CRA Christians in Recovery (anonymous)

[calibob]

i intend this to be a thread, but oh well ...

Jeremiah 17:9 - the human heart is desperately wicked, deceitful above all things

caution: these questions are extremely convicting, no need to share if uncomfortable, I just get sick and tired of my over-analytical thinking on topics like "motives"



is the heart trying to "conjure up" a more "pure" motive, to try to cover up impure motives?

what impure motives would the heart be trying to hide, cover up or suppress?




if you are unable to detect the exact motive, is it possible that your motive lack pure love for God?

if you ask God to purify your motive, and surrender your heart to God, would there be a reason to "be careful what you wish for"?

if yes, you can answer to yourself what that would be,

if no, can you give thanks to God, because God have given you the possibility of "pure motive" no matter how temporary it may be?


I'm trying to end "over-thinking" for this topic, once and for all, if even this is a failed attempt, please provide better suggestions, thank you

You do realize this a recovery thread. Addictions, bad habits, emotional and or mental disorders are the targeted subjects here bro. I'll just call that an Ooops!

 

[calibob]

I must apologize for not making a post here since Tuesday. Our awful weather and my arthritis, has had me on my back since early yesterday. I'm better now but chose not to sit in this chair for another day. TTFN Cali.

 

[Magenta]

Bob, I am so sorry to have neglected yesterday (May 29th) to wish you a happy one year anniversary of membership on Christian Chat, here on your own thread! One year of Christian Chat milestone! In the recovery rooms you sometimes hear people say, "Don't leave five minutes before the miracle happens." You joined this site and then shortly after I left for three months, after having been here for almost three years. During those three months away, I sometimes peeked in to read a bit here and there, and saw enough of your posts to recognize you as a well spoken person with a solid grasp of Biblical Truths, having no idea I would return to posting someday, which I did, and having no idea when we started talking at that point, what a kind, wonderful, engaging, interesting, complex, good humored, inspirational, intelligent, wise, loving, forgiving person you are, or how much you would come to mean to me. I love you dearly.

I just went back to look at our first conversations... the second one included multiple people, with you showing us your favorite books, including the Bible, and the fourth edition of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, as well as a three other books detailing various aspects of mental and physical illnesses. Having a shared background in recovery from addiction with God/Jesus Christ as our Higher Power gave us a solid foundational starting point, with the ongoing discovery of other shared interests, outlooks, life experiences, and attitudes deepening our connection with/to each other. To that was added a shared professional history in photography. Your interest in and acknowledgment of my creative endeavors in digital art pleased me greatly, and still does. I hope to be as helpful to you as you have been to me. I look forward with much hope and great anticipation to a future that will embrace carrying the message of recovery with you, in person. A message that encompasses working the steps as a means to learning how to love, because God loves us, and blesses us greatly. You are an incredible unexpected blessing in my life, Bob. You are also a remarkable teacher. Your love changes everything

 

[Magenta]

May 31 Keep it simple

“We live a day at a time but also from moment to moment. When we stop living
in the here and now, our problems become magnified unreasonably.” Basic Text, p. 99
––––=––––
Life often seems too complicated to understand, especially for those of us who’ve dodged it for so long. When we stopped using drugs, many of us came face to face with a world that was confusing, even terrifying. Looking at life and all its details, all at once, may be overwhelming. We think that maybe we can’t handle life after all and that it’s useless to try. These thoughts feed themselves, and pretty soon we’re paralyzed by the imagined complexity of life.

Happily, we don’t have to fix everything at once. Solving a single problem seems possible, so we take them one at a time. We take care of each moment as it comes, and then take care of the next moment as it comes. We learn to stay clean just for today, and we approach our problems the same way. When we live life in each moment, it’s not such a terrifying prospect. One breath at a time, we can stay clean and learn to live.
––––=––––
Just for today: I will keep it simple by living in this moment only. Today,
I will tackle only today’s problems; I will leave tomorrow’s problems to tomorrow.
​

 

[Magenta]

 

[oldethennew]

oh my, there are so many types of addictions -
we could go on-and-on-and-on about how many we both have been entangled in -
every one is more than likely aware of the 'obvious ones',
let's talk about the 'idols of the heart', these are the more subtle ones that need
more introspection, but God will give us this introspection, if we are faithful and loyal
to all of His principles and precepts...

oh my Dear, Sweet, Lord, what a journey that You have given us to travel,
that we may 'over-come' every obstacle that the wicked-one has thrown down before us...

as it is written:
PHIL. 4:13.
I can do all things through Christ who strengths me.

 

[calibob]

I'm struggling with several types of arthritis today. As a recovering addict I stay clear of many medications like steroids, tramadol, opioids and their synthetic clones. There dosn't seem to be anything made for long term pain relief that isn't addictive or cause stomach or organ damage. Laying in bed all day trying to keep my mind off of my reality is depressing. I find serenity by sharing with others. I have come to realize that serenity dosn't come in a bottle, prescription or not. Simple things can make a difference to me like a joke a work of art I can relate to or a kind word.
Thank you for sharing it has brightened my day.

