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 'addictive thinking'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:49:57 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4631653&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatwinnersdo.com%2Faccept-the-things-i-cannot-change%2F I was thinking about the part of the serenity prayer that says "grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change". Now, I'm not going to try and fool you into thinking that I go to NA/AA meetings all the time by talking the talk. But, I do want to point out that there are a lot of things that I took away from my time in NA/AA that I find useful in my everyday life. One of the things that I feel that I've struggled with has been the whole accepting the things I cannot change. Rationally I know the importance of this acceptance but I have struggled to take that rational thought and put it to use in my life. That was until I heard myself telling my son "you do what you can, the very best that you can, and that is all you can do". Boom! How simple. But could it truly be that simple t... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4631653 Sat, 29 May 2010 01:42:56 +0100 4631653 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3552564&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatwinnersdo.com%2Faddictive-thinking-people-watching-is-your-mind-projecting%2F Have you ever caught yourself judging people that you are seeing for the first time, say in a crowd. While you are people watching you are actually projecting yourself, good or bad, onto others. When you have doubts about yourself or things that you don't like about yourself...you see the same in others. This is because the doubts in yourself are actually based upon guilt and projection is a way for your ego to cast your guilt onto others. Let me first start out by giving you my meaning of people watching. I'm not talking about the kind of people watching where you sit and take in the goodness of everyone and admire the way people are dressed, things like that. I'm talking about people watching where you rip people to shreds mentally (or out loud depending on present company). Where you ju... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3552564 Sun, 09 May 2010 19:53:43 +0100 3552564 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3472052&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FApw2DczIfiQ%2F Addictive Thinking, 2nd Edition Addictive thought is inherently self-deceptive, yet offers a superficial logic that can be misleading to the addict as well as to the addict’s family members. Abnormal thinking in addiction was originally recognized by members of Alcoholics Anonymous, who coined the term “stinking thinking.” Addictive thinking often appears rational, but only on a superficial level. Addicts, as well as their family members, are easily seduced by the attendant–and erroneous–reasoning process it can foster. In Addictive Thinking, author Abraham Twerski reveals how self-deceptive thought can undermine self-esteem and threaten the sobriety of a recovering individual. This timely revision of the original classic includes updated information and resea... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3472052 Wed, 14 Apr 2010 04:01:09 +0100 3472052 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3454210&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2FCNolYGH4Ywo%2F Since I am trying to get used to being a more open and honest person I decided to join a few online groups. I have been making posts and replying to other peoples posts. What I am finding kind of shocking is the amount of people out there who are staying clean by white knuckling it. If I left it up to my willpower alone I don't think that I would be very successful in my recovery from addiction. One of the hardest things to do is change your behaviors and your way of thinking but it is also the most important. Addictive thinking doesn't just go away because you stop using a drug. I can tell you that first hand. I have talked to a lot of people who had tried recovery on their own, with no support...it didn't work. It may have seemed like it was working for a while but then inevitably they ... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3454210 Fri, 09 Apr 2010 09:57:18 +0100 3454210 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3404158&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatwinnersdo.com%2Fwere-only-as-sick-as-our-secrets%2F We've all heard this saying in addiction recovery that we're only as sick as our secrets. This is something that I think holds 100% truth. I had explained a couple of weeks ago that my sibling that was in recovery was now in active addiction again. He has now once again broke the news to my parents that he is in fact back on drugs and that all of the money that they put up for him to get off drugs the last time has essentially been for nothing. What I've learned about my family during the last few days is that they try to keep so many secrets. It's exhausting trying to keep up with who knows what and who should be kept in the dark. And then it hit me... we're only as sick as our secrets. I pretty much put my foot down this time telling my family that we aren't going to play this secret gam... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3404158 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 02:58:10 +0100 3404158 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3314802&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatwinnersdo.com%2Floneliness-in-addiction-recovery%2F Think about all of the isolating that we did in active addiction. Is it any wonder that a lot of us experience a sense of loneliness in addiction recovery? Because in addiction you have distanced yourself from a lot of the positive people in your life and have instead chosen to surround yourself with people who have the same addictive qualities as yourself, once you enter into recovery and have cut ties with the "wrong type of people" you may be left with the feeling of loneliness. In my own life, I didn't really hang out with anyone that I used drugs with. I was very successful in my isolating. When the time came when I was clean there wasn't that much change in the number of people I was around (0), just a change in how it affected me. When I was using drugs I didn't mind being by myself... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3314802 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:03:57 +0100 3314802 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3201913&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F14-qHo9ijBg%2F I think it's important to keep focus in addiction recovery. Focus on the big picture. I think that problem solving in addiction recovery is a huge part of keeping that focus. I find it very easy to lose myself in the details. I can tend to ignore some of the lessons that were so hard learned in my early recovery. There are a few key areas that I have lost focus on lately. With the help of my problem solving skills I am hoping to regain my focus. Allowing myself to be preoccupied with past thoughts is a big one. Policing my own thoughts is the first step in turning my thinking into positive thinking. Dwelling on past situations that went awry... that isn't doing anyone any good. So why do I go there? Not real sure of the answer to that but I can tell you that I am regaining focus on this is... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3201913 Sun, 24 Jan 2010 04:35:41 +0100 3201913 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3123526&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F4T-NT2p-ZRQ%2F You are driving in your car and for some reason in your mind you are going over something that happened in the past. You are thinking about what you could have said, should have done, would now do differently. Why are we preoccupied with past thoughts? I talk a lot now about how I want to live in the day. "One day at a time", "Twenty-four hours a day". But it dawned on me that I spend an awful lot of time going over past experiences in my mind. It would be one thing if I was thinking of fond memories or something like that but it is usually more along the lines of an altercation with someone or some sort of confrontation. I waste time thinking about all the should of, could of, would of's. It's so ridiculous. What I really need to concentrate on is getting on with life. I have been trying... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3123526 Fri, 25 Dec 2009 17:54:42 +0100 3123526 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3115299&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2FT9v65MFy2sI%2F I'm sitting here thinking: what happened to the girl that would sit in a room full of strangers and talk about her problems and inner thoughts? Even as uncomfortable as it would feel sometimes, I would be completely honest about what was going on inside of me with strangers. So why am I finding it harder and harder to talk to anyone these days? Hmmmmm. Secrets, secrets, secrets... they do a number on you. Not too long ago I wrote a post about how we are only as sick as our secrets. In that post I talked about how f.ed up my family was with all their secrets and how I wasn't going along with that anymore. So what happened? For me it started with that familiar voice inside my head that says "you know, I'm just not going to deal with this right now". Like anything is ever that easy right? So... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3115299 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:02:45 +0100 3115299 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3101068&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2Fwwa5BqlsQqI%2F You know the saying "Don't judge your insides based on someone else's outside"? Basically meaning don't get down on yourself because you don't measure up to what you PERCEIVE someone else's life to be based on appearances. Why do I find myself doing that? Logically I know that "you can't judge a book by the cover" (I guess I'm trying to see just how many stupid sayings I can fit into this post) but sometimes I find myself reading a fellow addicts blog entries and wondering why I'm not as put together as them or why they seem to be adjusting more easily to their recovery. I have never been the type that tries to "keep up with the Joneses" (the spelling of that doesn't look right but you know what I mean) when it comes to my possessions or my lifestyle. I know for a fact that things are no... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3101068 Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:25:41 +0100 3101068 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3079593&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F5J8nEcv__0Y%2F In Addiction Recovery we must learn to get rid of the addictive thinking which tells us that instant gratification is the only kind of gratification we want or need. Have you ever heard of the saying "Time takes time"? In this world we are so used to expecting everything RIGHT NOW that anything else seems unacceptable. This is where addicts can run into problems. We want to feel good now. If that isn't occurring by itself then we would usually take some sort of mood altering substance to guarantee instant results. My need for instant gratification was just as strong as any other addicts. The best example I can give of this is when I have cravings to use. I start to feel completely uncomfortable and the urge seems overwhelming...until it passes. When I was actively addicted to Oxycontin I... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3079593 Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:29:13 +0100 3079593 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3033774&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2FPPikHBt23t8%2F If you are familiar with addiction recovery, you know that living life one day at a time is a major part of a successful recovery. I'm here to say that in order to be happy, healthy, and have a little peace of mind in life you need to not only live one day at a time...you need to begin being present. Learn to stay in the moment. When was the last time that you sat down to eat a meal and actually concentrated on the act of eating? Usually we are doing other things besides just eating that take our minds miles away from what we are actually doing. We're not staying in the moment...we're somewhere else. How many times have you sat down to read something just to realize that you haven't actually been absorbing the last few paragraphs that you just read because you were preoccupied with past th... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3033774 Fri, 27 Nov 2009 08:40:44 +0100 3033774 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3030097&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatwinnersdo.com%2Fhow-watching-tv-taught-me-to-delay-instant-gratification%2F This is going to sound bizarre but I realized that watching TV has taught me how to delay instant gratification. In a world where everything is available NOW, it's no wonder that we grow to expect things right now. That includes our gratification. What I realized this morning while I was thinking about my absolute most favorite show of all time, Lost, is that even the way I watch TV has changed since entering addiction recovery. So let me tell you how TV has taught me to delay instant gratification. Like I said, Lost is my favorite show. There are a lot of shocks and surprised on the show and it always leaves you wanting more. That's why when I was in active addiction and was in my full blown addictive thinking mode I wouldn't watch Lost on TV because I couldn't stand having to wait a whol... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3030097 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:24:14 +0100 3030097 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3030098&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatwinnersdo.com%2Favoidance-behavior-awareness%2F In active addiction, part of my avoidance tactics included taking something like a small nagging headache and turning it into a reason to miss work, lay in bed all day and pretty much take a vacation from life. Since those minor aches and pains show up more and more in active addiction...I spent a lot of time "sick". The tendency to either fake or exaggerate illness as an avoidance tactic did not go away just because I stopped taking drugs. It seemed that anytime I had an extremely full day or I wasn't in that great of a mood, my brain would want me to pretend that I was sick as a way of getting out of life. It took a lot of hard work but I can say that since entering into addiction recovery I have not given into these impulses and have not once been "sick" for the sake of laying low. I fe... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3030098 Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:00:10 +0100 3030098 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3030100&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatwinnersdo.com%2Fin-addiction-recovery-what-do-the-winners-do%2F Do you consider yourself one of the winners? I received this question via email from someone that is just entering into addiction recovery. This person is seeking the experience from others as an aid to their own recovery. Going by the name of my site, What Winners Do, one might get the impression that I am someone with answers...I'm not. I don't think there are too many answers in addiction recovery, mainly there are questions. In addiction recovery there are certain things that would define What Winners Do: Keep sobriety their top priority Constantly work on their recovery Stay honest with themselves The reason why that list is not more specific is because there are no rules to addiction recovery. What is right for one person may be very wrong for another. But as long as your recovery... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3030100 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:17:31 +0100 3030100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3030101&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatwinnersdo.com%2Fshared-experiences-in-addiction-recovery%2F You know how you file each blog post under a category? Well I was going to post something and thought that I would make a category named "personal". Ooh, a personal category. That's where I could put all the stories about my life. Wait a minute...isn't this whole site about my life? It's personal really. Wouldn't I therefore have to put everything I wrote under personal? I guess I'll skip that category. But this did bring up a nice reminder that I would like to share with you. Everything that I'm writing about on this site really is my life. I'm no fortune teller...we're just all in the same boat. When you are seeing a post talking about how to make yourself feel better...that's because I have been in the situation where I needed to learn how to make myself feel better. I write about it as... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3030101 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:44:40 +0100 3030101 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3030102&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatwinnersdo.com%2Finstant-gratification-is-a-huge-part-of-addiction%2F Our world today is based upon instant gratification. Taking into consideration all of the technology that allows us to get what we want right when we want it, it's really no wonder that we are trying to apply that standard to our emotional state. Think of all the ways that people use drugs or alcohol pertaining to instant gratification. If you are having a stressful day...pop a pill and feel de-stressed. If you are feeling a little social anxiety or lack of confidence in a situation...have a few drinks and get some liquid courage. By feeding these types of emotional needs with drugs or alcohol we are in a way giving ourselves a quick fix - instant gratification. We are not working on the actual problems but finding an easy way out of them. But since instant gratification in all other area... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3030102 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:40:05 +0100 3030102 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2981369&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2FztZimfelaGA%2F Have you ever caught yourself judging people that you are seeing for the first time, say in a crowd. While you are people watching you are actually projecting yourself, good or bad, onto others. When you have doubts about yourself or things that you don't like about yourself...you see the same in others. This is because the doubts in yourself are actually based upon guilt and projection is a way for your ego to cast your guilt onto others. Let me first start out by giving you my meaning of people watching. I'm not talking about the kind of people watching where you sit and take in the goodness of everyone and admire the way people are dressed, things like that. I'm talking about people watching where you rip people to shreds mentally (or out loud depending on present company). Where you ju... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2981369 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:36:44 +0100 2981369 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2947144&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2FE5fFIDEuiNo%2F The post I recently did about learning to accept the things I cannot change got me thinking about a negative behavior that I was riddled with in active addiction...not facing problems head on. The behavior of avoiding problematic situations is something that is very common with addicts. See, the key to successfully living in denial about all of your problems is to numb yourself into oblivion until you don't think about them anymore. Simple right? So what happens when you are no longer numbing away your problems with drugs or alcohol? Well, unless you want to continue living a miserable life that is completely based on denial and a disconnection from your soul you need to master the art of facing problems head on in recovery. Now when I tell you that I never faced problems head on I really ... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2947144 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:49:07 +0100 2947144 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2939566&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F-YYyJG15s4I%2F When you think of addiction recovery you usually don't associate this with baseball BUT after reading the following quote I think you will agree that in our addiction recovery and in our spiritual lives we should be striving to be more like the game of baseball. "Baseball teaches us, or has taught most of us, how to deal with failure. We learn at a very young age that failure is the norm in baseball and, precisely because we have failed, we hold in high regard those who fail less often - those who hit safely in one out of three chances and become star players. I also find it fascinating that baseball, alone in sport, considers errors to be part of the game, part of it's rigorous truth." -Francis T. Vincent, Jr., Commissioner of Baseball It is very easy in life to lose perspective and think... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2939566 Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:10:26 +0100 2939566 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2908897&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2FeIL8lsEknfQ%2F I kind of touched on this subject before but I have realized that since being in addiction recovery, the way that I deal with aches and pains has really changed...for the better. I was woken up very early this morning from muscle pain in my neck. I don't know if I slept wrong or what but I felt like I had a muscle spasm in my neck. What was my first thought...what drugs can I take to make this go away? See it used to be that whenever I would have a muscle spasm (I seem to get a lot of them in my back) I would immediately call my doctor and get a prescription for muscle relaxers...and anything else my doctor would allow me to have. I would then take muscle relaxers non stop for a couple of days, drifting in and out of consciousness until the pain was completely gone. Take motrin? Ah...he... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2908897 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:28:56 +0100 2908897 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2890948&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2FAmK1i2v0j2g%2F It's been just about two years clean for me and still I struggle with feelings and emotions. I often wonder what I'm doing wrong. Why do feelings still bother me so much? Why do I tend to keep things in even though I KNOW that it's harmful to me? What the f. am I so afraid of? I think there was a time early on in my recovery when I just let everything fly. If I was feeling something I acknowledged it, found some way of getting it out... and I moved on. What happened? Something must have happened along the way to get me back into the mindset that I need to be keeping my feelings and emotions inside and not letting anyone know I'm bothered. I didn't see this happening. A big party of my early recovery was this blog. Looking back at my older posts I can actually see my ups and downs right th... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2890948 Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:26:27 +0100 2890948 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2883217&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2FS-2jKcA37CI%2F Ultimately in order for someone to have success in addiction recovery they need to have a sense of accountability towards themselves. With that said, it's also beneficial to feel accountability towards someone/something outside of yourself. In very early recovery just being accountable to ourselves doesn't always work out very well. We are usually still plagued with addictive thinking. That is why learning self accountability through being held accountable to sources outside of ourself is so important in addiction recovery. My personal experience with learning accountability in early recovery came when I was in an outpatient drug rehabilitation program. In this program I met with the same group of people for 2 weeks. During that 2 weeks we were informed that we were going to be given a sch... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2883217 Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:20:14 +0100 2883217 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2842808&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatwinnersdo.com%2Faddictive-thinking-the-normals-the-idiots-and-the-addicts%2F I was taking a look online for some addiction related videos and found a series of addiction related videos of Dr. Robert Lefever. In this series he tackles a lot of the main topics of addiction and addiction recovery in a way that can make sense to anyone. One of the videos that I found interesting is called Recovery 7: What Makes An Addict. Here he explains the difference between these people...are you normal, an idiot, or an addict? Surprise, surprise...I fall into the addict category. Dr. Robert Lefever explains that people can be separated into the three groups of: "normal" (he understands there is no normal, and actually thinks of these people as abnormal), idiots and addicts by one factor...WHY do they drink, drug, shop, eat, gamble...etc. He talks about the fact that addicts "use"... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2842808 Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:55:18 +0100 2842808 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2842810&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatwinnersdo.com%2Fprocrastinating-out-of-fear%2F I procrastinate. There, I figured I would go ahead and say that right away before I put it off. Procrastination is a character flaw that I share with many other recovering addicts. Why do we procrastinate? Well it's certainly not because it feels good. Procrastinating makes me feel like I always have some unfinished business looming over my head. I usually procrastinate out of some sort of fear. It may not always seem like that on the surface but when I'm honest with myself about why I didn't do something I should have, it is usually because of fear. When you do something over and over regardless of the repercussions it definitely fits into addictive thinking. Where has my fear and procrastination gotten me this time? The dentist chair. I had been putting off going to the dentist for a re... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2842810 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:27:38 +0100 2842810 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2790412&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2FrwBgkizD23c%2F Over the past couple of months I have been posting some articles dealing with my own experience of weening of Cymbalta and what Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms I have had. This will be the last Cymbalta related post...I swear. I can say that this will be the last article with certainty because my Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms have finally ceased. Wow...that really sucked. The first post that I had made about experiencing Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms was on June 27th, I had stopped the Cymbalta all together a few days prior to my post. It seems like it was much longer ago to me. I think what got me through this weening off of Cymbalta successfully (by successfully I mean not using this as an excuse to abuse drugs) was the fact that I was very open and honest with my family about what I was goi... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2790412 Sun, 13 Sep 2009 09:52:12 +0100 2790412 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2774919&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2FW8i1AmCqxVU%2F I have talked about addictive thinking in the past and surprise, surprise... here I go again. The reason for me bringing up addictive thinking so often? The reason is that I still see that old addictive thinking trying to creep it's way back in from time to time. So if addictive thinking never goes away... what's the point of all this? Well, even though it hasn't entirely disappeared from my brain, I am getting pretty good at identifying addictive thinking. Over the years I have developed some pretty bad behaviors that went unchecked for a long time due to my constant drug use. There were things like never completing anything, missing school/work for no reason other than I didn't want to go, and the biggest of them all... rationalizing all of my bad behavior so that it didn't seem so bad... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2774919 Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:54:00 +0100 2774919 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2770245&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2FKkS28HvPzdU%2F I don't think I'm wrong in saying that a good number of addicts and alcoholics, whether active or not, have a teeny weeny problem with change. It could be we lack the skills necessary to just roll with things, it could be that the way that we have dealt with change, good or bad, in the past has involved drugs or alcohol or it could just be that anything outside of our normal routine scares the poo out of us. If there is one thing you need to accept in life, it's change. No situation lasts forever in life and that is why there is such a huge importance to be open to change. Right now things are changing for me, as they are for you. I have a new career that I'm starting. I have a child that is entering school and taking the big boy bus. My husband has given his 2 weeks notice and is starting... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2770245 Sun, 06 Sep 2009 06:59:36 +0100 2770245 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2766316&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F3k-vu5MeTj0%2F I abused over the counter drugs for many years. I used situations where I was "sick" to sleep days at a time away with the help of OTC drugs like NyQuil. Since I am no longer practicing this destructive behavior the question is now presented to me: I have a cold, what do I do? It seems like such an asinine question. What do you mean what do you do? You ride it out just like the rest of the world. Why is that such a foreign concept to me? Why have I always felt the need to medicate myself to such a degree that I would sleep whole days away? Because I'm a drug addict. In the days of active addiction I would use any excuse at all to medicate myself to the point of oblivion. I would actually be happy when I got a cold or something because it would give me a valid reason to take enough drugs t... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2766316 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:59:42 +0100 2766316 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2768835&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatwinnersdo.com%2Fdealing-with-negative-feelings-in-addiction-recovery%2F So, you know THOSE type of days. Everything that could go wrong does go wrong down to the tiny things like driving away from the drive through to realize that they gave you a flavored iced coffee instead of the coffee flavored iced coffee that you wanted and needed...desperately. So on a day when all those little things combined with a few big things start to pile up, how do you get through? That is, how do you get through with out the old standby solution of smoking or drinking or snorting your troubles away...for a little while.A while ago I had written about the lingering consequences of addiction that can show up in our recovery.  My particular lingering consequence has to do with me going to court because of some money that I owe. Not an outrageous amount but an amount big enough tha... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2768835 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 04:19:06 +0100 2768835 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2674499&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=36896&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSuboxoneTalkZone%2F%7E3%2FMUqkdXfkywc%2F Dear Dr. Junig, our websites and commentary are inspiring. I have never before seen such a clear articulation of what addiction is like and what it is like for an addict as a member of society.  I too am an addict, but I have not admitted it before now. This will be my first step. I have been using various opiates–ranging from hydromorphone to tramadol and hydrocodone for the past 2 years.  My current dose is moderate, around 40-60mg of hydrocodone per day.  I’m sure it has affected my life in numerous destructive ways, but at the same time I feel that it has given me hope.  As a lifelong sufferer of anxiety and depression I have always looked for solace, and found it in books, art, music etc. But as I got older I got into drugs, in my case a path leading straight to opiate... Suboxone Talk Zone blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2674499 Thu, 06 Aug 2009 04:17:05 +0100 2674499 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2408715&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatwinnersdo.com%2Fwhat-a-cliche-lonely-on-valentines-day%2F Separated from my husband and without my kid on the weekends can leave me with a lot of down time. I try and fill that time with something constructive like working. But this weekend I find myself with nothing but time. Throw in the fact that yesterday was Valentine’s Day and that everyone I usually hang with has someone that they wanted to spend that Valentine’s Day with… I was feeling a little lonely. Well if you’re feeling lonely you reach out to people right? Try to make connections? Well, I still have that little voice inside of me that tells me to do exactly the opposite. Hide, don’t let anyone know how you’re feeling, suck it up. Why do I do that? Normally I can see that little voice for what it is and pretty much do the opposite of what it’... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2408715 Sun, 15 Feb 2009 16:21:07 +0100 2408715 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2674504&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatwinnersdo.com%2Ftrying-to-remember-i-have-human-imperfection%2F Sometimes in life we don’t handle situations in the best way possible. Sure, we may work on handling things as they come but that doesn’t ensure that how we handle things is always going to be the right way. I have made a particularly big mess of things in my life lately. While I think it’s important for people to practice taking responsibility for their choices, as difficult as that may be, I think it is also very important to remember that none of us are perfect and if in hind site you see that you haven’t handled a situation in the best possible way… you need to be forgiving with yourself. I’m feeling guilt over how a situation worked out in my life and I’m really trying to deal with that guilt before it turns into shame. We all know that shame... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2674504 Sat, 17 Jan 2009 17:52:13 +0100 2674504 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2096057&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F509198430%2F I have a tendency to want tell people what they want to hear. Not only will I just tell someone what they want to hear but I’ll go so far as to cover up my true feelings in order to feel the way someone else wants me to feel. What the hell is that? I don’t know when I started doing this or why I started doing this but I do know that I’m going to STOP doing this. It’s making me pretty miserable. And for what? Why would I choose to do this to myself? I have no answer to that. I think a lot of people try to keep things on an even keel in their life. That could be where this whole thing originated in myself. I felt like I had f.ed up so many things for so many people for so long that I just try to make everyone happy now. It’s sounds pretty ridiculous when I see i... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2096057 Sun, 11 Jan 2009 22:35:39 +0100 2096057 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2084143&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F504786419%2F It’s been just about two years clean for me and still I struggle with feelings and emotions. I often wonder what I’m doing wrong. Why do feelings still bother me so much? Why do I tend to keep things in even though I KNOW that it’s harmful to me? What the f. am I so afraid of? I think there was a time early on in my recovery when I just let everything fly. If I was feeling something I acknowledged it, found some way of getting it out… and I moved on. What happened? Something must have happened along the way to get me back into the mindset that I need to be keeping my feelings and emotions inside and not letting anyone know I’m bothered. I didn’t see this happening. A big party of my early recovery was this blog. Looking back at my older posts I can actu... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2084143 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:55:55 +0100 2084143 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2078813&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F502547587%2F I’m sitting here thinking: what happened to the girl that would sit in a room full of strangers and talk about her problems and inner thoughts? Even as uncomfortable as it would feel sometimes, I would be completely honest about what was going on inside of me with strangers. So why am I finding it harder and harder to talk to anyone these days? Hmmmmm. Secrets, secrets, secrets… they do a number on you. Not too long ago I wrote a post about how we are only as sick as our secrets. In that post I talked about how f.ed up my family was with all their secrets and how I wasn’t going along with that anymore. So what happened? For me it started with that familiar voice inside my head that says “you know, I’m just not going to deal with this right now”. Like an... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2078813 Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:33:21 +0100 2078813 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1939303&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F444324924%2F We’ve all heard this saying in addiction recovery that we’re only as sick as our secrets. This is something that I think holds 100% truth. I had explained a couple of weeks ago that my sibling that was in recovery was now in active addiction again. He has now once again broke the news to my parents that he is in fact back on drugs and that all of the money that they put up for him to get off drugs the last time has essentially been for nothing. What I’ve learned about my family during the last few days is that they try to keep so many secrets. It’s exhausting trying to keep up with who knows what and who should be kept in the dark. And then it hit me… we’re only as sick as our secrets. I pretty much put my foot down this time telling my family that we ar... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1939303 Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:44:35 +0100 1939303 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1939304&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F435850033%2F I think it’s important to keep focus in addiction recovery. Focus on the big picture. I think that problem solving in addiction recovery is a huge part of keeping that focus. I find it very easy to lose myself in the details. I can tend to ignore some of the lessons that were so hard learned in my early recovery. There are a few key areas that I have lost focus on lately. With the help of my problem solving skills I am hoping to regain my focus. Allowing myself to be preoccupied with past thoughts is a big one. Policing my own thoughts is the first step in turning my thinking into positive thinking. Dwelling on past situations that went awry… that isn’t doing anyone any good. So why do I go there? Not real sure of the answer to that but I can tell you that I am regaining ... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1939304 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:57:26 +0100 1939304 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1806393&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F395275054%2F I have talked about addictive thinking in the past and surprise, surprise… here I go again. The reason for me bringing up addictive thinking so often? The reason is that I still see that old addictive thinking trying to creep it’s way back in from time to time. So if addictive thinking never goes away… what’s the point of all this? Well, even though it hasn’t entirely disappeared from my brain, I am getting pretty good at identifying addictive thinking. Over the years I have developed some pretty bad behaviors that went unchecked for a long time due to my constant drug use. There were things like never completing anything, missing school/work for no reason other than I didn’t want to go, and the biggest of them all… rationalizing all of my bad be... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1806393 Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:25:55 +0100 1806393 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1779397&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F386603764%2F I don’t think I’m wrong in saying that a good number of addicts and alcoholics, whether active or not, have a teeny weeny problem with change. It could be we lack the skills necessary to just roll with things, it could be that the way that we have dealt with change, good or bad, in the past has involved drugs or alcohol or it could just be that anything outside of our normal routine scares the poo out of us. If there is one thing you need to accept in life, it’s change. No situation lasts forever in life and that is why there is such a huge importance to be open to change. Right now things are changing for me, as they are for you. I have a new career that I’m starting. I have a child that is entering school and taking the big boy bus. My husband has given his 2 week... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1779397 Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:48:26 +0100 1779397 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1446277&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F291689571%2F This is going to sound bizarre but I realized that watching TV has taught me how to delay instant gratification. In a world where everything is available NOW, it’s no wonder that we grow to expect things right now. That includes our gratification. What I realized this morning while I was thinking about my absolute most favorite show of all time, Lost, is that even the way I watch TV has changed since entering addiction recovery. So let me tell you how TV has taught me to delay instant gratification. Like I said, Lost is my favorite show. There are a lot of shocks and surprised on the show and it always leaves you wanting more. That’s why when I was in active addiction and was in my full blown addictive thinking mode I wouldn’t watch Lost on TV because I couldn’t sta... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1446277 Fri, 16 May 2008 15:04:43 +0100 1446277 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1382465&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F272946479%2F If you are familiar with addiction recovery, you know that living life one day at a time is a major part of a successful recovery. I’m here to say that in order to be happy, healthy, and have a little peace of mind in life you need to not only live one day at a time…you need to begin being present. Learn to stay in the moment. When was the last time that you sat down to eat a meal and actually concentrated on the act of eating? Usually we are doing other things besides just eating that take our minds miles away from what we are actually doing. We’re not staying in the moment…we’re somewhere else. How many times have you sat down to read something just to realize that you haven’t actually been absorbing the last few paragraphs that you just read because y... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1382465 Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:17:49 +0100 1382465 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1360806&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F267218113%2F The post I recently did about learning to accept the things I cannot change got me thinking about a negative behavior that I was riddled with in active addiction…not facing problems head on. The behavior of avoiding problematic situations is something that is very common with addicts. See, the key to successfully living in denial about all of your problems is to numb yourself into oblivion until you don’t think about them anymore. Simple right? So what happens when you are no longer numbing away your problems with drugs or alcohol? Well, unless you want to continue living a miserable life that is completely based on denial and a disconnection from your soul you need to master the art of facing problems head on in recovery. (more…) Related Posts:February 19, 2008 -- Lifest... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1360806 Wed, 09 Apr 2008 19:49:37 +0100 1360806 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1346213&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F262815263%2F I was thinking about the part of the serenity prayer that says “grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change”. Now, I’m not going to try and fool you into thinking that I go to NA/AA meetings all the time by talking the talk. But, I do want to point out that there are a lot of things that I took away from my time in NA/AA that I find useful in my everyday life. One of the things that I feel that I’ve struggled with has been the whole accepting the things I cannot change. Rationally I know the importance of this acceptance but I have struggled to take that rational thought and put it to use in my life. That was until I heard myself telling my son “you do what you can, the very best that you can, and that is all you can do”. Boom! How simple.... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1346213 Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:14:03 +0100 1346213 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1305383&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F251963230%2F You know how you file each blog post under a category? Well I was going to post something and thought that I would make a category named “personal”. Ooh, a personal category. That’s where I could put all the stories about my life. Wait a minute…isn’t this whole site about my life? It’s personal really. Wouldn’t I therefore have to put everything I wrote under personal? I guess I’ll skip that category. But this did bring up a nice reminder that I would like to share with you. Everything that I’m writing about on this site really is my life. I’m no fortune teller…we’re just all in the same boat. (more…) Related Posts:Addiction Recovery: Being Reminded of How Sick We Were (8)One of THOSE Days…Getting Through T... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1305383 Sat, 15 Mar 2008 13:33:46 +0100 1305383 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1296150&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F249850544%2F So, you know THOSE type of days. Everything that could go wrong does go wrong down to the tiny things like driving away from the drive through to realize that they gave you a flavored iced coffee instead of the coffee flavored iced coffee that you wanted and needed…desperately. So on a day when all those little things combined with a few big things start to pile up, how do you get through? That is, how do you get through with out the old standby solution of smoking or drinking or snorting your troubles away…for a little while. (more…) Related Posts:How Do You Make Yourself Feel Better (7)Addiction Recovery: Sickness or Backsliding? (4)How Is Addiction Recovery Like Baseball? (2)Lifestyle Changes In Addiction Recovery: How I Went From Queen of The Jams To Suzie Homemaker (... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1296150 Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:44:02 +0100 1296150 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1269660&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F243599492%2F In active addiction, part of my avoidance tactics included taking something like a small nagging headache and turning it into a reason to miss work, lay in bed all day and pretty much take a vacation from life. Since those minor aches and pains show up more and more in active addiction…I spent a lot of time “sick”. The tendency to either fake or exaggerate illness as an avoidance tactic did not go away just because I stopped taking drugs. It seemed that anytime I had an extremely full day or I wasn’t in that great of a mood, my brain would want me to pretend that I was sick as a way of getting out of life. It took a lot of hard work but I can say that since entering into addiction recovery I have not given into these impulses and have not once been “sick&#8221... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1269660 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 23:48:09 +0100 1269660 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1250277&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F239535391%2F When you think of addiction recovery you usually don’t associate this with baseball BUT after reading the following quote I think you will agree that in our addiction recovery and in our spiritual lives we should be striving to be more like the game of baseball. “Baseball teaches us, or has taught most of us, how to deal with failure. We learn at a very young age that failure is the norm in baseball and, precisely because we have failed, we hold in high regard those who fail less often - those who hit safely in one out of three chances and become star players. I also find it fascinating that baseball, alone in sport, considers errors to be part of the game, part of it’s rigorous truth.” -Francis T. Vincent, Jr., Commissioner of Baseball It is very easy in life to lo... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1250277 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:56:50 +0100 1250277 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1148225&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F216164551%2F Think about all of the isolating that we did in active addiction. Is it any wonder that a lot of us experience a sense of loneliness in addiction recovery? Because in addiction you have distanced yourself from a lot of the positive people in your life and have instead chosen to surround yourself with people who have the same addictive qualities as yourself, once you enter into recovery and have cut ties with the “wrong type of people” you may be left with the feeling of loneliness. (more…) (Source: What Winners Do) What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1148225 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 01:12:17 +0100 1148225 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1136994&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F213270070%2F Ultimately in order for someone to have success in addiction recovery they need to have a sense of accountability towards themselves. With that said, it’s also beneficial to feel accountability towards someone/something outside of yourself. In very early recovery just being accountable to ourselves doesn’t always work out very well. We are usually still plagued with addictive thinking. That is why learning self accountability through being held accountable to sources outside of ourself is so important in addiction recovery. (more…) (Source: What Winners Do) What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1136994 Tue, 08 Jan 2008 16:35:48 +0100 1136994 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1131127&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F211175720%2F Our world today is based upon instant gratification. Taking into consideration all of the technology that allows us to get what we want right when we want it, it’s really no wonder that we are trying to apply that standard to our emotional state. Think of all the ways that people use drugs or alcohol pertaining to instant gratification. If you are having a stressful day…pop a pill and feel de-stressed. If you are feeling a little social anxiety or lack of confidence in a situation…have a few drinks and get some liquid courage. By feeding these types of emotional needs with drugs or alcohol we are in a way giving ourselves a quick fix - instant gratification. We are not working on the actual problems but finding an easy way out of them. But since instant gratification in ... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1131127 Fri, 04 Jan 2008 16:16:25 +0100 1131127 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1075048&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F196143114%2F Do you consider yourself one of the winners? I received this question via email from someone that is just entering into addiction recovery. This person is seeking the experience from others as an aid to their own recovery. Going by the name of my site, What Winners Do, one might get the impression that I am someone with answers…I’m not. I don’t think there are too many answers in addiction recovery, mainly there are questions. (more…) (Source: What Winners Do) What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1075048 Thu, 06 Dec 2007 14:49:50 +0100 1075048 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=965920&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F172525982%2F I was taking a look online for some addiction related videos and found a series of addiction related videos of Dr. Robert Lefever. In this series he tackles a lot of the main topics of addiction and addiction recovery in a way that can make sense to anyone. One of the videos that I found interesting is called Recovery 7: What Makes An Addict. Here he explains the difference between these people…are you normal, an idiot, or an addict? (more…) (Source: What Winners Do) What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=965920 Sat, 20 Oct 2007 12:58:42 +0100 965920 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=952205&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWhatWinnersDo%2F%7E3%2F170197577%2F Have you ever caught yourself judging people that you are seeing for the first time, say in a crowd. While you are people watching you are actually projecting yourself, good or bad, onto others. When you have doubts about yourself or things that you don’t like about yourself…you see the same in others. This is because the doubts in yourself are actually based upon guilt and projection is a way for your ego to cast your guilt onto others. (more…) (Source: What Winners Do) What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=952205 Mon, 15 Oct 2007 13:43:41 +0100 952205 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=869598&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatwinnersdo.com%2Fdealing-with-pain-in-addiction-recovery%2F I kind of touched on this subject before but I have realized that since being in addiction recovery, the way that I deal with aches and pains has really changed…for the better. (more…) (Source: What Winners Do) What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=869598 Thu, 13 Sep 2007 16:13:20 +0100 869598 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=767640&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatwinnersdo.com%2Fthat-old-addictive-thinking%2F You know the saying “Don’t judge your insides based on someone else’s outside”? Basically meaning don’t get down on yourself because you don’t measure up to what you PERCEIVE someone else’s life to be based on appearances. Why do I find myself doing that? (more…) (Source: What Winners Do) What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=767640 Mon, 30 Jul 2007 12:39:47 +0100 767640 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=730515&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatwinnersdo.com%2Fexperiencing-cymbalta-withdrawal-symptoms%2F Over the past couple of months I have been posting some articles dealing with my own experience of weening of Cymbalta and what Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms I have had. This will be the last Cymbalta related post…I swear. (more…) (Source: What Winners Do) What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=730515 Tue, 03 Jul 2007 11:52:11 +0100 730515 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=730521&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatwinnersdo.com%2Faddictive-thinking-instant-gratification%2F In Addiction Recovery we must learn to get rid of the addictive thinking which tells us that instant gratification is the only kind of gratification we want or need. Have you ever heard of the saying “Time takes time”? (more…) (Source: What Winners Do) What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=730521 Thu, 14 Jun 2007 11:54:36 +0100 730521 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=730522&cid=t_131347_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatwinnersdo.com%2Fcold-medicine-and-addiction-recovery%2F I abused over the counter drugs for many years. I used situations where I was “sick” to sleep days at a time away with the help of OTC drugs like NyQuil. Since I am no longer practicing this destructive behavior the question is now presented to me: I have a cold, what do I do? (more…) (Source: What Winners Do) What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=730522 Mon, 04 Jun 2007 13:28:46 +0100 730522