A Better Approach to Drugs and Alcohol

James Joyce:

Faith Healers:

The Meeting

Bill Wilson Meets Dr. Bob Smith and Alcoholics Anonymous is born. Narrated by Bill Wilson

YouTube - "Humor In Recovery" by Father Joseph C. Martin

YouTube - "Humor In Recovery" by Father Joseph C. Martin

: ""

Craig Ferguson Speaks From The Heart

Craig Ferguson speaks on his past problems as an alcoholic and why he will not ridicule Britney Spears and her shaved head crisis. Must watch!

YouTube - "Chalk Talk on Alcohol" by Father Joseph C. Martin of Father Martin's Ashley

YouTube - "Chalk Talk on Alcohol" by Father Joseph C. Martin of Father Martin's Ashley:

"Chalk Talk on Alcohol is a three part discussion of the nations' number one public health problem, alcoholism.
Father Martin discusses the things we drink, why we drink them and what happens when someone has the disease of alcoholism. Alcohol is a sedative drug and is addictive. Alcoholism is an addiction to that drug for which there is effective treatment."

Father Martin explains the answer to recovering from drug addiction regardless of the drug of choice, while Dr. Nuckols explains the classification of drugs, what they do and how they effect the user. Personal experiences from people in recovery are interjected throughout.

This film deals with the signs of recovery from alcoholism. Alcoholics can get well, but there are degrees of good health, as well as degrees of sickness. In this film, Father Martin spells out what he feels are the symptoms of ideal sobriety.

"Gratitude" by Father Joseph C. Martin

"The 12 Steps of AA" by Father Joseph C. Martin

In this series of clips taken from the film "Relapse" by Father Martin, he examines some roadblocks to recovery and challenges faced by individuals returning from a relapse. Relapse is considered a return to active addiction after a period of sobriety. Father Martin remains one of the leading educators on alcoholism and drug addiction and topics such as relapse.

Alcoholics Anonymous: typical meeting

Stevie Ray Vaughan A.A. meeting speech PART 1

---------------------------------------

"'I don't know where it came from. It just happened. My brother Jimmie showed me some stuff and then it was like the dam broke."

-SRV (as quoted by Eddie Munoz)

Jung, Alcoholics Anonymous, And Drug Seeking Behaviour

Alcohol Abuse is a Mug's Game

Notes from a letter to a Sober Friend:

From A.A.  "No first drink" and "know your triggers" were things I took to use with some techniques from R.E.T.( which is now called C.B.T.).  "I don't drink anymore now" is the mantra.  

Keep the hope alive that life will get better, if you can get sober and stay sober.  The 'stay sober' is the hardest part.  

My father was constantly 'sobering up' but never stayed sober for long.  

And that is why you are owed congratulations for your 13 years of sobriety which is 4745 days lived one day at a time.  Some days are harder than others but your commitment never waned and that is why you are to be CONGRATULATED.  You put one foot in front of the other and just kept walking and walking.  Meantime, you earned a college degree and found a very rewarding job.  Things that weren't even conceivable 13 years ago when rolling off the couch was probably a struggle in itself.  

Knowing tomorrow is a new day and you need to keep up with your strength and commitment even after 13 years of success makes the accomplishment that much more meaningful.  'Never give up' and 'keep a strong mental attitude' is harder to do than people might think.  Quitting drinking is fighting for your life and requires in utmost perseverance and commitment to a goal that is very hazy at first.  Living sober appears uncertain and even frightening as a way of life after years of hard drinking.

You worked for every day that you stayed sober.  Sobriety is its own reward but that does not make it easy, if at one time you were unfortunate to have relied on alcohol for instant "Mood Elevation".   

"One-day-at-a-time" never goes out of fashion, if you ever took alcohol consumption to the point of addiction.  Your brain has been changed - and that ain't good.

Alcohol is a classic 2-edged sword in that way.,  You get to feel numb and maybe a little better for a few hours and feel terrible the next day and maybe face consequences of alcohol intoxication for years, as in drunk driving.  