 

[Bingo]

"I ask God for the courage to live in such a way that our Fellowship may be a testimony to His favor. This mission frees me to share my gifts of wellness through a spirit of readiness to serve others."......
'Praise God'

 

[calibob]

"I ask God for the courage to live in such a way that our Fellowship may be a testimony to His favor. This mission frees me to share my gifts of wellness through a spirit of readiness to serve others."...... View attachment 199103
'Praise God'

Now that's positive energy. Thanks Bob.

 

[theanointedwinner]

After a short while of 3, 12 step meetings per day plus some basic alcohol education, nutrition. I began sleeping in normal patterns rather than passing out into comas and a lot of fellowship. I started feeling something I hadn't felt in years wit

Hooray for Calibob!

For this turning point

 

[Bingo]

Hooray for Calibob!

For this turning point

"Amen..........Praise God! Thank you Lord for this life that has shared, and risen to a better way of life.
Grant them Your loving grace each day, and keep them strong and well."
'Praise God'

 

[calibob]

Step two;

2) We came to believe that the Lord could restore our lives and sanity​

Matthew 5:4 (NIV)
Happy are those who mourn for they will be comforted.

Philippians 2:13
for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Spiritual Recovery from, Keep Believing Ministries;
He's God and We're Not.
God Doesn't Need Us But We Desperately Need Him.

Celebrate Recovery
We came, we came to, we came to believe.
​

In step two we find the hope by identifying the source of hope and help that we need. Our one and only Creator, His Son and Holy Spirit. If we make one up we will know deep down inside, we are asking for help from make believe. God is not a mean old man hiding behind a cloud waiting to strike us dead. He is kind and loving to those who choose and love him. He has the power and authority to change lives. Just read the testimonies of some Christians who have recovered.

Good Orderly Directions
WORK!​

Yes it's true. Can you cook, write, or play an instrument? Did you not follow instructions? The step are the instructions. Let God help you follow them, Jesus has already paid the price for us. Now let him lead the way.[/QUOTE]

 

[calibob]

​

Good Orderly Directions
WORK!​

Yes it's true. Can you cook, write, or play an instrument? Did you not follow instructions? The step are the instructions. Let God help you follow them, Jesus has already paid the price for us. Now let him lead the way.

[/QUOTE]

CRA workbook Step 2
Good Orderly Directions

We must truly believe that God exists and that we matter to him and that his Son paid the price so we can recover.​

Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.” “For it is GOD who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.”

Our lives had became in many ways self-defeating, self-destructive and chaotic. Self-medicating had led to more problems than it solved. While we may have thought getting intoxicated meant getting drunk or high what it really meant was getting ourselves poisoned in face the word is a conjunction for ingested poison. It was a mistake that leads to both physical and mental illness. As well as family, social, legal and financial problems. I takes good orderly directions to repair the self-inflicted damage. We have poisoned our minds through many bad choices and may even have hypnotized ourselves into thinking we are OK, but we are not! We need Good Orderly Directions to find a normal sort of life. Consider these situations that may interfere with our/your recovery and how to improve the situations with the help of GOD. • What would you have to stop doing?

• What do you need to start doing?

• What attitude is needed to prevent getting discouraged as you struggle through?

• What sources of help are available to you now?

• Where can you find hope?

• Is there anyone or anything available to help guide you through recovery?

• Do you know the name of your higher power?

• List two ways that you think God, (Jesus) can help.

Many of us have had bad religious experiences in the past including blaming everything on us and not considering the disease aspects. Often mental illness are blamed on demons or other worldly spirits even the devil himself don’t you think he’s kind of busy with world leaders? He’s not omni present or omni potent. If demons are real however taking ourselves to an alternate reality by using psychotropic drugs like alcohol leaves us rather defenseless don’t you think? Get over it God is better at everything except lying. The Bible says “Where sin abounds, Grace also abounds and ‘My Grace is sufficient for thee.” Our new slogan should be we came. (Step 1) We came to, (we stopped lying to ourselves.) and We came to believe. (We started to believe that God through faith in Jesus has the power to relieve us of the living nightmares that had prevailed over us. Sanity is a balance or stability of beliefs and behaviors. Freedom, clear rational thinking and honest caring sober relationships with ourselves and others will naturally become the result. I think that’s enough for
today. I’m calibob and I have been doing this long and hard because I am in Recovery too let’s close with the short version of the serenity prayer.

 

[calibob]

"Amen..........Praise God! Thank you Lord for this life that has shared, and risen to a better way of life.
Grant them Your loving grace each day, and keep them strong and well."
'Praise God'

Ha, I started step 2 a couple days ago but was feeling so poorly I neglected to click post. Ooops! It's all above now. Sorry; the next round of thunder storms is expected tomorrow.
POST; lol.

