Surrender

Surrender may be the most important aspect and our basic foundation of recovery . We all come to realise that it was no use fighting and that it was only surrender that has saved our lives . It is only when we surrender that pain ends and our lives become much better and easier . And that it is much easier to surrender that fight . Only when we surrender can we get some sort of help .

Only once we do this can we start to accept the programme and follow it .

Sharing helps

Going to Al-anon is really great. When i talk all the time nothing new happens , but when i hear others share their problems and experiences i get a better and different perspective at life and our addiction , so solutions come easily . I keep my lips shut and my ears open .

Addicts

How to Become an Addict
If you are an addict, you probably never intended to be one. Rarely does a person wake up in the morning and say to themselves, “Hey, it’s a great day to get addicted to drugs. I think I’ll start now.” You probably started drinking or using mood altering substances during adolescence, maybe early teens. And you probably remember your first drink or first contact with drugs as a really great experience. Future addicts and alcoholics seem to have this reaction in common. We now know that there are genetic differences in alcoholics and addicts that cause them to have this reaction. Many addicts recall that their first use of drugs made them feel “normal” for the very first time.
And teens and adolescents, especially those with problems, are extremely vulnerable. When they find that the use of alcohol or drugs seems to solve their problems, even temporarily, they will repeat that behavior again and again. Mood altering substances can help shy people become outgoing, make a person suffering from mania seem calm, even “appear” to eliminate depression or may make anxiety go away.
Young people who have not developed other coping methods are prone to abuse substances which seem to help. The reason many professionals think we should concentrate our efforts on preventing first use among young people is because it is much easier to teach coping skills and problem solving than it is to battle addiction and alcoholism. Helping teens learn to solve problems without drugs needs to be started early, and reinforced throughout their teenage years.
So how and why does an addict become an addict?
The why is the hardest to answer, because we all react to problems and emotions in different ways; they affect us uniquely. The exact same amount of pain may make one person grit his or her teeth, while the next person will scream in agony. The second person is not weak; they just react to feelings differently. In a society where there are not strong taboos against drugs and alcohol it is easier to get started. The substances are also more available in some places, and a really strong reason is peer pressure. Helping with peer pressure and problems that teenagers have may be the best thing we can do.
As for the “how”, it is usually a progression from one drug to the next. It may begin with coffee and cigarettes, then progress to marijuana or amphetamines. Each one has a stronger effect, at some point it comes down to an imaginary fork in the road.
Science has yet to discover what makes some of us turn left, while around us everyone else is turning right.
J.Heller
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Jon Heller is the former Publisher and Developer of SoberRecovery.com, and has been involved with Addictions and the Internet for almost 7 years. Through his company, HellerNetWorks, Jon acts as an Online Consultant for Treatment Centers, returning to his passion for writing and reporting only after a good nights sleep.

Thought for the Day

In the past, we kept right on drinking in spite of all the trouble we got into. We were foolish enough to believe that drinking could still be fun in spite of everything that happened to us. When we came into A.A., we found a lot of people who, like ourselves, had fun with drinking, but who now admitted that liquor had become nothing but trouble for them. And when we found that this thing had happened to a lot of other people besides ourselves, we realized that perhaps we weren't such odd ducks after all. Have I learned to admit that for me drinking has ceased to be fun and has become nothing but trouble?

Meditation for the Day
The life-line, the line of rescue, is the line from the soul to God. On one end of the life-line is our faith and on the other end is God's power. It can be a strong line and no soul can be overwhelmed who is linked to God by it. I will trust in this life-line and never be afraid. God will save me from doing wrong adn freom the care and troubles of life. I will look to God for help and trust Him for aid when I am emotionally upset.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that no lack of trust or fearfulness will make me disloyal to God. I pray that I may keep a strong hold on the life-line of faith. Twenty-Four Hours a Day. Feb9

This is a great saying for today helps us reflect on us not being that much of an odd duck, we can fit into society with our disease.

Just For Today

"When we accept ourselves, we can accept others into our lives, unconditionaly, probably for the first time." IP no 19, "Self-Acceptance"

From our earliest memories, many of us felt like we never belonged. No matter how big the gathering, we always felt apart from the crowd. We had a hard time "fitting in." Deep down, we believed that if we really let others get to know us, they would reject us. Perhaps our addiction began to germinate in this climate of self-centerdness.
Many of us hid the pain of our alienation with an attitude of defiance. In effect, we told the world, "You don't need me? Well, I don't need any of you, either. I've got my drugs and I can take care of myself!" The further our addiction progressed, the higher the walls we built around ourselves.
Those walls begin to fall when we start finding acceptance from other recovering addicts. With this acceptance from others, we begin to learn the important principle of self-acceptance. And when we start to accept ourselves, we can allow others to take part in our lives without fear of rejection.

Just for today : I am accepted in NA; I fit in. Today, it's safe to start letting others into my life. Just for Today pg.41

Todays quote helps us think about where we fit in. We are new bloggers and wish to fit into the internet. We would like feedback from other bloggers and sites as to the type of material you would like to see, please comment.

Daily Reflection

Today I'm feeling more positive and stonger. I'm experincing a new life, a life in which i'm no longer dependent on my drugs. I feel physically strong, and mentally I feel more calm. I'm going thru a process of self realization and have become more open to learning new things everyday. I relalize the importance of my family, and the support that they have given me to get me out of the mess which I got myself into. Today my trust has grown more stronger in my family. My faith in god has become very strong and I have always belived that whatever happens, happens for the best.

Steps

• HonestyStep 1. We admitted that we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.
• HopeStep 2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
• FaithStep 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.
• CourageStep 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
• IntegrityStep 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
• WillingnessStep 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
• HumilityStep 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
• Brotherly LoveStep 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
• JusticeStep 9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
• PerserveranceStep 10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
• SpiritualityStep 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry that out.
• ServiceStep 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, especially alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
  

Blog feedback

Would like some feedback on the blog we have started, could someone please comment and put some info as if we are on the right path, what type of content would you like to see... We would like some feedback please and would like to see more activity on the site other bloggers to comment.

Just For Today

What is a sponsor? You know: That nice person with whom you had coffee after your first meeting. That generous soul who keeps sharing recovery experience free of charge. The one who keeps reminding you to finish your Fourth Step, who listens to your Fifth Step, and who doesn't tell anyone how weird you are.
It's pretty easy to start taking all this stuff for granted once we're used to someone being there for us. We may run wild for a while and tell ourselves, "I'll call my sponsor later, but right now I have to clean the house, go shopping, chase that attaractive..." And so we end up in trouble, wondering where we went wrong.
Our sponsor can't read minds. It's up to us to reach out and ask for help. Whether we need help with our steps, a reality check to help us straighten out our screwy thinking, or just a friend, it's our job to make the request. Sponsors are warm, wise, wonderful people, and their experience with recovery is ours- all we have to do is ask. Just for Today pg. 40

Roses of Bangalore

For valentines day upcomming Bangalore the largest exporter of roses in India.

Thought of the day

I'm walking in darkness surrounded by limitations of space and time, but even in this darkness I can have faith. I believe that gods power will break thru the darkness. A trusting cry will reach to the divine ears of god.

Just For Today

Recovery is not a test.
Some people say "my higher power is testing me." We may even think this is a test of my faith when we are great pain in our lives. But our higher power doesn't test our recovery, character or faith. If we walk by ourselves our higher power is constantly by our sides.

I will have faith that my higher powers will for me is good. I'll seek my higher powers help in times of need.