Blunt Talk From a Former Drunk—No More Excuses

Are you on your way to becoming a drunk, like I was for too many wasted years of my life?

A new study this year from researchers at the University of California and Veterans Affairs San Diego Health Care System finds one in five men in the United States and other developed countries are at risk of abusing alcohol or becoming alcoholics. The risk is about 10 percent for women during their lifetime, according to their findings.
 
At the least, they add, you’ll cut your life short by 10 to 15 years if you drink too much and/or become addicted to drinking. But we know that at the most, you might immediately die or kill someone if you drive drunk.
 
I’m lucky I’m alive after abusing alcohol for too many years of my life. I ruined relationships and risked my health. But I quit, and you can, too.
 
But first, I had to stop making excuses for myself, and allowing others to make excuses for me. If you’re on your way to becoming an alcoholic, or binge drinking, or even at that stage where you’ve had one two many, don’t make excuses.
 
Don’t let yourself get by with saying you drink because you’re celebrating, or you’re shy, or you’re sad, or because you have a lousy job or because you’re broke.
 
Alcohol won’t let you take control over any of those problems; but it will take control over you. So tell yourself, ‘No more excuses,’ and then do whatever it takes to help you quit.
 
Call an addiction hotline. They’re listed in the phone directory. Call a treatment center. Call on a higher power – I did. Call Alcoholics Anonymous. Call your doctor. Call your parents. Ask a friend to help you. Do whatever it takes to quit.
 
This is the age of the Internet, so you can start looking for help there, too. Go to Alcoholics Anonymous at www.aa.org.  You can also find hundreds of resources at www.soberrecovery.com/links/resources.html.
 
When I quit, I discovered that I could do big things. I proved that when I stopped being a drunk and quit drinking. That was one of the greatest accomplishments in my life. I discovered I could be alone, after years of always having to have someone else around when I was drinking. I know now that it was fear that fueled my drinking. My new life became about confronting my fears, not using them as an excuse.
 
I can look at people who are addicted and understand why they’re addicted. Hey, it’s a tough world we live in. But I can also see that addictions don’t make things easier in the long run; they just prolong the pain.
 
So here’s blunt talk from a former drunk: No more excuses!

Linda Joy Allan of Santa Barbara, Calif., is the author of the book, “I Quit! Cigarettes, Candy Bars & Booze,” which has been described as a “courageous account, ultimately victorious,” of Allan’s personal journey to overcome three addictions. Dr. Laura Schlessinger, author of the book “Stop Whining, Start Living,” has said Allan “will motivate and inspire.” For more information and tips on quitting your addictions, visit http://www.dovelinpublishing.com

I live with my 2 cats in Santa Barbara. I invite you to stop by my website @ DovelinPublishing.com and sign up for my tip of the week.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/addictions-articles/blunt-talk-from-a-former-drunkno-more-excuses-921897.html

Discount vacation packages Do They Exist

If you are interested in taking a summer vacation, but you are concerned with the cost, you are not alone. A large number of individuals and families wish to take a summer vacation, but, due to the cost of many, most are unable to do so. What many individuals and families fail to consider is discount vacation packages.

Discount vacation packages do exist, but to many they are only a myth. There are just some individuals who believe that there is no such thing as a discount summer vacation. If they do believe that discount vacations exist, many assume they are only to low-quality destinations. If you are interested in taking a summer vacation, you are encouraged not to believe this popular myth.

To find discount vacation packages, all you have to do is a little bit of research. Once you start looking, you will likely see that discount vacation packages are obtainable, for even the most popular summer vacation destinations. Discount vacation packages are obtainable thanks to vacation packages, online coupons, price reductions sites and discount vacation packages membership from Resorts 360.

All inclusive vacation packages are one of the most popular ways that you or your family can save money when taking a summer vacation. These packages are most often available through a resort. Theme park resorts, golf resorts, and beach resorts, all around the world, are likely to offer summer vacation packages. These packages may be considered all-inclusive or they may just cover a number of vacation accommodations. Vacation packages can easily be found online or by speaking to a professional travel agent.

When it comes to discount vacation packages, most individuals receive a discount in the form of a price reduction. Price reductions are often used as a last attempt to increase the number of vacationers at popular hotels, restaurants, theme parks, or beaches. If you are searching for upfront discounts, in the form of price reductions, they can easily be found online or by directly contacting a hotel, restaurant, or theme park.

