12 Steps Ahead

Daily Reflections May 22, 2013

Avi Satz — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:01:40 +0000

Alcoholics Anonymous AA Daily Reflections May 22, 2013

A LIST OF BLESSINGS

One exercise that I practice is to try for a full inventory of my blessings. . . .

AS BILL SEES IT, p. 37

What did I have to be grateful for? I shut myself up and started listing the blessings for which I was in no way responsible, beginning with having been born of sound mind and body. I went through seventy-four years of living right up to the present moment. The list ran to two pages, and took two hours to compile; I included health, family, money, A.A. —the whole gamut. Every day in my prayers, I ask God to help me remember my list, and to be grateful for it throughout the day. When I remember my gratitude list, it’s very hard to conclude that God is picking on me.

From the book Daily Reflections

Daily Reflections May 21, 2013

Avi Satz — Tue, 21 May 2013 07:01:29 +0000

Alcoholics Anonymous AA Daily Reflections May 21, 2013

A LIST OF BLESSINGS

One exercise that I practice is to try for a full inventory of my blessings. . . .

AS BILL SEES IT, p. 37

From the book Daily Reflections

Daily Reflections May 19, 2013

Avi Satz — Sun, 19 May 2013 07:01:30 +0000

Alcoholics Anonymous AA Daily Reflections May 19, 2013

GIVING WITHOUT STRINGS

And he well knows that his own life has been made richer, as an extra dividend of giving to another without any demand for a return.

AS BILL SEES IT, p. 69

The concept of giving without strings was hard to understand when I first came into the program. I was suspicious when others wanted to help me. I thought, “What do they want in return?” But I soon learned the joy of helping another alcoholic and I understood why they were there for me in the beginning. My attitudes changed and I wanted to help others. Sometimes I became anxious, as I wanted them to know the joys of sobriety, that life can be beautiful. When my life is full of a loving God of my understanding and I give that love to my fellow alcoholic, I feel a special richness that is hard to explain.

From the book Daily Reflections

Daily Reflections May 18, 2013

Avi Satz — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:01:50 +0000

Alcoholics Anonymous AA Daily Reflections May 18, 2013

FREEDOM TO BE ME

If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 83

My first true freedom is the freedom not to have to take a drink today. If I truly want it, I will work the Twelve Steps and the happiness of this freedom will come to me through the Steps—sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. Other freedoms will follow, and inventorying them is a new happiness. I had a new freedom today, the freedom to be me. I have the freedom to be the best me I have ever been.

From the book Daily Reflections

ction.

Daily Reflections May 17, 2013

Avi Satz — Fri, 17 May 2013 07:01:06 +0000

Alcoholics Anonymous AA Daily Reflections May 17, 2013

. . . AND FORGIVE

Under very trying conditions I have had, again and again, to forgive others—also myself

AS BILL SEES IT, p. 268

Forgiveness of self and forgiveness of others are just two currents in the same river, both hindered or shut off completely by the dam of resentment. Once that dam is lifted, both currents can flow. The Steps of A.A. allow me to see how resentment has built up and subsequently blocked off this flow in my life. The Steps provide a way by which my resentments may—by the grace of God as I understand Him— be lifted. It is as a result of this solution that I can find the necessary grace which enables me to forgive myself and others

From the book Daily Reflections

Russia’s Crocodile Drug- Named After its Effects on the Skin

Avi Satz — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:03:06 +0000

Crocodile Drug (Krokodil Drug) Causes Skin to Rot and Decay

Most commonly reffered to as Crocodile Drug or Krokodil in Russian, this homemade opiate that really mimics that of heroin, goes over the top by decaying the skin starting at the injection point… Pictures of the crocodile drug are gut wrenching and difficult to bare, so we made sure to include quite a few and a video in this article (Good old 12stepsahead.com)!

Desomorphine (Crocodile Drug)

Found in large quantities primarily in Russia, the crocodile drug (scientifically known as desomorphine) is a derivative of morphine. it is an Opiod which is relatively easy to produce. It can made easily by mixing codeine, iodine and red-phosphorus. Mix it together the right way and… Presto! A drug that will rot your skin off as you continue to inject the highly addictive cocktail of “dirty morphine.”