The laws around drunk driving just got even more onerous here in the civilized part of Canada with stiffer rules introduced last week.  Do you people in the Far North even have Laws yet?

You wrote such a nice and heartfelt letter but I kept thinking,  if you were a Catholic, you could have met with the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost for an even bigger party!

Grateful is a good word to describe how it feels to have the monkey off your back and you surely expressed that feeling in your letter.  However tenuous we know sobriety to be, it is worth the effort and when the clock strikes 12, it is another day in the bank..  

Another sober friend is constantly reminding me to never relax about having just one drink by relating stories of people in his  A.A. groups who fall off the wagon after many  years of sobriety.  They fall right back to the worst behaviors of their past : black outs and drunk driving.  It is hard to accept that there is this ticking time bomb waiting for us to slip-up and start drinking again.

No First Drink! is all I can think to tell myself.  I still have moments in dreams  where I become terrified that I take a drink and get hooked all over again.  Nothing feels better than waking up and realizing it was just a dream.  But for the first few moments after waking there is a terrible feeling of dread about alcohol dependence.

Congratulations again.  Please keep being an inspiration, albeit at a great distance from civilization, to people like me who are following the same road to a better life and to others who need a reason to change their self-destructive behaviors..  

Did you try any of the on-line A.A. Groups?  Don't hide your little light under a bush.  Do you remember singing that song in Sunday school?  I did not understand the meaning of the song when I was 5 years old but I understand that sober people continue with AA meeting to be there for the new people and for the people who just don't seem to get the message yet.

To Cultivate Patience is my main endeavor as I look down the road at "only"  2 more weeks until  another 3.5 hour surgery to replace my broken artificial hip.  The last couple of months have been about blood doping (extra iron to produce more red blood cells) to aid in  surviving the blood loss that is inevitable with this surgery without getting transfusions of other people's blood.- which is Risky for infection...  even though the propaganda tells us the blood system is safe.



Don't be like this guy:

Lonely, lost, drifting, demoralized and living a slow death.

Big Dreams are your Best Motivators

He who dreams most, does most.


The starting point of a journey is a dream, a vision of some far-off possibilities. It must be exciting and moving. Enthusiasm and hope about where you are heading allows you to set some realistic goals and benchmarks to set you on a course towards your dreams.


Passion fuels the perseverance needed to excel at your endeavor. It will keep you motivated to take risks and will give you the desire to keep growing, learning, innovating and confronting challenges, setbacks and roadblocks along the way to your goals.


Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.
- Marianne Williamson

Do not be guided by your fears.

“A ship in harbor is safe—but that is not what ships were built for.”
~ John A. Shedd, Salt from My Attic, 1928 

The Value of Time
Author unknown
------------------------

To understand the value of one year:
Ask a student who has failed a final exam.

To understand the value of one month:
Ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.

To understand the value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To understand the value of one hour:
Ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.

To understand the value of one minute:
Ask the person who has missed the train, bus or plane.

To understand the value of one second:
Ask someone who has survived an accident.

To understand the value of one millisecond:
Ask the person who has won a silver medal in the Olympics.

Time waits for no one. Treasure every moment you have.

Daily Action.

Remember to seek progress over perfection and seek to do a little

every day to achieve your goals.

Stay Young Now

This is a good way to live life if you can!


HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. 

Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay 'them'

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. 

Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.'

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, 

who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, 

music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. 

If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; 

to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.


AND ALWAYS REMEMBER :


Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, 

but by the moments that take our breath away.

We all need to live life to its fullest each day!!!

Always remember:

 

Always remember:

The secret of making something work in our lives is first of all, the deep desire to make it work: then the faith and belief that it can work: then to hold that clear vision in your consciousness and see it working out step by step, without one thought of doubt or disbelief.

Life Is...

Life is...

by Mother Theresa

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it. 

Life is life, fight for it. 