In addition to price reductions used to lure in additional vacationers, many popular vacation destinations offer price reductions to vacationing families. Instead of paying full price for your children, you may be able to receive a substantial discount for them. These discounts are often found at vacation resorts, hotels, and theme parks. The cost of a family discount will depend on the destination. However large or small the discount, many families enjoy saving the money.

Online coupons are a great way to obtain a discount on your next summer vacation. A large number of discount vacation packages offer online coupons, as well as offline coupons. Most internet users have the option of requesting a coupon booklet or they can obtain printable vacation coupons. The only downside to using coupons is that you must remember to take them with you when you set off to reach your vacation destination. Without them, you may be required to pay full price for all of your used services.

While discount vacation packages are obtainable, it is important to note that not all destinations can be vacationed at for a low price. Despite what you may believe, many of the most popular vacation destinations offer valuable savings and discounts to travelers. Popular summer vacation destinations that can be visited for a low price include, but should not be limited to, the Caribbean, Mexico, Myrtle Beach, Bush Gardens, Six Flags, Disneyland, or Disney World. Many times, you will end up paying more to vacation at destination that is not as popular.

When searching for a low-cost summer discount vacation packages, you can search using a number of methods. If you already have a vacation destination in mind, you can search for discounts being offered in or around your intended vacation spot. If you have yet to select a destination, you can examine the discounts available and then make your decision. Whichever method you select, you are sure to find valuable discounts that can be used on your next vacation.

Get all inclusive vacation packages with a luxury resorts and discount vacation packages membership.
Luxury cruises, hotels and resorts stays at 3, 4 and 5 star resorts for as little as $149 per week.Click here for discount vacation packages!

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/addictions-articles/discount-vacation-packages-do-they-exist-921099.html

Am I Addicted?

Most addicts don’t need to ask this question, they already know the answer. A life that revolves around the next fix, it fills your waking hours. Getting up in the morning (afternoon?) and getting everything into place. First, set the scene for the first act.  Scheming and plotting for the money, then for the substance. Fixed! First you get the habit. Then the habit gets you.

Addicts live to use, and use to live. Very simply, an addict is a person whose life is controlled by a substance or action. Addicts are people living with a chronic relapsing illness steadily progressing to the same end, prison, illness, poverty, and death.

Only you can decide if you have an addiction. How do you know if you are being impartial even to yourself? The following questions may help you make this decision. If you answer Yes to four or more questions, you may have a problem that can be solved with the right help, if you bring it into the open. Remember, that it is no disgrace to admit that you have a problem. Answer the following 12 questions to find out if you need to take the 12 Steps!

1 – Have you ever decided to stop drinking/drugs for a week or so, but only lasted for a day or two?

2 – Do you wish people would mind their own business about your drinking or drugs and stop telling you what to do?

3 – Have you ever switched from one kind of drink or drugs, to another, in the hope that this would keep you from getting hooked or stoned?

4 – Have you needed something to help you face the day when you wake up, during the past year?

5 – Do you envy people who can drink or do drugs without getting into trouble?

6 – Have you had problems connected with drinking or drugs during the past year?

7 – Has your drinking or drug taking caused trouble at home?

8 – Do you ever try to get “extra” drinks or drugs at a party to top up?

9 – Do you tell yourself that you can stop drinking or doing drugs any time you want to, even though you keep getting drunk or stoned when you don’t mean to?

10 – Have you missed days of work or school because of drinking?

11 – Do you have “blackouts”?

12 – Have you ever felt that your life would be better if you did not drink or do drugs?
Did you answer Yes, four or more times? If so, you are probably addicted. Why can this be stated with such authority? It is because thousands of people in recovery have had to answer these questions. They found out the truth about themselves, the hard way. Ask yourself one more question. Where will you be in one year’s time if you keep doing what you are doing now?

Decide if you are going to take the first step to sort out your problem. Try to keep an open mind. There are many people waiting to help you move forward. Remember, there is hope. It’s never too late to make a brand new start.

Alan Butler is a Recovery Coach having worked for the last 10 years with men recovering from addiction. Three years of this were invested as a House Parent on site at the Christian run Ovis Farm Project in Devon, England. He has a Diploma in Coaching and Mentoring from the Institute of Counselling, Glasgow. He is currently taking time out with his children and granchildren in Australia but would welcome comment through http://www.therecoverycoach.co.uk

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/addictions-articles/am-i-addicted-906084.html

No Gain Without Pain

Those working through drug and alcohol addiction, need to change long held beliefs, behaviours, attitudes and self images, This can take time and involve a great emotional cost. There is often a long struggle and even suffering to break the chains that bind them to their addiction. So for the resident in a community, there is “no gain without pain”.

