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What Fellowship means to me
(Preview)
I remember when I first came in the rooms there were all these people who knew so much more than me, I judged them to be a bunch of smartarses and felt intimidated and 'little.' as time went on, I realised that these people knew so much more than I about some things, then realised they knew so much more than m...
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bikerbill
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3
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1003
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Attitudes and Limitation
(Preview)
Today's thought from Hazelden is: Attitudes and Limitation To a large extent, the way we think determines who we are and what happens to us. We cannot harbor poisonous thoughts without their effects visibly showing in our lives. If we dwell on our inadequacy and ineffectiveness, for example, circu...
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Larry_H
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0
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619
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I'm always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught
(Preview)
Today's thought from Hazelden is: I'm always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught. -- Winston Churchill We are used to learning the hard way. Many of us think we're different and can do things our own way. But then we get in too much trouble or pain. The first A.A. members were just li...
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Larry_H
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0
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1475
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Did you ever wake up to this one????
(Preview)
Good Morning to all my dear friends. Well I did wake up first, and have some coffee, and really needed to edit something I had written, it was what woke me up early, so I have my coffee, come in my office and turn on my Computer. And my computer refuses to let me just get on the damn thing. So I spent most of an ho...
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Just Toni
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3
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500
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The goal isn't to do a successful inventory
(Preview)
Today's thought from Hazelden is: The goal isn't to do a successful inventory. The goal is to dig to the deepest levels of self-honesty. --Anonymous The Fourth Step is the hardest one for many newcomers in the Program. It is so difficult, in fact, that some of us still waiting to do it are no longer newco...
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Larry_H
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8
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1123
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I still haven't had a drink....
(Preview)
but today I really feel like I want to. Like really want to. The voice in my head is saying "Like would it be such a big deal if I just ran over to the liquor store and got some beer? Stayed home alone and listened to music and drank... would that really be so horrible?!" That's how I feel right now b...
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Oblong
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15
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Daily Reflections ~ A Great Paradox & 24hrs a Day
(Preview)
These legacies of suffering and of recovery are easily passed among alcoholics, one to the other. This is our gift from God, and its bestowal upon others like us is the one aim that today animates A.A.'s all around the globe. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 151 The great paradox of A.A. is that I k...
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Sobrietyspell
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1
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646
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Pg 59. There are those........
(Preview)
I just got back from my 23rd group birthday. It was sad to see the man who brought me to AA and saved my life. The book says there are those who do not recover. I was fortunate to take the AA program seriously and work it diligently. Principles before personalities. I worked on the principles. The personal...
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gonee
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5
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878
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Our Newest Oldtimer.....
(Preview)
Congratulations, Biker Bill! Thank you for sharing your humility, your pride, your ego, your willingness, your wisdom & your ability to put our 12Steps into action & share with us all about it. Thank you for sharing your recovery, your journey & your SOBRIETY with us all@MIP. Thank you...
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Sobrietyspell
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8
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1186
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what a difference a HALT makes!!
(Preview)
Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired.... HALT. Talk about a recipe for a delicious, steaming hot bowl of calamity!! No WONDER I nearly lost the last morsel of sanity within me the other night. Some prayer, 2 nights of decent sleep (7-8 hours), some fruit and milk and chicken and fish and spinach and oranges an...
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jonijoni1
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3
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447
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Intro to The Steps
(Preview)
I was thinking about The Triumvirate of AA, How we have three parts in AA, One is The Program of AA which is contained in the Book Alcoholics Anonymous, in which our Organization is named after, in multiple printings, and four editions, the first 164 pages have remained unchanged by an overwhelming vo...
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AGO
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1
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1711
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My group
(Preview)
Today is a special day in my life. My home group is 23 years old. This was the home for me to go to. They call them home groups because we are a family. Just like any other family with all its differences and personalities, it still provides the base for an alcoholic to touchdown. Our elder statesmen are the...
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gonee
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4
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517
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Daily Reflections ~ Two 'Magnificent Standards' & 24hrs a Day
(Preview)
All A.A. progress can be reckoned in terms of just two words: humility and responsibility. Our whole spiritual development can be accurately measured by our degree of adherence to these magnificent standards. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 271 To acknowledge and respect the views, accomplishments and prero...
