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Post by Dana on Aug 26, 2015 9:18:48 GMT -5
Mark_LA # 18670.19(19 of 28) Replied to: Jeyu Jun-16 7:37 AM Mark_LA Posts:2340
Here are a couple:
"Sobriety is an inside job" (unknown)
Also the one ICON used to post regularly from Thirst for Living by Dr. David Stewart:
"Sobriety is an action of insights and skills far beyond mere abstinence. Sobriety is a creative discipline in the art of freedom of growth, and of love. To be yourself, is to become yourself."
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Post by Dana on Aug 26, 2015 9:19:29 GMT -5
PJ # 18670.20(20 of 28) Replied to: 18670.1 Jun-16 1:11 PM PJ Posts:6203
"Eventually you may be able to be grateful for what you've regained.
"The vast majority of alcoholics either never experience those connections or live in a constant fog, unable to comprehend what the fock happened to them while blaming everyone else for their misery."
Grampadave, from the thread, "I want them back," March 28, 2018.
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Post by Dana on Aug 26, 2015 9:20:16 GMT -5
PJ # 18670.22(22 of 28) Replied to: 18670.1 Jun-27 11:02 AM PJ Posts:6203
"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude."
~~ Maya Angelou
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Post by Dana on Aug 26, 2015 9:20:37 GMT -5
Jeyu # 18670.24(24 of 28) Replied to: Quitat52 Jun-28 6:14 AM Jeyu Posts:1039 "There is a time paradox in all addictions, I think alcohol is no different. Paradox is that although you have year plus of sobriety, neither of us can take that first drink." Quitat52 (J) Jeyu0422
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Post by Dana on Aug 26, 2015 9:21:00 GMT -5
Mark_LA # 18670.25(25 of 28) Replied to: 18670.24 Jun-28 12:12 PM Mark_LA Posts:2340
I just thought of a great Dave-ism, especially appropriate since we have a couple of newcomers:
"In order to stop drinking, first you must stop drinking."
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Post by Dana on Aug 26, 2015 9:21:37 GMT -5
Jeyu # 18670.27(27 of 28) Replied to: angelina1512 Aug-21 5:15 AM Jeyu Posts:1039 "There's no failure in falling down, I believe that each so called "failure" can be used for a chance to grow and evolve into the person we want to be. It's about how we get up, what lessons we take with us on the way and how we move forward to create the life we deserve. " Achilles1957 (Jenn)
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Post by Dana on Aug 26, 2015 9:29:14 GMT -5
grampadave # 15076.80(80 of 1424) Replied to: Dana 4/6/11 6:07 PM grampadave Posts:31865 Re: "5 more hours and I'll feel better."
Not necessarily, you're just not likely to die from it.
<G>
Expect to be on a roller coaster ride of emotions for a while,
It's also not uncommon to feel more aches and pains after a while, which is largely due to the fact that we feel things more acutely since alcohol acts as an anesthetic and keeps us from feeling.
Not meant to scare you but that applies to emotions as well.
All part of the healing process and a few of the dues we have to pay.
The bottom line is that it's all worth the price of admission.
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Post by Dana on Aug 26, 2015 9:30:59 GMT -5
grampadave # 15076.95(95 of 1424) Replied to: Dana 4/7/11 10:32 PM grampadave Posts:31865
"...is it really necessary to go "Back" and figure out..."
Necessary? I don't know but I think you'll find out as you go along.
I think any human being will be better served by gaining the fullest understanding of him or herself as possible and I also believe it's what well-adjusted people of all kinds strive for.
True peace and contentment ultimately can only be found inside of ourselves.
It seems to me that if we don't eventually go within we will go without.
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Post by Dana on Aug 26, 2015 11:02:25 GMT -5
Dana # 15076.204(204 of 1424) Replied to: 15076.203 4/20/11 10:01 AM Dana Posts:1242
I started reading a book called Beyond Happiness by Ezra Bayda. This paragraph speaks volumes to me and I don't want to forget it:
"...interestingly, in spiritual practice, happiness is not the goal. When we make happiness the goal it normally eludes us... Happiness is not so much a feeling to be attained as it is a by-product of how we live."
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Post by Dana on Aug 26, 2015 11:04:36 GMT -5
grampadave # 15076.209(209 of 1424) Replied to: Dana 4/21/11 3:22 AM grampadave Posts:31865
I recall thinking around the lines of: "Wow, I'm glad I never got "that" bad!" somewhere around early 1975.
My last drink was July 30 1994.
Early on I might better have been asking myself just how bad I wanted it to get.
PS: If you find reading the book helpful and/or enjoyable, by all means do so.
If not, put it aside for sometime in the future and in the meantime listen to the people.
The pioneers of AA didn't have any book to follow but they had each other.
The book didn't come along until about four years after Dr Bob Smith, who is seen as a co-founder of AA and historically was AA Number 2, had his last drink.
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Post by Dana on Aug 26, 2015 11:19:24 GMT -5
grampadave # 15076.329(329 of 1424) Replied to: Natalie_Would 4/29/11 10:43 PM grampadave Posts:31865
Just quickly here - I see a lot of people who pretty much hide out in AA and at AA meetings. While that's fine for them and they're welcome to do whatever they want, I'm sure that's not what AA's founding members intended.