Recovering addicts need to become personally fit and physically and mentally fit. They will often need to deal with a spiritual dimension to their recovery in which the walls of forgiveness needs to be scaled. Dealing with perceived and actual wrongs involving physical and sexual abuse is not for the faint-hearted. It requires focus to develop strength, stamina and endurance. It takes much determination and sacrifice. But mainly, it involves aches, pain, and sometimes fear as those recovering from addiction, step outside their comfort zones.

This is an important process for recovering addicts, as typically, they have avoided discomfort in any shape or form. It is often stated that drug addicts don’t do problems. So pain is an important part of growth, it helps in shaping character. Dealing with problems is part of life and allows most people to take steps to maturity as they learn how to deal with problems.

 Most of those recovering from addiction will admit that it is difficult, often pushing them to their limits. The need to stay clean, delay gratification and deal with the problems that come up, is demanding. The demands of living in community, being up close and personal with others who are going through the same process, while maintaining the task of self-examination, coping with feelings, guilt, and discarding their old self images would be a trying test for most people.

But becoming overcomers and staying the course are great personal victories. Yet anything worth having, is worth fighting for, so the gain is worth the pain.

Alan Butler is a Recovery Coach having worked for the last 10 years with men recovering from addiction. Three years of this were invested as a House Parent on site at the Christian run Ovis Farm Project in Devon, England. He has a Diploma in Coaching and Mentoring from the Institute of Counselling, Glasgow. He is currently taking time out with his children and granchildren in Australia but would welcome comment through http://www.therecoverycoach.co.uk

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/addictions-articles/no-gain-without-pain-906093.html

Addiction Freedom Secrets – How to Super Charge Your Coping Skills!

Well, before I reveal the answer to that question let’s review what I like to call the addiction equation. Family dysfunctions causing emotional pain + low level of self-esteem and emotional coping skills + learned addictive behavior from surroundings, friends, and/ or family = ADDICTION!  Take note, that the emotional pain caused by family dysfunctions such as abuse, control, part-time parenting, and rejection is the root cause or catalyst. However, if one is subjected to those patterns, it is not a forgone conclusion that they will develop an addiction. Certainly, there are some people who experience physical, verbal, sexual abuse, and many other dysfunctional patterns that manage to lead perfectly, healthy, happy lives which are free of addiction. And, I would also venture to say that many of those same people have been subjected to examples of addictive behavior by their friends and/or family as well! So, why do these individuals opt “to just say no?” The answer is a high level of self-esteem and coping skills. If you can deal effectively with dysfunctional behavior by speaking your will and liberating yourself from it, then there really isn’t a need to numb emotional pain that doesn’t exist!

Now, at this point in the juncture, you’re probably wondering how you can increase your level of coping skills, so let’s break it down. First, we need to define the word cope. Cope; to deal successfully with a difficult problem or situation. Therefore, increasing your coping skills translates into improving your ability to deal with a difficult problem. But, what exactly does it mean to deal with a problem successfully? As a hypothetical example, let’s say that you have suffered from a verbally abusive parent. To deal with that particular situation successfully, would you  just ignore their comments and try to brush them aside (avoid confrontation,) or would you put a stop to the abuse by speaking your will and saying “I’m not going to take it anymore,” in a calm confident manner of course. If it’s the former, that’s not going to get the job done because you are still, in essence, undermining your self-respect by allowing such behavior – whether you ignore it or not. Remember, addiction recovery requires empowerment. Therefore, the later is the appropriate response. When faced with the above types of dysfunctional situation most people experience a separation of the mind and heart. In other words, when the heart dominates we live with the illusion that it’s our family and it’s ok for them to subject us to abuse and mistreatment. When the mind dominates, we make emotion our enemy, and we become consumed with the fear of internal and emotional growth which results in low self-esteem and self-blame. This can result in and endless cycle of mentally wanting to change but fearing it emotionally. Hence, the addiction trap begins! Therefore, if you want to free yourself from addiction your going to have to liberate yourself from dysfunctional behavior and empower yourself to grow spiritually and emotionally.

