Posts By :

Mark S

Call In and Contribute to the Show

 150 150 Mark S
By:
0
0
On Tuesday, March 17, our recovery topic is “Gratitude”

Call in and add to the show

Call in and let us know about your program.  Call in and answer the following question:
What are you grateful for?
Join us live at 6:30 pm EDT
The following link is the 4th step check list provided by Chrissy.

http://ec.libsyn.com/p/0/5/1/0517aabdb7422be5/4thStepChecklist1.pdf?d13a76d516d9dec20c3d276ce028ed5089ab1ce3dae902ea1d06ca8332d2ca582188&c_id=8402124

Benefits of Gratitude

 150 150 Mark S
By:
0
0
This is an article from

http://alcoholrehab.com/addiction-recovery/benefits-of-a-gratitude-list/

Gratitude List ExplainedBenefits of Keeping a Gratitude List* It is highly beneficial for people to keep a positive attitude in their recovery. Those who regularly think about the good things in their life will be able to maintain a positive attitude.* Somebody is less likely to relapse if they are grateful for what they currently have.* If the individual is having thoughts of relapse they will be able to read their gratitude list and be reminded of what they have to lose.* It is easy for people to miss all the things they have to feel good about. A gratitude list will be a good reminder.* This type of journaling can also be a good way for the individual to gauge their progress in recovery.Dangers of Taking Recovery for GrantedGrateful People in Recovery Never RelapseDangers of Stinking Thinking* Ill-will towards other people.* Experiencing pleasure upon hearing about other people’s failures – this is usually referred to asSchadenfruede.* Holding an overly pessimistic view of life.* Feeling superior to everyone else.* Feeling inferior to everyone else.* Making mountains out of molehills. The individual will blow any problems out of proportion.* They will tend to view the world in black or white with things either right or wrong. This is not a good way to look at life because there can be so many gray areas and uncertainties.* This type of thinking involves spending too much time focused on the faults of other people.* They will be self-obsessed and behave in a grandiose manner.Journaling in Recovery* In a stream of consciousness diary the individual just writes down everything that comes into their heads. They make no attempt to edit their writing in any way.* People in recovery can also start a spiritual diary where they record their experiences and thoughts while trying to develop their spirituality.* A health/exercise journal is where the individual records their efforts to get physically back in shape.How to Create a Gratitude List* It is also possible for people to write a gratitude list in a longer form. Here they can describe in more detail each of the things they feel grateful about.* In order for it to be effective the gratitude list is not something that people do once and then forget about. It should be updated regularly – at least once a week but many people will try to add to this list daily.* It is a good idea to buy a nice notebook for these gratitude notes. It is likely going to be something that the individual will want to cherish.* If people are having thoughts of drinking or using drugs again they should read back on their gratitude lists as parts of their relapse prevention plan.* Modern technology means that there are now many options for people who want to create an electronic gratitude list.* If people are unsure about what they should feel grateful about they will find plenty of examples of gratitude lists online.


Those who manage to give up any type of substance abuse will usually have a great deal to be grateful for. They have just escaped a possible death sentence and can now look forward to another chance in life. It is possible for people in recovery to completely turn their life around and live their dreams. Those who manage to remain grateful are likely to be the most successful.
Gratitude can be defined as a feeling of thankfulness for a benefit that an individual has received. It is not the same as indebtedness where the individual feels that they owe something to somebody else and are therefore under obligation to repay them. People can experience gratitude towards other people or just the events in their life. The individual who manages to escape an addiction is likely to feel grateful for their new freedom.
The aim of a gratitude list if help people focus on the good things that are in their life. Humans have a tendency to take the good stuff for granted, but this type of journaling can prevent this from happening. By keeping a record of the things that they feel grateful for it will ensure a positive outlook on life. This can be particularly important for people who are in recovery from an addiction. It is when people take their recovery for granted that they are most likely to lose it.
There are some definite benefits of keeping a gratitude list in recovery including:
* It is easy for people to begin taking their recovery for granted. A gratitude list will prevent this from happening.
When people first become sober they are likely to experience a great deal of relief. Their years of suffering have come to an end, and they are understandably going to feel highly grateful for this. It seems to be human nature to take the familiar for granted, and this is what happens with people and their recovery. When they first become sober it all feels so new and exciting but eventually it just becomes normal. No matter how good things get they will become normal and taken for granted after a bit of time.
If people take their recovery too much for granted it can lead to problems. It may mean that they are not willing to fight hard to keep their sobriety. As soon as they hit a rocky patch in their recovery they may decide to relapse because they don’t believe that they have that much to lose.
It is suggested that those individuals who continue to feel grateful for their recovery will never relapse. This is because their gratitude will keep them motivated to do the right things to keep them sober. They never really take their sobriety for granted and so it continues to be something precious and worth fighting for. Those individuals who slip towards relapse will have forgotten how much better their life has become – they are no longer grateful.
Stinking thinking refers to a situation where people are full of negativity. They have a pessimistic outlook about their future in recovery, and may also be full of anger and resentment. They have reverted to their old patterns of thinking that they used in the midst of their addiction. Stinking thinking can involve:
* Bitterness about things that happened in the past.
Stinking thinking is a dangerous state of mind that can put the individual on a path to relapse or dry drunk syndrome. Those people who deliberately try to cultivate gratitude will be less likely to suffer from stinking thinking.
* A daily diary journal is where people just document the notable things that happen to them each day.


