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Christians in Recovery® News

January 2015

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ANSWERS

When the Past Haunts Us

Is it Possible to Actually Seek Rejection?TIP FOR SUPPORTING MEMBERS

Join with your CIR friends and family in reading New Testament, Psalms & Proverbs during 2015. Click HERE for the reading plan. You can post your thoughts on the daily readings in the appropriate forums in the Message Boards: Recovery: Genesis-Revelation

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FROM ALCOHOLICS VICTORIOUS

Alcoholics Victorious is a program of Christians in Recovery. Founded in 1948, Alcoholics Victorious support groups offer a safe environment for people recovering from the effects of alcoholism or drug addiction. We recognize Jesus Christ as our "Higher Power" and gather together to share our experience, faith, strength and hope. AV meetings use the 12 Steps, the Bible and the Alcoholics Victorious Creed.

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Beyond Victimization - Adult ChildrenCHRISTIAN RECOVERY READING

Christians in Recovery Devotional Journal

365 Recovery Thoughts, Scriptures & Prayers to Change Your Life.

This devotional and journal is for those who are seeking healing and wholeness in their life as well as a closer relationship with God.

The Heart of Addiction

You will find biblical tools to help you examine your heart's motives at the root of your addiction and/or dysfunctional behavior. Learn how you can experience true freedom. This book is helpful for ANY type of addiction drugs, alcohol, food, gambling, sex, shopping, lust, porn, etc.

WISDOM FROM A CIR MEMBER

For many many years I messed up my life. I blew a promising career. I did many many things that I regret. I know that if I don't let go of my past and believe Jesus when He said I was forgiven, then I am continuing to "blow today." It is a form of idolatry. ~anonymous