Regards,

David Roppo

The Addiction Freedom coach

For more information on how to overcome your addiction or how to stop drinking subscribe to my free 40 page e-guides below………

 http://www.5stepstoaddictionfreedom.com

http://www.howtostopdrinkingwithoutaa.com 

As a life coach, Roppo has helped addicted clients learn the secrets to overcoming addiction, and he has established his unique five-step process as a potential benchmark for recovery. His success has overwhelmingly convinced him that the mainstream approach to addiction is fundamentally amiss because formal treatment programs attempt to defeat the symptoms rather than address the core issue.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/addictions-articles/addiction-freedom-secrets-how-to-super-charge-your-coping-skills-919694.html

sportsgambling

sportsgambling

Sports Gambling Basics

Combine two of man’s greatest interests and you’ve got something called “sports gambling.” What could be more ingenious? Imagine a group of men cheering over their favorite team, and almost always, bets are placed along with the racket. Think about it. With every sport there are always certain highlighted games everyone’s talking about; something that, according to sports buffs, will “Change the course of history.” In order to get some of the action, spectators usually attempt to guess who will win in the upcoming games. This all turns into a friendly little “game” called sports gambling.

It might sound addicting, but sports gambling is really just for fun and a way to bond with your friends. You can bet a little amount of money and still have a good time. Sports gambling makes the outcome of a game more meaningful and the whole duration of the game more thrilling and exciting. Here are some basics to get you started on sports gambling.

To place a bet, all you have to do is go to a sportsbook, which is a place that accepts sports bets. In the United States, there are four states where you can do sports gambling legally, but illegally, you can do it anywhere so long as you can find a bookie AND you are of legal age (over 21). Many of the sports you can bet on are professional and college football and basketball, professional baseball, professional hockey, and horse and dog racing. You can bet on anything that involves sports, really, after all, it is sports gambling. You can bet on the overall combined score of a game, on what round will the opponent be knocked out, and even whether a coin toss in a game lands heads or tails. All you have to do is place your bet depending on the statistical odds (chances of winning/losing).

In sports gambling, bookies rely on statistics to help you decide which team you think will win. There is such a thing called a “spread,” which is a point advantage given to a weaker team that is expected to lose
by X number of points. This is the odds maker’s way of making even bets possible for a Sports Book. For example, if a person may bet on a team that is expected to lose, and still win the bet so long as the team loses by a given number of points.

You might be asked to bet a few notches higher than the money you may actually win. This is really just the bookie’s way of making money.

In sports gambling, there are different kinds of bets. There are straight bets, parlays, teasers, and over/unders. In sports gambling the most common type of bet is the straight bet, where all you have to do is to pick the team which you think will lose or win. Over/under bets are wagers on the combined number of points scored in the game by both teams. Parlays are combined bets on several games. Teasers are similar to parlays, but you can add or subtract points from the spread to make your bets stronger. This is just to show you that sports gambling can be made more interesting and challenging by the bets that you place.

There you go – the basics of sports gambling. Why don’t you give it a try, and have a lot of fun in the process. Just remember not to get too carried away and spend your entire 401K plan on a whim. You just might end up regretting it for life.

sportsgambling

Abstinence

Saying ‘abstinence’ to a recovering addict is like saying ‘celibacy’ to a hot blooded male. In my years working on the Ovis Farm Project, the concept of Abstinence was one of the difficult principles to get across. It wasn’t that your recovering addict didn’t understand the word, it was just too difficult to see “how it applies to me.”

Abstinence was OK for everybody else, but “I will be able to control my drinking or drug taking as long as I have a short break.” Moderation seemed the best and logical option. Like, abstinence means forever! A lifetime without a drink was too much to contemplate. The very idea of a life after rehab without their drug of choice was enough to derail them and send them running up the track to the nearest bar.

I realise that Abstinence is a big thing to ask your regular addict. You are asking him to give up the one thing that has made his life liveable, the only thing that can get him through a day. This is not an easy option.

Let’s get this straight. Abstinence is not ‘recovery’. Abstinence is a pre-condition of recovery. Recovery is about overcoming addictive thinking. Abraham J Twerski, in his book, ‘Addictive Thinking’ suggests the formula:-

Recovery = Abstinence + Change

He then makes the following observation, “When we try to convince addicts of the fallacy of their thinking, it is like telling someone that his or her belief in the law of gravity is a delusion. It is the height of futility to expect an addictive thinker to abandon that concept of reality and accept ours instead.”

Perhaps timing is an important factor. In the early stages of recovery how can you make a lifetime commitment, when taking a day at a time is all you can do? “Please don’t mention the ‘A’ word until I’ve been dry for six months and then some”

When a recovering person is six months into his program, he can start to see a different horizon. He can start looking forward to make short and medium term goals. Indeed, a significant goal may have already been achieved by making it through six months. So what about abstinence then? If there is so much as a shadow of a doubt about abstinence, our recovering person is due for a fall. It may come in a month, it may come in a week, but generally it happens the day you walk out of the rehab gate. Stay with the program until you can make a heartfelt decision for abstinence.