All of these different types of journals can be of benefit to people in recovery. Most individuals will find that certain types are more suitable for specific periods in their sobriety. The daily diary and gratitude list are probably the most effective type of journaling for people in early recovery.
Creating a gratitude list does not have to be too much of a chore. There are no exact rules for how people do this. When creating a gratitude list it may be helpful to:



* The usual way to create a gratitude list is to just right down things in list form. This way the individual might only use one or two words to describe each thing they are grateful for.

Sanity – Recovered 582

 150 150 Mark S
By:
0
0

Vote for Recovered Best Health and Fitness Show

podcastawards

But the Offical Recovered Podcast Tee Shirt

Official Recovered Podcast Tee ShirtsCall us at 1-734-288-7510

email at mstapletonpe@gmail.com

Sober Life Mouthwash Website 

Promo Code PODCAST

for 20% Discount

The Big Book

The 12 and 12

24 Hours a Day

Let’s start with the steps as an introduction to this topic

Step 2 reads

Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

Step 2 tells the new person that the alcoholic life is an insane one and that there is a solution.

Before program, what did you understand insanity to be?

Did you think you were insane before program?

What about your attitude toward liquor, did you think you were abnormal regarding drink?

What about when you first entered the program, how was this form of insanity toward liquor explained?

What does sanity mean to you now?

But this stp is not just for the new guy.

I spend alot of time on this step because I forget who is in charge when I take my will back.

Then I become miserable, my life can get out of control, I can feel that insanity has returned.

1. What things are you doing over and over and expecting different results?

2. If step 2 is true and a higher power is needed for sanity, What is preventing you from believing that God can restore you to sanity?

3. In what ways do you see God at work restoring you to sanity?

4. In what areas of your life are you still demonstrating self-will?

5. What are you doing now that is interfering with your relationship with your higher power?

We are about the solution.

What steps, prayers, slogans do you use to bring yourself back to sanity?

What is the role of your sponsor relative to sanity?

WE HAVE CALLS!

The following are suggested for sane living.  Please comment.

 

  1. Live simple

  2. Learn to like work

  3. Learn a hobby

  4. Practice being satisfied

  5. Learn to like people

  6. Make use of adversity

  7. Live in the moment

  8. Ignore irritations

  9. Practice objectivity – feelings are not facts

Check out this episode!

12 Step Under the Microscope

 150 150 Mark S
By:
0
0
The 12 Steps, under the Microscope
Twelve-Step treatment and recovery support likely will never be able to shed all criticisms directed its way. But one clinical psychologist and retired college instructor believes no one should be able to argue successfully that Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and its principles have not undergone rigorous research.

That certainly had been true in the late 1980s when the Institute of Medicine (IOM) pointed out the lack of an evidence base for 12-Step approaches, but Joseph Nowinski, PhD, says that analysis fueled substantial research that now forms the content of his new book, If You Work It, It Works! The Science Behind 12-Step Recovery.

The Hazelden Publishing book is targeted largely to a general-interest readership, but Nowinski believes its straightforward accounting of major studies will prove useful to addiction professionals as well.