Napolean Hill and Sobriety

Napolean Hill and Sobriety

I've been reading Napoleon Hill books lately. He was a speech writer for U.S. President Harry Truman in the last Depression. He wrote some famous motivational books and is considered one of the founders of Positive Psychology. This type of thinking has many detractors but "foul water will quench fire", in other words, I look to efficacy as my metric. *

He has a 3 step process to achieve your goals:

1. Write a clear description of your one major desire, i.e., Sobriety

2. Write a precise statement of what you intend to give for your sobriety, i.e., strict adherence to the 12 steps of A.A.

3. Memorize both statements and begin repeating them to yourself hourly.

Whatever your mind feeds upon, your mind attracts to you. You need definiteness of purpose and a clear picture of what you want from life. Sobriety is number one because without it, all else fails.

This may look like brainwashing yourself and that's probably what you are doing to undo all the negative messages you have given yourself over the years.

He has a prayer of thankfulness you say a few times a day:

"Divine Providence, I ask not for more riches but for more wisdom with which to accept and use wisely the riches I was given at birth in the form of the ability to direct my mind to ends of my own choice."

The riches you can enjoy if you take possession of your own mind and direct it to ends of your own choice include:

Sound health

Peace of mind

A labor of love of your choosing

Freedom from fear and worry

A positive mental attitude

Material riches of your choice in the quantity you desire.

On the other hand, the penalties if you do not take possession of your mind are:

Ill health

Fear and worry

Indecision and doubt

Frustration and discouragement Poverty and want

And a litany of evils like envy greed jealousy, anger, hatred and superstition.

Quotes to live by:

The great philosopher Thomas Carlyle once wrote, "Let each become all that he was created capable of being." I can't think of a better definition of success. Life challenges us every day to develop our capabilities to the fullest.


Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents determinism; the way you play it is free will.
-Jawaharal Nehru

Don't be afraid of the space between your
dreams and reality. If you can dream it,
you can make it so.

"If one advances confidently in the direction of
his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he
has imagined, he will meet with a success
unexpected in common hours."
- H.D. Thoreau

The Kinks - Lola

10 Most Important Things They Didn't Teach You In School

http://www.cracked.com/article_18611_the-10-most-important-things-they-didnt-teach-you-in-school_p2.html

10 Most Important Things They Didn't Teach You In School


Many of you will get very depressed in your 20s, and some of you will stay that way the rest of your lives. Over the years your garage band will break up, you career dream will fall through, a girl will break your heart, you'll be unhappy with your body, you'll lose your parents, your favorite pet will die, you will endure at least one very terrible injury that requires hospitalization and breaks new boundaries for what kind of pain you thought was possible.

The reason why this will lead to depression, where it may not have done so for an equivalent person 200 years ago, is because you were raised on illogical stories where things always work out for the main character for utterly arbitrary reasons. Han Solo can shoot straight, but none of the bad guys can – even though they train more. John McClane beats the terrorists because he has toughness and perseverance – something the bad guys lack, even though they should be equally desperate. If a guy and a girl are right for each other, they always wind up together, careers and geography and personal hang-ups be damned.

Here's the problem: these fantasies were created by adults, as a means of escape from the real world. You, however, have been watching them since you were five – for most of us these were our first impressions of how the adult world works, even if on a subconscious level. You had no context to realize they were bullshit. It sounds frivolous, but that doesn't change the fact that some of you reading this will not survive the long process of learning how different the real world is.

If it helps, try to remember that you're still one of the one percent of humanity that was born in a time and place where there is such a thing as anesthesia.

ADHD

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11437079
29 September 2010 Last updated at 19:01 ET
New study claims ADHD 'has a genetic link'
By Jane DreaperHealth correspondent, BBC News


The first direct evidence of a genetic link to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder has been found, a study says.

Scientists from Cardiff University, writing in The Lancet, said the disorder was a brain problem like autism - not due to bad parenting.

They analysed stretches of DNA from 366 children who had been diagnosed with the disorder.

But one clinical psychologist argued that what happened in children's early years was more crucial than genetics.

At least 2% of children in the UK are thought to have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Affected children are restless and impulsive. They may also have destructive tendencies, and experience serious problems at school and within family life.

The researchers compared genetic samples from ADHD children, with DNA from 1,047 people without the condition.

