Memorial Day 2012

Originally called Decoration Day, Memorial Day became a National holiday in 1971 to be celebrated on the last Monday in the month of May.  It was a day established to remember those who died serving in the military of the United States.

We here at YDFBlog appreciate ALL the men and women who serve in the US Armed Forces.   We Thank You for your service.

Today, however, we pause to pay special tribute to the thousands of men and women who gave their lives while serving in the US military.  To those individuals whom we cannot shake hands with today, we take a moment of silence to honor you.

We also want to take a minute to Thank the families of those whose loved ones made the ultimate sacrifice so that you and I could have the freedoms that we take for granted every day. Freedoms which, without their loss, would not be possible for us to have today.

Suggestion:  In the spirit of recovery, when we do our service work today, why don't we do something extra for that military widow/widower down the street?  Or for that family next door that lost their son or daughter in military service to this nation.  Wouldn't it be awesome if we really "got out of ourselves" and "showed" our gratitude for the sacrifice that their loved one made for us?

So just for today, be grateful for the freedoms that we enjoy every day in this nation and remember that it was bought with a great price.  Freedom truly isn’t Free! 

Join us again soon as we continue Denial.

Until then ....... be sure to tell a friend about us.

Thanks for visiting us - come back soon.

Remember:  “It is what it is and “it ain’t nothing but a thing!”

Living In The Lie

Faith: confidence or trust in a person or thing

Okay folks, so far we have tried to break up some hardened ground here.  In our discussions about Hope and Believe we have tried to encourage you and emphasize that;

    No matter what your circumstances or situations are, there is Hope.

    If you Believe it and work for it, you can achieve recovery.

   You have worth and you are important.

 Hopefully, our discussions thus far have softened the soil of your heart and mind and you are now ready for the next phase of this process.

Now that the soil has been broken, it’s time to shovel away the dirt and prepare the ground to lay a solid foundation for your recovery. From now on, the discussions will be a little more intrusive and will require you to “get real”.  

Think about your current situation.  Do you know or at least think that you have a problem and are ready to get help…  If so, then call, text or e-mail me now.  Do not put if off.  This is huge.

However, if you do not feel or know that you have a problem or you are not ready to accept it (denial) then continue reading.

We will define Denial as: A person's refusal to admit or accept that he or she has an addiction problem.  Denial is one of the symptoms of the illness of addiction. It is this symptom that makes recovery so difficult and must be dealt with before recovery can take place.

Addiction is an illness which convinces you that you do not have a problem.

Before confessing that we had a problem, most of us used very similar denial strategies to prove that we didn’t have a problem.  Statements like, “We don’t have a problem or that we can stop or quit anytime we want to.”  We would blame our actions on others or on our childhood issues.  We might even give into the idea that this is just the way we are, “I can’t change” or “I just can’t help myself.”  And the list goes on and on.

For those of us with a drinking problem, we tried the beer only, never drinking alone, drinking only at a designated time, etc. methods.

For those of us with a drug problem we tried deleting our dealer’s number from our phone, never going into that neighborhood, only buying on Sunday, etc.

But regardless of our excuses and varied attempts, the results were always the same.  Yet we still deny that we have a problem.

The thing is, denial blocks us from the path to recovery.  And to deny the truth is to live in a lie.  If the truth sets us free, then the lie keeps us in bondage.  Recovery is to live in the Truth. Denial is to live in the Lie.

Until we get denial under our foot, we cannot recover.

Join us next time as we continue our discussion on Denial.

Until then …….. be sure to tell a friend about us.

Thanks for visiting us – come back soon.

Remember:  “It is what it is and “it ain’t nothing but a thing!”

Humor

 Cartoon compliments of:  (Copyright Gospel Communications International, Inc - www.reverendfun.com)

Believe - Faith

OK, I hope that you enjoyed the "comic relief."

We left "Believe" with "as we step from Believe to Faith."  Sounds easy enough.  Truth is, this is a process that requires time and work to get accomplished.

Many may think that Believe and Faith are pretty much the same.  They are not.  Many may think that you can have Faith before you Believe.  You cannot.

To believe something, we trust that what we have read, been told, etc. is true.

