the 16 steps to recovery

The 16-Steps

We affirm we have the power to take charge of our lives and stop being dependent on substances or other people for our self-esteem and security.
Alternative:  We admit/acknowledge we are out of control with/powerless over ________ yet have the power to take charge of our lives and stop being dependent on substances or other people for our self-esteem and security.
We come to believe that God/Goddess/Universe/Great Spirit/Higher Power awakens the healing wisdom within us when we open ourselves to the power.
We make a decision to become our authentic selves and trust in the healing power of the truth.
We examine our beliefs, addictions and dependent behavior in the context of living in a hierarchical, patriarchal culture.
We share with another person and the Universe all those things inside of us for which we feel shame and guilt.
We affirm and enjoy our intelligence, strengths and creativity, remembering not to hide these qualities from ourselves and others.
We become willing to let go of shame, guilt, and any behavior that keeps us from loving ourselves and others.
We make a list of people we have harmed and people who have harmed us, and take steps to clear out negative energy by making amends and sharing our grievances in a respectful way.
We express love and gratitude to others and increasingly appreciate the wonder of life and the blessings we do have.
We learn to trust our reality and daily affirm that we see what we see, we know what we know and we feel what we feel.
We promptly admit to mistakes and make amends when appropriate, but we do not say we are sorry for things we have not done and we do not cover up, analyze, or take responsibility for the shortcomings of others.
We seek out situations, jobs, and people who affirm our intelligence, perceptions and self-worth and avoid situations or people who are hurtful, harmful, or demeaning to us.
We take steps to heal our physical bodies, organize our lives, reduce stress, and have fun.
We seek to find our inward calling, and develop the will and wisdom to follow it.
We accept the ups and downs of life as natural events that can be used as lessons for our growth.
We grow in awareness that we are sacred beings, interrelated with all living things, and we contribute to restoring peace and balance on the plane

quotes for today

We must be grateful for our mistakes, without them we wouldn't know any better.
- Ayash Sabbagh


When you make the finding yourself - even if you're the last person on Earth to see the light - you'll never forget it.
- Carl Sagan


It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others.
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery


Failures are divided into two classes -- those who thought and never did, and those who did and never thought.
- John Charles Salak


It takes two to make a marriage a success and only one a failure.
- Herbert Samuel


I glory in this world of men and women, torn with troubles, yet living on to love and laugh through it all.
- Carl Sandburg


Every man in the world is better than someone else and not as good as someone else.
- William Saroyan


The more sand that has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it.
- Jean-Paul Sartre


Being defeated is only a temporary condition; giving up is what makes it permanent.
- Marilyn vos Savant


Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons.
- Ruth Ann Schabacker

Monday quotes

It is not what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable. — Moliere [Jean Baptiste Poquelin] (1622-1673)

A good listener helps us overhear ourselves. — Yahia Lababidi (1973- ) in Signposts to Elsewhere

Enjoy the little things in Life, for one day you'll look back and realize they were the big things. — Robert Brault Don't confuse what you have a right to do with what's right to do. — William Bennett (1943- )

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. — Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)

 Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. — Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

 He who wants to accomplish finds a way. He who doesn't finds an excuse. — Hector D. Cantu (1961- )

 Ability is what you are capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. — Lou Holtz (1937- )

Life's most urgent question is: what are you doing for others? — Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)

He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened. — Lao Tzu (6th Century BC?)

 There must be a happy medium somewhere between being totally informed and blissfully unaware. — Doug Larson (1926- )

The Drug War Is Over: Phase II of Drug Use in America

article from Psychology today;

The Justice Department--after first announcing it won't pursue minimum sentencing for drug use any longer--has added to that decision an acceptance of recreational marijuana use by adults in two states where it was legalized and medical marijuana use in 20 more.

