Alcohol is a potent central nervous system depressant with a wide range of effects. The amount you consume effects how drunk you will get.

The effects of alcohol change over time. When you first start drinking. You may feel relaxed. But the more you drink, the more side effects you begin to feel, like blurred vision and slurred speech.

Euphoria is an effect that alcohol has on people. Essentially, getting the euphoric effect means you will feel an overall mood improvement. You may be more self-confident when drinking. Your attention span shortens and you may feel more flushed. Whether your believe it or now, your judgment won’t be as good as you think it is and you may well say the first thing that comes to mind or do things that you would not normally do. You will also start to have trouble with fine movements such as signing their name. With more alcohol, lethargy may start to set in. Lethargy is the side effect where you may become sleepy. You have trouble remembering things that happened, even recent things you have done. Body movements are uncoordinated and you may react to situations more slowly. Your vision becomes blurry and they have trouble seeing.

Confusion is also caused by drinking. You may get confused and very emotional, less likely to respond to pain. If you get in a fight while you are drunk, you will not feel the pain until the alcohol wears off.

Stupor is another short term effect of alcohol. In this condition movement is seriously impaired and you may lapse in and out of consciousness. You can slip into a coma and become completely unaware of your surroundings. At this point, the risk to the body is very high due to alcohol poisoning. Loss of body functions can begin like losing control of the bladder, breathing and heart rate.

Drinking large amounts of alcohol can lead to coma and even death. If you want to avoid these risks, the best way to do it is to avoid alcohol. You can start being effected by alcohol from the very first sip, whether you realize it or not.

Excessive doses of alcohol can cause long term as well as short-term side effects. Some of the long term effects are: slowing, blurred vision, vertigo, amnesia, ataxia, and hangovers.

The liver is part of the body’s filtration system. This means when it is damaged it allows certain toxins to build up, leading to symptoms of Jaundice. This is what you are seeing when a person’s skin begins to turn yellow.

Many people don’t think of alcohol as a drug but the fact is that it is a drug. It is just as lethal as any other drug can be. When you overuse any drug you can expect consequences. This is also true with alcohol. Many people think that it is okay to have a beer once in a while or that if you drink at home you won’t be hurting anyone.

Think again. You are hurting yourself and by hurting yourself you are hurting the ones that care about you. Whether you drink some at home or at a bar, alcohol can have the same effect on you. One sip and the process begins.

Find Out More:

In order to start making changes with your relationship with alcohol please visit the Alcohol Free Social Life website where you will learn specific techniques and examples of how to make changes now:  CLICK HERE to Stop NOW

OK. So teens aren’t legally supposed to be drinking in the first place, right? But realistically, some teens do it anyway. And while that’s another matter of debate all together, whether teens drink or not, the drinkers shouldn’t be driving.

But with all the holiday madness looming around the corner (gift exchanges, winter formals…you know), the booze-laced events will be looming too. Here’s some of AAA’s recommendations for deliciously fancy alcohol-free drinks, invented by some of the countries greatest mixologists, including  those from the MGM Grand, Detroit and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Dearborn.

So while some other partiers are downing cheap beer, you can be sipping a sumptuous candied lemon drop, pomegranate sparkler, or, for the adventurous, a watermelon and heirloom tomato mojito–and get your posse home safely.

All the recipes are available online as part of AAA’s Great Pretenders Party Guide.

CHEERS!

Do you guys ever believe in fate?  I sort of do sometimes.  At least I do a little tonight.

Three years ago I was driving my car to work.  I had recently graduated from college and was  embarking on one of the worst personal  years I’ve ever lived through.  I’m sure some of you out there can relate.  It was two years before I finally wised up, so not the best of times.

Anyway, like I said, I was driving my car and listening to NPR.  I caught the tail end of a song that had this great simple piano riff and beautiful voice over it.  I loved it.  I couldn’t wait for the DJ to tell me who it was, but he never mentioned who the song was by (bad DJ!).  I was on a quest,  I was determined!  Surely with the internet it couldn’t take that long, right? Is three years a long time?