 

[Bingo]

"There are only Twelve Simple Principles by which one leads a truly Spiritual Life.
Honesty, Hope, Faith, Courage, Integrity, Willingness, Humility,
Brotherly Love, Justice, Perseverance, Spirituality, and Service.
NONE of these are possible without the development of TRUST!
YOU WILL LEARN TO TRUST ENOUGH WHEN YOU HAVE HURT ENOUGH.
There is very little hope of ever putting these into Practice if
we always do things the way we have always done things.
WE MUST CHANGE THE WAY WE DO THINGS
TO CHANGE THE WAY WE ARE! -- NOW!! ..........
'Praise God'

 

[calibob]

Thank you for sharing. Words of wisdom!

 

[calibob]

Things to be grateful for;
Sunday morning my next door neighbor decide to remove and replace his concrete driveway. So first thing I heard on Sunday morning was a jack hammer, a bob cat and a cement mixer. If I had a hangover, there might have been a fight. Vroom-vroom, rat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat. and the sound of rocks tumbling in the rotating cement mixer was my wake up call. I just made some coffee & oat meal and put my headset on. That's all folks. No drama, no trauma. I am grateful.

 

[Magenta]

June 04, 2019 Build, don't destroy Page 162

"Our negative sense of self has been replaced by a positive concern for others." Basic Text, p. 16

Spreading gossip feeds a dark hunger in us. Sometimes we think the only way we can feel good about ourselves is to make someone else look bad by comparison. But the kind of self-esteem that can be purchased at another's expense is hollow and not worth the price.

How, then, do we deal with our negative sense of self? Simple. We replace it with a positive concern for others. Rather than dwell on our low self-esteem, we turn to those around us and seek to be of service to them.

This may seem to be a way of avoiding the issue, but it's not. There's nothing we can do by dwelling on our low sense of self except work ourselves into a stew of self-pity. But by replacing our self-pity with active, loving concern for others, we become the kind of people we can respect.

The way to build our self-esteem is not to tear others down, but to build them up through love and positive concern. To help us with this, we can ask ourselves if we are contributing to the problem or to the solution. Today, we can choose to build instead of destroy.

Just for Today: Though I may be feeling low, I don't need to tear someone down to build myself up. Today, I will replace my negative sense of self with a positive concern for others. I will build, not destroy

 

[Bingo]

June 04, 2019 Build, don't destroy Page 162

"Our negative sense of self has been replaced by a positive concern for others." Basic Text, p. 16

Spreading gossip feeds a dark hunger in us. Sometimes we think the only way we can feel good about ourselves is to make someone else look bad by comparison. But the kind of self-esteem that can be purchased at another's expense is hollow and not worth the price.

How, then, do we deal with our negative sense of self? Simple. We replace it with a positive concern for others. Rather than dwell on our low self-esteem, we turn to those around us and seek to be of service to them.

This may seem to be a way of avoiding the issue, but it's not. There's nothing we can do by dwelling on our low sense of self except work ourselves into a stew of self-pity. But by replacing our self-pity with active, loving concern for others, we become the kind of people we can respect.

The way to build our self-esteem is not to tear others down, but to build them up through love and positive concern. To help us with this, we can ask ourselves if we are contributing to the problem or to the solution. Today, we can choose to build instead of destroy.

Just for Today: Though I may be feeling low, I don't need to tear someone down to build myself up. Today, I will replace my negative sense of self with a positive concern for others. I will build, not destroy

"Amen"..........Well expressed. Thank you Magenta, for being you."
'Praise God'

 

[calibob]

Rather than focus upon addictions in general this post is about Alcoholism specifically. Alcohol is a psychoactive drug that negatively effects the minds and bodies of it's victims. Depression can be a trigger but conversely alcohol or lack of it can also trigger depression. The following excerpt comes from Dr. William Silkworth M.D. and is printed in it's entirety in Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book Introductions entitled "The Doctors Opinion" I selected it to clarify what is most commonly believed by doctors about the disease of alcoholism.


"We believe, and so suggested a few years ago, that the action of alcohol on these chronic alcoholics is a manifestation of an allergy; that the phenomenon of craving is limited to this class and never occurs in the average temperate drinker. These allergic types can never safely use alcohol in any form at all; and once having formed the habit and found they cannot break it, once having lost their self-confidence, their reliance upon things human, their problems pile up on them and become astonishingly difficult to solve.


Frothy emotional appeal seldom suffices. The message which can interest and hold these alcoholic people must have depth and weight. In nearly all cases, their ideals must be grounded in a power greater than themselves, if they are to re-create their lives."

Again, alcoholism is a disease much like diabetes, It's recognized as such by both the AMA and the APA.

In fact alcohol is what occurs after yeast digests carbohydrates like sugars, fruits, grains and starches. Furthermore alcoholic dosn't mean drunkard. That can be stopped! Sobriety can be maintained for life with the help of God and by following/working, the good orderly directions listed in the 12 steps. I'm Calibob and I'm in recovery, for life! This meeting is open.