Archive for the My View On Things Category

How AA Really Works

Friday, February 11th, 2011

This is the first of a three part video I made last summer with a friend who goes to Alcoholics Anonymous in an attempt to help people better understand the AA program. Although I felt the video came out OK and basically helped us accomplished what we had set out to do, there were times when I considered deleting the three parts. My feeling was that they were too long and could have been done better. For some reason though, I put off deleting them and didn’t think about it again until recently. However, before deleting them I decided to watch all three parts which I never did before, and was glad I didn’t delete them. They may not be polished and professional and in fact are a bit long, but they reminded me of two important things. That along with my book and my blog, I had intended to use video’s like this to help others, and that the passion I displayed in them at the time is still with me today. I hope you watch all three parts. I believe there’s a reason for why everything happens in our lives, and I’m hoping there’s a reason why this video is still around. Click here to watch Part Two and here to watch Part Three.

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The Dis-ease of Addiction

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
I wrote in a previous post titled The Whys of Addiction about studies being done on addiction and the brain.  These types of studies have added a lot of credibility to the idea that addiction is a disease which is still being debated today. I am basically in agreement with this because the changes addiction causes in the brain currently fits the definition of disease. However, I am more in agreement with the idea that substance abuse and dependency is a symptom of something else. It seems many times there are underlying reasons why someone uses a substance to begin with, and continues to use it to the point that they become addicted to it. Fortunately, often times when those reasons are uncovered and corrected, the symptom can go away. This requires change on the individual’s part beginning with their thought processes. When the addicted person learns how to change their old way of thinking, the way that almost always got them drunk or high, they begin to change themselves. I slowly changed who I was after I stopped drinking, and over time it no longer mattered how I defined myself as a former drinker. I do call myself a “recovered” alcoholic, but I was more of a problem drinker; not the stereotypical alcoholic we see on TV and in movies. Some people recover from substance dependency without help, and some people need all the help they can get. The latter is why I wish the people who say that addiction isn’t a disease, would stop. It can prevent many people from getting any help at all, and in some cases this can be a death sentence. By definition addiction is a disease of the brain. Our brains literally change over time when we abuse drugs and alcohol. As a result, some people cannot stop using a substance no matter how bad their life, their relationships, or their health gets. It’s time for everyone to stop disagreeing about whether or not addiction is a disease, and begin to work together to help find answers to the growing problem of addiction.

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America The Beautiful

Saturday, August 14th, 2010

I really try and stay away from politics these days but…. Whether we agree or disagree that a Mosque should be built 2 blocks away from where the Twin Towers were, I hope we can agree on one thing.  The government at the time should have focused a lot more on rebuilding the site, the area, our country, and the nation’s hearts after the attack on 9/11 instead of eventually invading Iraq. My heart goes out to the families of the 9/11 victims, but it also goes out to the families of all the soldiers who lost their lives in a war that I feel should have never been started. I love my country because it was a melting pot of people from all over the world who came here to live because of what it stood for. We can be that country again, but we first need to stop arguing about which religion or political party is the best, and find a way to start getting along with each other. Science tells us we’re all made of the same matter and in that sense we’re all one. Now it’s just a question of acting that way towards one another.

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I’m No Superman

Sunday, August 1st, 2010

There’s a difference between being arrogant, and being self-confident. There’s also a difference between being vain, and loving yourself enough to be happy with who you are.  My self-confidence isn’t always at its highest, and I can struggle to regain it on some occasions, but I never struggle to love myself. I’ve learned that being happy with who I am is the key to being happy in life, and I have certainly earned this happiness. As I pass through life, I will continue to grow in my self-confidence and hopefully never display arrogance, but if the love I have for myself comes off as such I won’t apologize. It took me quite awhile to love myself unconditionally, and I believe this type of love will help me in my effort to love others unconditionally too.

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