The only reason why I found it at all was because a certain chain of events was set off recently by my deciding to take my desire to make music more seriously (see Julian Casablancas post).  Two weekends ago I found myself talking to my friend Ana, another singer, about how we both wanted to be in a band.  Ana and I decided to try to sing together.  She sent me a list of songs she felt comfortable playing on the guitar, one of which was Cat Power’s cover of Sea of Love.  We decided that this would be one of the songs we would perform for our friends.  Last Friday night, before our practice session, I decided to listen to the three Cat Power songs I have on my ipod, never having been into her much before.  I realized that, although I don’t love her music, there are elements to it that I definitely relate to, so perhaps I should get over myself and look her up sometime.

This all brings me to tonight.  Ladies and gentlemen, I have had a very trying day.  Just one of those where nothing seems to be going right.  I decided to turn on some Cat Power and see how I felt about it rather than going to my usual “today sucks” tracks.  I went to the album from which I knew two songs, You Are Free, and played the first song.  I couldn’t believe my ears.  The song I had been obsessively searching for for three years was right at my finger tips and had been all along.

As I basked in this discovery, I decided to look her up and read some more about her.  What did I find?  Cat Power, or Chan Marshall, is a recovering addict/alcoholic.

I found this old NYTimes article where she goes into quite a bit of detail surrounding her struggle and recovery process.  She brings up some interesting points.  Sobriety meant to her, at least at that point, that she had only had 7 drinks in 7 months.  By AA standards, and probably most other peoples, this does not count for much, but really – whatever works, right?  Well that was three years ago, and by all accounts, she’s still doing well.

They also have this video recording of her talking about her personal battles.  This just made me love her so much.  She talks about how much she loves Mary J. Blige for her strength and how much the changes that MJB went through helped her in her sobriety, maybe I should tell Cat Power that she’s done the same for someone like me.  Thank you, Cat Power.

I can’t help but feel a little spooked by all of this coming together.  I realize this probably is meaningless to anyone out there reading this, but it meant a lot to me tonight.  I just wanted to share it in case anyone else can relate.

Oh, and here’s the song that I finally found. The song is rumored to also be about a famous addict.  One who didn’t survive it, Kurt Cobain  (Also referenced in my Julian Casablancas post).

Somehow I feel like all of this is telling me I’m doing the right thing.

Someone’s giving me a cosmic high five somewhere.

This is the beginning of the holiday week for many of us and also the beginning of a very trying time with our families.  Many of us are trying to put on the good face and persevere through the days ahead.  Here is one way to try and manage your holiday week.  Minimize or go without alcohol.  I know, I know, alcohol for many of you is the “only way” you can mange even a few hours with your relatives, and realistically I understand and get it. 

The effects of alcohol though can change your responses and how those around you react also, and can set you up for stressful situations.  Trust is an underlying factor in family interactions and alcohol, or at least large amounts of consumed alcohol, will undermined that trust.  If you’re an alcoholic, stay sober and use your sponsor.  If your not admitting an alcohol problem, check in with your family and get their reaction to your drinking.  Best thing to do is stay away from the alcohol.  This is just one tip for the up coming days.  Check back for a few more this week.  Good Luck and Happy Holidays

What do you think of Alecia Beth Moore?

You might not recognize that name because she’s better known as Pink.

Now, you might know, if you follow my Muscial Mondays much, that I like a wide variety of music and musicians for that matter. When some people find out I like Pink, they arch an eyebrow at me and say,

“YOU like Pink?”

Yeah, they pretty much do the same when they find out I have a couple tattoos as well.

It makes me chuckle.

Believe it or not, I have Eminem in my iTunes play list as well. I’m a firm believer that you can find great messages in all different types of music AND people.

You may know that I have my masters degree in Mental Health Therapy and once was an Addictions Therapist. So, maybe it was just the title of the song, Sober, that drew me in because of my history with addictions, but whatever the reason, I’m glad.

Many of her songs, no matter how controversial they may be, always challenge me. I hope you take the time to read the lyrics and/or listen to them on the video, because they blew me away.

Specifically the following phrases:

How do I feel this good sober?

And

The quiet scares me ’cause it screams the truth

~~~

I know what those lyrics mean to me . . . which I’ll share another time,  but what do they mean to you?

~~~

CLICK HERE for the full set of lyrics.

