Welcome to Bill's Place.
A collection of Friends In Recovery.
Featuring a weekly Step Study from various 12 Step Recovery literature.
With the occasional inspirational message or message pertaining to a broad spectrum of varied spiritual practices.
An open forum for discussion of the aforementioned Step Study and inspirational/spiritual practice messages.
"Dance like there's no one watching and love like you've never been hurt."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BillsPlace/
Goodness prevails
~Ralph Marston~In the darkest darkness, love is more magnificent than ever. In the deepest sadness, hope has the strength to create anything.
When the whole world is against you, every positive action can bring miraculous results. When the burden of being is unbearably heavy, the spirit can fly to infinite heights.
If all is lost, there is no end to what can be gained. Completely let go of everything, and you surely do have it all.
The more confusing and noisy and complicated the world becomes, the more power there is in stillness. When the day is filled with harshness, gentle actions grow more powerful and effective.
In a world filled with fear, truth gains new clarity. In a time of severe discontent, the possibilities for real joy grow ever greater.
At the deepest level, goodness always prevails. For truth by its very nature will not be denied.
New worlds to explore
~Ralph Marston~To fully know and appreciate the place where you are, you must go someplace else and then return. To increase your understanding, you must challenge and question what you think you know.
Your perspective gains much value when you consider it from the viewpoint of another perspective. Those who willingly, respectfully and thoughtfully entertain skeptics become the most authentic, passionate and convincing believers.
The value of what you know depends on being aware of what you do not know. Learning arises from the acceptance of your ignorance.
The most valuable experiences are those which are filled with surprises. The sights you've never seen before, and the sounds you never expected to hear, can open you to higher levels of awareness.
There is no end to the variety in the universe, and it grows with every moment. Do not hesitate to seek it out, for there will always be more.
You are never too old to feel the childlike wonder and delight of experiencing something new. Step outside of the world you know, and keep on finding new worlds to explore.
Anyone can get sober . . .
The trick is to stay and to live sober.
~Living Sober~Newcomer
At one meeting someone mentioned having had a slip. He had been back in recovery for three days. No one criticized him; in fact, everyone applauded. To be honest, it makes me think about seeing what it would be like to have a few drinks or a drug again, just for a day or a weekend.
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Over the years, I've watched people come and go in recovery. I've been grateful to the people who relapsed and were lucky enough to come back and share their experience. They taught me a lot by talking about how their disease had continued progressing even when they weren't active in it, and about how much more quickly their misery had returned this time. I'm grateful to them for having had the slip for me; now I don't have to risk it. There's a danger in going back out to experiment with controlled using; few who leave ever make it back. This is a life threatening disease. People like us, who depend on using an addictive substance, can die from it. We understand the seriousness of our addictions and have no need to test recovery by trying to use "safely."
Today, I want life - all of it. I embrace my recovery; I stick close to those who know how to stay stopped.
The NA Basic Text
STEP ONE
"We admitted that we were powerless over our addiction, that our lives had become unmanageable."It doesn't matter what or how much we used. In Narcotics Anonymous staying clean has to come first. We realize that we cannot use drugs and live. When we admit our powerlessness and the inability to manage our own lives, we open the door to recovery. No one could convince us that we were addicts. It is an admission that we had to make for ourselves. When some of us have doubts, we ask ourselves this question: "Can I control my use of any form of mind or mood-altering chemicals?"
Most will see that control is impossible the moment it is suggested. Whatever the outcome, we find that we cannot control our using for any length of time.This would clearly suggest that an addict has no control over drugs. Powerlessness means using against our will. If we can't stop, how can we tell ourselves we are in control? The inability to stop using, even with the greatest willpower and the most sincere desire, is what we mean when we say, "We have absolutely no choice". However, we do have a choice after we eliminate all the things we have been telling ourselves to justify our using.
We didn't stumble into this fellowship brimming with love, honesty, open-mindedness or willingness. We reached the point where we could no longer continue because of physical, mental, and spiritual pain. When we were beaten, we became willing.
Our inability to control our usage of drugs is a symptom of the disease of addiction. We are powerless not only over drugs, but our addiction as well. We need to admit this in order to recover. Addiction is a physical, mental and spiritual disease, affecting every area of our lives.
The physical aspect of our disease is the compulsive use of drugs: the inability to stop using once we have started. The mental aspect of our disease is the obsession, or overpowering desire, which leads us to using even when it has destroyed our lives. The spiritual part of our disease is our total self-centeredness. We felt that we could stop whenever we wanted to, despite all evidence to the contrary. Denial, substitution, rationalization, justification, distrust of others, guilt, embarrassment, dereliction, degradation, isolation, and loss of control are all results of our disease. Our disease is progressive, incurable and fatal. Most of us are relieved to find out we have a disease instead of a moral deficiency.
We are not responsible for our disease, but we are responsible for our recovery. Most of us tried to stop using on our own, but we were unable to live with or without drugs. Eventually we realized that we were powerless over our addiction.
