:The AA Blog

The truly humble person is unable to feel anger.

Sure, we get angry. Who doesn’t? But anger gets in the way of recovery and renewal. It’s all-consuming, a kind of undifferentiated negative energy that gets in our way. Anger colors everything. It immobilizes us. We get stuck in it. Anger is one of the many things that led us to our addiction. If we can root out each of our addictions, one at a time, we might be able to find out how we got here in the first place. Not only will such a process of self-inquiry help, but without anger, it may no longer hurt.

In recovery, we transform our anger into humility-and bow our heads before God. Stop blaming yourself or those you love. Without humility, we can’t do Step Seven. What’s humility anyway? Simply a recognition that we’re not so great and that God is greater. That’s why we ask God to help us in the process of removing our shortcomings. In working our Twelve Step Program, we are partners with God, only God is a little more so.

When you feel yourself get­ting angry, look at yourself in a mirror. Think over why others may be angry at you. It’s a humbling experience.

 From: 100 Blessings Every Day

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The classic literature on spirituality suggests a more ancient image for the spiritual life-that of building, in which our life’s time is occu­pied in the construction of a spiritual edifice, a kind of “home.” The rich metaphor of architecture offers several advantages. It invites thinking in terms of tools, materials, and choices: Which tools, which materials do we choose to use in shaping our spiritual abode? Building also requires a plan, or at least planning, and so thinking-how and what one chooses to see-makes a difference to the outcome. And finally, although the task of construction is laborious, mistakes can be undone, and what is learned from them can be used to improve the structure as a whole.

While both growth and building add useful shades of meaning to the experience of spirituality, the spirituality of imperfection offers an alternative image for the spiritual life: that of journey. And the practice of storytelling brings the metaphor of journey to life, for the narrative format of “what we used to be like, what happened, and what we are like now” suggests the particular kind of journey that is a pilgrimage. That “plot” bestows on the storyteller the “identity” revealed by the story, the identity of the kind of “journeyer” who is a pilgrim.

The pilgrimage metaphor conveys spirituality’s open-endedness by reinforcing the essential distinction between confident certainty and the mysteries of uncertainty. A pilgrimage involves not a settled and determined lockstep march to a fixed point, but a winding, turning, looping, crisscrossing, occasionally backtracking peregrination-the ancient name for “pilgrimage” that conveys its wandering essence. It is no accident that Bill Wilson’s favorite image, repeated literally thousands of times in letters to people who sought his advice, de­picted sobriety as “a kind of Pilgrim’s Progress.” “We claim spiri­tual progress rather than spiritual perfection,” reminds the A.A. Big Book.

The paramount discovery gradually dawns as the pilgrimage continues-the realization that the ultimate goal you seek is not some reality “out there,” but the awaken­ing of an identity that lies within.

“Our destination is never a place, but rather a new way of looking at things,” writer Henry Miller noted. Such a destination fits T. S. Eliot’s description in concluding “Little Gidding.”

We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.

The goal of the pilgrimage that is spirituality is, simply, to keep moving-spiritually–one step at a time. Or as Confucius said, “It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop.”

Excerpt from “The Sprituality of Imperfection”

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When someone does something that causes him to have an unpleasant or painful experience, he almost universally commits never to repeat the unhealthy behavior ever again. How often have you gotten nauseous after consuming too much food or drink and declared never to do it again? Or went to sleep much too late only to be exhausted and irritable the next day, and then committed to yourself to now always be in bed before 11:00 o’clock?

But like most everyone else, after a few days pass and the discomfort has faded into a memory, you’ll then easily repeat the identical negative behavior once again. This is because when the pain of a situation is no longer present and you saw there had been a relief, you will simply lose your once crystal clear clarity.

Imagine someone has a heart attack and is rushed to the emergency room. While recovering in his hospital bed, he prays to God to change his ways and begin to eat better, start an exercise program, and work much less at the office. Sadly, these commitments are often short-lived because when the pain of the experience subsides, the old habits naturally and quickly return.

The fact is if you’re in pain, it’s not very hard to have clarity on the type of behavior you want to begin to have. Anyone can do that. What takes effort and is uncomfortable is to accept God’s will and not drift back to your old ways when you aren’t in any physical discomfort.

A great way to accomplish this is: before you want to repeat a self-destructive behavior, stop and spend a moment to mentally recall the aftermath of the past event. It’s very important actually to take yourself through the whole experience and “bring it back to life.” This will make it real to you all over again.

Although there will always be a part of you that will try to push this negative association away so you can engage in your old ways, the more you’re able to focus on the negative consequence, it will dilute your anticipated pleasure. And just like lifting weights, the more you do this, the stronger and stronger your “God Power” will become, making the behavior easier to and easier to resist. So, reliving it in your mind today will allow you to have a happier and more meaningful life both today – and tomorrow.

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Daytona Beach Fla -Man finds himself in critical condition - the victim of a violent act of drunkeness…

man's face on fire because of beer

There are certain truths, commandments and unwritten rulse that all men should understand.