Melodia p care o am pe repeat de azi noapte si cred ca va fi pe repeat toata ziua…

there’s a breaking point for everything.
             comfort never stays comfortable
at some point an unwanted feeling comes in
                         wears out it’s welcome.
            boredom, restlessness..or just
wanting
   more – there’s a moment      a point
                       when things Flat Line.                    need Life
      resuscitate me -        bring me Back        to Life.   Feel alive
when I am walking on the Line of almost Dead
     i could Die at any moment
   the tension
where my soul feels
        like she’s at the border of Crossing
Over past limitations and confinement of this physical
body. This skin
      barrier stops her – yet she
tries to convince constantly

It’s Sunday in Palm Springs, 75 degrees out, beautiful mountain backdrop, happy friendly people and their pets are out enjoying the life…

And I feel like shit.

Why?

My first week eating only raw food was rough.  Imagine cutting yourself off cold-turkey from drinking over 100 adult beverages per week, abstaining from your morning cup of crack with the pretty mermaid on it, and suddenly refusing your body any access to pizzas and Mexican food…NOT a fun transition.

If you’ve seen New Moon, and watched Kristen Stewart’s “Bella” writhe and scream in her sleep over her lost Edward (who I still maintain looks an awful lot like Bert from Sesame Street), you have an inkling of what my first week raw felt like!

Weeks two and three were a different movie…I felt euphoric and “high” and ate up all the positive comments I was getting from friends and strangers.  EVERY SINGLE DAY I saw a thinner, sexier, happier, healthier, more in-tune version of me in the full-length mirror.

Having a cute young raw foods chef at a Santa Monica cafe ask me if I was “raw” the second I walked in the door surprised me.  When I answered yes, and she told me she “thought so, because my eyes were so clear and I really had a case of the glow” I was beyond flattered.

But here I am near the end of week four, a week of apathy and fatigue.  What’s up?  I feel like I’m doing this right…I’ve slowly been upping my intake of greens, I’m making sure I get natural fats like hemp oil, I’m still eating a lot of juicy organic fruits…

Also, I eat very little dehydrated raw foods (they make me feel as dry as they are) and most days just eat foods in their whole simple form without trying to “doll” them up.

I’m hoping that it’s just another cleansing level I’ve hit?  I would expect my recent toxic past to haunt me for awhile. Maybe it’s a little bit mental…one month is the longest I’ve ever gone before raw…? But Jesus do I hate the idea that some or all of the benefits of raw eating might just be in my head.

One interesting distinction I’d like to make: I’m not depressed.  I’ve spent much of my life in moderate to severely depressed states, this isn’t anything like that.  I’m clear about things–almost scary sober–but I don’t necessarily like how that feels…

Sometimes eating raw makes so much sense to me, and I see it as the answer to a lot of peoples problems both on a personal level and a collective one.  That’s how I mostly feel…at other times the whole thing seems ridiculous and absurd!  Not eat ANY cooked foods?  Not get drunk and stupid?  WHY?!?  What am I trying to prove? To whom?

As an example last night a guy at the bar wanted mashed potatoes.  We don’t have that on the menu, but Mike the Chef made some for him anyways, that’s the kind of old school cool we serve up.  When I bring him the potatoes I’m drooling.  When he adds a few dollops of real butter I’m butter.  So I try and remind myself that when I get home later I was actually going to make my own version of mashed “potatoes” which are made from soaked cashews and cauliflower blended up with salt & pepper.  They taste pretty good.  But they are NOT potatoes, and they are cold.  For some reason it just seemed stupid to me…am I too good for potatoes?

My intention with this blog is not necessarily to inspire anyone to do anything.  I simply want to reveal what eating raw is doing for me (now and in the future).  So please take what I say with a grain of pink Himalayan crystal salt.   I’m half-way through my trial and will continue to candidly share my peaks and valley floors with anyone interested…

I had a blast at Cobo! I actually did not see an awful lot of teenagers there, in fact I looked around my section (A21) at one point and felt like I was the youngest person there (I’m 31). I did see several kids (as in age 11, 4, and about 6 months) and was relived to see that they all had earphones on. Security was definitely stopping people from smoking cigarettes. But otherwise they were very laid back & respectful. We stood right next to one who told us they’d had a preshow meeting where they were told that “a lot of folks will be smoking pot…” and just wanted to dance, and they were specifically told “not to raise any flags” toward those people who were doing either. That dude was pretty cool — he handed us a free bottle of water from the supply that was being handed out to the staff.

