Brothers - Friends for Life

My brother, Andy (right) and me running the Melbourne Music Marathon. He is one of the most decent people I have ever known.   Above all, to be decent is one of the greatest things to be ever.

The Warrior's Path

Today, I had a meeting with a client not in recovery and I love the opportunity to see the differences between others and myself.  I do not know what will become of my plans and dreams, but they are mine and I don't need to evaluate those of others.

Anything is Possible

Our bodies

God does provide...

from my friend, Rafa.

 

My sponsor says "God does provide..." all the time.  "Don't worry; God will provide.  Of course, I need to do the work and take action, but I need to first be still and pray...pray and listen for the results of my prayer.  I will not get a text message from God or an email. But I can get a knee-mail if I am humbled to ask God for direction and then listen, listen for the signs.

 

 

 

 

 

 



Broke. Busted. Disgusted and not to be trusted. That's how I felt in the end.  Today, fine?  Forgetting I'm Not Everything.  F'd-up, Insecure, Neurotic, Egotistical.   Free, Inspired, New, Energetic.  I'm not fine, I am ok.  We have the right not to be happy all the time. But I have to be hopeful and grateful most of the time...because the truth is that I have made a mess, but I get the opportunity to clean it up. For that, I am really, really grateful.

This evening, I was listening to "This American Life" on NPR; it was last week's episode and the third time I heard it. The first time was last Saturday when I was driving from Naples to Orlando; then again last Sunday working out at the Gym Downtown. However, the story of conflict between the prisoner and the guard; then the Mexican-American couple in Juarez, Mexico; then the Palestinian family living among Israelis in West Jerusalem. Out of nowhere, it just had me crying at my powerlessness over these things. I am in the middle of man stressful things - waiting.  In the last few years, working with addicts and alcoholics trying to get sober, I am usually too exhausted helping 20-30 adults trying to get clean and sober to have any energy left from the other problems of the world. Now, I am not used to not being exhausted.

August 1, 2013 - Addiction or Habit

 Bad habits are different from addictions; yet they are similar as well.  Habits are things we do without thinking out of routine.  Generally it takes 21-28 days to break a habit.  They are both ingrained patterns of behavior, but the difference between a habit and an addiction is that an addiction creates a chemical reaction in the brain that sets up a craving or a desire for some substance such as alcohol, drugs, or food, or for a behavior such as gambling, sex, or shopping. The obtaining of this creates a chemical reaction in the brain that either produces increased dopamine, cortisol or serotonin  in the brain which immediately creates a sense of well-being. 

Habits are patterns of behavior that are learned such as making one's bed, brushing one's teeth, or eating a certain food every day at the same time.  Habits can turn into addictions when one becomes preoccupied with the behavior and continues to engage in the behavior despite attempts to stop or cut down and despite negative consequences.  Once an addiction is established, neuropaths in the brain have been permanently wired to receive the stimuli from the addiction.  To recover, new neuropath ways need to be formed for the addiction to be arrested.