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Sobrietyspell
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0
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468
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Day One for Me
(Preview)
My sponser said I have to want this more than anything else. I'm ready - sick to death of letting myself listen to the bad wolf voice. I want back on the path. I will WIN this battle. MAL
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MAL
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17
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1154
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Yesterday -
(Preview)
Alright. Forgive my language, but yesterday was a rough one. I did my best to shake off vanilla girl from my previous post and celebrate the fact that I had hit two weeks. It was very rainy and cold here in NYC. The rain has always gotten to me. It puts me in a bad mood and makes me want to stay in bed. I kn...
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whitewhineoh
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6
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799
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Lois Wilson Story
(Preview)
Hi All Did anyone else catch that Hallmark Special on CBS last night on Lois Wilson? I hate to say it, but there were some parts that were very flaky. I have read a few stories and books about both of their pasts. Some was probably believeable but some not. The film focused mostly on his drinking and how s...
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kld47
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13
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1250
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1940 AA Preamble
(Preview)
----------------------------------------------------------...
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Larry_H
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3
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3385
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Waiting...Waiting...
(Preview)
Every time the phone rang today my heart leapt up into my chest. False Positive? Real Positive? Real Positive and Really Bad? It rang. Results may take up a WEEK!!!! GGGGrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!! Not in a good place. I know...could be worse...LOTS worse. We all want perfect, healthy kids and that's what we...
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Aquaman
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11
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1096
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Let's Discuss This- KINDNESS
(Preview)
We have collectively revealed this past week or so, a whole lot of stuff that goes on among AA folk once in awhile, whether in the meetings or one on one, or at clubs.... which is petty and unkind, as we can often be, as we are humans (and rather emotionally sick ones, at that). Lets talk about kindness, an...
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jonijoni1
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1045
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Who pushes my buttons?
(Preview)
Walk in Dry Places -- HazeldenWho pushes my buttons? Personal Relations AA old-timers would be mystified today to hear program members talk about people pushing their buttons. (They can't get your goat if they don't know where it is tied) This expression wasn't around when the early AA members pull...
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Larry_H
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4
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1218
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Eeks! It's been two weeks!
(Preview)
Well I had myself a busy weekend. Lotsa meetings and fellowship. And cooking. Here are the ups and downs. Friday I went to a meeting that I really like called "Fearless" where the focus is, well, fear and the role it plays in alcoholism. It was cool as always. Afterwards I got asked to go...
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whitewhineoh
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19
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1280
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Regret is an appalling waste of energy
(Preview)
Today's thought from Hazelden is: Regret is an appalling waste of energy, you can't build on it: it's only good for wallowing in. --Katherine Mansfield Newcomer Someone I hoped would be an important part of my life for years to come has left. I'm devastated. I don't know how much of what happened is my f...
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Larry_H
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1
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590
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Relocation-seeking support
(Preview)
I am new to this forum and thought this would be the best place to network. I am relocating to Fayetteville North Carolina and am looking for a contact person when I get there. Any females able to help me? I have some contacts in Southern Pines that are available and a couple in South Carolina but it wou...
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snobug
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7
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908
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Mistakes are for learning
(Preview)
Walk in Dry Places -- Hazelden Mistakes are for learning_____Personal growth. One sign of an alcoholic's immaturity is revealed in responses to personal mistakes. We take each simple mistake as further proof of our inadequacy. As one person observed, "I can handle a general catastrophe, bu...
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Larry_H
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6
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849
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HOLY- "I Haven't got a CLUE"......................
(Preview)
There they are again.. the "I can't believe this" emoticons. I have truly lost my mind this time. For starters, small thing--- and then it gets bigger and snowballs...... I have not been able to concentrate all weekend on a paper due tomorrow (and trust me, I LOVE school and what we study and...
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jonijoni1
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19
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1335
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Help .. I need a word of encouragement
(Preview)
ok, I am getting nervous. My sponsor is out of the country, I am getting strong urges to drink, maybe not today but I feel like it's in my plan but not consciously, but I remember in the past this is how the relapses would happen.. in the mind - over time. There will be a big celebration in my life next week,...
