Off Topic: Addiction.

Tell me..WHO are they talking about for your higher power..what ever you want it to be..thats NOT how it works with the Lord Buddie..i mean look at the american natives there higher power is a bird or bear or some sort of creation,or look at the buddist theres is a fat little china man,...and so on,I did hear step 2 but they didnt even know what the greater power was..what ourselfs..haha,myself was the one who got me in the predictament,there was ppl there sober for 20yrs..but it was a struggle for them everyday..i mean they couldnt even go in a bar after 20yrs of no drinking,with the Lord He took that urge completely away from me and other ppl. i know and have read about,like i have said before try it before ya knock it,i mean if it aint true whats it gonna hurt,..but if it is true... :dry:>>>

kage Said: Addictions eh? I was a drunk/druggie for 30yrs,at first it was fun then it became a need,i tried treatment places,AA,NA,and plain ole cold turkey...none worked,they were all bandaid effects,it was alrite when things were going good but as soon as it got rough it was Wheres the Bottle?!my family,friends figured that was how i was gonna bite the dust was in the bottle,i lost my license to a DUI so this one day i was hitchhiking to work,i use to have to drink 6-8 beers before i even went to work just so i could function,anyways this cute women(my wife now)picks me up i must have smelt like a brewery but she doesnt say nothing this continued on every morning for awhile and one thing led to another,so were together now and shes always telling me about the Lord and stuff,at that time i didnt give a chit about all that,one day i said look i believe in God you know theres something out there and she says well satan believes in God and he trembles at just His name (the Lords name)well for some reason that really freaked me,so i asked her what i could do about it and she says just ask Him into your life,well the way i did it was Lord if Your true prove itwell we left it at that,i continued drinking for a few more weeks till one day i ask me women I thought when you become a believer all this kinda stuff goes away and she sayswell did ya ask Him to take the urges away and i says What you can ask stuff like that she says of course ya can,so that nite,oh and by the way i was at rock bottom at this point,given up all hope,so that nite i asked The Big Guy to take away my urges for the drink,well that was 10yrs ago and i have had NOT 1 urge or drink since that nite i didnt even get DTs or sick or nothin it was just GONE Im still a lean mean roofing machine but i got The Big Guy on my side now...and guess what so can you!!its free!!no matter what you all have done!!

step 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. You may not have heard it when you went to AA

:laugh:>>>

Addictions eh? I was a drunk/druggie for 30yrs,at first it was fun then it became a need,i tried treatment places,AA,NA,and plain ole cold turkey...none worked,they were all bandaid effects,it was alrite when things were going good but as soon as it got rough it was "Wheres the Bottle?!"my family,friends figured that was how i was gonna bite the dust was in the bottle,i lost my license to a DUI so this one day i was hitchhiking to work,i use to have to drink 6-8 beers before i even went to work just so i could function,anyways this cute women(my wife now)picks me up i must have smelt like a brewery but she doesnt say nothing this continued on every morning for awhile and one thing led to another,so were together now and shes always telling me about the Lord and stuff,at that time i didnt give a chit about all that,one day i said look i believe in God you know theres something out there and she says well satan believes in God and he trembles at just His name (the Lords name)well for some reason that really freaked me,so i asked her what i could do about it and she says just ask Him into your life,well the way i did it was "Lord if Your true prove it"well we left it at that,i continued drinking for a few more weeks till one day i ask me women "I thought when you become a believer all this kinda stuff goes away" and she says"well did ya ask Him to take the urges away" and i says "What you can ask stuff like that" she says of course ya can,so that nite,oh and by the way i was at rock bottom at this point,given up all hope,so that nite i asked The Big Guy to take away my urges for the drink,well that was 10yrs ago and i have had NOT 1 urge or drink since that nite i didnt even get DT's or sick or nothin it was just GONE I'm still a lean mean roofing machine but i got The Big Guy on my side now...and guess what so can you!!its free!!no matter what you all have done!!>>>

Interestin study http://esciencenews.com/articles/2009/09/10/common.mental.disorders.may.be.more.common.we.think>>>

Living it today and everyday. Drank since I was 15/16 very casually, no binging, drinking age was 18 in NY at the time, so I was just every other kid. Remained the same through adulthood. Until my husband got sick, for 2 years it gradually increased and I included liquor into the mix. NOT SMART. When he died, I fell off the cliff and it has taken 3 years to gather myself. Much, much, much better but not over it yet. This is where the recovering addicts will jump in. I am still of the belief that I can return to the casual frame of mind I was once at. My grief is over, my attitude is once again healthy, I keep myself occupied and busy. I can go a distance without but heck I enjoy having a drink. I enjoy the relaxation, I enjoy the socializing. I learned very much about alcoholism over the past 1 1/2 years. It did indeed become a habit, I use to be a nail bitter, no longer, 14 years now. I use to be overweight, I lost 40 lbs. and have maintained due to diet control, now 8 years, not through diets, never have, just stopped eating a whole can of peanuts and eating cakes, cookies etc. Fix what's broke. I was fortunate with my DUI, I hit a pole. I was given a wake up call and it took me time to change my habits. Still recovering.