Although (aside from the Rand Paul wing of the Republican party) our social institutions may not yet realize it, formerly illicit drug use in America has been legalized. We are now in a slowly unfolding process of figuring out how to use drugs sensibly. This is Phase II of Drug Use in America (it is actually Phase III--since we first had to make drugs illegal in the early part of the twentieth century--but let's skip that story for now).


We can now turn our attention to the next three issues in integrating drug use into society:

1. How will kids learn to use drugs? If you smoke marijuana and have kids, what then? Or, put another way, how will all of the drug ed lectures start now that they can't begin: "It doesn't matter what you think about using pot--it's illegal." We have to realize that we are preparing our children for a world in which they may--and probably will--use those drugs. Of course, we already knew that was true--certainly in terms of their drinking alcohol--and we still ignored the issue. Only now it is out in the open with respect to marijuana as well as alcohol. Is it too much to hope that we can do a better job?

2. The therapeutic-police state.  Drug courts (lobbying as the National Association of Drug Court Professionals) are all the craze, what with television star Matthew Perry appearing on liberal media and before Congress saying how they saved his life. (Here is the jaundiced British view of the Perry phenomenon--Europeans just don't get recovery!) When drug use is illegal, drug courts force you into recovery-type treatment as an alternative to prison. And if you test positive--boom, you're in jail. Harm reduction? What's that?  We'll need to know in order to proceed without the threat of incarceration for drug use.

3. The addicted versus the liberated self. Now that we can use drugs legally, what about all of the forces in society telling us we are more and more susceptible to mental disorders and drug addiction, insidious diseases that grow within us? There are two warring paradigms of the self: "I am a powerless victim of an emotional disorder/addiction." "I am a free agent who can use drugs as I choose." Of course, the resolution may be, "Hallelujah, I can take drugs and drink all night, then meds all day." (i.e., "Drugs 'R' Us").  But we need to strive for better personal and social positions on drugs than that.

In any case, let's be clear: we are in the next phase of society's relationship with drugs.

celebrity update

Latest celebrity substance abuse news
from about.com/alcoholism;

David Cassidy Faces Another DUI
Former "The Partridge Family" star David Cassidy is facing drunken driving charges in Schodack, New York. The former teen idol, now age 63, was given a sobriety test after failing to dim his lights at a police checkpoint. His blood-alcohol level was 0.10.

Lindsay Lohan Admits She's a Addict
In a televised interview, actress Lindsay Lohan admitted lying in the past about her cocaine use. Lohan said she snorted, but never injected cocaine. She also admitted that she was an addict, but alcohol was her drug of choice.

DMX Arrested for Marijuana Possession
Earl Simmons, who is more widely known as the rapper DMX, is in trouble with the law again. Police found several bags of marijuana in a vehicle in which he was a passenger after it made a U-turn. As he was being taken to a South Carolina jail, DMX claimed he was being set up.

Omar Gooding Arrested for DUI
Former "Wild & Crazy Kids" star Omar Gooding has been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. The younger brother of Cuba Gooding and former Nickelodeon child star, Omar was arrested in Los Angeles and released hours later on his own recognizance.

Von Miller Suspended 6 Games
The NFL has suspended Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller for the first six games of the 2013 season for violation of the league's substance-abuse policy. The league originally wanted an eight-game suspension for the 2012 Defensive Player of the Year runner-up.

Jay Ratliff DWI Case Postponed
The judge must be a Cowboys fan. Jay Ratliff was due to face charges this week for his January 22 drunk driving arrest after he collided with an 18-wheeler and crashed into a guardrail with a blood-alcohol level of 0.16. But the judge postponed the hearing until February 2014, after the football season.