“It can help them to understand why they are sending someone to AA,” says Nowinski, who operates a private practice near Hartford, Conn. “I don’t like to go to a doctor who wants to give me a particular treatment and can’t explain why he thinks it’s going to work.”

Nowinski himself played an integral role in one of the most prominent studies comparing 12-Step and other approaches in the treatment of addiction. Yale University researchers in 1990 asked Nowinski to design an alcohol treatment program based on the 12-Step model. His “12-Step facilitation” intervention would be used in one of the three treatment arms in Project MATCH, a highly cited study in which nearly 2,000 individuals with an alcohol use disorder received either 12-Step facilitation, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or motivational enhancement therapy (MET).

The researchers found that all three treatments succeeded in promoting abstinence and reducing overall drinking at periods from three to 12 months post-treatment. In addition, 12-Step facilitation was reported to be as helpful to persons with an alcohol abuse problem as it was for those with more severe alcohol dependence.

Nowinski’s book focuses on crucial elements that enhance the success of 12-Step treatment and/or support once an individual decides to pursue that route. He considers these factors particularly critical:

• Consistent attendance at some 12-Step meetings. Research has shown that attending two to three meetings a week will yield a 70% probability of maintaining long-term sobriety five years post-treatment.

• Having a 12-Step sponsor, with particular importance on securing one in the first few months of recovery.

• One’s perception of one’s place in the 12-Step group. Research has indicated that the most actively engaged members who truly identify as being part of the group tend to have the best outcomes.

Nowinski, who also pens a blog for Psychology Today, says he becomes the target of criticism on many occasions when he writes about the 12 Steps. He sees several reasons why this remains such an incendiary topic.

“One is that AA has grown and grown—it is ubiquitous,” he says. “Anybody who feels they have a different approach sees it as competition.”

Another reason involves AA’s practice never to respond directly to criticism, based on its traditions that reinforce anonymity. “AA does not have a public relations office,” Nowinski says. “It is an easy target.”

Please Vote For Us In The Podcast Awards

 150 150 Mark S
By:
0
0

Thank you for your support, we are a finalist in the Health and Fitness category for Best Podcast 2015!   We need your support! If you could take a minute and vote for us every day until March 24 when the voting time comes to a close, that would be fantastic.

 Our friend, and Award Winning Podcaster, Daniel J. Lewis at The Noodle.mx Network has kindly endorsed our podcast. Please take a moment and watch Daniel’s video on how to vote. Please vote for all of Daniel’s shows as well.

 

 For more information on Daniel’s shows and how to vote, go to
Daniel J. Lewis

To vote:
1.  Go to Podcast Awards
2.  Select The Recovered Podcast along with Daniel’s recommended picks.
3.  Enter you name, email address, select whether you are a listener, podcaster, or both.
4.  Click Submit
5.  Check your email, you may have to verify your vote.

That is it!

Making Decisions – Recovered 580

 150 150 Mark S
By:
0
0

Vote for Recovered Best Health and Fitness Show

podcastawards

But the Offical Recovered Podcast Tee Shirt

Official Recovered Podcast Tee ShirtsCall us at 1-734-288-7510

email at mstapletonpe@gmail.com

Sober Life Mouthwash Website 

Promo Code PODCAST

for 20% Discount

The Big Book

The 12 and 12

24 Hours a Day

The inability to make decisions when problems come along can be devastating.

This tension can be present even if we are not aware of it,

except that we know we are stressed.

Have you ever had difficulty making a decision?

Has the inability to solve the problem affected you?

How?

What about procrastination, do you struggle with this?

It is said that procrastination is the result of habitual inability to make decisions.

What about making the decision to address the drink problem?

Did you have a difficult time making the decision to get help?

When did you first think that you had a drinking problem?

When did you actually come into the program?

Did the stress level increase between the time you thought you had a problem and when you actually came into the fellowship?

Did you drink to alleviate the stress level?

What about making a decision to do the steps?

Did you procrastinate?

If so, how did that work?

After you made the decision to do the steps, how did that feel?

What causes indecision?

  1. Fear of failure – your thoughts?

  2. Refusal to accept reality – your thoughts?

  3. Lack of faith – your thoughts?

  4. Pride and stubbornness – your thoughts?

We are all about the solution.

what steps?

what prayers?

what slogans?

How has a sponsor helped?

We Have Calls!