Prigz, good topic. The saying goes "you never know until you walk in another mans shoes". PC>>>

Happy birthday tico! Sep 21 is 18 years for me. We alcoholics are a selfish lot constantly consuming to fill a God sized hole with anything but. After putting God in there the obsession lifted for me. To say my circumstances were and have been unfortunate would be an understatement but I am not nor have I ever been a victim of them no matter how much I thought I was. The only thing in my genes that caused me to drink was money. I am still a bit selfish. I love to talk about myself and gratify my every desire. I must be constantly vigilant for this kind of behavior in myself it is almost as dangerous as drinking for me and certainly a prelude to it.>>>

thanks guys. the thing that I have an issue with now is eating.slowly replacing the addictive nature.or what we call tranferring addictions. some turn to shopping,food,sex,etc. things that rather than satisfy,they satiate.which is A more of A mood satisfaction vs. the complicit act on it's own. when things unravel for folks we/they tend to overcompensate somewhere.workaholics sometimes do this.seeking security,at any cost is an addictive trait.saying that,is addiction A cause or A culprit?only the individual can answer that. addicts are the same,yet having an undying devotion to obsession and compulsion they really overdo it. there's A running joke I share from time to time. I came to recovery only needing A half of A chair.21 years later I need 2 chairs.>>>

Prigz I believe you took out of context what I said concerning addiction . If the diet is correct addictions are rare . It is blatantly obvious that addictions are everywhere. The foods we are eating are mostly the wrong ones if we are eating the FDA 'a recommend or worse just stuffing sugars , corn syrups and fructose down the pie hole . IMO if you eat the right foods you will recover and will become healthy your life changes , your thinking becomes clear your moods are level and calm and joyous for the good . That was what I was referring too. tico I love your honesty .>>>

Tico, you've lived a really tough life. If you've been able to walk away from all that, you've a bigger and better man than most of us. I've had a father who didn't know how to be a father, and sometimes talked with his fists, but he mellowed a great deal once he got older (and I was out of the house). I have tried to be a good father to my daughters, and although I've made mistakes along the way, I think I've improved on my father's record. However, you've lived a much harder life than I even want to think about. My hat off to you for the travelling the new road you're travelling.

Copperman, the good doctor claims in his book that in every case he's been involved in, the homeless/derelict/addict had a really bad childhood. Some survive those situations, but many do not. Your wife's drinking, your mother's experience, and your father's really colors their view of the world, and the drugs are usually the only reliable solance. The fact that your wife has been able to pass through and come out the other side is a testament to her strength and character.

Ciak, I would have to disagree with you that addictions are rare. There aren't enough skid-row inhabitants to consume all the drugs coming into the good USA. So there are a lot of "normal" people who are self-medicating. As well, when you take into account alcohol, prescription drugs, tobacco products, food and drink, there's a lot of addictive behaviour going on. Add to the mix non-drug addictions (internet, porn, promiscuous sex, risky behaviours), and we see a large portion of the population indulging in behavior that controls them. We've also heard of "shop-a-holics" and "endorphin-junkies". In fact, I'm beginning to suspect that the truly balanced individuals who can control their "wants", are the true minority.>>>