Tissue Atrophy- Crocodile Drug Effects

You Heard it, every paragraph says it, that’s what happens… Truly. Because this dirty concoction is made of such a dirty chemicals, upon injection, the chemical make up infects the skin. This infection causes the skin to literally deteriorate and rot. The dead flesh ultimately leads to exposed bones and loss of appendages. It has been reported that daily users of the crocodile drug put a 2 year death sentence over their head… The price for a cheap high…

AA Daily Reflections May 16, 2013

Avi Satz — Thu, 16 May 2013 07:01:11 +0000

Alcoholics Anonymous Daily Reflections May 16, 2013

WE FORGIVE . . .

Often it was while working on this Step with our sponsors or spiritual advisers that we first felt truly able to forgive others, no matter how deeply we felt hey had wronged us. Our moral inventory had persuaded us that all-round forgiveness was desirable, but it was only when we resolutely tackled Step Five hat we inwardly knew we’d be able to receive forgiveness and give it, too.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 58

What a great feeling forgiveness is! What a revelation about my emotional, psychological and spiritual nature. All it takes is willingness to forgive; God will do the rest.

From the book Daily Reflections

Daily Reflections May 15, 2013

Avi Satz — Thu, 16 May 2013 02:22:40 +0000

Alcoholics Anonymous AA Daily Reflections May 15, 2013

KNOW GOD; KNOW PEACE

It is plain that a life which includes deep resentment leads only to futility and unhappiness. . . . But with the alcoholic, whose hope is the maintenance and growth of a spiritual experience, this business of resentment is infinitely grave.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 66

Know God; Know peace. No God; No peace.

From the book Daily Reflections

Real Recovery- Not just abstinence from alcohol and drugs

Avi Satz — Fri, 10 May 2013 17:30:02 +0000

If longevity sobriety could be achieved by simply housing an individual and not allowing them access to alcohol or drugs, treatment centers and sober livings would operate like prison facilities. Unfortunately, recovery from alcoholism and addiction requires more than just abstinence, it requires a change in lifestyle. For the alcoholic/addict alcohol and drugs acted as more of a solution to the problem rather than the problem itself. The problem itself is determining what is going on beneath the substance abuse that makes drinking/using an option. By identifying this, the individual can then begin to work towards positive solutions and skill sets that no longer hinder him/her from living successfully. This is what I define as real recovery.

“You can’t change something unless you are first able to see what the problem is. Our job is to guide the house member’s so that they are able to clearly understand the issues that they face, and in turn work towards leading sober lives that are filled with love, happiness, and success.”- Mike Joly, New Life House, CEO

Understanding this concept, successful recovery from alcoholism and addiction is about learning these new skill sets and not playing into behaviors and attitudes that can easily set a stage for possible relapse. By learning how to manage and process situations and emotions appropriately, an individual will begin to feel better based on the lifestyle that he/she is practicing. In turn, the individual is learning healthy coping skills and building self-esteem. This is crucial towards achieving longevity sobriety and better yet, the kicker is that this is enforced through living along the spiritual principles of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Ultimately, a sober lifestyle must outweigh the attraction of alcohol and drug abuse and the destructive lifestyle associated with it. This is achieved as a result of the individual experiencing the benefits sobriety has to offer. Only by feeling better is one not attracted to relapsing! Personally, I’d rather be miserable and loaded rather than miserable and sober, because then at least I don’t need to be with my feelings. This is what real recovery is all about, feeling good not white knuckling sobriety.

AA Daily Reflections May 8th, 2013

Avi Satz — Wed, 08 May 2013 07:01:53 +0000

Alcoholics Anonymous AA Daily Reflections May 8, 2013

A RESTING PLACE

All of A.A. ‘s Twelve Steps ask us to go contrary to our natural desires . . . they all deflate our egos. When it comes to ego deflation, few Steps are harder to take than Five. But scarcely any Step is more necessary to longtime sobriety and peace of mind than this one.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 55

After writing down my character defects, I was unwilling to talk about them, and decided it was time to stop carrying this burden alone. I needed to confess those defects to someone else. I had read—and been told—I could not stay sober unless I did. Step Five provided me with a feeling of belonging, with humility and serenity when I practiced it in my daily living. It was important to admit my defects of character in the order presented in Step Five: “to God, to ourselves and to another human being.” Admitting to God first paved the way for admission to myself and to another person. As the taking of the Step is described, a feeling of being at one with God and my fellow man brought me to a resting place where I could prepare myself for the remaining Steps toward a full and meaningful sobriety.

From the book Daily Reflections