To have faith in someone or something, we have experienced that it is true.

Thus far, our attempts here, be defining and reinforcing words, thoughts and emotions, has been to lay the foundation for the work ahead of us.  Nothing lasts for long without a solid foundation.

In order to get from "believe" to "faith" much time and work is required and many "steps" have to be taken.  If you have not done so already, please visit our website, Your Daily Fix, and review the "12 Steps" that we will begin to discuss in depth very soon.

It is through the process of "working" these steps that we experience the difference between believe and faith.  It's one thing to have head knowledge of something.  It's quite different to experience it and have the heart knowledge of it.

Join us next time as we begin our discussion on "Denial."

Keep in mind that you are important.  You matter.  You can recover.

Until then ..... be sure to tell a friend about us.

Thanks for visiting us - come back soon.

Remember:  "It is what it is and "it ain't nothing but a thing!"

A Little Humor

 

In between our regular posts, we have decided to add a little humor!  Below is the first of these humorous cartoons.  Enjoy!

Come back soon as we will shortly have a new post for you.

Until then .... Be sure to tell a friend about us.

Remember:  "It is what it is and "it ain't nothing but a thing!"

Believe - Continued

Believe

.... to accept as true or as speaking the truth

Okay folks thanks for coming back to visit us.  We hope that the information about "Alcohol Awareness Month" was helpful.

Before we get back to "Believe", we wanted to remind you to visit our website, Your Daily Fix.   You will find lots of useful information there and a list of the 12 Steps that we will begin discussing in the very near future.

Now, more on "Believe":  We left our discussion with ... forgot how to believe.  In reality, it isn't so much the "how to believe" that's the problem.  We alcoholics/addicts don't really have an issue with that.  Our problem centers in the "what we believe".

Our "stinking thinking" has us convinced that we don't have a problem.  We believe that it's someone else's fault that we drink and/or use.  We believe that next time we'll do better.  We believe that we can quit anytime we want to.  We believe that we've already messed up so we might as well go ahead and drink or use.  We believe that we are justified in our drinking and/or using.  We believe that it doesn't matter, we are useless; no one really cares or understands.  And countless other lies that our sick minds are believing.

So our problem isn't in knowing "how" to believe but rather in "what" to believe.  But how do we go from believing lies to believing the truth?  First, we have to begin by being honest with ourselves about our problem.  But that's getting ahead of the program - more on that later.

For those of you reading this that accept that you do have a problem, we want to encourage you to "believe" (accept as true) that there is a solution - that works!  Believe that if you do your part, it will work for you too.  Believe that despite the circumstances there is "Hope".  Believe that you are valuable and that you have worth.  Believe that you can recover and believe that you can be restored to a life better than you had before.

Just "Believe" or at least be willing to believe.  It's simple - just not easy.

Join us next time as we step from "Believe" to "Faith".  If you or someone you know has a drinking or drug problem and you want help, contact us.  We are here to assist you or them.  Additionally, if you have any comments, suggestions or questions, drop us a line.  We'd like to hear from you.

Until then ..... be sure to tell a friend about us.

Thanks for visiting us - come back soon.

Remember:  "It is what it is and "it ain't nothing but a thing!"

INTERRUPTION

We are interrupting the 2nd part of the "Believe" discussion to pass on some pertinent information.

In recognition of National Alcohol Awareness Month, which is April, we provide the following information.  Here is an example of the information we found on Salem News.

"Every year, during the month of April, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) observes National Alcohol Awareness Month to raise awareness of alcohol abuse and to encourage people to make healthy, safe choices."

"Communities across the nation are hosting events this month to raise public awareness about the consequences of alcohol misuse."

Right now there is a wealth of valuable information concerning alcohol use, addiction and abuse out there both for the abuser and their family.  We have listed some of the sites here for your convenience:

Altius Directory
Healthfinder
Alcoholism at About.com

If you feel that you or someone you know has a drug or alcohol problem and you want help, there is useful information on our website, Your Daily Fix, or contact us directly.

Join us next time when we continue "Believe."

Until then .....  be sure to tell a friend about us.

Thanks for visiting us.  Come back soon.

Remember:  "It is what it is and “it ain’t nothing but a thing”!