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Carlotta
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14
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1569
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Singleness of Purpose
(Preview)
Why Does AA Insist upon "Singleness of Purpose"? Why do they insist only alcoholics can become members? (and yes they do, read the long form of Tradition Three, it is stated and restated in AA literature that only Alcoholics can become members over and over again) Visitors are welcomed a...
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AGO
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12
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9985
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Why do I do what I do?
(Preview)
Today's thought from Hazelden is: Reflection for the Day Why do I do what I do? Why did I say what I said? Why on earth did I put off an important responsibility? Questions like these, best asked of myself in a quiet time of meditation, demand honest answers. I may have to think deeply for those answers, go...
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Larry_H
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1
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606
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The Root of our problems
(Preview)
Selfishness, Self centeredness, that we think is the root of our problems I used to think that selfishness meant greedy, and I didn't relate, I am generous, not greedy, but it turned out that that's not what that meant at all Among other things, it means "I am not much, but I am all I think about&quo...
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AGO
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4
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4573
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Emotional Sobriety by Bill Wilson
(Preview)
"The Next Frontier: Emotional Sobriety" by Bill Wilson I think that many oldsters who have put our AA "booze cure" to severe but successful tests still find they often lack emotional sobriety. Perhaps they will be the spearhead for the next major development in AA -- the devel...
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Sobrietyspell
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4
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4381
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30 Days!
(Preview)
I got my one month chip at one of my favorite meetings tonight.... it hasn't been easy, but worth every ounce of effort. Tonight I'm enjoying the warm glow of gratitude. My sponsor says: "Whatever you're doing right now, just keep doing it a day at a time." That would be the following:1. Gett...
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itsmichael
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17
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1134
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The Simple Approach to the 12 Steps
(Preview)
The Simple Approach to the 12 Steps Step 1: There's a power that will kill me. Step 2:There's a power that wants me to live. Step 3:Which do I want? (If you want to die, stop here. If you want to live, go on.) Step 4: Using examples from your own life, understand that selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, a...
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Larry_H
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2
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713
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Slipping? - Hazelden
(Preview)
Today's thought from Hazelden is: Slipping A common rationalization about not making the program goes like this: "Harry over there slipped ten times before he made it. So what if I slip a few times?" What is overlooked is that the last time Jack slipped, he slipped into a coffin; the last t...
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Larry_H
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7
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1093
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Should I speak up during a meeting if I think a tradition is being violated?
(Preview)
There's a meeting that a lot of people tend to avoid because they feel unwelcome for some reason. I rarely went to it before because it was further from my house, but just moved and so today I went. Several people, while sharing, made dismissive comments about people (such as myself) who got to AA by wa...
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FlyingSquirrel
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25
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1704
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Disease or Cure?
(Preview)
Let me preface this by saying that I know the answers I am going to get about whether this thought is a "disease" thought or I am "cured." What I'm interested in is the feeling I'm having. Is it common? Have any of you felt it? Anyway... I took a test for school last night that reli...
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runnergirl
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14
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1128
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we will not regret the past.........
(Preview)
....often this little phrase causes me so much trouble. Sometimes I have a good sit on the pity pot and can't think of anything but the bad stuff I did which was a product of a sick mind in a sick body and I forget all about the good stuff I did. then I remember the good stuff and wonder if it was all manipulativ...
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bikerbill
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10
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1189
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I Don't Know What to Title This
(Preview)
Our little newborn, little River Rose, may have a medical condition that could range from treatable with daily inconveniences to treatable with years and years of special care...or if it's something with an eventual expiration date. Carnitine Uptake Disorder. A genetic condition at the cellul...
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Aquaman
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21
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1273
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Things That Are Difficult To Say When You’re Drunk:
(Preview)
Things That Are Difficult To Say When Youre Drunk: 1. Innovative 2. Preliminary 3. Proliferation 4. Cinnamon Things That Are Very Difficult To Say When Youre Drunk: 1. Specificity 2. Anti-constitutionalistically 3. Passive-aggressive disorder 4. Transubstantiate Things That Are Downright...