They found that 15% of the ADHD group had large and rare variations in their DNA - compared with 7% in the control group.

Professor Anita Thapar said: "We found that, compared with the control group, the children with ADHD have a much higher rate of chunks of DNA that are either duplicated or missing.

"This is really exciting - because it gives us the first direct genetic link to ADHD.

"We have looked at lots of potential risk factors in the environment - such as parenting or what happens before birth - but there isn't the evidence to say they're linked to ADHD.

"There's a lot of public misunderstanding about ADHD. Some people say it's not a real disorder, or that it's the result of bad parenting.

"Finding this direct link should address the issue of stigma."


The researchers stressed that there is no single gene behind ADHD, and the work is at too early a stage to lead to any test for the disorder.

But they hope the study will help unravel the biological basis of ADHD. This could eventually lead to new treatments.

The work was largely funded by the Wellcome Trust, with extra support from the Medical Research Council.

The chief executive of a charity and support group ADDIS, Andrea Bilbow, said: "We are very excited. We've always known there was a genetic link - through studies and anecdotally.

"This paper will help us deal more confidently with the sceptics, who are always so eager to blame parents or teachers. It shows there is a definite genetic anomaly in children with ADHD."

But the study has been criticised by the clinical child psychologist and broadcaster, Oliver James.

He cited studies which looked at the effect of anxiety among pregnant women, and disturbed early relations between mothers and their babies.

He said: "Only 57 out of the 366 children with ADHD had the genetic variant supposed to be a cause of the illness.

"That would suggest that other factors are the main cause in the vast majority of cases.

"Genes hardly explain at all why some kids have ADHD and not others."

"Careless Love" [Live] Young Janis Joplin

Janis covers an Odetta classic. A similiar version is done by Bessie Smith. The Empress of The Blues and Odetta were some of Janis' biggest inspirations.

Lyrics:
Oh love, oh love, oh careless love,
Oh love, oh love, oh careless love.
Oh love, oh love, oh careless love,
Now now don't you see what your careless love has done.

Well you worried my mother till she died
And you caused my father to lose his mind.
Now damn you I'm goin' to shoot you, Lord, I'm gonna shoot you both right down,
I'm gonna spare no one of you child till you spin next dyin'.

Oh love, oh love, oh careless love.
Oh love, oh love, oh careless love.
Oh love, oh love, oh careless love
Oh Lord, don't you see what, what your careless love has done.
Oh yeah.

Careless love now don't know see how you follow me down,
Careless love, don't you see how you follow me down.
Well, you robbed me out of my silver, Lord, and out of my gold
Ever since you been a-ridin' by side.

Oh love, oh love, oh careless,
Oh love, yes oh love, oh careless love.
Oh love, I said love, oh careless love now
Don't you see what your careless love has done, yeah.

What Good Can Drinkin' Do - 1962 Young Janis Joplin [Live]

sonny boy williamson help me

Junior Wells - Help Me (1978)

Junior Wells - Cryin' Shame

Buddy Guy - First Time I Met The Blues

Buddy Guy Red House Jimi Hendrix Vernon Reid

Tommy Johnson - I Want Someone to Love Me

Canned Heat Blues Lyrics

Tommy Johnson

Crying, canned heat, canned heat, mama, crying, sure, Lord, killing me
Crying, canned heat, mama, sure, Lord, killing me
Takes alcorub to take these canned heat blues

Crying, mama, mama, mama, you know, canned heat killing me
Crying, mama, mama, mama, crying, canned heat is killing me
Canned heat don't kill me, crying, babe, I'll never die

I woked up, up this morning, with canned heat on my mind
Woked up this morning, canned heat was on my mind
Woke up this morning, with canned heat, Lord, on my mind

Crying, Lord, Lord, I wonder, canned heat, Lord, killing me
Jake alcohol's [ruined me, churning] 'bout my soul
Because brownskin women don't do the easy roll

I woke up, up this morning, crying, canned heat 'round my bed
Run here, somebody, take these canned heat blues
Run here, somebody, and take these canned heat blues

