World’s Worst Transgressor
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I am the world’s worst transgressor I have murdered millions I have made people failures I have made millions of homes miserable I have changed promising people into hopeless social parasites I have driven untold millions to despair I have wasted the weak I have snared the innocent I have caused starving children to know me I have made the hair turn gray on many parents I have ruined millions and shall seek to yet ruin multiplied millions My Name is Addiction |
World’s Greatest Benefactor
I have given life to millions I have made failures successful I have made millions of homes happy World’s Worst Transgressor Read More » As Sick as Our Secrets
“Welcome to Fight Club. The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is: you DO NOT talk about Fight Club!” And it got me thinking about secrecy. As Sick as Our Secrets Read More » Urgent? Why??I must admit, my favorite question is “why?” I ask it a lot: of God, of others, of myself, of life. And yes, I ask the why question concerning the tricky addiction/recovery issue. Author, Jonathan Lockwood Huie really takes that matter to task, using two words. “Urgent? Why?” And this is right up addiction’s alley. The fix driving the addiction- why?
Why will this solve things? Why will nothing else do? Why must I be instantly healed? It is that last question which brought two scripture passages to my mind: Jairus’ daughter and Lazarus. Patience: Are we there yet?Visualize this scenario. There’s a car ride going on, containing one or two parents/adults and at least one child in the backseat. The child’s view consists of the following: the back of the driver’s and passenger side seat, perhaps, some toys, games or word puzzle books, strewn throughout. Maybe, depending upon the vehicle, there’s even a Disney film being played on a television screen, just above Mommy or Daddy’s head. We should be hearing the voice of an animated character or the chirp of an irritating child’s song. But, instead, what do we hear? Does this sound familiar? If you have children or remember being one yourself, you’re probably familiar with this nagging, repetitive question: Are we there yet? We want to get there already, wherever “there” is.
It’s the Promised Land, filled with conscientious manners, harmonious relationships, well-behaved children, realized dreams and no bad hair days. Patience: Are we there yet? Read More » Who or What is Your Miracle Worker?
I recently caught the 1960 Academy Award winning film, “The Miracle Worker.” It portrays the relationship of Helen Keller and that of her groundbreaking teacher, Annie Sullivan. The situation looked bleak. That was until Sullivan’s arrival… Who or What is Your Miracle Worker? Read More » The Power of “No!”A large part of my recovery process involves using the word “no.” Indeed, saying “yes” gotten me into more trouble and disease than standing in my own okay-ness with stating it simply, but firmly. Right? Wrong. The Power of “No!” Read More » Optical Illusion: Liar?Recently, on social media, I saw a brain teaser trending. It was an image that, at first glance, looked like a face. It stated, “Share when you see a word,” asking us to look beyond this face value. And, upon doing so, at a certain angle, one can see a dotted “I” where the nose/nostril is, along with an “a” for the mouth and an “r” creating the chin and neck. And starting the entire face, there is an elaborate “L,” making up the two eyes. So, when we spell the face, what word do we get? Answer: liar. The face of addiction, right there, ladies and gentlemen. The old joke asks: Optical Illusion: Liar? Read More » Overcoming Addiction: Addiction + Denial = Out of ControlMy addiction used to control me. It overwhelmed the person inside of me, and I became a stranger to my family, and to myself. All I cared about was having another drink. All I thought about was where and when I was going to get my next drink. My mind was totally and completely absorbed within my addiction, and I didn’t even know it. I was proud, haughty and selfish. I was an alcoholic. Mentally the addiction affects the way we Overcoming Addiction: Addiction + Denial = Out of Control Read More » Keep Going (While Going Through Hell)I love Winston Churchill’s sentiment:
Life is tough. Sooner or later, we’ll experience a trying situation which feels like hell. It isn’t actual hell, thank God. Nevertheless, the power of that notorious situation/trauma makes us feel tortured with pain, despair and hopeless evidence. Eating disorders, addictions, compulsions, loss and grief are just a few examples of things which can feel like hell, if, indeed, torture is its calling card. It’s painful and almost impossible to see future, life, possibility or God. We can, instead, much more easily see ourselves as failures, weak, forgotten and ruined. It’s, therefore, inevitable we come to a screeching halt; we stop in the mire and can only feel ourselves sinking…down to where? Greater depths of hell and torture? But that’s not God’s truth about us. Even in the middle of hopelessness, God is there… living… loving… working…
It can be tempting to believe that Keep Going (While Going Through Hell) Read More » Recovery, Choices and Holidays“The doctor is real in.” Those words are written on a psychiatrist stand the character Lucy has in the Christmas classic, “Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!” When I was sixteen years old, I got the chicken pox at Christmas. Ho ho ho! There was not much I could do; there was no doctor I could see, because every single one of them were off for the holiday. So, it was me, the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life” (colorized version), some calamine lotion, a couch and itching. Because I didn’t get chicken pox like most kids, at age six or seven and because I was this late bloomer, my stint with the itchy stuff lasted about three weeks. It was not a festive time. And, years’ later, I seem to have run into the same dilemma repeatedly whenever I try to schedule an appointment with the doctor or dentist. Most of the time, the doctor is real out. So, what’s my option? Where do I go from there? Well, there’s a potential and dangerous choice out there, left unchecked; I could turn to my definition of a panacea. Instead of dealing with the discomfort and pain in the moment, I could choose to numb, escape from and soothe it. Sounds like classic addiction, doesn’t it? We try to cope and turn to anything to attempt to make that happen. Those coping methods can include a wide variety of consumption choices for each one of us: food, alcohol, drugs, sex, shopping, just to name a few. And the excuse we possibly use for turning to them? The doctor was out. Recovery, Choices and Holidays Read More » |