Alex From Austin

Use the slogan:  Do the next right thing.

You don’t have to do everything at once, just a decision to do the next right thing.

Making decisions lead to happiness, the key to happiness.

Happiness is not pleasure.

Pleasure only occurs during the moment.

Taking a nap brings happiness during the moment, not so much afterward.

Happiness lasts beyond the moment.

I rarely look forward to working out.

But after I make the next right thing and decide to go to the gym.

I feel great after and for the rest of the day.

Happiness lasts beyond the moment of the workout.

It is the result of making right decisions.

Big Book References

p. 86

In thinking about our day we may face indecision. We may not be able to determine which course to take. Here we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or a decision. We relax and take it easy. We don’t struggle. We are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while.

Doctor’s Opinion

the psychopaths who are emotionally unstable. We are all familiar with this type. They are always “going on the wagon for keeps.” They are over-remorseful and make many resolutions, but never a decision.

p. 64

 

Though our decision was a vital and crucial step, it could have little permanent effect unless at once followed by a strenuous effort to face, and to be rid of, the things in ourselves which had been blocking us. Our liquor was but a symptom. So we had to get down to causes and conditions.

Check out this episode!

We Have Been Nominated Best Podcast!

 150 150 Mark S
By:
0
0

Thanks to your support, we have been nominated for:

Best Podcast in the Health and Fitness Category
Only 220 podcasts out of thousands cleared this nomination process.  
Now we move to elections!
The winner will be determined by popular vote.  You can vote for us every day starting March 3.  Just go to:
and vote for the Recovered Podcast in the Health and Fitness category.
The winner will be announced at The 10th Annual Podcast Awards Ceremony.

The 10th Annual Podcast Awards Ceremony will be Held at New Media Expo in Las Vegas on Tuesday April 14, 2015!

This nomination will bring us great exposure so that the new guy will more easily find us.  Please consider voting to be 12th step work and be assured that all of our efforts are reaching the new guy who still suffers.

Spirituality – Recovered 578

 150 150 Mark S
By:
0
0

Call us at 1-734-288-7510

email at mstapletonpe@gmail.com

Sober Life Mouthwash Website 

Promo Code PODCAST

for 20% Discount

The Big Book

The 12 and 12

24 Hours a Day

Vote for Recovered Best Health and Fitness Show

podcastawards

But the Offical Recovered Podcast Tee Shirt

Official Recovered Podcast Tee Shirts

What was your understanding of spirituality before program?

What were you told about spirituality in early recovery?

Why were you told spirituality is important?

What is your experience today?

Here is what the book says,

P. 68

We never apologize to anyone for depending upon our Creator. We can laugh at those who think spirituality the way of weakness. Paradoxically, it is the way of strength. The verdict of the ages is that faith means courage. All men of faith have courage. They trust their God. We never apologize for God. Instead we let Him demonstrate, through us, what He can do. We ask Him to remove our fear and direct our attention to what He would have us be. At once, we commence to outgrow fear.

your comments?

Inner Life

  • What function does spirituality serve in my recovery life?

  • Am I a whole person without my spirituality? Why or why not?

  • Is spirituality tied to any emotions?

  • Am I becoming more spiritual throughout my life?

  • Do I have a quiet center to my life?

  • Is my life improving as a cause of my spirituality?

  • Can you separate spirituality from personality?

We have calls!

Kurt

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/14bb7457478d0468

 

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/14bb7457478d0468

Definitions

  • What are the components of spirituality? What is it made of?

  • How is my spirituality different from my religion or lack thereof?

  • Is spirituality the same as inspiration?

  • What does it mean to be a spiritual person?

  • How do I define success and happiness? Where did I learn these concepts?

  • What are the requirements of being a spiritual leader?

Practices

  • Can spirituality be nurtured and taught?

  • What songs, musical groups, poetry or movies inspire my spirituality? Why did I pick those?

  • What things do I do that help me feel spiritual?

  • Do I balance my spiritual needs with my daily schedule? Why or why not?

  • What things help me feel spiritually healthy?

  • How am I spiritual? (not just what religion I may or may not belong to)

  • When do I feel the most spiritual? Is it a certain time or place?

  • Is my “spiritual food” the right diet for me?

  • Am I maintaining balance in life, controlling what I can & surrendering when I cannot?