The outro of 46 Days had some great exploration and fanTAStic lights playing on the back of the arena (Cobo, in contrast to many other arenas, was not “in the round” — it had a definite back). Check out these photos from Miner’s post today to see what I mean.

Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan was better than any of the summer versions to be sure, but part of me feels that it was merely hinting at the amazingly dark jams that will surely come from the song this Fall.

DwD also had some amazing exploratory improvisation. Between DwD and Free, Mike was owning that portion of the show.

“Were they tight?” You bet they were. The Foam was about the tightest thing I’ve ever heard from this band. Including Hampton. Now, there were a few rough patches throughout the night (more on that in a moment) and you could kind of tell that they were a bit rusty… Not that they sounded bad at all, but you could tell that there were some moments that did not click. One of my friends likened it to training for competitive sports (bike racing, in particular). If you take even just one week off, you’re not as sharp and you can notice the difference. Of course you can still ride a bike, and you can still race pretty well, but everything is just not “clicking.” It’s Ice (and Horn, and the ending of Taste) had a little sour part, and you could see it in Trey’s face. In fact, a buddy of mine was backstage helping with the LivePhish.com uploads (on a one-off basis, not as a general occurrence) and said that Trey walked back and said, “hey, can you do me a favor and remove all the bad parts for me before you upload those?” It’s so odd to hear that comment, because we all KNOW that Trey’s had some nights in the past that were FAR worse than that. I could count the (very minor) flubs from this tour opener on one hand. I guess that’s just the new Trey: sober, clear-headed, and hearing and thinking about every single thing. I like that Trey is critical of himself, but I’m not 100% sure that all that is a good thing…

After a pretty big lull in the middle of the second set, the “Motor City Mike’s Groove” was a double-shot of adrenaline that immediately got the place up and dancing. Either they were channeling the residual energy from one of KISS’ many shows in the room, or it was the general heightened sensation of being in an enclosed space, but this Mike’s was dark and infused with more metal than usual.

And Cavern after the Weekapaug? Now that’s just pure “bonus Phish.”

Was the song choice amazing? Certainly not. Was the playing stellar? Absolutely. During Sample I commented that they really don’t waste any songs now. They give 110% every single song, every single time now. It wasn’t always like that! When I think about it, that is why I fell in love with the band so long ago. Listening to them float among so many varying styles effortlessly on Picture of Nectar, tearing open Rift when I first got it and listening to the raging solo in Maze then the beautiful playing on Horn…I was completely hooked from that point forward. It was that love & dedication that made me follow the band (although it was from more of a distance) during the “Oxy Years” when things weren’t all that consistently good, and I am so overjoyed to have things back to the way they used to be.

Wishing I was in Cincy tonight…

“…And booze was always there for me,” he continued when the crowd had quieted.  “My favorite drink was Wild Turkey… cause they named it after me.  So I had to drink it.

“Anyway, coming from a poor family, I always had to earn everything I got.  I graduated from trade school, and I became an aerospace designer.  Then I graduated as an engineer, and I became one of them people… 27 years in engineering.  I worked on many aerospace projects, and I did it loaded.

“I got married at 20 – divorced at 22.  That was a good two years.  I stayed pretty loaded most of that time.

“But then I caught her in bed with my best friend…

“Divorced her; moved in with him.

“True story,” he decreed over the audience’s mirth.  “But it’s okay… cause I learned how to forgive.  I forgave them both because we were still partying.  It was all good.

“You know, I don’t know about most of you, but for me, drugs and alcohol was fabulous.  Fab-you-lous.  I had a great life.  I was using and abusing.  I was on fire in the fast lane.  Anybody here ever live life in the fast lane?”  He chuckled unabashed as many raised their hands.  “Yeah, we got some takers.

“You see, for me… drugs and alcohol worked real good.  They killed that pain; they took away that anger.  Drugs and alcohol were like a false courage.  And because of that, I proceeded to do things that were dangerous.  I proceeded to drag race cars.  I rolled a Datsun pickup truck… loaded… at 80 miles per hour… me and a buddy in there.