I'm an addict in recovery.Sept.16 will be 21 years. I was raised in A violent household.suffered sexual abuse,severe beatings constantly,not the favorite child by any stretch. I struggled with school. short attention span.yet,today,give me the plans to A shopping center,custom home,swimming pool,tough roof job,anything that thinking out of the box entails and I'll give you back your project. I started drinking at 9.the bar my mom worked at had weekend parties on rickenbacker causeway or matheson hammock.we drank leftover beers,drinks,picked up pot roaches or whatever was around and consumed it. by the time,compounding the lousy homelife,the element we were raised in etc.(my mom worked for 25 years at Mothers lounge for Jerry and Stu then Stu was killed by A armed robber.they changed the name to the Aquarius lounge after thatwas on 8th st. and Le June rd.S.W. miami fl)it was easy to become an addict.I was 12 yrs. old in 1971.pot was everywhere.knowing the element as I did,making friends outside of the neighborhood I was able to,by 14-15 get pot in bulk and sell it.I sold qualudes and my first kilo at 16. I was everything you could imagine. I tried to use the army at 17 to change my course.as they say your disease follows you wherever you go.so I did A year and A half.went back to miami with an addiction that was insane. I tried to sell again,it was to frantic for me.to many people,the hustles,the rip-offs and so on. one day I got into A rout with A guy over A large sum of money. he tried the what are you gonna do thing.the next day when his daughter got off the bus I handed her A note.it said on it that "I'm this close".I sat in front of the house.when he came to my car I put my pistol in his eyesocket and told him that in this trade your family is your accountability. you see,I had an old colombian tell me that when he fronted me 2 packages.it's an all inclusive operation.whoever prospers is who is liable.therefore if you've got A family they vicariously become players. this took me down A dark road.when that man paid me my mom used me to collect on her notes. the next thing you know I'm working for other folks. quietly plying my trade.no-one,to this day has any clue about what happened. my mom had friends that were notorious in s. fl. for their adventures. addiction affects folks in A wide array of ways. you've got the sneak theif,20 bucks at A time.the B&E crew,the armed robber,the peddler,the dealer,and then that force of darkness. I can tell you that from hanging out with some of these cats,they for the most part had that extremely dysfunctional childhood.the little kid,the one who was bullied or abused. not thinking,knowing that if they don't learn how to fight,really learn,or carry or both they'd not survive. the disease is so indiscriminate,yet very particular about how it affects someone. thus our inability to be discriminate about who or what we do. addicts are driven by A compulsion and obsession that is unfathomable by normal society. one thing though.when you've got one thats been clean for awhile, you've got that friend or employee many times that will be there when the lights go on and when they go off. they live through the dark. for years with A devil that wants them barely alive and serving nothing other than the disease. they figure out somewhere along the line that they've had enough. right now I'm so caught in my moment.yet what I've got going on pales in comparrison to what my life would be like were I to choose to use again. in NA theirs A line in the literature that says that an old timers may find themselves homeless,jobless and penniless. and guess what?THIS is when the rubber hits the road.at 21 years clean I'm 2 1/2 of the 3. at the library,looking for anything,A furniture delivery,A small screen repair,anything on Craigslist,just to get to tomorrow. addicts aren't bad people they are people with A bad problem.>

What drives a person to addiction can often be traced back to childhood and family history. I for one do not have any addictions but my mother,father, brother all were alcoholics. Being raised in an home like that I ended up marring a alcoholic. Because it was familiar subconsciously. In my wife case her drinking started at 13 as a result of sexual and physical abuse from her father. Until she dealt with that the drinking was impossible to stop. Happy to say that she is 13 years sober after 11 rehabs and extensive therapy. Today her quality of life is very good. I have met so many people struggling with addiction and all seam to have had traumatic experiences as children. This was also the case with my mother(raped as a child) My father(mother died when he was 3 and father was extremely abusive). My brother was abused by my father. Some how I escaped this fate. Traumatic events change the chemicals in the brain and how they respond to stimulants. Takes a lot of time to work through all the baggage to get to the real person inside.>>>

Prigz THE LOVELY MRS CIAK and I have been working on becoming more balanced in our nutrition . It is enlightening. With the current Health Care debate being one of( IMO ) smoke and mirrors . If you are healthy and do the right things through diet. Addictions are very rare . I'll include a couple of articles that may help. With a perfect machine, it is silly to haphazardly throw things at it and in it. http://www.economist.com/sciencetechnology/displayStory.cfm?story_id=12415194http://www.philly.com/inquirer/health_science/weekly/20090831_Studying_ancient_man_to_learn_to_prevent_disease.html Which may present another set of questions . What is the diffence between Brocolli and snot. It is easier to get kids to eat snot.>>>

My first experience with Vancouver's Downtown East-side was in 1967 at an age of 13 when I was with my Mother and my oldest sister and her husband and we were looking for my older sister who was at that time on drugs and living the hippie life in Vancouver. It was overwhelming to come from a small town of 400 people to a place of swarming people who in a lot of cases were drunk, on drugs or mentaly ill.

Nothing has really changed in 40 years in this area. You can pass by a crowd of 200 street people and within 1 block be shopping in the richest area of downtown Vancouver. Something akin to having a bad rash in an area that most people can't see.

Compulsive behaviours is probably one of the main causes of most addictions. FAS (fetal alcohol syndrome) and FAE (fetal alcohol effects) also have been a big contributor to this problem, both now and more so in the past. We are now starting to have to deal with "drug babies" who are now reaching the age where they again are going to repeat the cycle.

I've had personal experience in trying to help street people in the past 3 years and for most it is a lifestyle they crave. No responsibility and un-ending excitement counter balance the heartache most endure daily.>>>