MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with '1st'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:35:45 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5125906&cid=t_406687_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fnymwars-content-is-king-and-king-is.html My patience has ended. I'm just about to pull the pin on Google+ so that I can take some time and think about my reliance on other Google services. The entire debate tells me that for whatever reason, google as a corporation has jumped the shark and I do not feel comfortable investing my social capital in it.And if that social capital were not valuable, they would not be locked in a death match with Facebook over data-mining futures, and governments would not be petitioning them for their databases.Oddly, my decision is not based on whether I have anything to hide. I have always made the point of never putting anything on the Internet that could put me at risk, and I make a point of distancing myself from those who do."Content is King, and King is Content." The reality of the Internet... Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5125906 Sat, 13 Aug 2011 00:19:00 +0100 5125906 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4775336&cid=t_406687_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fsubclavius%2F The subclavius muscle is a little known muscle that lies deep in the upper anterior chest wall. Its main action is to anchor the clavicle. Its proximal attachment (origin) is the 1st rib and costal cartilage. The distal attachment (insertion) is the inferior surface of the mid-clavicle. Innervation is via a local nerve branch off the brachial plexus. The muscle is of clinical significance in that it is intentionally punctured when placing a subclavian central venous catheter. It also functions in protecting the underlying subclavian artery and vein from being punctured in displaced clavicle fractures. Left subclavius muscle in red (illus. courtesy Wikipedia) Related Posts Central Venous Catheter – Subclavian Vein (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4775336 Mon, 02 May 2011 06:00:51 +0100 4775336 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4767910&cid=t_406687_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fanterior-scalene-muscle%2F The anterior scalene muscle is a deep muscle in the cephalad internal thoracic wall. Its main action is to flex the head. Innervation is from C4 to C6, the superior attachment or origin is to the transverse process of C4 to C6, and the distal attachment or insertion is to the 1st rib. Right anterior scalene muscle shown in red (illus. courtesy Wikipedia) Related Posts 1st Rib (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4767910 Fri, 29 Apr 2011 06:00:14 +0100 4767910 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4742328&cid=t_406687_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2011%2F04%2F1st-rib%2F The first rib has unique anatomy compared to the other ribs in the thoracic cage. It possesses tubercles for muscle attachments ( the anterior and medial scalenes and the serratus anterior) and has caudal grooves for the subclavain vein more proximally and the subclavian artery more distally. The 1st rib (illus. courtesy Wikipedia) Anatomically, the first rib is protected from blunt trauma by the clavicle and fractures are rare. If the bone is broken, there must be a high index of suspicion for aortic and subclavian vessel injury and injury to the brachial plexus. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4742328 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 21:18:21 +0100 4742328 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3942828&cid=t_406687_107_f&fid=36672&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencebase.com%2Fscience-blog%2Fsciencebase-science-news-links-for-september-1st-through-september-7th.html These are the latest science news links and snippets from Sciencebase: Scientific Research in the Past – Literally a blast from the past: This item about science in museums and finding a job in museum research was posted on Sciencebase.com way back in 2005, but was originally an “Adapt or Die” feature article for the now-defunct BioMedNet.com Are you sure that structure is right? – UK chemists have developed a computer program that can work out how likely a chemical structure is to be correct, or identify the right structure from a range of possibilities. Cancer Carnival #37 – Bayblab hosts the 37th edition of the cancer blog carnival. Latest arXiv preprint shows you how to store entanglement – “Stuff” is the way many physicists are beginni... Sciencebase Science Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3942828 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:00:02 +0100 3942828 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3790851&cid=t_406687_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2010%2F07%2Ffirst-amendment-issue-of-our-time.html Senator Al Frankin speaking at Netroots. (Source: Graphictruth) Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3790851 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 02:30:00 +0100 3790851 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3126685&cid=t_406687_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2009%2F12%2F26%2Ffirst-emr-job-posting-results%2F You’ll have to excuse the lack of serious content in many of my posts this week or so. It’s the holidays and so traffic is down. So, I’m not spending as much time creating other content since many people won’t get to see it anyway. Plus, I’m heading to California to visit some family as well and it looks like I’ll have to try and borrow the neighbors wireless if I want internet. Should be a nice digital break to enjoy the beautiful California weather. That said, I do have a number of great posts in store for the new year and will probably schedule a few this week while I’m away. I did want to take a second to highlight the new EMR job board that I created. You can read my full writeup about the EMR job board. Since creating the EMR and HIPAA job bo... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3126685 Sun, 27 Dec 2009 04:12:55 +0100 3126685 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3019200&cid=t_406687_135_f&fid=35274&url=http%3A%2F%2Facidrefluxweb.com%2F%3Fp%3D4189 I admit it. I can only obsess over one thing at a time. And with the launching of PositiveLite.com means all my focus has been going there as we are going viral on world aids day, the one holy HIV day of the year. It’s the day we run people who are actually living this virus into the ground by having to attend a million events during and around that day. Plus we’re usually the people propped up for the media/panels/events to send out our annual message. I consider it like the Queen’s one address to her subjects for the year. My annual “She’s Still Here 2009 Tour” is looking to be a small one.  This is the one thing that coincides with Dec. 1st. I pop up in the media (this year it may only be Proud FM) to let everyone know that “She’s still h... acidrefluxweb.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3019200 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:01:43 +0100 3019200 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2415655&cid=t_406687_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fcarrie-prejean-also-ran-queen.html I've been taking a little vacation from internet news the last while, because, well, I was starting to burn out. One response was to experiment with a more graphic approach to graphictruths.But that meant that all I got was television pop-culture. Well, I'm late to the gate with the Peroxide Christian Conservatism of Carrie Prejean, Also-Ran Queen for Miss Trump USA.But it seems that while the story ain't fresh, it's a great BIG pile of cultural carrion, and the Usual Vultures are far from reaching the bone.Palin defends Carrie Prejean Miss California USA from staunchusa Carrie Prejean news of the day! Sarah Palin is defending Carrie Prejean. “The liberal onslaught of malicious attacks against (Miss California) Carrie Prejean for expressing her opinion is despic... Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2415655 Fri, 15 May 2009 18:17:00 +0100 2415655 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2134823&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2FPmIw1AtuEVU%2F Please, I pray I don’t go to that place where I believe I can live on yesterday’s sobriety… Borrowed from last year; Constant = Unchanged, Consistently recurring over time, persistent… Page 20: “Our very lives, as ex-problem drinkers, depend upon our constant thought of others and how we may help meet their needs.” Page 73: “But they had not learned enough of humility, fearlessness and honesty, in the sense we find it necessary, until they told someone all their story… He is under constant fear and tension - that makes for more drinking.” Page 155: “He told me how he lived in constant worry about those who might find out about his alcoholism.” Recovery from a hopeless state of mind and body remains a “do what you don’t want to do” program... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2134823 Tue, 27 Jan 2009 04:45:27 +0100 2134823 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2107833&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2Fvk2uhIl1vF0%2F Avail us nothing… I first published this last year. It remains true. January 7th’s Reflection speaks of turning points. Sometimes they are beginnings and sometimes they are endings. I can understand that. I don’t like it but, then again, it doesn’t matter whether I like them or not, everything will unfold the way it was meant to. Thy Will, Not Mine Be Done My shortcomings also tempt me daily; therefore I also have the same opportunities as the reflections’ writer to become aware of them. In one form or another - self-condemnation will rear its ugly head. I make a mistake and the very first thought is “You stupid A**.” Anger seemingly always jumps up to be recognized. It is self-delusional for me to continue to regret the past and what happened wit... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2107833 Fri, 16 Jan 2009 04:42:50 +0100 2107833 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2096059&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2FmhLrgP46kdw%2F Thanks again to the folks at the AA History Lovers Group at Yahoo! There are far more than Twelve Promises written in the Big Book “Alcoholics Anonymous.” This is a listing of only those relating to the First Step (please, some may be a stretch - utilize, don’t analyze); First Step Promises: 1. How many thousands of men and women have recovered from alcoholism. (Title page). 2. Who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. (foreword 1st edition xiii) 3. To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book. (foreword 1st edition xiii) 4. We are sure that our way of living has its advantages for all. (foreword 1st edition xiii) 5. Our earliest printing voiced the hope -that every alcoholic who journeys will find th... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2096059 Mon, 12 Jan 2009 06:15:01 +0100 2096059 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2065453&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2FvQOc7g6QlOw%2F TO ALL MEMBERS Greetings On Our 10th Christmas 1944 Yes, it’s in the air! The spirit of Christmas once more warms this poor distraught world. Over the whole globe millions are looking forward to that one day when strife can be forgotten, when it will be remembered that all human beings, even the least are loved by God, when men will hope for the coming of the Prince of Peace as they never hoped before. But there is another world which is not poor. Neither is it distraught. It is the world of Alcoholics Anonymous, where thousands dwell happily and secure. Secure because each of us, in his own way, knows a greater power who is love, who is just, and who can be trusted. Nor can men and women of AA ever forget that only through suffering did they find enough humility to enter the portals... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2065453 Thu, 25 Dec 2008 13:25:38 +0100 2065453 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1834788&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2FEab89TC4v_8%2F Service work will guarantee you another 24 hours will it? And you’re telling this to newcomers? Well, I think two-stepping usually carries an opportunity to get drunk along with it! That might be why they speak of it in the Twelve and Twelve… Page 113; “We temporarily cease to grow because we feel satisfied that there is no need for all of A.A.’s Twelve Steps for us. We are doing fine on a few of them, the First Step and that part of the Twelfth where we “carry the message.” In A.A. slang, that blissful state is known as ‘two-stepping.’ And it can go on for years. The best intentioned of us can fall for the ‘two-step’ illusion. Sooner or later the pink cloud stage will wear off and things go disappointingly dull. We begin to think... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1834788 Sun, 28 Sep 2008 03:03:54 +0100 1834788 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1806414&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2FcXMyBO-9zaM%2F And a few other boring characters… From Mel’s article “Open-Meeting Bores” The challenge? AA … “is greatly imperiled by the great blanket of boredom that stifles many meetings from coast to coast.” Mel’s research and conclusion: “Having arrived at the conclusion that boring meetings and groups were caused by boring members, I began to look for some means of identifying just who these members really were. Surprisingly, they were the same fellows I have seen in my own bathroom shaving mirror from time to time.” The first in Mel’s cast of boring characters; “First there is Drink-by-Drink Dave! And I don’t care how new in AA you are, you have met him! Dave is a well-meaning soul, and I love him like a brother, as do ... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1806414 Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:40:38 +0100 1806414 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1739371&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2FyF2EstB_6QU%2F Making use of the slogan “Live and Let Live” - from the book “Living Sober.” “An ancient sage said that none of us should criticize another until we have walked a mile in the other person’s boots. This wise advice can give us greater compassion for our fellow human beings. And putting it into practice makes us feel much better than being hung over. ‘Let Live’ - yes. But some of us find just as much value in the first part of the slogan: ‘Live!’ When we have worked out ways to enjoy our own living fully, then we are content to let other people live any way they want. If our own lives are interesting and productive, we really have no impulse or desire to find fault with others or worry about the way they act. Can you think right thi... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1739371 Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:15:59 +0100 1739371 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1714049&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2FZYJOghPNM4Q%2F After you’ve had the magnificent opportunity to have been a satisfied customer of Alcoholics Anonymous for some time you gather what is called “experience.” With that experience along with the Twelve Steps, there also comes a moment now and then when you “intuitively know how to handle situations that used to baffle us.” One such moment occurred in the last day or so when I “listened” to a fellow alcoholic share in a general way and use words that offer someone whose seen them before, some intuitive insight that this person wasn’t quite right emotionally. Not knowing definitively that she wasn’t right presented the requirement that a question be asked and it was. The reason the question was asked was stated. The question was asked in a ... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1714049 Tue, 19 Aug 2008 06:15:12 +0100 1714049 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1714050&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2Fvy6ty1ldDnM%2F I was speaking with a female friend yesterday. A couple of months ago her daughter gave birth to her first grandchild. Not long after the baby was born the mother and, more specifically, the father, returned to their addictions. Mom could very well be a “social” experimenter but Dad is certainly one of “us.” He has come and gone a number of times in the last 9 years yet has not been able to remain clean or sober. Within a short time, the baby’s parent’s had resorted to calling in bogus prescriptions for xanax, again. The law enforcement community here knows the father to the extent that he has been banned from filling prescriptions in any pharmacy in the county, yet they tried. They were caught. Not exactly rocket science… Grandma was forced to bor... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1714050 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:15:10 +0100 1714050 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1700993&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2FN6h5zyTCTHA%2F To continue the “What A Concept” thoughts… We return to “Living Sober” and page 12; “We’ll meet some people in A.A. or elsewhere who won’t be exactly crazy about us, either. So all of us try to respect the rights of others to act as they choose (or must). We can then expect them to give us the same courtesy. In A.A., they generally do.” I’m not so sure I want to develop expectations along those lines. This goes on to say: “Usually, people who like each other - in a neighborhood, a company, a club, or A.A. - gravitate toward each other. When we spend time with people we like, we are less annoyed by those we don’t particularly care for.” The interesting concept then follows; “As time goes on, we find we are n... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1700993 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 06:15:06 +0100 1700993 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1677287&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2Fzd7PY7YC3Tc%2F Yeah, yeah… Folks, please, if you find yourself in meetings where there is someone who never shares until the end of the meeting and then begins their sharing with “During this meeting I have observed blah, blah, blah,” then offers up some magnificent wisdom based on a few years away from a drink, that is a certain example of something you’ll want to leave there and take the rest. You might want to run it past your sponsor especially if it sounds like it applies to your case. On the same thought - if you are approached by anyone, in a meeting environment, who promotes themselves to you as some form of “addictionologist” or therapist, please, I beg you, do your due diligence to discover everything you’d need to know about this “professional&#8... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1677287 Sun, 03 Aug 2008 23:25:33 +0100 1677287 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1671671&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F351523195%2F So, you say you’ve been making your relationships better because you’re not drinking anymore. Your wife/girlfriend/husband/boyfriend is acting nicely towards you today. Your children aren’t running around with computer eyes wondering when you’ll lose your cool. The neighbors say “good morning,” the boss says “good morning,” people smile at you as they pass by. The young lady at the coffee shop has a kind greeting for you. It seems as if you’re not raising your middle finger to other drivers nor they to you. You have extra time when you arrive at work. You have extra time when you arrive home. Your grades are better. You feel a part of life again. The birds’ chirping isn’t irritating today. The wind in the air doesn’t m... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1671671 Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:06:46 +0100 1671671 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1642767&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F342272297%2F Yes, I’m being a bit facetious… From “Living Sober” on page 11; “To begin to put the concept of ‘Live and Let Live’ into practice, we must face this fact: There are people in A.A., and everywhere else, who sometimes say things we disagree with, or do things we don’t like.” Ya’ think? “Learning to live with differences is essential to our comfort. It is exactly in those cases that we have found it extremely helpful to say to ourselves, ‘Oh, well, Live and Let Live.’” How often did you wind up with a resentment and drink at someone simply because you didn’t like what they had to say or they had a differing opinion and refused to see it your way? “We have learned it pays to make a very special effo... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1642767 Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:15:01 +0100 1642767 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1516651&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F311142376%2F I’m about to head off to “work.” Bleccchhh! :) Yet, its at work now that I have been given the opportunity to watch someone who is keeping it green for me. He simply cannot, will not, whatever - stop drinking. All day, every day, through the night into the morning and so on and so on. At 9:15 am he has been unable to string two coherent words together to make a sensible comment over the phone and his workers are telling him to stay home. He owns the business! Which brings to my mind one of the profundity pushers’ statements that will absolutely not work for me! “I do a fearless, thorough, First Step every morning.” I’m an alcoholic 100%, 100% of the time. I must live the First Step 24/7/365. Including when I’m at sleep. Sleep is not a cure fo... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1516651 Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:10:16 +0100 1516651 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1508828&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F309983792%2F Last year we made an attempt to determine what is the message that we carry in Alcoholics Anonymous and received a couple of excellent responses; Joe said: “The message that I carry is AA’s message. 12 steps which guarantee a spiritual awakening to be the result. My obligation is to try to share my experience with those twelve steps with other Alcoholics and to practice the 12 disciplines in all my affairs. Most important to me is that I be cognisant that this is AA’s program and AA’s steps! Not mine! My program is what brought me to AA! One path of steps which provide access to power. I do not gain power through the steps I gain access to power. All twelve steps, all day, everyday for a lifetime, to the best of my ability. This is not a program where I came to “not drink” ... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1508828 Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:04:32 +0100 1508828 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1508830&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F308799940%2F For those who are new to Alcoholics Anonymous… You’re going to hear from folks who are called “chronic slippers.” They are not bedtime shoes, they are people who come and go, stay sober for a short time, relapse, come back etc. etc. etc. Rob the Hat and old man Charlie used to tell a story about, of all names, a fellow named Mark who’d come into one of the Centereach groups. Mark would shake and bake for a while, stay sober for about three months, get to feeling better and then start to share about how he was thinking about drinking again. Then he would disappear. A few months later Mark would reappear and go through the process once more. He’d shake and bake for a while, stay sober for about three months, get to feeling better then start to share about ... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1508830 Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:29:01 +0100 1508830 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1502699&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F307800395%2F This one is personal… I do not mean to slight anyone who has lost a loved one. This is simply close to my heart and the hearts of a couple of my new friends in recovery, especially Linda H. Yesterday I told you about a gal in New York who had 19 years clean in Narcotics Anonymous who was “back out there.” Her name was Lorraine. That’s right - was - and still is. Sadly, two members of her home group took on the task of having to identify Lorraine in the coroner’s office yesterday. She died from an overdose in a shooting gallery. The conditions she was found in were not nice and I’ll only tell you one thing - the other people using that gallery had put a tarp over her when she died and continued with their business. Those who are familiar with those condit... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1502699 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 06:15:36 +0100 1502699 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1494492&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F304881744%2F The First One! From “Living Sober” we’re told something profoundly simple on page 3; “We have found that for us recovery began with not drinking - with getting sober and staying completely free of alcohol in any amount, and in any form. We have also found that we have to stay away from other mind-changing drugs. We can move toward a full and satisfying life only when we stay sober. Sobriety is the launching pad for our recovery.” That ain’t middle-of-the-road psycho-babble, that is directly out of AA approved literature! This is for those who have questioned the presence of the word “abstinence” in our literature. If you’re not certain that completely free of alcohol in any amount, and in any form is abstinence I’d suggest looking... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1494492 Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:25:12 +0100 1494492 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1484985&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F302592120%2F It appears that the well-known “Anonymity Statement” may have been the result of “The Manhattan Project.” “Whom you see here, what you hear here, when you leave here, let it stay here.” It may also have been the result of our sister fellowship according to Glenn C. and others. Glenn points us to “The Tools of Recovery” at Hindsfoot and says: “Some of the local folks say that this statement was first read by one of the people who put together the seven ‘tools of recovery’ when he was attending an Al-Anon meeting.” Steven L. comments that he’d seen the statement on a Manhattan Project documentary and then Glenn offers that perhaps our Al-Anon brothers and sisters went “nuclear” and adapted the slogan fo... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1484985 Sun, 01 Jun 2008 23:03:27 +0100 1484985 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1472621&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F298880116%2F For those who may not know… This is the Primary Purpose of Alcoholics Anonymous, i.e. what AA is; “Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety.” Please notice that this says “a desire to STOP drinking... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1472621 Tue, 27 May 2008 06:15:02 +0100 1472621 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1463983&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F296141468%2F This is now an old favorite! From pages 417 - 418; “For years I was sure the worst thing that could happen to a nice guy like me would be that I would turn out to be an alcoholic.” I actually did not give that much consideration in my drinking days. As much as there were a couple of folks who made some mention that I might have a problem with booze, no one ever came out bluntly, until Fr. Tom, and told me I was an alcoholic. They simply whined about my drinking or told me I ought to cut back. “Today I find it’s the best thing that has ever happened to me. This proves I don’t know what’s good for me.” Here comes the coup de grâce; “And if I don’t know what’s good for me, then I don’t know what’s good or bad for you or ... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1463983 Thu, 22 May 2008 22:35:56 +0100 1463983 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1454683&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F293827477%2F If you sit in a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous and you hear anyone - ANYONE - share that they CHOSE not to drink alcohol in any way, shape or form, PASS THIS ON! Page 24; “The fact is that most alcoholics, for reasons yet obscure, have lost the power of choice in drink.” It doesn’t matter if they have 100 years sober in AA, tell them! If its you spreading the lie that you chose not to drink alcohol, stop it! Find some place else to go… or learn the truth… “We are without defense against the first drink.” Tags: 1st-step, aa, AA-big-book, alcoholics-anonymousShare This (Source: A Dozen Steps) A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1454683 Mon, 19 May 2008 23:03:59 +0100 1454683 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1443064&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F290290129%2F Okay, I’ve heard it a thousand times… and, guess what? I think I did the same thing! A couple of days, weeks, months of not drinking. No sponsor. No Steps. No clue. But - you’re smart. Or, you really don’t want us to know your truth. So you wear a mask of “I’m sober today.” You wear a mask of “I’d like to thank my Higher Power whom I choose to call God that I’m sober today, I’ll pass…” When you’re asked what your sobriety date is you say “April, 2008.” If you’re asked what Step you’re on you tell us “well, in rehab they got us up to 9. So - 9.” The challenge you face is that you simply cannot - CANNOT - deceive those who made deception a life practice!!! That’s who ... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1443064 Wed, 14 May 2008 16:56:20 +0100 1443064 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1439862&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F289383788%2F Alcoholics will never be categorized as poster children for Mental Health. Of course, those of you who are members of a judgmental society who aren’t alcoholic won’t give us this but I’m bringing it anyway :) This post is part of the Health and Wellness Channel’s monthly theme day. This month, it’s hosted by Alicia over at Mental Health Notes. Marijke speaks of depression. Most alcoholics I know live with depression in some form. Many live with manic depression or bipolar disorder like Alicia speaks about at Mental Health Notes. Others, like me, live with a different form of depression, something my doctor called “unipolar” which, to me, simply meant my mind is screwed up but, by definition means: “a pervasive low mood, loss of interest in usual acti... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1439862 Tue, 13 May 2008 11:50:28 +0100 1439862 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1433875&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F287475730%2F Thanks For The Direction Frank D.! Coincidence? I think not… From Barefoot’s World; Personal Gains Of Being A Sponsor No one reaps full benefit from any fellowship he is connected with unless he wholeheartedly engages in its important activities. The expansion of Alcoholics Anonymous to wider fields of greater benefit to more people results directly from the addition of new, worth-while members or associates. Any A.A. who has not experienced the joys and satisfaction of helping another alcoholic regain his place in life has not yet fully realized the complete benefits of this fellowship. On the other hand, it must be clearly kept in mind that the only possible reason for bringing an alcoholic into A.A. is for that person’s gain. Sponsorship should never be undertaken to -... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1433875 Sat, 10 May 2008 12:50:36 +0100 1433875 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1373681&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F270922676%2F I’ll let you read through this and then I’ll tell you what principle could be destroyed… From page 298 in “The Language of the Heart” “At this point in our very early experience there remained, however, one missing link - an absolutely vital one. We still lacked a full comprehension of the terrific impact at great depth which one alcoholic talking to another could make. I had partly realized this when my alcoholic friend and sponsor, Ebby, told me about his own drinking, his release from it and of the Oxford Group principles which had made this possible. Still more realization came during my own spiritual experience which had included the vision of a chain reaction among alcoholics, one alcoholic talking to the next. But it was not until I met Dr. Bob th... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1373681 Tue, 15 Apr 2008 19:29:43 +0100 1373681 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1373682&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F270648595%2F “Oldtimers” that don’t go to meetings! When we arrived at the clubhouse yesterday there was an old “friend” sitting outside. We hadn’t seen him in quite some time and the first thought I had was “I’m glad you’re back.” We shook hands, said our hellos, got our coffees, sat down and asked “Where have you been?” The answer wasn’t what I wanted to hear and had nothing to do with drinking (for now). “Raising my kids, running my business, doing all those life things, blah, blah, blah…” “Comin’ up on twenty years, tomorrow’s my anniversary, so it was time I showed up for a meeting.” From page 129; “For a time he may try to hug the new treasure to himself. He may not see at... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1373682 Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:29:50 +0100 1373682 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1372010&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F270274282%2F And I don’t understand why its changed… When I walked into my first meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous the folks who were already members didn’t adapt AA to me or for me. They went about their business as they had been doing all along before I arrived. They also didn’t tell me I was the most important person in the room because they knew we are all important persons! Equal! So why have we developed this “new version” of Alcoholics Anonymous today to the extent that we adapt AA each and every single time a newcomer arrives??? “Let’s have a first step meeting…” This past Saturday night I watched as the group’s chairperson brought up a topic at a meeting and it was immediately “suggested” that it would be more appropri... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1372010 Mon, 14 Apr 2008 22:11:28 +0100 1372010 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1349721&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F263579975%2F Curious? Concerned? Have a need to find out whether you have a drinking problem that’s alcohol related? Well… its been my experience that “normal” drinkers usually don’t have the need to find out if they have a problem with booze soooo - you might take that in to consideration :) Here’s a place online to answer a few questions to make a determination for yourself privately. Alcohol Abuse Screening Quiz “This quiz was developed by the Office of Health Care Programs, Johns Hopkins University Hospital. If you consume alcoholic beverages this quiz can give you an idea how your drinking may fall into harmful patterns and indicate whether or not you have a drinking problem.” Of course, most folks who don’t have a drinking problem probably are... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1349721 Thu, 03 Apr 2008 21:37:31 +0100 1349721 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1329174&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F258625169%2F One of the many places in our literature which provided those oldtimers with enough resources to tell me the truth about me is on page 40 in our 12&12; “Then it is explained that other steps of the A.A. program can be practiced with success only when Step Three is given a determined and persistent trial. This statement may surprise newcomers who have experienced nothing but constant deflation and a growing conviction that human will is of no value whatever.” Are there really newcomers like that? (j/k) “They have become persuaded, and rightly so, that many problems besides alcohol will not yield to a headlong assault powered by the individual alone. But now it appears that there are certain things which only the individual can do.” Gonna leave a newcomer with the... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1329174 Wed, 26 Mar 2008 23:40:02 +0100 1329174 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1316754&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F255057468%2F Reading from today’s Daily Reflection “Love and Tolerance” I find the Things That Rot My Soul and - I know, today, that they certainly do just that. **************************************** “Love And Tolerance” **************************************** Fr. Tom taught us that the longest trip I’d have to take in sobriety was the one foot (twelve inches) from my head to my heart and this passage reaffirms that fact. “I must forgive injuries, not just in words, or as a matter of form, but in my heart.” How often we hear someone say “I forgive” then follow immediately with “But I won’t forget.” That’s not forgiving! “I do this not for the other person’s sake, but for my own sake.” Does anyone remember ... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1316754 Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:12:04 +0100 1316754 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1315417&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F254546176%2F Returning to the beginnings of “Living Sober,” we find common sense… “Like almost any other ideas, the suggestions in this booklet can be misused.” Exactly like the suggestions in a meeting can be misused. And? The point? Won’t it all be what it will be according to someone else’s plan anyway? Looking at the slogan “Easy Does It” the book says; “Some of us have found that we could abuse this sensible notion, turning it into an excuse for tardiness, laziness, or rudeness. That is not, of course, what the slogan is intended for. Properly applied, it can be healing; misapplied, it can hinder our recovery. Some among us would add to it:” **************************************** “Easy Does It - But Do It!” ***********... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1315417 Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:16:59 +0100 1315417 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1297880&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F250135987%2F Perhaps I might sub-title this one “What step are you on?” I was 5 months away from my last drink (thru today) and still angry as he**. Of course, I was still pretty smart too, ya’ know? The anger tore at my insides though, so I went to Fr. Tom and asked him why I was still so angry. First word - First Step, I’d learned to ask for help. This is simply my personal experience. I’d been going to one meeting a week, at a group that had that sign posted on the basement wall “One meeting a week makes one weak.” Hey. What did I know? I thought I was doing something about my alcoholism, rank greenpea that I was. Sponsor? Naaah, Ill get around to it if I decide to stick around. I’m not drinking. Isn’t that good enough for you? So I ask Fr. Tom t... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1297880 Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:51:25 +0100 1297880 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1191473&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F226725935%2F I have a good idea why this poem is titled “Investment Counsel.” From “Living Sober“ we are given some insight into what might be wise things to spend a few dollars/cents on in early sobriety… In the first few weeks without a drink When the wolf is at the door, And the sheriff’s at the window And you’re sleeping on the floor, And life looks bleak and hopeless From a monetary angle, It’s time to spend, in certain ways, To solve the awful tangle: That token or that bus fare To get you to a meeting, That dime (?) to use the telephone For that necessary greeting, That nickel (?) for “expenses” That makes you feel you matter, That dollar for the coffee shop For after-meeting chatter. All these are wise investments For the neophyte to m... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1191473 Thu, 31 Jan 2008 19:10:16 +0100 1191473 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1191474&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F226552079%2F Personal recovery depends upon AA unity… I’ve just offered Mary Christine this comment based on an entry she posted yesterday. There are no coincidences! I’d been considering this topic anyway :) It seems MC and an AA friend share a common concern about another AA member who appears to be doing something that is “tearing him apart.” MC’s friend was told “sharply” (by whom I perceive to be other members of this AA group) that “its none of our business!” Really? I mean REALLY??? Hi MC, Today I can have a opinion :) I too have experience with this nature of dilemma and I believe it ought not be a dilemma for one huge reason. Working a program of recovery has reintroduced me to a loving God that I didn’t know was loving. That lo... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1191474 Thu, 31 Jan 2008 13:54:19 +0100 1191474 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1179292&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F80799823%2F Thanks again to the folks at the AA History Lovers Group at Yahoo! There are far more than Twelve Promises written in the Big Book “Alcoholics Anonymous.” This is a listing of only those relating to the First Step (please, some may be a stretch - utilize, don’t analyze); First Step Promises: 1. How many thousands of men and women have recovered from alcoholism. (Title page). 2. Who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. (foreword 1st edition xiii) 3. To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book. (foreword 1st edition xiii) 4. We are sure that our way of living has its advantages for all. (foreword 1st edition xiii) 5. Our earliest printing voiced the hope -that every alcoholic who journeys will find th... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1179292 Sat, 26 Jan 2008 00:34:53 +0100 1179292 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1170031&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F221361837%2F That Our Lives Had Become Unmanageable Powerless? Unmanageable? “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.” Craving didn’t do it for me as far as definitions go. The good Dr. Silkworth put the “screws” to me in the next sentence; “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.” A habit that cannot be broken. Yep, now t... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1170031 Wed, 23 Jan 2008 02:50:58 +0100 1170031 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1166452&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F220586399%2F This is worth repeating… The Hideous Four Horsemen: Terror, Bewilderment, Frustration, Despair Hideous? - Hateful; shocking. Syn. — Frightful; ghastly; grim; grisly; horrid; dreadful; terrible. Terror - Extreme or Intense Fear Bewilderment - Confused, Puzzled, Befuddled, Disorientated Frustration - The feeling of annoyance when one’s actions are criticized or hindered Despair - Loss of hope; utter hopelessness; complete despondency. From page 151; “For most normal folks, drinking means conviviality, companionship and colorful imagination.” Know any “normal” folks? How long has it been since your drinking was convivial? When was the last time your drinking introduced you to a healthy relationship? And how long has it been since your imagination mo... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1166452 Mon, 21 Jan 2008 21:35:55 +0100 1166452 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1156815&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F218011139%2F I received a comment into moderation the other day relating to an older post on Clubs In AA. I haven’t approved it because I doubt its sincerity. It says: “Recently a AA club moved into a building that has a bar on the second floor. This to me is completely unacceptable.” Really??? Think about this. Unacceptable to you??? I thought we stopped playing God in recovery. From page 100; “Assuming we are spiritually fit, we can do all sorts of things alcoholics are not supposed to do. People have said we must not go where liquor is served; we must not have it in our homes; we must shun friends who drink; we must avoid moving pictures which show drinking scenes; we must not go into bars; our friends must hide their bottles if we go into their houses; we mustn’t think... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1156815 Thu, 17 Jan 2008 04:03:00 +0100 1156815 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1149792&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F216665247%2F This time I “strolled” through Scott W.’s blog and saw he had quoted Walk In Dry Places. I decided to check out a few of Mel B.’s writings and right away I found an appropriate topic - Anger. There was a lot I could identify with… “During recent years, I have usually worked rather hard to keep my anger from showing or getting out of control, because ___ .” Because my anger always, not occasionally, always, hurts me and I never wanted that! I can be 200% right with my justification, I can be 200% right based on the truth yet it makes no difference. Anger always hurts me. “These unhappy episodes were not the direct result of drinking; they occurred many years after my last drink. And I could not agree that any good came from such temper outbur... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1149792 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 21:38:14 +0100 1149792 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1149793&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F216446343%2F Constant = Unchanged, Consistently recurring over time, persistent… Page 20: “Our very lives, as ex-problem drinkers, depend upon our constant thought of others and how we may help meet their needs.” Once again I’m reading your blogs, especially Mary Christine, because, for me, it is a way of reaching out for information and experience and to motivate the thinker. I wanted, originally, to find where our book said “Constant vigilance is the watch word,” looked through the online index and concordance but couldn’t find the phrase. MC is speaking of someone who seems to be doing some living in yesterday. I thought about being taught not to live on yesterday’s sobriety. Constant vigilance popped into my head. I find it sad that someone with almos... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1149793 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:15:17 +0100 1149793 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1134683&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F213008376%2F Avail us nothing… Yesterday’s Reflection spoke of turning points. Sometimes they are beginnings and sometimes they are endings. I can understand that. I don’t like it but, then again, it doesn’t matter whether I like them or not, everything will unfold the way it was meant to. Thy Will, Not Mine Be Done My shortcomings also tempt me daily; therefore I also have the same opportunities as the reflections’ writer to become aware of them. In one form or another - self-condemnation will rear its ugly head. I make a mistake and the very first thought is “You stupid A**.” Anger seemingly always jumps up to be recognized. It is self-delusional for me to continue to regret the past and what happened with my relationships, my family. Yet it continues to dee... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1134683 Tue, 08 Jan 2008 06:05:57 +0100 1134683 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1129454&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F210871155%2F Heard it at a meeting tonight… perception deception - defect. From page 129; “If the family cooperates, dad will soon see that he is suffering from a distortion of values.” A Distortion of Values Distortion is a misrepresentation of the truth. That certainly works for me! “He will perceive that his spiritual growth is lopsided, that for an average man like himself, a spiritual life which does not include his family obligations may not be so perfect after all.” True - so true… “If the family will appreciate that dad’s current behavior is but a phase of his development, all will be well.” Possibly, unless, through him, the disease has sickened them badly enough they’re also suffering from perception deception and don’t have/w... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1129454 Fri, 04 Jan 2008 02:52:35 +0100 1129454 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1123406&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F209166822%2F Sooo… you’ve been drinking too long, too hard and suffered enough and you’re about to make a New Year’s Resolution to quit eh? Resolution - “A statement of intent, a vow.” Resolute - “Firm, unyielding, determined.” Resolve - “To make a firm decision to do something.” Oh - that’s right! I get it! Other than the fact that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, it’s all about will power, right? You can stop anytime you want to… except tonight is New Year’s Eve??? Gotta throw just one more good one, don’t ya? Well then, I pray you make it and we’ll be here when you come straggling in tomorrow, or the next day or… perhaps you’ll be the one who won’t straggle in. We&#8217... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1123406 Mon, 31 Dec 2007 23:50:36 +0100 1123406 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1121812&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F208250825%2F I think Bill W. “happened” on something very important, to me at least, with what he speaks of here. He begins by saying that without freedom from alcohol, “we have nothing at all.” From The Language of the Heart: Bill W’s Grapevine Writings, page 315; “Paradoxically, though, we can achieve no liberation from the alcohol obsession until we have become willing to deal with those character defects which have landed us in that helpless condition.” Sometimes I’m amazed how easy it is for me to see something in someone else yet not be able to see the same defect in myself. I often wonder if my childhood was truly that bad and these defects developed to the extent that they’re so difficult to remove that I had to have God’s help! Yet,... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1121812 Sun, 30 Dec 2007 00:32:01 +0100 1121812 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1115377&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F205950037%2F TO ALL MEMBERS Greetings On Our 10th Christmas 1944 Yes, it’s in the air! The spirit of Christmas once more warms this poor distraught world. Over the whole globe millions are looking forward to that one day when strife can be forgotten, when it will be remembered that all human beings, even the least are loved by God, when men will hope for the coming of the Prince of Peace as they never hoped before. But there is another world which is not poor. Neither is it distraught. It is the world of Alcoholics Anonymous, where thousands dwell happily and secure. Secure because each of us, in his own way, knows a greater power who is love, who is just, and who can be trusted. Nor can men and women of AA ever forget that only through suffering did they find enough humility to enter the portals... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1115377 Tue, 25 Dec 2007 06:10:52 +0100 1115377 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1096721&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F200760315%2F This is from yesterday’s Daily Reflection… “Never talk down to an alcoholic from any moral or spiritual hilltop; simply lay out the kit of spiritual tools for his inspection. Show him how they worked with you.” I was taught never to look down on another alcoholic unless I was willing to pick them up. After all, how did I feel (still do feel) when someone spoke down their nose at me? Degraded, humiliated, diminished, usually followed directly by anger - how dare they speak that way to me! “I must examine myself whenever I meet a newcomer to make sure that I am carrying the message with simplicity, humilty, and generosity. The one who still suffers from the terrible disease of alcoholism must find in me a friend who will allow him to get to know the A.A. way, be... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1096721 Sat, 15 Dec 2007 13:15:13 +0100 1096721 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1048000&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F189807296%2F Yes, I am grateful. My personal world is filled with wonder and joy. I’ve never had it so good! I see many of you who post gratitude lists often, some every day, and I have yet to do that. I ought to be able to post one a mile long for all the good my God has given me. And that would be the very first thing I am grateful for - that the way I “see” God has changed so dramatically. I no longer blame him for all the bad stuff in my life. I am faithful that He/She loves me beyond anything I can truly imagine else I’d not be sober. Today and yesterday I had a roof over my head and slept in a bed. I got to take a shower and eat. There have been times when I didn’t eat, there have been times when I came within hours of sleeping in the woods or the hotel Chevy and did... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1048000 Sat, 24 Nov 2007 13:45:48 +0100 1048000 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1034885&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F186726984%2F A good friend Dick C. tells us he is allergic to alcohol and whenever he consumed it he broke out in spots… like Phoenix, Los Angeles, Paris, you get the idea! How many of us enjoy telling others that consuming alcohol caused them to break out in handcuffs? I bet we have thousands of similar sayings. From Dr. Silkworth; Alcoholism as a Manifestation of Allergy “Alcoholism is considered by many physicians a chronic condition that gradually unfolds itself to a dismal end. They feel that it is a state of mind and advise these patients that it is up to them to discontinue their accustomed drug, which it is assumed they can do by merely making up their minds to do so. Proper attention is not given to the psychological problem as well as the physical condition of these people.”... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1034885 Sun, 18 Nov 2007 16:15:16 +0100 1034885 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1021351&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F183686456%2F I’m Not Here Tonight To Help You! My best friend, who has a deep passion for recovery, went to his treatment facility commitment this past week and heard these words spew from the “chairperson’s” mouth. Lonnie raised his a** up off his chair, felt tempted to spew back, didn’t, then found something else to do elsewhere in the world away from this extreme self-centeredness. I imagine the tone had been set earlier as the “meeting” had been re-designated another type of recovery meeting rather than an AA meeting by a small number of AA “members” who apparently decided to take ownership of this meeting. Because the treatment committee had attempted to help their group out by spreading the commitment amongst other groups, placing it on the tr... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1021351 Mon, 12 Nov 2007 18:25:42 +0100 1021351 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1019424&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F183322522%2F I’ll ask you a question - when you make a mistake, what is your first thought? You hit your thumb with a hammer, what do you say in anger and to whom? You say something that sounded right at the moment you said it and seconds later you find it was totally inappropriate, what do you think in anger and about whom? Have you ever looked in the mirror and told yourself “I Hate You!” How often do you give this consideration - “Why Me God? What the he** is wrong with me? Why do I have to live like this?” I’d suggest, for those who might still be drinking, that you afford yourself the opportunity to stop drinking and see if your thinking about this changes. I can’t promise you anything though because I still have this thinking although it has lessened thro... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1019424 Mon, 12 Nov 2007 01:02:28 +0100 1019424 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=977404&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F174839362%2F And I’m not immune to sadness these days thanks to Alcoholics Anonymous and the Twelve Steps. It was a “simple” lesson 13 years ago when our divorce was finalized. I had to learn how to mourn the loss, without alcohol. I have no idea how Barbara got through it even though a couple of years later I was told by my youngest son he had caught his mother drinking alone with an attitude. I was able to muddle through with the help of many true friends including a wonderful sponsor. 