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Larry_H
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11
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1122
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When am I manipulative?
(Preview)
Walk in Dry Places from Hazelden When am I manipulative? Personal relations. Without understanding our motives, we can easily lapse into behavior aimed at manipulating others. Sulking is a means of letting others know we are displeased and forcing them to attempt to win our approval. Flattery is a...
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Larry_H
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2
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1279
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Daily Reflections ~ Happiness Is Not The Point & 24hrs a Day
(Preview)
I don't think happiness or unhappiness is the point. How do we meet the problems we face? How do we best learn from them and transmit what we have learned to others, if they would receive the knowledge? AS BILL SEES IT, p. 306 In my search "to be happy," I changed jobs, married and divorced, too...
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Sobrietyspell
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2
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2137
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What causes a binge?
(Preview)
Walk in Dry Places - from Hazelden What causes a binge? Understanding honesty. In the foggy world of drinking, we were sometimes confused about cause and effect. A person might think of a binge as having been caused by a fight with his or her spouse. The real truth, however, is that he or she provoked the...
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Larry_H
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6
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1275
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Why is it so hard to accept praise?
(Preview)
I recall early on when someone would give me praise I would often say no , it's nothing, so then they would reinforce the praise. It was pointed out to me that I must really like praise, becuase I keep on asking for it. I was told to accept the praise with a straightforward thank you. This is what I try to do. O...
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bikerbill
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8
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4881
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The future you shall know when it has come
(Preview)
Today's thought from Hazelden is: The future you shall know when it has come; before then, forget it. -- Aeschylus The Fellowship keeps us grounded in the current moment. We learn to live today. Our planning and scheming and dreaming about tomorrow becomes less time consuming. The idea of living one...
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Larry_H
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4
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837
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Avoiding emotional whirlpools
(Preview)
Walk in Dry Places - from Hazelden Avoiding emotional whirlpools Serenity If we were rattling down a rough river, we would try to steer away from whirlpools and rocky rapids. Living each day requires the same alertness. We're asking for trouble if we drift into malicious discussions about other peo...
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Larry_H
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5
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901
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Can't get comfortable at meetings
(Preview)
I'm eight months sober, which is a miracle considering my disease, and although I started using alcohol years ago to cover my shyness and general discomfort with people, I do OK without it in the real world. However, meetings still scare me to death even after I've been going to them for six months. I...
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jluvs2day
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8
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1478
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Frustrated, Angry Rant
(Preview)
This is not a "share" in the strict sense of Experience, Strength & Hope. For all I know, this rant is from delusion, weakness and rage. These feelings and words do NOT come from a good place, but they do come from an honest place. My wife is the child of an alcoholic. After years and years o...
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Aquaman
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19
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1292
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Freaking out...
(Preview)
Had an alcohol evaluation done today. Was not at all what I was expecting; more like a kick in the stomach. The counselor I met with was fantastic; a very kind and knowledgeable man with 17 years sobriety. After completing the paperwork, we talked for over an hour and, much to my surprise, he recommende...
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runnergirl
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6
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1051
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Just dropping in
(Preview)
Hi Just thought I'd drop in and say hello, hope all is well with everyone. Its been a while and to let you know I'm doing well, went out Tuesday and got my G1 drivers license. Went out for the first time in 10 years to drive last nite, and no I didnt' hit anyone, lol. Kids are doing fine, we have our days. Got...
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Tina
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6
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650
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Am I going crazy?
(Preview)
I have been sober since January 31, 2010. I have been feeling better, making better decisions, and getting back into the process of life that the higher power intended. Sounds good? It is! I just dont feel well today. I had a bad day at work and am reverting back to negative thoughts that always lea...
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camitch
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10
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1439
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Daily Reflections ~ Entering a New Dimension & 24hrs a Day
(Preview)
In the late stages of our drinking, the will to resist has fled. Yet when we admit complete defeat and when we become entirely ready to try A.A. principles, our obsession leaves us and we enter a new dimension - freedom under God as we understand Him. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 283 I am fortunate to be among the one...
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Sobrietyspell
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670
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