“You know, that was the first day ever that I didn’t wear seatbelts.  I was coming back from trade school in Arizona at Christmastime.  Me and my buddy had been driving all night when we made it to the last passing lane in Santa Paula.  I was trying to pass one more truck when I lost control of it, and it was gone.”  His hand shot outward, his fingers flicking as if the truck had just flew away.

“When that truck rolled, my buddy went out the side window and I stayed in it for one more roll; then I came out the side window.  Both of us got tossed up instead of out, and we landed on the side of the road.  Alive and unharmed.”

“So you see, there’s more times than you got fingers and toes that I should have been dead due to drugs and alcohol.  My life was sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll.  And it did not matter what order they came in.  It was all good for a long time… that career of drinking, drugging, and living life in the fast lane…

“Until that day.”  He sighed.  “Until that day… when it stopped working.

“And it did stop.

“Just to put the record straight, I been arrested four times for drugs and alcohol… cause I am a quick study… and I learn mighty quick.” He chuckled at himself.  “My first drunk driving was in 1978.  I was riding my motor scooter and a cop pulled me over.  He said I was weaving.

“So, I’m sitting on the bike when the cop comes up to me and says, ‘Get off the bike.’

“Well, I got off the bike, but I forgot to put the kickstand down.  The bike fell and I spun round.  Then I kicked it and said, ‘Stay!’

“The cop looks at me and says, ‘Are you drunk?’

“And I say, ‘I sure hope so, cause I don’t do this every day.’

“Well, he starts laughing.  Then he says, ‘Put your hands behind your back.’

“And that’s what I did…

“And he took me to jail.

“That was the first occurrence.”

“I’ve been down that road before. I don’t go there anymore.”~Railroad Earth

I couldn’t help but smile when I heard this recently. Spent years & years going down that road. 

That road is just not fun anymore, and it hasn’t been for some time. 

I finally found a new road, one that suits me really well. 

For those of you who don’t know me, I have been clean and sober for nearly 23 years.  I nearly killed myself before realizing that I had a problem with booze and drugs.  My denial was strong and it was coupled with my ignorance.  It never occurred to me that the life I was living was much different than the life of my friends and schoolmates.  At some point it should have occurred to me that I had never received a single invitation to the psychiatric hospitals and rehabs.  Psychiatrists, family members and emergency room doctors had placed me there without them asking me. My life was not in my control at all.

Amazingly, I wasn’t dissatisfied with the life I was living.  Denial is one thing but I really wasn’t too concerned with the fact that I was in a locked psychiatric unit wearing nothing but a hospital gown and slippers with smiley faces on the toes.  I had 3 great meals per day, absolutely no responsibility or any schedule to speak of.  I was OK with this!  Frightening, I know.

It seems to me that one of my biggest problems was a complete lack of vision, goals, dreams or desires.  It’s hard to be dissatisfied with life when you expect nothing from it.  I was in the words of Jimi Hendrix “Existing, Nothing but existing”.  There was no Why for me to get my life in order.  I was well aware of all the bad things that could happen to me. My family and teams of doctors had all told me of the horrors that awaited me if I continued down my path of drug and alcohol abuse. It is hard to change when you have no dissatisfaction with the way things are.  What was missing was all of the wonderful things that would happen if I gained control of my life.  These were things that I had never considered or dreamt about. As it turns out they included marrying an amazing woman, raising two happy little boys, owning a business for ten years and helping others to find happiness.  I am happy and blessed.

What are your goals, dreams or desires?

- Aaron M. Duke

Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. (NKJV) 1 Thessalonians 5:6

Others may sleep, but we should stay awake and be alert. This was Paul’s exhortation to the Thessalonian Church. He wanted them to be awake, sober and watchful. He did not want them to be like other people who were sleeping. He wanted them to be on their guard and be clear headed. For them to keep their eyes open and be smart. Paul did not want the spiritual condition of the Thessalonians to be one of sleep. He wanted them active and aware not lax concerning spiritual things. Paul wanted them to live in anticipation of the Lord’s imminent return. He wanted them to be watching and to be ready. He wanted them to take heed for fear that through remission and laziness some destructive calamity suddenly overtake them. They were not only supposed to keep their spiritual eyes open but to be calm, collected and cautious. [ Sober doesn’t mean humorless. It has in mind someone who knows the proper value of things, and therefore doesn’t get too excited about the things of this world. The person who lives their life for fun and entertainment isn’t sober. In commanding sobriety, Paul didn’t have in mind the sort of people who stamp down all enthusiasm and excitement for Jesus, promoting what they think is a more balanced way to live. Paul himself was an enthusiastic follower of Jesus, and accused of religious fanaticism] Guzik