Rather, I believe the entire point of recovery is to become whole and to become part of the world at large, not restrict ourselves to one small corner of it.
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Post by Dana on Aug 26, 2015 11:23:14 GMT -5
Natalie_Would # 15076.328(328 of 1424) Replied to: aStarrsSong 4/29/11 9:06 PM Natalie_Would Posts:49
I started doing other things besides being a recovering alcoholic.
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Post by gwampa69 on Aug 30, 2015 15:42:12 GMT -5
Last early November, I was struggling mightily with PAWS symptoms. I've dealt with this at different times over the last 14 months, and again am having a bout the last few days. It sent me digging through the "drowning thread" as I remembered a post Sam made to me that helped a lot. Thanks again Sam. I miss your contributions. You have helped me immensely and still do.
I said "If PAWS is to blame, it sucks. Mainly because from what I am reading, it can come out of nowhere and kick me in the $$%#$ for maybe 2 years after stopping the booze. Is that correct? All the more reason to never restart the clock by drinking to alleviate the PAWS. The most frustrating part of this is what it does to my thinking and ability to write something coherent. PAWS makes it difficult to participate on the forum... UGGH. But I'm ok. I understand the process and know what to watch out for. It's funny how a little bit of information, life experience, compassion, honesty and openness coupled with human beings that are willing to share it all can equal something that is life saving. Wow, I think I stumbled upon a useful equation."
FORUM=RECOVERY
O and U
Brett
Sam Said: "Hey Brett, when I was 4 1/2 years abstinent, I experienced PAWS for the first 1 1/2 years. The first few months to a year were the worst, in fact when I first joined this forum back in May 2008, I was 5 1/2 months sober, I came here because I was not feeling good, I did not understand at the time why wasn't I getting the benefits of sobriety, why was I depressed, and had no energy and my feelings were like the stock market up and down all the time,I thought by removing alcohol from my life all would be good, after all I blamed alcohol for all my ills. I did not know that there was more to sobriety than to just quit drinking. Our friend Ron here helped me tremendously, Ron and zinbear explained to me about PAWS, and I did a research and I started to understand, it was a life savor because prior to that I have tried to stop drinking many times, to only start drinking again because I was not feeling any better, I thought since I wasn't feeling good after I quit drinking....well, might as well drink! At times I was feeling worse, and I was impatient, and angry of why after I quit drinking I was feeling miserable....not fair I thought!
I would be sitting at home watching TV or driving or whatever and what seemed out of the blue a big dark cloud would be hanging over my head, I would go from being happy to depressed in a very short time, I would feel terrible for no apparent reason at all, I then would go for weeks and months and everything would be fine and PAWS would re-visit me again, and for no apparent reason at all. There was this big void inside of me also, like something was missing, I didn't like that feeling at all. At first it was about every 30 days for like 6 months or so and then the gap got wider until after a year and a half when it stopped, not only PAWS disappeared after that, the real benefits of sobriety showed up instead. I could go on for weeks and months without even thinking about a drink, and I felt fine, I felt great.
The last two years I was doing so well I had no problem being around alcohol, I even made drinks to friends, no thoughts of drinking, no desire, it was out of my life and at no efforts on my part, I was on autopilot recovery switched on! I really thought back then that I have conquered my addiction to alcohol, that I was going to spend the rest of my life sober.
It wasn't meant to be, and I have been struggling ever since that relapse I did on that flight to Amsterdam.
Last, my experience does not necessarily reflect what PAWS is, I was a heavy drinker for a very long time, I think that had something to do with how bad my PAWS were. "
Sam
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Post by Dana on Aug 30, 2015 17:12:33 GMT -5
Hi Brett, sorry to hear you're having a bout recently. And I'm glad you found what you were looking for at the old place. I've been milling about over there off and on, rather aimlessly - not really sure what I'm looking for, but feeling rather blue that it may be lost and gone forever in just a couple days. I wonder if I will forget my journey. Well, I guess it would be more accurate to say I wonder what parts of my journey I will forget. So many people have helped me along the way and I'm sad I won't see some of them again, their posts that I could search for - although not as easily since the format changed - to read their words of wisdom and/or encouragement one more time. Some of the people can't/won't come with us, they're gone from this 3rd rock from the sun. And there are many more who have left the forum and have left me wondering what's become of them. I'm not going to name names in case I inadvertently leave someone out, don't want to hurt anyone's feelings! Anyway, I hope the newcomers find us here and I hope we can continue to pay forward what we've learned and how we've grown. And I need the newcomers to find us here, because it is through them that I remember how miserable I was. I don't ever want to forget that part, it keeps me going in the right direction - moving forward, and not back. It's true what they say, we can't keep it unless we give it away.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2015 18:51:02 GMT -5
Thanks Dana for bringing all those posts over. Its sad that the forum is disappearing as there were so many good stories on there to help people at various stages of recovery. At least you have brought some stuff across. I don't know how to do it on my computer.
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