Many of us tried to stop using on sheer willpower, and this turned out to be a temporary solution. We saw that willpower alone would not work for any length of time. We tried countless other remedies- psychiatrists, hospitals, recovery houses, lovers, new towns, new jobs. Everything we tried, failed. We began to see that we had rationalized the most outrageous sort of nonsense in order to justify the mess drugs had made of our lives.
Until we let go of all our reservations, the foundation on which our recovery is based is in danger. Reservations, no matter what they are, rob us of obtaining all the benefits this program has to offer. In ridding ourselves of all reservations, we surrender. Then, and only then, can we be helped to recover from the disease of addiction.
Now, the question is: "If we are powerless, how can Narcotics Anonymous help?" We begin by asking for help, and this is accomplished by working the Twelve Steps. The foundation is the admission that we, of ourselves, have no power over addiction. When we can accept this, we have completed the first part of Step One.A second admission must be made before the foundation is complete. If we stop here, we will know only half the truth. We are great ones for manipulating the truth. We might say on one hand, "Yes, I am powerless over my addiction", and on the other hand, "When I get my life together, I can handle drugs". Such thoughts and actions led us back to active addiction. It never occurred to us to ask, "If we can't control our addiction, how can we control our lives?" We felt miserable without drugs.
Unemployability, dereliction and destruction are easily seen as characteristics of an unmanageable life. Our families generally are disappointed, baffled and confused by our actions and often have deserted or disowned us. Becoming employed, socially acceptable and reunited with our families does not make our lives manageable. Social acceptability does not equal recovery.
We have found that we had no choice except to completely change our old ways of thinking or go back to using. When we give our best, it works for us as it has worked for others. When we could no longer stand our old ways, we began to change. From that point forward, we can see that every clean day is a successful day, no matter what happens. Surrender means not having to fight anymore. We accept our addiction and life the way it is. We become willing to do whatever is necessary to stay clean, even the things we don't like doing.
Until we took Step One, we were full of fear and doubt. At this point, many of us felt lost and confused. We felt different. Upon working this step, we affirmed our surrender to the principles of Narcotics Anonymous, and only then did we begin to overcome the alienation of addiction. Help for addicts begins only when we are able to admit complete defeat. This can be frightening, but it is the foundation on which we have built our lives.
Step One means that we do not have to use, and this is a great freedom. It took a while for some of us to realize how unmanageable our lives had become; for others of us, this was the only thing of which we could be sure. We knew in our hearts that drugs had the power to change us into something that we didn't want to be.
Being clean and working this step, we are released from our chains. However, none of the steps work by magic. We do not just say the words of this step; we learn to live them. We see for ourselves that the Program has something to offer us.
We have found hope. We find that we can learn to function in the world we live in. We, too, can find meaning and purpose in life and be rescued from insanity, depravity and death.
When we admit our powerlessness and inability to manage our own lives, we open the door for a Power greater than ourselves to help us. It is not where we were that counts, but where we are going.
After joining feel free to invite your friends to the Group by using the "Invite" button below;
or by simply sending them this URL;
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BillsPlace/
Just for today, you never have to use again.
Never Alone Never Again
(neveralone_neveragain)
Footprints
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along
the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from his
life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the
sand; one belonged to him, and the other to the LORD.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it. "LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.
The LORD replied, "My
precious, precious child, I love you and I would never leave
you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only
one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."
~Mary Stevenson Parker~
Butt Prints In The Sand
One night I had a wondrous
dream,
One set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of my precious Lord,
But mine were not along the shore.
But then some stranger prints
appeared. . .
And I asked the Lord, "What have we here?
Those prints are large and round and neat,
But Lord, they are too big for feet."
"My child," He said
in somber tones,
"For miles I carried you alone.
I challenged you to walk in faith,
But you refused and made me wait."
"You disobeyed, you would
not grow,
The walk of faith you would not know. . .
So I got tired, I got fed up,
And there I dropped you on your butt."
"Because in life there
comes a time
When one must fight, and one must climb,
When one must rise and take a stand,
Or leave their butt prints in the sand."
~Author Unknown~
Jimmy K.
---
"We must love one another as God loves each one of us.
To be able to love, we need a clean heart.
Prayer is what gives us a clean heart.
The fruit of prayer is a deepening of faith and the fruit of
faith is love.
The fruit of love is service, which is compassion in action."
~Mother Teresa~
Peace.
Bill
A Group of Recovering Friends
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BillsPlace/
Footprints and Daily Archive
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My Gateway
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My Homepage
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Pics of Family and Friends
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ARNA Album
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My Music Page
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MySpace
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Put yourself on my map.
Let me see where you are.
http://www.frappr.com/?a=constellation_map&mapid=2215210
Agents of God Montage
http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=1895873a7fa75330862d31&skin_id=0&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url
Trust
and Believe
Canookie
Girl