  • What experiences have I had in my life that I would define as spiritual?

 

  • How do I know that I am feeling spiritual?

Check out this episode!

4th Step Checklist Now Available

 150 150 Mark S
By:
0
0

Thanks to Chrissy, this 4th Step Checklist is now available to all our Recovered listeners.  This can be a useful tool for both Sponsor and Sponsee alike!

4th Step Checklist

Resentments – Recovered 576

 150 150 Mark S
By:
0
0

Call us at 1-734-288-7510

email at mstapletonpe@gmail.com

Sober Life Mouthwash Website 

Promo Code PODCAST

for 20% Discount

The Big Book

The 12 and 12

24 Hours a Day

Vote for Recovered Best Health and Fitness Show

podcastawards

But the Offical Recovered Podcast Tee Shirt

Official Recovered Podcast Tee Shirts

Recovery Topic is

Resentments

When I first came into the program, I was told that looking at my resentments could be a journey of self discovery.  It could be a key to lasting sobriety.  

I had no idea what this meant.  

I just new I was pissed, jealous, and a victim. How was talking about resentments helpful?

What about you?

When you first came in, what were some of your resentments?

Resentment means to re-live a past injury,

To cultivate this memory, to protect it.

What are your thoughts about this definition?

How can let go and let God help?

What are your thoughts about resentments leading to self-pity?

Has this happened to you?

What was the effect?

Where does self pity lead you?

What are your thoughts about the relationship between resentment and humility?

How is humility the cure for resentments?

How does this relate to Step 7?

When you where new, who did you think was to blame for these resentments?

What were your thoughts that you are the one who may be the cause of your resentment.

That maybe you got the ball rolling?

When dealing with resentments now, what tools do you use?

What steps help? 

How do meetings help?

How is a sponsor helpful?

We have calls!  Want to take them?

Kurt from Canton

https://www.google.com/voice/fm/00557165274674955804/AHwOX_DrY7hZLc95mwuwqCW3NNS5uGUrz0KQIShWuE2UNVjMUffMyH_1GibQ-Hg5CXeXMZtZBp4OPLIdv3kLFYf4Q0LJN_bJpiEu7jGDidmsxseMKmDPEe7nVA7glFVI3PPuXedfzvaPkRnPIEQsfYqo5CBOIHwVZg

From Bronte

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/#folders/0BzpF_sPzFGFqYk5GY1E3czBhUmM

From Cristie

Tony from Connecticut

https://www.google.com/voice/fm/00557165274674955804/AHwOX_B3dDTFavdwwlHVyH-tmnM_jF1Lg3RNaelSg-C4A2FBCMeqvoG1AJezAGT3Oru9m0LXSQh3wD3NtYsDhMbu0qPPQp0fdapnbfQNsgJRflQYBVNToZBEMedyyMxsNt6_T_t8uz3VVCh7N5fSQWKbGCyDCoW98g

Suzane from alberta

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/14b89d37837a4225

http://text-to-speech.imtranslator.net/

Lets examine what the big book entitled Alcoholics Anonymous has to say about resentments

p.64

Resentment is the “number one” offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else. From it stem all forms of spiritual disease, for we have been not only mentally and physically ill, we have been spiritually sick. When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically. In dealing with resentments, we set them on paper. We listed people, institutions or principles with whom we were angry. We asked ourselves why we were angry. In most cases it was found that our self-esteem, our pocketbooks, our ambitions, our personal relationships

Your thoughts, experience, hope

p.62

Whatever our protestations, are not most of us concerned with ourselves, our resentments, or our self-pity?

Selfishness – self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles. Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate. Sometimes they hurt us, seemingly without provocation, but we invariably find that at some time in the past we have made decisions based on self which later placed us in a position to be hurt.

So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making.

Your thoughts, experience, hope

p. 66

It is plain that a life which includes deep resentment leads only to futility and unhappiness. 

Your thoughts, experience, hope

p.70

We have listed and analyzed our resentments. We have begun to comprehend their futility and their fatality. We have commenced to see their terrible destructiveness. We have begun to learn tolerance, patience and good will toward all men, even our enemies, for we look on them as sick people. We have listed the people we have hurt by our conduct, and are willing to straighten out the past if we can.

Your thoughts, experience, hope

 

Check out this episode!