1. What goes up must come Down!

2. Never ever have sex with another man’s wife without his permission!

3. NEVER EVER,EVER, EVER…MESS WITH A MAN”S BEER! There could be painful serious conquences.

Dean Allen Fultz found this out the unpleasant way…after an arguement this weekend with 42-year-old John Harper  over BEER, Cigarettes, and Money. Fultz found himself being draged into the woods by Harper who later poured gasoline on his face and lit him on fire. Fultz in now in an Orlando Hospital in critical suffering from 3rd Deree burns – LUCKY to be alive!

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When: September 12, 2009 – 7 am – 4 pm
Where: Bicentennial Park – Downtown Miami, Florida
Who: InTheRooms.com – Rally For Recovery

Rally for Recovery by In The Rooms

Why:
This weekend is the InTheRooms.com 1st annual “Rally For Recovery” in Miami. The Rally for Recovery will be held in Bicentennial Park in beautiful Downtown Miami and will include a festival featuring Eric Burdon and the Animals, Richie Supa and many more.

For a small donation of $9 dollars, you can be part of this great walk and festival – as well as support InTheRooms.com’s non-profit foundation for the recovery community. The folks at InTheRooms.com promise that the event will be full of great music, delicious food and wonderful array of great people from the recovery community.

Want to be part of the 2009 Rally for Recovery? REGISTER HERE!

Eric Burdon and the Animals and Richie Supa are just a couple of the acts set to perform at the rally which is scheduled to be an all day event that begins with registrations at 7 am and the festival doesn’t stop until well past 4 pm.

InTheRooms.com is the fastest growing social networking website on the web. At ITR, you’ll find a friendly and supportive community of people in recovery – including friends and family of people in recovery.

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There are currently over a million soldiers in the US army, many have seen combat and survived to live with what they’ve witnessed. Some soldiers manage to cope, others never do, resorting to the use of drugs and alcohol to numb the pain and somehow kill the visions and voices in their heads.

Many soldiers suffer from a variety of psychological problems including nightmares, flashbacks, paranoia and irrational anger for these reasons, Alcohol and Drug abuse is quickly becoming a growing problem among returning war vets, with the number of binge drinkers and narco-users nearly doubling in the past six years. Figures suggest that 11 out of every 1,000 soldiers suffered from alcohol abuse problems in the first have of 2009.

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The Department Of Health – Shines a light on new research that links sleep problems with alcohol use. The research states that more the 50% of drinkers are unware of this link. Drinkers often feel that a drink or two will help them fall asleep – not the case.

More often than not your body is in a state of cleaning house meaning that as you slumber your body isn’t really resting at all, therefore the quality of your sleep is affected, leaving you feeling tired and sometimes even hungover the next morning.

To avaiod this feeling of sleepiness, researchers suggest that you avoid drinking too much alcohol prior to bed time, this way your body has enough time to metabolize the alcohol. When you awake you’ll feel more refreshed, and you’ll have a lot less explaining to do, particularly if you had one too many shots of the bottle.

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According to a study published monday, binge drinking is no longer just a stigma associated with teen drinking, College frat parties or a famous spring break beach party full of wasted Co-eds, binge drinking is now a growing problem for many older adults as well – “many overindulging in the drunken nectar a bit too much.”  

Wait Kids, Save a Drink For Grand Ma!

Researchers found that 23 percent of men between the ages of 50 and 64 admitted to binge drinking in the past month, as did approximately 9 percent of women. This data was compiled from a government survey of roughly 11,000 average, salt of the earth Americans ages 50 and up.

The findings published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, suggest that even though 45 percent of U.S. college students ages 18 and 24 reported a recent drinking binge, it also shines light on a growing problem – “Binge drinking is not just for youngters anymore – Adults are quickly joining the party as well!“  Further evidenced by the fact that more that 14 percent of men and 3 percent of women 65 and older also admitted to surrendering to the temptation of the bottle.

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11 States set out to pioneer a  mandatory law that would require all 1st time alcohol offenders to prove their sobriety before they can start their engines. The plan proposes the installation of a device – Alcohol Ignition interlocks., which blocks a vehicles engine if alcohol is detected on the drivers breath.

Starting this fall The Federal Transportation Funding Bill could be up for debate by congress. It is the hope of these 11 states that Mandatory Alcohol Ingition Interlocks be part that debate., requireing all 50 states toinstall these devices for ayone convicted of drunk driving, states that do not comply risk loosing federal highway money.

To date 47 states have some form of the interlock ingition law in place for at least some offenders. However, Alabama, South Dakota, and Vermont have no Such Laws.

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Initially as a meeting to address race relations, the meeting and it’s venue has quickly spurred a debate as to whether beer should be on the menue.

Since Alcohol use among youths has become a permanent fixture in the media, many argue “is it even wise to use an alcoholic component in such a meeting?” – surely it is not needed. This is the very same component that has Alocholics and many through out the recovery community up in arms.

Ironically, the alcoholic component injected into the meeting arose as a result of President Obama’s phone call to Sergeant Crowley, who unexpected took the call on his cell phone in a local police bar. It was later stated that “The idea of meeting for a beer seemed appropriate at the time.”

Now the world has inappropriately coined it the “Beer Summit”, leaving those with real alcohol and addiction problems filled with chagrin.

Many also argue that while the president is experiencing various sates of inebriation, desperately trying to stitch the wounds of his supposed “racial remarks”, many good American men and women are being killed over seas.

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