Keep up the good work. In my limited experience (11-07-09), I have put together MY program. I believe in what you’re doing here. We should always offer different viewpoints on recovery, and not let the gurus get to us, which is probably what Trev ran into. I’ve run into many gurus, that act like only they can get someone sober. They will send a brilliant mind back out quicker than a hooker swinging a hotel key. We have to truly embrace the concept behind the first three steps, being honest with ourselves. Having them, and networking through the rooms of recovery, we’ll find that “spiritual guide” to take us through the landmines of our disease.

I can understand some of the people like Trev, who had a bad experience, lashing out at the rest of us. What they fail to understand is that there is not one person who fully represents the whole. It’s not a cookie cutter program. One has to make the program theirs. As an old-timer told me early in my sobriety, “don’t worry about getting the program, the program will get you”. I was very frustrated that I was not meeting the expectations and rhetoric of the gurus. He told me to run the other way from them. They are out to feed their ego, and nothing else. Embrace your own sobriety. Believe in self. Believe that you deserve to have a happy life. That we can put to rest the guilt of our transgressions, and the resentments of those that transgressed against us. We are allowed a confidence of being, not born from arrogance like we were before, but born from knowing that we come from a clean house. We’ve checked our inventory before all decisions.

Anyway, happy life to you, and all who read this site! Nobody is completely wrong when it comes to helping another alcoholic, except for those that tell you that “one drink won’t hurt”.

http://www.drugabusesolution.com/2011/12/top-ten-recovery-blogs-of-2011

Let me know if you’d like anything changed or added to the blog description. Hopefully it’ll send more people your way to your wonderful blog.

I discovered your blog some time ago but haven’t had the nerve to post a comment til now. Something to do with not feeling my opinion counts for anything, but the subject of ‘recovered’ against ‘recovering’ strikes home with me, as has been stated already, I choose to refer to myself as a recovering drunk, this reminds me daily that a. without a recovery program I am a drunk, and b. that recovery is a continuous lifestyle choice.
If I let myself into the thinking that I am ‘recovered’, then I’m fixed, and surely being fixed means I can drink again, even though I know my life is better now that I don’t. To me the fact that I think like this, means there is still work to be done, hence for me it is definitely ‘recovering’.

Keeps up the good work and God bless.

Keith aka recoveringdrunk

Hi, my name is Sol and I’m a recovering alcoholic since September 1984.

For me personally, it helps to keep me humble. It’s essential for me not to consider myself “recovered” or “healed” because that might trigger me to think, “Ok, I’m better now, -no more problem so it’s ok for me to drink.” I think that’s why people in AA introduce themselves as alcoholics. “Hello, my name is Keith and I’m an alcoholic.”

Yeah, basically the same thing that Gavin said in his reply to Trev about recovery being “a continuous process of improvement”, but hopefully imparting the philosophy, wisdom, and motivation that helps us, or at least me, make it happen…

Keep up the great work Gavin!

-Keith
Reality

Regards-

Gavin aka TDA

Faith will allow you the freedom to say ‘it does not matter what happens to this body, cancer cannot touch the real me ..my spirit.’ Once you’ve released that stress, the rest is easy.

Humor? Well, humor heals. Learn to joke about the symptoms. You may be surprised to learn you can lose all the hair on your head and still have to shave your legs (what’s up with that?). You may even gain weight (I gained 60 pounds …possibly the only person on the planet to do so during chemo, but I’m weird like that).

If you go into treatment thinking you’re beat …you will be. By the way …cancer has taken every woman in my family for generations. I intended to be the first to survive, to show my daughter and granddaughters it can be done. Seven and a half years later, I’m still thumbing my nose at cancer.

Oh … just a recommendation: music by Liquid Mind. He is a Navy officer/musician that writes music specifically designed to heal.