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Best of Sunday from Choose Help "Am I an Alcoholic?" The most challenging aspect of answering this is that it depends entirely on what we believe an alcoholic is. Alcohol is entrenched and celebrated in our country. It is expected that adults drink in most social situations. It's normative for people to use alcohol as a way to relieve stress and have fun. Conversely and hypocritically, our society stigmatizes those who develop problems with alcohol. Prevailing social norms dictate that all we need to do when drinking causes us problems is to temporarily abstain. We're encouraged to go "on the wagon" for a brief period and then resume. Despite our knowledge that alcoholism is a disease, we respond to it as though it were some variation of the flu. All a person needs is to rest and regroup. Millions of us have cycled this way. The red flag we often ignore is that it gets worse each time we return. The Question We Don't Want to Answer The question that gradually haunts many of us is: "Am I an alcoholic?" The most challenging aspect of answering this is that it depends entirely on what we believe an alcoholic is. Clinically, we've come to define substance abuse and addictionas existing on a continuum, which is anything but definitive. It's uncomfortable to consider a question when we're afraid of the answer. We are further hindered by our inability to fully trust ourselves. The bottom line is that it's a personal choice whether or not to identify yourself as an alcoholic. As the literature of Alcoholics Anonymous invites, determine for yourself whether or not drinking has become a problem for you. When the Losses Start to Mount Up At the start of each new year, treatment centers and 12 step programs tend to see an influx of folks who seek to reduce or eliminate their use of alcohol. The catalyst is most often being uncomfortable with what drinking has cost us. We experience losses financially, in health, relationally, and in our overall quality of life. This is one of the greatest red flags for alcoholism: The cost progressively increases. Until we're confronted by major losses, this can be difficult to identify. We tend to be externally focused, which means that instead of truly taking stock of our own lives, we measure our drinking and our problems relative to others. "I'm Not Like Them (Y.E.T.)" Comparisons are always problematic. Measuring how alcohol has impacted our lives relative to others is most often a means of minimizing our problems. We generally won't contrast ourselves to those who show no evidence of a problem, only to those who do. We then consider that we're okay because we haven't fallen as far as they have. To this sentiment we must add, "Y.E.T." It's a great recovery acronym for "You're Eligible Too." The fact that we haven't experienced the losses others have in no way ensures that we won't. We must be willing to broaden our perspective. When we compare, we're not seeking to relate or identify, we're looking to be different. In recovery this is referred to as being terminally unique and should also be considered a red flag for alcoholism. 100 Forms of Alcoholism We are unique and we're the same. We drink in different ways for different reasons and we're all the worse for it. Some of us drink until we black out. Some of us only need a few drinks to make really bad choices. Some of us drink very little, everyday, and find we can't be okay without it. Closet drinkers, whiskey drunks, wine snobs, binge drinkers... If there are a hundred ways to drink, then how many forms of alcoholism are there? Our greatest commonalities are that alcohol negatively impacts the course of our lives and we won't see it until we're forced to. It's the fishbowl affect. When you're living in it, it's hard to see the big picture. If you're on the outside looking in, spotting the red flags is like watching an ice fishing derby. Drawing Lines One of the biggest red flags for developing a problem with alcohol is when we negotiate with ourselves. We establish limits as lines we won't cross. When we say,"weekends only" or "no more than two or three" we often find a progression in which the limits change. We start telling ourselves, "not before noon" or "I'm not getting drunk tonight." At the same time, we start to rationalize and justify our drinking. We say things like, "It doesn't affect my job performance" or "Everything at home is just fine." It doesn't seem to occur to us that if it wasn't a problem, we wouldn't feel any need to justify why it's okay to keep doing it. It's Not Fun Anymore We find that we don't enjoy drinking as we once did. We feel bored, empty, and angry. Depression becomes a constant companion. We drink not to feel good but to avoid feeling bad. We find ourselves frustrated with how other people drink. Progressively, we either drink alone or with those who drink like we do. As my friends in AA say, "We needed more and more of what doesn't work." We're all or nothing people. How much is enough? All of it. Yesterday. We're control freaks who progressively lose control of everything. The most tell tale aspect of having a problem with alcohol is when we cannot with any degree of certainty predict whether we will lose control when we drink. What Kind of People are Alcoholics? Despite our addictive personalities, my experience is that alcoholics are disproportionately intelligent, talented, hard working, and creative. Unfortunately, we are most often building on a foundation of fear and shame. This results in being our own worst enemies with an uncanny knack for getting in our own way. Getting Off the Road to Ruin Embracing simplicity allows us to move toward a clear course of action. Rather than endlessly considering whether we're an alcoholic, we can reason as many have that,"If drinking alcohol causes you to have a problem, then you have a problem with alcohol." Please also consider the recovery adage that, "Even if you're not an alcoholic, you still don't have to drink." Alcoholism takes countless forms. The most important distinction may be that of being a "high-bottom drunk" or a "low-bottom drunk." We say that folks have to hit bottom before they embrace change on this magnitude. Losses accumulate and they're painful. Alcoholics tend to have a high pain tolerance. The problem with this is that for most of us, as long as we can tolerate it, we probably will. Read in browser »   Recent featured articles: Dealing with Issues of Confidentiality in Residential Addiction Treatment Understanding "Powerlessness" and Why Acceptance Liberates You Learning to Forgive Yourself and Let Go of Guilt and Shame New Year's Introspection: About Taking Stock of Our Progress Hating the Holidays? Tips on How to Stay Clean and Sober And, as always, thank you for reading! All the best to you and yours, Martin Schoel, founder of Choose Help P.S. If you’d like to dive into the conversation, make sure to follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook (40K+ people do). FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO A LOVED ONE Do you or someone you know need rehab? Click or 'Tap' to speak with us now: (877) 333-5266 Facebook Twitter Google Plus Pinterest

Copyright © 2015 Choose Help, All rights reserved. You are receiving this newsletter because you are a member of Choose Help or you signed up on ChooseHelp.com. Our mailing address is: Choose Help 11301 Olympic Blvd. #351 Los Angeles, CA 90064 Add us to your address book

January 18 CHAPTER 86 v 8 TWELVE STEPPING WITH STRENGTH FROM THE PSALMS 

No pagan god is like you, O Lord .None can do what you do ! (GODS BIG BOOK )