Crying, mama, mama, mama, crying, canned heat killing me
B'lieve to my soul, Lord, it gonna kill me dead

Cool Drink of Water Blues- Tommy Johnson

http://blues.about.com/od/artistprofil2/p/RobJohnsonPro.htm

Johnson's reputation was built on his fiery live shows, which would stretch on for hours as the singer showboated for his audience. A larger-than-life figure, Johnson drank heavily, and had a taste for both women and gambling. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Johnson wasn't driven to perform. He'd take the stage when he felt like it, or when the money ran low, and he often performed alongside bluesmen Rubin Lacy and Ishmon Bracey.

A Deal With The Devil

Long before the rumors swirled around Robert Johnson, folks in the Delta believed that it was Tommy Johnson that actually met with the devil at the crossroads one dark and stormy night, hoping to strike a deal. Regardless of the myth’s origins, Robert must have been the better negotiator of the two (unrelated) musicians because Tommy Johnson became a mere footnote in the blues genre (even after a character based on Johnson appeared in the hit movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?).

Johnson's talent was undeniable, however, and it was inevitable that he would record. Traveling to Memphis in February 1928, Johnson cut a number of sides for Victor (later RCA Victor). A second session was held in Wisconsin in December 1929. Johnson would continue to perform until his death in 1956, but he never rose above his humble roots. His talent diminished by alcoholism, Johnson's songs, like "Canned Heat Blues" and "Cool Water Blues," would become blues standards nonetheless.

Tommy Johnson - big fat mama blues

Canned Heat Blues

Canned Heat Blues

Tommy Johnson

Recordingdate : Friday 31 Aug. 1928, Memphis Tenn., Vi V38535, Victor, B-side : Big Fat Mama Blues

Note :
Tommy Johnson was a great country blues singer in Mississippi, in the 20:th and 30:th.
It's difficult to reconcile Johnson's drunkenness and his difficult emotional with his wife, Maggie Campbell, with the artistic poise of his singing.
He was one of the most consciously artistic of all the Mississippi singers.

Enjoy !!!
Peace !!!

Canned Heat Blues - Sidestreet Reny

THE LOWDOWN:

Reny (J. Renard Collette) on vocals, National resonator and other 4, 6 and 12 stringed guitars, keys, bluesharp, lapsteel, production and songs, Lil' Bell (Maribel Landaetta) on drums and vocals and Bako Billy (Billy Fuller) on upright bass. Reny, Bell (together for 12 years) and Billy (added in 2003) blend bluesy/funky finger-style and slide guitar, original poignant songwriting and upright bass heavy grooves, to create an eclectic sound limited only by Reny's influences. Drawing mostly from pre-war blues, old school hip hop, roots and dancehall reggae, Sidestreet Reny and co. bring an eclectic yet familiar sound all their own. Reny's syncopated, soulful (singing or rapping) vocals and Bell's high harmonies have the power to take you all the way from a delta juke joint to a Brooklyn street corner before the first song is finished.

Amphetamine Annie --- Canned Heat

anned Heat is a blues-rock/boogie band that formed in Los Angeles in 1965. The group has been noted for its own interpretations of blues material as well as for efforts to promote the interest in this type of music and its original artists. It was launched by two blues enthusiasts, Alan Wilson and Bob Hite, who took the name from Tommy Johnson's 1928 Canned Heat Blues, a song about an alcoholic who has desperately turned to drinking Sterno, generically called "canned heat".

After appearances at Monterey and Woodstock, at the end of the '60s the band had acquired worldwide notoriety with a lineup consisting of Bob Hite, vocals, Alan Wilson guitar, harmonica and vocals, Henry Vestine or Harvey Mandel on lead guitar, Larry Taylor on bass, and Adolfo ('Fito') de la Parra on drums.

canned heat "on the road again" (Montreux 1973)

Bob Hite (vocals,harmonica)
Henry Vestine (guitar)
James Shane (guitar)
Richard Hite (bass)
Fito De La Parra (drums)
Ed Beyer (keyboard)