a major role in meditating. Make it a habit to breathe from your diaphragm so your abdomen falls and rises rather than your chest. Let the air flow through your nostrils instead of your mouth.

4. Practice good posture. You’re more likely to practice good posture on the cushion if you keep track of it even when you’re not meditating. Try to always be aware of keeping your back straight and your shoulders relaxed. Imagine you’re pushing your abdomen gently toward your back so you hold it slightly tucked.

5. Cultivate a calm mind. You’ll get more out of meditating if you try to hold onto a calm mind all day. If you start your meditation session in a peaceful state of mind, it will be easier to get into position faster and spend more time focused on your objectives.

Steps to Take During Your Meditation Sessions:

1. Start gradually. It’s great if you’re all ready for the full lotus position, but there’s nothing wrong with making a more gradual start. Sit in a chair if it’s painful to sit on the floor. Sit for a few minutes at a time to begin with, and then increase the time in steady increments.

2. Position your body correctly. No matter how you sit, keep your back straight and your abdomen tucked under. Pretend your head is being gently lifted by a balloon so you hold it high without straining your neck. If you use a chair, keep both feet flat on the floor. If you use a cushion, cross your legs and bring your feet toward your waist.

3. Shift positions when you need to. Your ability to sit still for longer periods will naturally increase with time but it’s always okay to shift positions if you feel pain or stiffness. Stand up and stretch or just re-cross your legs placing the other leg on top for a while. Roll your shoulders or gently bend your head toward one shoulder at a time.

4. Figure out what to do with your hands. There are two options that work well: rest your hands on your knees or rest them in your lap. Any arrangement that keeps your hands supported and out of the way is fine.

5. Hold your tongue. As you move your focus inwards and stop talking, you may experience discomfort as you become more aware of the saliva in your mouth. One easy solution is to touch the roof of your mouth with your tongue. This naturally inhibits the flow of saliva.

6. Lower your eyes. If visual images distract you, try lowering your eyelids so there’s just a small sliver of light before you. Keep your eyes softly focused without targeting any single object. You can even close your eyes as long as it doesn’t encourage you to fall asleep.

Meditation can transform your life with spiritual insights and greater peace. Learning to sit comfortably will help you focus on your objectives without any aches and pains getting in the way.

Resentments Make Me Sad, Angry

How do I get over resentment and anger? | addictionblog.org

From his book, God of Our Understanding, Rabbi Shais Taub give us insight into how to get over resentment and anger, two debilitating emotions that can sabotage addiction recovery. Written from a Jewish theological view, …

Publish Date: 11/17/2010 3:30

http://addictionblog.org/the-news/how-do-i-get-over-resentment-and-anger/

Resentment vs. Forgiving My Enemies

I nursed my resentment and in the long run, I was the one who ended up getting hurt. Someone once said and I quote, “Holding resentment is like eating poison and waiting for the other person to keel over.” …

Publish Date: 11/16/2010 5:20

http://iamkareen.wordpress.com/2010/11/16/resentment-vs-forgiving-my-enemies/