STEP 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

Would you take your car to the local dairy Queen and ask the girl at the window to change the oil and replace the plugs.  No of course not so why would you hand your life over to a cat god. One of the biggest downfalls of being in the rooms is the misguidance and fear of a higher power. Their is also a lot of confusion. Bill W and his partner had it right but somewhere along the line someone or group started changing the formula ,granted it still works but no where as good as it did since its inception back in the day . Sure you can bow down to that cat statue you picked up at the dollar store , but you have got to be completely out of your mind if you  think that cat god of yours will actually help you. There is only one GOD HE is the GREAT I AM the ALPHA THE OMEGA ! HE IS THE BEGINNING AND THE END. He created the universe you included. He has a plan for your life it is written in His book ,(GODS BIG BOOK) ,a book that was written over two thousand years ago . If your recovery is not working out and your still hurt miserable and angry then just maybe you should take that cat statue back to the dollar tree find a book store and pick up a copy of GODS BIG BOOK .Take GOD your creator seriously and He will take you seriously lift you up , clean you up , and SET YOU FREE ! 

1 Timothy 2 : 5 For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity--the man Christ Jesus. (GODS BIG BOOK )

By Joseph Dickerson

KLEAN Radio - Rock N' Roll Gary Stromberg (01/11/2015)

Best of the Week: January 10–16

COMING UP IN THE FIX// 2014's Best Celebrity Drug Stories * Astrology for Recovery? * Interview with Doc Wilmot on "Intoxication Coaching" * Service or Self Care? * Shame * Rafael Reyes' Band, Prayer * Pro Voices * Ask an Expert * New Blog: the Aftermath of Addiction * PLUS: Other incisive articles

	RIP// Exclusive: New Details Emerge about Audrey Kishline's Death Sheryl Maloy-Davis tells The Fix about her friendship with Audrey Kishline after Kishline killed Maloy-Davis's daughter and husband; about the book they wrote together, despite Kishline being too drunk to write; and about her friend's final choice to hang herself. By Regina Walker
	SAVING VETERANS// On the Front Lines Against Hep C One in 10 US veterans is infected with HCV—three to five times higher than the general population. What is being done about it? The Fix Q&A with Hep C advocate and HCVets co-founder Tricia Lupole. By John Lavitt
	PRO VOICES// Unintended Consequences: Are We Inadvertently Increasing Heroin Overdose Deaths? Have efforts to reduce prescribed opioid overdoses caused a spike in heroin addiction and death? Part One . . . By Dr. Richard Juman
	DEATH PENALTY// Oklahoma: State Sanctioned Torture to Continue Extensive death chamber renovations do not obscure the fact that none of these lethal injection drugs are designed to kill. By Neville Elder
	YOUNG AND RESTED// 6 Challenges and 6 Rewards of Being Young in Recovery I'm 22, I've never consumed a legal drink, and I never plan to, for better and worse. By Beth Leipholtz

 

BEST OF THE QUICK FIX Heroin Overdose Deaths Jump 39% Between 2012 and 2013 Denver Post Hires First-Ever 'Weed Style Writer' Majority of Teens Experience Drunken ‘Blackout’ by Age 19

Colorado Pot Tax Appears to Have Reaped $60 Million in 2014 CDC Reports Six People Die Each Day from Alcohol Poisoning VIDEO: 2 Chainz and Nancy Grace Duke It out over Pot Legalization

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

Legalize It... All This week, Dr. Richard Juman discussed in depth howcracking down on painkillers is leading to heroin use.Readers suggested alternate solutions, some going as far as to advocate the legalization and regulation of all drugs:

Let's not forget that weed is damn near legal if not actually legal in many places in the U.S., with more on the way. They (cartels) can't compete with these ultra-strong, locally grown designer buds, so they start to shift crops; the mexi-dirtweed market is all but dried up, and cheap black tar heroin is flooding the streets again. Unintended consequences, I guess. Oxy got them hooked, but when we crack down on that, the Mexican cartels have something you might like as well - maybe even a little cheaper! -riptorn MORE »