Today, if we believe the Lord is watching us and there is another place to prepare for, we shall see reason to watch and be sober. True and fervent Love for the Lord as well as love for the things of God will keep us watchful and sober. This verse might be one many of us like to skip over. Watchful is okay but to be sober might not go over to well with many of us. We should not get too excited about the things of this world. We should not live our life for fun and entertainment. Does this describe the body of Christ? What no fun and entertainment? Do not get excited about the things of this world? As the U.S. body of Christ, we seem to go a tad overboard in the fun and entertainment department. If we spent as much money on missions, our giving at Church, spiritual things as we do on fun and entertainment in our personal lives and at church, do we know what we could accomplish for the cause of Christ? What would happen if we tried to live a bit more soberly like Paul exhorts us to? Are we alert and sober? Or have we been lulled to sleep by all the fun and entertainment? Is fun and entertainment wrong? No, but what are we truly living our life for?

Hoy le toca el turno a una de las canciones que llevan acompañandome durante un largo tiempo de mi vida. Quizás penseis que es triste, pero para mi siempre fue una obra de arte y mi canción preferida de Söber. Me encantaría poder escucharla en directo, sería un sueño cumplido… ¡Ojalá!

De momento ahí la dejo. Espero la disfruteis:

Sôber – Reflejo

Sober – Reflejo

Soy esclava del presente,

Prisionera de un ayer, que olvidé,

La creadora del pecado,
Por el cual ya me juzgué.

Ahora es tarde para darse cuenta de.
Que soñaste por mi culpa,

Que te hice navegar, por un mar,
Que amenaza el naufragio,

Imposible de salvar.
Y yo no te quiero ver sufrir,

Antes debo de luchar.
Noooo… me duele verte arrastrarte así,
Noooo… no dejaré que te humillen nunca más.
Me arrepiento del instante,

Cual no te pude ayudar,
Que no supe liberarte,

De las garras del fiero animal,
Y yo no te quiero ver sufrir,

Antes debo de luchar.
Noooo… me duele verte arrastrarte así,
Noooo… no dejaré que te humillen nunca más.
Eres cruel por no aflojar,

Esa cuerda te ahogará.
Y yo no te quiero ver sufrir,

Antes debo de luchar.
Noooo… me duele verte arrastrarte así,
Noooo… no dejaré que te humillen nunca más.

.Reina de Hielo.

I go to Practice every week, for the crew I’m on. We practice our craft for the weekend shows. We go to reconnect with each other, to talk and play and share together. We go to teach the newer members, as well as the guests. We go because we are always learning, always finding something new, always have room to improve.

We practice flogging against the wall, against the cross and on each other. We do electric scenes, checking the wands and trying out the toys. We practice our brand of fire play, training on all three stations. We don’t have the space for much suspension practice currently, but once in a while we get that, too.

But, for crew, practice isn’t enough. The skills are there, we learn what to do. But our weekends are full of strangers, with different reactions, different bodies, different needs, wants and desires. For us to “perfect” our craft, we need more than just our Practice night. We need to work with all sorts of different people, under the low lights and loud music. We need to deal with drunk, sober, shy and loud. What we do is very different, and very unique. It takes more than swinging a flogger or firing up a violet wand.

For me, it also takes a desire to serve and to share. I could just attend practices, and have time with them and do what I want to do. I could just be another attendee and sign up on the lists. I volunteer for crew to share the experience. To provide others the opportunity to learn and do what they might not have a chance to do otherwise. It fills a need in me to give back, to contribute to the community. Just going to Practice is no longer enough for me. I want more.

Staying Sober and Sane Through The Holidays

 The holidays have a way of affecting us all. It can be subtle or very direct. The pace increases in our lives and the events become plentiful. Being able to enjoy the holidays is a goal I strive for every year. So what have I learned with 18 sober holidays under my belt?

