As I mentioned during my last post - I had been on vacation and away from my laptop for about 10 days.

After recharging my jets - I was ready to start posting new content, starting with several letters from my inbox.

Earlier this week my new laptop stopped working.

The guy at Bestbuy actually seemed to be sympathetic when he said “your motherboard is fried”.

The old me would be freaking out about this; It’s a new computer, how am I going to run my blog, ect, ect, ect.

Fortunately, with the program I work - I realize this is out of my control, there really is nothing I can do but be patient - and ask my subscribers to do the same.

While I’m down, I’d encourage you to try Breaking the Cycles.

I’m a big fan of Lisa’s writings - you may recall she has provided guest posts on Loving An Alcoholic from time to time.

Also, I wanted to mention an e-mail I recieved this past week. If you have a moment, take a look at Love the Lost Foundation.

This effort to raise money for recovery scholarships is the project of one of Loving An Alcoholic’s subscribers.

More on Love the Lost Foundation, other letters from the inbox and new content when I return in a few weeks.

Take care,

Eric

The Recovery Slogans of Al Anon & Alcoholics Anonymous

Can three or four words change your perspective?

Can they turn the feeling of being overwhelmed to a feeling of serenity?

Can they act as a restart button?

It use to be when I found myself stuck on a problem, I could spend hours or days running scenarios through my head - trying to find the perfect solution, having confrontations and arguments play out in my head, creating internal drama that may never happen.

I wasn’t present - I would live this obsessive 2nd life all inside my head.

When I started attending Al-Anon, I was able to take a look at these actions - ask myself if this was a healthy way of being. I was given tools to assist me in switching my way of thinking when I started going down the wrong path.

Most importantly I was encouraged to seek a level of self-awareness to identify what the wrong paths were.

The most valuable tools for me are the slogans you find in recovery literature.

On the surface, the slogans seem so simplistic - it is silly to think these couple of words strung together could be leveraged to find peace of mind.

To me, that is the key - the simplicity in the slogans;

“Easy Does It”

“First Things First”

“How Important Is It”

“Just For Today”

“Let Go & Let God”

“Keep An Open Mind”

“Keep It Simple”

“Let It Begin With Me”

“Listen And Learn”

“Live An Let Live”

“One Day At A Time”

When I find my head is spinning with thought - saying “Let Go & Let God” reminds me that I don’t have to solve every problem - that if I trust in my Higher Power, I can let go of the issue and let Him provide the resolution.

I can then move forward with a clear mind.

When I’m with disciplinng whether or not to discipline my children - asking myself “How Important Is It” gives me a starting point. Will this issue really matter in 20 years? Will either my child or myself take away a life lesson from my reaction? If not, it is probably not that important.

I can then move forward with a clear mind.

If my alcoholic falls out of sobriety and I start to think too far out in the future about the impact from one day’s events - reminding myself that recovery for the alcoholic in my life and myself is “One Day At A Time” allows me to stay in the present and not overwhelm myself with scenarios that may never come to be.

I can better manage my reactions and then move forward with a clear mind.

If you haven’t already, I would encourage you to take a look at Al-Anon’s recovery literature.

The daily readings can help you work through your issues and allow you to figure out how to apply the slogans to your situation.

Would you like to have your experience and words of encouragement posted?

Send me your thoughts: support@lovinganalcoholic.com

******PLEASE INDICATE IN YOUR EMAIL IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR THOUGHTS POSTED******

One of Loving An Alcoholic’s missions is to provide our readers resources to help cope with the disease of addiction, whether it is the alcoholic/addict or the family member/loved one of the alcoholic/addict.

A new site, The Recovery Self Help Project, was recently brought to my attention by a reader of Loving An Alcoholic. The site has a wiki-style format and looks like it will develop into a great resource for those looking for information on alcoholism, addiction and the recovery process.
I’d encourage you to bookmark the site and check in from time to time as new articles are published monthly.

Excerpts from The Recovery Self Help Project main page and the article How to Stop Drinking:

Self Help Project main page:

Welcome to the Recovery Self Help Project

The project was launched in early 2009 to provide information for people seeking to understand alcohol abuse and begin the recovery process. Our goal is to add reviewed and approved articles at the rate of one a month.

Articles that are listed as completed have been edited by professional writers and editors and authored or reviewed by experts in the field of recovery education.

Articles that are listed as unfinished have not been reviewed or approved by the project’s editorial team.

How to Stop Drinking

This article, from the Recovery Self-Help Project, will help you find the best way to stop drinking. It reviews and compares various approaches to ending alcohol dependence and beginning an alcohol-free life.

Not every approach to stopping drinking works for everyone. Some people need their own unique approach (which may not be the most popular or well-known). And many studies have shown a combination of strategies is the most effective way to quit drinking. If you want to stop drinking, this article will help you decide which approach is right for you. We hope you’ll use what you learn here to take the next step to living free of alcohol problems.

Would you like to have your experience and words of encouragement posted?

Send me your thoughts: support@lovinganalcoholic.com

******PLEASE INDICATE IN YOUR EMAIL IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR THOUGHTS POSTED******

As I will leave each post; If you, or someone you know, loves an alcoholic or addict, I would encourage you to find a local Al-Anon 12 step meeting to attend. This is your first step towards healing.