Monday quotes

 Marriage is a relationship in which one person is always right and the other is the husband. — Unknown

 Since we are destined to live out our lives in the prison of our minds, our one duty is to furnish it well. — Peter Ustinov (1921-2004)

 All religions are the same: religion is basically guilt, with different holidays. — Cathy Ladman

 A consensus means that everyone agrees to say collectively what no one believes individually. — Abba Eban (1915-2002)

  No drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we're looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn't test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power. — P.J. O'Rourke (1947- )
 
  Unless a good deed is voluntary, it has no moral significance. — Everett Dean Martin (1880-1941)
 
  The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives. — Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965)
 
   The worst disability is a bad attitude. — Michael Muir (1953- )
 
   Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. — William James (1842-1910)
 
   A reputation once broken may possibly be repaired, but the world will always keep their eyes on the spot where the crack was. — Joseph Hall (1574-1656)
 
    The greatest joys are those that are shared. — Leon Fleisher (1928- )

I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence I can reach for. Perfection is God's business. — Michael J. Fox (1961- )

Monday quotes

Don't let anyone steal your Dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what.
- Jack Cainfield

We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.
- Joseph Campbell

Star Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend.
- Albert Camus

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

Star Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living, the other helps you make a life.
- Sandra Carey

You are successful the moment you start moving toward a worthwhile goal.
- Charles Carlson

The capacity to care is the thing which gives life its deepest meaning and significance.
- Pablo Casals

There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.
- Willa Cather

Star The most wasted of all days is that on which one has not laughed.
- Nicolas Chamfort

Be ready when opportunity comes. Luck is the time when preparation and opportunity meet.
- Roy D. Chapin Jr.

Monday quotes

Reality is the leading cause of stress -- for those in touch with it.
- Jane Wagner

A true leader is not the one with the most followers, but one who creates the most leaders.
- Neale Donald Walsch

Flatter me, and I may not believe you.
Criticize me, and I may not like you.
Ignore me, and I may not forgive you.
Encourage me, and I may not forget you.
- William Arthur Ward

Success is not measured by th position one has reached in life, rather by the obstacles overcome while trying to succeed.
- Booker T. Washington

Luck is when opportunity meets preparation.
- Denzel Washington

To live with fear and not be afraid is the final test of maturity.
- Edward Weeks

The crisis of today is the joke of tomorrow.
- H. G. Wells

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.
- Edith Wharton

latest celebrity updates

Lindsay Lohan Leaves Rehab
"The Canyons" actress Lindsay Lohan has completed her court-ordered 90-day alcohol and drug rehab program and by all accounts is doing much better all around. She has already appeared on a television talk show cracking jokes about her court-ordered "vacation."

Justin Bieber's Tour Bus Busted for Pot
The singer was not on board when U.S. Border Agents searched Justin Bieber's tour bus at the Detroit-Windsor, Canada border crossing. The agents' dog sniffed out a small amount of marijuana and some drug paraphernalia and wrote the driver a citation.

Amanda Bynes Has Spent $1.2 Million
In seeking temporary conservatorship over their daughter, the parents of Amanda Bynes claimed in court papers that she has been using drugs, is paranoid and has spent $1.2 million in a few short months. Bynes has been forcibly hospitalized and reportedly responding well to her new medications.

DMX Arrested for DUI Again
The legal troubles continue for rapper DMX, also known as Earl Simmons, who doesn't let not having a driver's license keep him from getting DUIs. The rap star was arrested in South Carolina and charged with driving under the influence and driving without a license. DMX reportedly passed out in the back of the police car he was so intoxicated.

Avatar's Wes Studi Charged With DWI
Police had an idea something was wrong when they encountered actor West Studi on a highway in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The "Avatar" and "Street Fighter" actor was trying to fix two front flat tires on his Volvo in the middle of the road with his lights off.

Rapper Kat Dahlia Arrested for DUI
Katriana Huguet, who is better known as rap artist Kat Dahlia, was arrested from drunk driving in Miami Beach the day after

quotes for today

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

It's never too late, in fiction or in life, to revise.
- Nancy Thayer

Success has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It's what you do for others.
- Danny Thomas

It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.
- James Thurber

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

It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.
- Harry S. Truman

Always tell the truth; then you don't have to remember anything.
- Mark Twain