1. Don’t let meetings take a back seat. If an event is in conflict make sure you have an alternative meeting to pick up.

2. This is a great time of year to practice NOT people pleasing. Do what you can and feel comfortable with. No explanations needed.

3. Come late leave early. This is a favorite of mine and cuts out much of the emotional baggage that can accumulate at a function.

4. Keep literature in the car with reinforcing pages marked. If your not ready to leave take five and read something that will help you stay connected.

5. Remind yourself of the true meaning of the holidays. Whatever you celebrate ~ key into the spiritual and try to flush the commercial.

6. Allow a few moments extra to slow down before holiday tasks such as shopping, cleaning, entertaining, decorating etc. Key in on that spiritual aspect again.

7. Don’t forget to HALT (Hungry Angry Lonely Tired.)  Basic needs can get skipped in all the hub bub. Again slow down for a few minutes to make sure your needs are met ~ including meetings.

8. Get out that gratitude list ~ remember how it use to be ~ share your ESH if you are having trouble remembering.

9. Attend a sober activity instead of a function that may be too much too soon.

10. If the best you can do is not use ~ that is HUGE and should not be dismissed ~ that can be the BIGGEST gratitude you will ever have. Let all other aspects of the Holidays take the back seat.

11. Stay close to meetings, sponsors, support and counselors ~ pick up a commitment ~ you may not be aware of the effects the Holidays could be having on you.

12. Finally don’t forget the many alkathons that are held during this time of year. Find out where they are and put the information in your wallet.

written by Gwen R.

The letters to the churches in Thessalonica are all about the last days before Jesus’ return.  This chapter encourages us to Watch and Be Sober in our minds, lives, and day-to-day activities.  The evidence in the world of His soon return is undeniable.

Listen Now - Recorded Wednesday, February 4, 2009 @ Calvary Chapel Orange County

Happy Monday, gang!

Yesterday I went out to brunch with my dear old buddy Maya to this place, Apartment 138, in my neighb.  I’d heard great things about the food and the atmosphere of this place, but Brooklyn is full of great brunch locations and we all get a little spoiled.  I  certainly was not expecting anything out of the ordinary.

HOWEVER!  We sat down and low and behold, on their cocktail menu is a fancy non-alcoholic lemonade drink called “Mulberry-Mint Lemonade”.  As you can probably tell from the name, it is made from Lemonade, fresh mint, mulberry syrup (which gives it that beautiful purple color) and a little bit of soda.  It was such a delightfully refreshing beverage to have on that beautiful Indian Summer day yesterday.

Mulberry-Mint Lemonade

The atmosphere and food in general at Apartment 138 was delicious, I had the Chorizo – Havarti Grilled Cheese and Maya had the Grilled Chicken Pesto Sandwich…thing.  We were both very pleased that both dishes came with both salad and french fries taking away that eternal battle between Good and Evil.  They gave you just enough of a taste of each, perfection.

Now, the second part of my Lemonade weekend is actually the first half.  On Saturday night I went to a lovely dinner party hosted by my friend Ilana and her roommate Champika at their brand new  apartment.  My hero, Champika, made a delicious Ginger-Mint Lemonade which was also wonderful and refreshing.  It just felt so nice to have a special non-alcoholic beverage to consume at a dinner party.   I’ll have to get my hands on the recipe and share it with you all.

So thank you Champika, Ilana, Apartment 138 and the world of fancy lemonades.  You truly made my weekend.

Champika's Ginger-Mint Lemonade

Apartment 138 Bar and Restaurant

138 Smith St.

Brooklyn, NY

11201

718-858-0556

Alan Hamilton - Back in the Trailer Park

“Okay,” he continued when the mike was settled.  “I’m going to start by telling you right out the gate… what I say is my experience only.  If you want to know what this program’s about, you read the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous.

“With that said… Is there anybody here who ever felt so much fear, they didn’t want to get out of bed in the morning?  Raise your hand.”

Nearly everyone in the room lifted their hands.

“Very good.  Is there anyone here who’s ever drank so much booze, they couldn’t get out of bed?  Raise your hand.”

Again, a large majority of hands went up.

