restore to sanity

at meetings i often hear that we are "insane"

that is quite the demeaning, inappropriate,
and inaccurate term

Ryan Howers Ph.D. psychologist and grad school
professor of psychology, shares;

I hear this every week, sometimes twice a day: "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." No, it isn't.

To be clear, insanity is a legal term pertaining to a defendant's ability to determine right from wrong when a crime is committed. Here's the first sentence of law.com's lengthy definition:

Insanity. n. mental illness of such a severe nature that a person cannot distinguish fantasy from reality, cannot conduct her/his affairs due to psychosis, or is subject to uncontrollable impulsive behavior.

Insanity is a concept discussed in court to help distinguish guilt from innocence. It's informed by mental health professionals, but the term today is primarily legal, not psychological. There's no "insane" diagnosis listed in the DSM. There's no "nervous breakdown" either, but that's another blog

myths about drinking & driving

from about.com/alcoholism

1. I can hold my booze: Too many guys think drinking a six-pack of beer and then driving is OK, which is why 81 per cent of all impaired drivers in alcohol-related crashes are male. So guys, if you think driving drunk will impress the ladies, think again. Remember those pick-up lines you thought sounded slick but actually acted as repellent? Alcohol not only impairs your ability to score a date, it impairs your vision, concentration and ability to react to unexpected hazards on the road.

2. I know that I'm sober enough to drive: While you may be able to see and walk without staggering after drinking a few beers the reality is you can't always tell when impairment kicks in - it actually starts with your first drink. Alcohol affects more than your vision and coordination. It affects your judgment, attention span, alertness, reaction time and ability to do more than one task at a time - vital things you need when you get behind the wheel.

3. All I need is something to eat and I'll be fine: While having a burger with your beer is a good idea, a full stomach is not an effective defence against impaired driving. And no amount of coffee, cold showers or fresh air will sober you up either. The only cure is time. In fact, it takes about six hours for your body to eliminate all the alcohol from your body when you have a blood alcohol concentration of .08, the legal limit.

4. I won't get caught: Police have stepped up roadchecks in recent years. Drivers impaired by alcohol or drugs face a range of penalties from 24-hour driving prohibitions and vehicle impoundments, 90-day administrative driving prohibitions to criminal charges, fines and jail time. On top of fines, convicted drinking drivers may also be required to attend an alcohol rehabilitation program and may have an alcohol interlock device installed in their vehicle to prevent them from starting or continuing to drive while impaired.

5. I don't drink and drive but driving after a joint is fine: Numerous studies have shown that "stoned" drivers can be every bit as dangerous as drunk drivers. Depending on what you've smoked, swallowed or injected, drug impairment ranges from slowed reflexes, flawed depth perception to hallucinations and seizures. And if you've been mixing alcohol and drugs and are tired from partying all night, this combination can be even deadlier. New legislation now allows police to test drivers for drug impairment and charge those who refuse to provide blood, saliva or urine samples.

monday quotes

You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however.
- Richard Bach

One must always maintain one's connection to the past and yet ceaselessly pull away from it.
- Gaston Bachelard

You don't get to choose how you're going to die. Or when. You can only decide how you're going to live. Now.
- Joan Baez

You grow up the day you have your first real laugh at yourself.
- Ethel Barrymore

Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.
- Eddie Cantor



If you can give your son or daughter only one gift, let it be enthusiasm.
An egotist is a person of low taste--more interested in himself than in me.
- Ambrose Bierce

Life consists not in holding good cards, but in playing well those you do hold.
- Josh Billings, pen name of Henry Wheeler Shaw

There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude... a quiet joy.
- Ralph H. Blum

the meaning of life

why are we here?
ever ponder the reason?

is it a test to determine
our place in the hereafter,

or just enjoy and endure the
time we're given.

no one knows for certain;
we rely on faith and hope,
just doing the best we can

praying for guidance and strength
and leaving the rest to the will
of a greater power

wednesday wisdom

• Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself to others.
  It is because we are different that each of us is special.
  

• Don't set your goals by what other people deem important.
  Only you know what is best for you.
  

• Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart.
  Cling to them as you would your life, for without them life is meaningless.
  

• Don't let life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live up all the days of your life.
  

• Don't give up when you still have something left to give,
  Nothing is really over . . . till the moment you stop trying.
  

• Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect.
  It is this fragile thread that binds us together.
  

• Don't be afraid to encounter risks.
  It is by taking chances, that we learn to be brave.
  

• Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find.
  The quickest way to receive love is to give love;
  the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly;
  and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.
  

• Don't dismiss your dreams.
  To be without dreams is to be without hope;
  to be without hope is to be without purpose.
  

• Don't run through life so fast
  that you forget not only where you've been,
  but where you are going.
  

• Life is not a race,
  but a journey to be savored every step of the way.

monday quotes

The winds of grace are always blowing, but you have to raise the sail.
- Ramakrishna

No one grows old by living--only by losing interest in living.
- Marie Beynon Ray

Do more than exist, live.
Do more than touch, feel.
Do more than look, observe.
Do more than read, absorb.
Do more than hear, listen.
Do more than think, ponder.
Do more than talk, say something.
- John H. Rhoades

No matter what a man's past may have been, his future is spotless.
- John R. Rice

It is very simple to be happy, but it is very difficult to be simple.
- Rabindranath Tagore

Every blade of grass has its Angel that bends over it and whispers, "Grow, grow."
- The Talmud

We worry about what a child will be tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.
- Stacia Tauscher

Positive, continuous action toward your goals is the very best antidote to worry.
- Brian Tracy

My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.
- Jim Valvano

To carry a grudge is like being stung to death by one bee.
- William Walton

None are so empty as those who are full of themselves.
- Benjamin Whichcote

friday fun

thursday thoughts

there is no such thing as gravity...
the earth just sucks.

ok, that's just my feeble attempt
at pessimistic humor.

just another reminder that
outlook is paramount.

the ability to face adversity,
accept reality and embrace
serenity
is essential to healthy recovery
and a balanced life.

that is all...

switching addictions

from About.com/alcoholism;

"It is easy for alcoholics and addicts new to recovery to substitute one addiction for another, becoming compulsively involved in other activities. Although those activities, such as work or exercise, may be otherwise healthy and productive, they can hamper recovery if they become a transfer of addictions.

One goal of recovery and learning to live a sober lifestyle is to regain control over your life and your choices. Compulsive behavior, even with productive activities, does not allow you to exercise free choice and is not within your control. Being out of control in any area of your life does not lead to true sobriety in the long run."


there are many who become workaholics, compulsive gamblers, exercise fanatics, or shopaholics,
some even develop an unhealthy dependence on 12 step or other support groups.
it's all about balance;
switching addictions is never a healthy option

monday quotes

We look into mirrors but we only see the effects of our times on us - not our affects on others.
- Pearl Bailey

The future is like heaven - everyone exalts it, but no one wants to go there now.
- James Baldwin

If you wait until you can do everything for everybody, instead of something for somebody, you'll end up not doing anything for anybody.
- Malcolm Bane

Don't tell God about your big problems, tell your problems about your big God.
- Rev. Michael Beckwith

Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop every now and then and look around, you could miss it.
- Ferris Beuler

What looks like a loss may be the very event which is subsequently responsible for helping to produce the major achievement of your life.
- Srully Blotnick

Success is getting what you want. Happiness is liking what you get.
- H. Jackson Brown Jr.