3 and 11. This time is only slightly different. There is a forty five year history amongst this wreckage, during most of which no communication or contact had occurred. We had been separated by others’ efforts many years prior to finding each other again. A dream come true, an absolute miracle.... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=977404 Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:07:28 +0100 977404 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=945473&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F168916858%2F I swear! I heard it at a meeting! Out of the mouth of - - a teenager! No, not a young person, someone with 17 years “sober.” “I do the first three steps every day. The other nine? Well, they’ve become, well, they’ve almost become optional.” Damnation! There was a brand spanking new newcomer sitting there in his very first meeting! How the he** can people say such things??? If you’re a newcomer to recovery, please, please get a sponsor! Of course, there are other things that are optional also, like eating and breathing and water. Cut out any of these and you’ll get exactly what believing the “other nine are optional” will get you - dead! Oy Vey! Come on folks, those of you who’ve been here for a while. Put an end to your pers... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=945473 Fri, 12 Oct 2007 12:45:20 +0100 945473 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=892424&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F159721768%2F Bill Wilson wrote for “The Language of the Heart” in April, 1947; “The club idea has become part of AA life. Scores of these hospitable havens can report years of useful service; new ones are being started monthly.” We have our own AA clubhouse in Savannah, Ga. at 1501 Eisenhower Dr. Come visit us! “Were a vote taken tomorrow on the desirability of clubs, a sizable majority of AAs would record a resounding ‘yes.’ There would be thousands who would testify that they might have had a harder time staying sober in their first months of AA without clubs and that, in any case, they would always wish the easy contacts and warm friendships which clubs afford.” It would be my personal opinion and experience that the exact same is true for my first hom... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=892424 Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:08:55 +0100 892424 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=836468&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F150943658%2F Immediately I’m in trouble, lol. You see, left alone, with myself, by myself, there is a fool talking to an idiot about an a**hole. I debate with myself. I come up with some pretty inane stuff left to my own devices. There is a strange “twist” in my mind called alcoholism which leads me to believe all sorts of insanity. For example - one drink of Wild Turkey 101 will solve my problems. Then, I take a drink, the drink takes a drink and finally, the drink takes the man. Quite possibly others also. You know what I mean. So how do I process a question like Alicia’s? “If a person has no self-will - or at least, appears to have no self-will - is there anything anyone can do to help that person develop self-will?” I wonder. I wonder because this is a case of &#... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=836468 Sat, 01 Sep 2007 14:42:30 +0100 836468 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=831045&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F149892570%2F This one has been kicked around and around and around… what does a group do if a real “live” drunk shows up at a meeting? Let’s Ask Bill W.! Bill said; “Groups will usually run amuck on that sort of question. At first we are likely to say that we are going to be supermen and save every drunk in town. The fact is that a great many of them just don’t want to stop. They come, but they interfere very greatly with the meeting. Then, being still rather intolerant, the group will swing way over in the other direction and say, “No drunks around these meetings.” We get forcible and put them out of the meeting, saying, “You’re welcome here if your sober.” But the general rule in most places is that if a person comes for the first or s... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=831045 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 01:58:47 +0100 831045 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=825533&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F149180905%2F Early A.A. in Akron, Ohio had developed their own manual with which to help prospective new members. I think we’ve all seen these but I didn’t know their origin - now I do and so might you… Once again, thanks to Glenn C. at AA History Lovers at Yahoo! **************************************** THE PROSPECTIVE MEMBER of A.A. may have some doubts if he is actually an alcoholic. A.A. in Akron has found a yardstick prepared by psychiatrists of Johns Hopkins University to be very valuable in helping the decide for himself. Have your prospect answer the following questions, being as honest as possible with himself in deciding the answers. If he answers Yes to one of the questions, there is a definite warning that he MAY be an alcoholic. If he answers YES to any two, the chances ... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=825533 Tue, 28 Aug 2007 11:25:39 +0100 825533 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=828105&cid=t_406687_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2007%2F08%2Fphillip-atkinson-of-family-security.html Digby, : Annotated Cliff Schector apparently broke this into the blogsphere after hearing about it on Thom Hartmann's show. I heard about this on, where else, the Thom Hartmann show. He discussed Democratic Underground's look at Family Security Matters. This bunch of sickos (apologies to Michael Moore) advocates that Bush should be our permanent president and that there should be no more democracy. Democracy is bad. Kings are good. Who's on their advisory board? Reagan era remnants abound. Here are some names that Hartmann tossed out: Barbara Comstock, Laura Ingraham, Frank Gaffney, James Woolsey, and...drum roll...Dick Cheney. Oh, and by the way, it's the same Gaffney who goes on CNN with talk of aggression against Iran. That Frank Gaffney. - post by graphictruth This is part of the ... Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=828105 Tue, 28 Aug 2007 04:00:00 +0100 828105 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=825534&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F149021555%2F What they’re like and the fact that everyone has one. Each of us is allowed to have them - it’s the way we’re all made. If/when I feel I’d like to disagree, I am able to and right now, I will… Sorry Jason, with all due respect to your length of sober time I think your stance on an AA meeting becoming something other than an AA meeting at the moment something pre-determined not to be “conference approved” literature by human beings is read, is far from the soundness of mind I offer my gratitude to my God for. If everyone got up and left the rooms of an AA meeting each time something other than “approved” actions occurred, none of us would ever make it to the “Our Father.” I’ll also repeat my original personal feelings a... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=825534 Tue, 28 Aug 2007 01:31:42 +0100 825534 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=825538&cid=t_406687_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F147491689%2F Thanks Namenlosen - I love the words especially “quibbling.” Soooo - “Real” Alcoholic? What is a “Real” Alcoholic? I am a Real Alcoholic. Why? Because I say so, not because Danny S. says so, because I say so. There is a reason I say so. That reason is because experienced people in Alcoholics Anonymous were able to bring it to my attention with sufficient force that I learned it was true! It? What is “It?” “It” is the fact that I can’t stop drinking once I start. Very simple. Along the lines of the discussion though, I have had the experience of seeing and knowing policemen who have “infiltrated” the rooms of AA with specific purposes other than recovery from alcoholism - who were not alcoholics at all. They were ... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=825538 Thu, 23 Aug 2007 22:57:08 +0100 825538