“Has anyone ever crashed their hang glider over a hundred times and lived to walk away from it?  Raise your hand.”

Raised hands disappeared while some people sniggered uncertainly. Surely, he wasn’t serious.

“Anybody ever drank Wild Turkey at eighty feet below the water while scuba diving?  Raise your hand.”

This time, people looked around wondering if anyone would raise their hands.

No one did.

“Anyone here ever rolled their truck at 80 miles an hour and lived to walk away from it?  Raise your hand…”  This time hands shot into the air and Alan leered knowingly.  “Alright – we got some takers on that one.

“Is there anyone here that alcohol messed up their life so bad, they didn’t want to live no more?  Raise your hand.”

Up went the hands.

“Has anyone ever pulled their parachute three times at terminal velocity while skydiving and lived to talk about it?  Raise your hand.”

Just as before, hands disappeared.

“Well if you notice, newcomers, it’s not so much about what we did… it’s the feelings we share.  That’s what we have in common around here.  We all did different things.  The things I mentioned are things that I have done personally.  And that includes the feelings.

“I’ll start a little bit at the beginning.  I was born in Oakland and I was a Navy Brat.  My daddy was a sailor; my momma was a housewife.  Daddy was a Republican; Momma was a Democrat.  Daddy was a Baptist; Momma was a Catholic.  And neither of them were alcoholics.

“I have two brothers and a sister, and none of them show symptoms of alcoholism – only me.  I’m the black sheep of the family.

“So that was my upbringing.  My family was a very poor and loving family, and my parents didn’t have much in common.  But the one thing they did have in common was love.  My parents were both very loving and caring people.

“But… on April 8^th, 1972… God called my daddy home.  He took my hero.  He took the man I looked up too.”  His voice cracked as he stated this, his eyes glistening with an ache that had never dissipated… even after 36 years.  When he tried to clear the sudden lump in his throat, his Adams apple bobbed madly.

The crowd could feel his pain.

“That was a month after I turned sixteen years old,” he continued.  “And that day… I got angry at God.  I got furious at Him for taking my hero.

“So on April 9^th, I got plastered. Totally plastered.  I got me some booze, got me some pot… and I went out in the lemon orchard and just did it up.  Before then, I had chipped away at drugs and alcohol, but I had never really done anything that bad.  I had never gotten that drunk or out of control.  But on that day – April 9^th – I told God I wanted nothing to do with Him anymore.

“See, I knew about God.  I was raised Catholic and Baptist.  I spent two years as an altar boy, two years at Missionary Bible School, four years at Catholic School, two years of Catechism – all that crap.  But regardless… the day God took my daddy was the day I turned my back on Him.

“And then, in my genius way of thinking, I figured I’d do everything God didn’t like.  So then I thought: ‘What does God not like?’

“Well, I knew you weren’t supposed to get drunk; that was in the Bible.  So I said, ‘From now on, I’m gonna get drunk and I’m gonna get loaded.  I’m gonna chase women and just have a great life.’ I already knew I was gonna be a Post-Toasty, so why worry about it?

“You see, I wasn’t mad at people.  I was mad at God.  So I didn’t take my anger out on people; I took my anger out on God.

“And that’s what I proceeded do.  I proceeded to do all these things I knew God didn’t like because I wanted to – because it didn’t matter.  I got out of high school and I learned how to hang glide.  I learned how to drink and smoke pot while I was hang gliding.  And I used to fly loaded.  I’d take a few magic mushrooms and go flying off Rincon… try to hit the beach.”  He chuckled at his past stupidity.  “In fact, in hang gliding, they used to call me Bonsai.”  He crooned the nickname proudly.  “They also called me Kamikaze… because I had more successful crashes than any Kamikaze pilot ever had in World War II.

“You see, people… I’m dual diagnosed.  My drug of choice is more…”

“Only the beginning, of what I want to feel forever.”~Chicago

Being clean and sober is phenomenal! I’m having more fun than I’ve ever had and life just keeps getting better all the time.

Even when I was clean for three years a while back, it never felt like this. I’m happy and I’m manifesting a whole shitload of groovy stuff, both personally and professionally.

This reason I haven’t written anything here for a few weeks is I’m so busy living the life of my dreams. 

Indeed, this is only the beginning of what I want to feel forever.