when did you first realize you had a
problem with drugs or alcohol?
what is your opinion of 12 step recovery?
how do you avoid that first drink or drug?
is the inclination to expand consciousness
an innate part of human behavior?
where do you see the recovery field in 20 years?
why do people continue to abuse alcohol
and drugs despite the legal, moral and
health consequences?
4 comments:
You have asked a lot of questions but there is one in particular I would love to answer. Recovery in twenty years should be more effective than it is today. They are discovering so much about the brain and how the addicted mind works that I'm sure they will have many breakthrough treatments between now and 2030.
1. 3rd time in jail.
2. it works when i work it. my life evolves around it today.
3. i don't pick it up and i don't go looking for it.
4. no clue.
5. they are afraid, of life, of surrender and acceptance, of admitting there is a problem. they may not know it is a problem. the one thing i think of is they have not been given the gift of desperation. i only quit when i was desperate. it was my gift that brought me to recovery.
great questions.
1. I don't know when I first realized it, but last summer I first made the decision to admit it and try to fix it.
2. 12 step recovery saved my life and helped me to develop a spirituality and be present in my life.
3. I avoid it by working the steps, praying, calling my sponsor, and HELPING OTHERS
4. I don't think so.
5. I only have today, but I HOPE that in 20 years I'm still happy, joyous and free.
6. because they are not ready to admit they are powerless.
"why do people continue to abuse alcohol and drugs despite the legal, moral and health consequences?"
Many brain scans are now available to analyze the role of blood flow in the brain in relation to addiction.
The brain is always trying to normalize itself and if low in serotonin or dopamine, it will receive substitutes such as alcohol as a "fix." Unfortunately, the "fix" becomes the problem because the alcohol causes the brain to grow more dopamine receptors. These hungry little nerve trees only make the low levels of dopamine worse and so the person craves even more alcohol to normalize.
I have one word: endorphins. Healthy exercise seems to help me create the sense of euphoria that was being falsely simulated by the use of alcohol. A daily exercise regime has not only helped my control over addiction, but has given me a more youthful back. Before, I would jump for the numbing of alcohol because of a herniated disk. Now that I have strengthened my back through exercise, I now longer have the back trouble that I used to.
Once people realize the benefits of endorphins, I think they would feel short changed by the effects of alcohol. This is what has worked for me in the last two years. I have yet to make use of the 12-step program. While I have been to several meetings.
Finally, the need to expand consciousness was the exact draw to alcohol for me. I always felt that I was having an epiphany while drinking. In fact, I was actually killing my consciousness. While, it takes a grander effort to continue to feel the heights of mind expansion, the pay off is far greater. Tapping into the talents that have been given to each of us is the way to feel the expansion of consciousness. This is crucial for my continued sobriety.
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