Why should you go for abstinence? – You will have experienced many traumas in your life as an addict. You will probably have lost your job, lost your family, spent time in prison, and attended too many funerals to remeber. You have a life-controlling problem.

The only sure way not to repeat the previous 10 or 20 years is to have a commitment to abstinence. Decide never to use again. Abstinence is a choice you can make when you have been clean for a while, it is extremely difficult to make choices when you are still using. You may need help. Do another program, live a ‘day at a time’ even try harm reduction – but make a commitment to abstinence.

You may be ready right now to take this step. You are sick and tired of being sick and tired. You have had enough of letting your past dictate your future. You will know that it is the right time. There is a right time for some things.

Here are some steps to help you get into the right frame of mind:-

1. A commitment to abstinence is not a commitment to perfection.

2. Understand how your body and your mind works – get to know your triggers and find alternatives to your thinking patterns and your habits.

3. Remember that a lapse does not need to lead to a relapse – don’t beat yourself up when you slip – it’s a mistake, not the end of the world. Get help’

4. When was the last time you managed to moderate your drinking or drug taking? When did you last go out and have one beer then go home? Have you tried moderation a number of times and it didn’t work? Maybe that will help you decide.

Learn different coping mechanisms. If someone tempts you with a drink, say. “I don’t drink,” not, “I’m trying to give up.” Think like a non-drinker. If emotional issues arise, deal with them – don’t use them as an excuse to derail your recovery. You are on the ‘no-excuses’ track now.

Be totally committed to your future, Remember why you are making the new choices. That old way of life is in the past where it needs to stay. You can start a new life. Clear your head to focus on your goals. Be ever watchful but don’t be consumed by the old life. Forgive yourself and move on.

Alan Butler is a Recovery Coach having worked for the last 10 years with men recovering from addiction. Three years of this were invested as a House Parent on site at the Christian run Ovis Farm Project in Devon, England. He has a Diploma in Coaching and Mentoring from the Institute of Counselling, Glasgow. He is currently taking time out with his children and granchildren in Australia but would welcome comment through http://www.therecoverycoach.co.uk

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/addictions-articles/abstinence-906106.html

Scientology Volunteer Ministers Target Drug and Alcohol Abuse in the South Pacific

A Scientology Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tour is targeting drug and alcohol abuse in Tonga, an island nation near Samoa in the South Pacific.

In an interview with Radio Tonga News on the island of Tongatapu, Mathew Andrews, the leader of the South Pacific team, explained that the tour concentrates on providing services to address the precise problems that exist in the countries they visit. With drug and alcohol abuse among Tonga’s youth a critical concern to officials, non-profit groups and individuals, the tour will be providing workshops to combat this substance abuse and addiction.

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers will also offer seminars and courses in conflict resolution and natural disaster emergency preparedness—subjects that have proven popular throughout the South Pacific countries the tour has thus far visited.

Demand also runs high throughout the region for training in the study technology developed by Scientology founder,L. Ron Hubbard.  The tour recently held a training session for students and teachers in one of the colleges on Tongatapu.  “Thank you for this very important program,” wrote one teacher who completed this training.  He went on to state that the program enabled him to “solve problems of teaching and learning on the part of the students.”

Another teacher wrote, “I would suggest that all teachers who are so-called quality teachers should have this in mind where they are teaching. Many teachers tend to use corporal punishment,” he continued, “due to the lack of strategies or methods on the part of the teacher.”

The Goodwill Tour also provides workshops on how to improve communication skills, and training in Scientology Assists, a technology that addresses the mental and spiritual aspects of a person’s physical difficulties.

Having already provided similar guidance and training in Fiji and Samoa, the Scientology Volunteer Ministers South Pacific Goodwill Tours will be in Tonga for three months before continuing on to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Linda Wieland writes for the Scientology Press Office in Los Angeles, CA.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/addictions-articles/scientology-volunteer-ministers-target-drug-and-alcohol-abuse-in-the-south-pacific-915686.html

What Goes Around Comes Around

You may think of the successful lyrics of Justin Timberlake when you hear the term, “What Goes around comes around”.  Popular songs have a way of taking an old saying, and giving new expression to it.  But this term means different things to different people.

To some  “what goes around comes around” means that you will get what you deserve, or, that the chickens will come home to roost.

To others it seems to imply that you will get what’s coming to you, or that you will get what you deserve. John Lennon, who had a neat way with words, once wrote,

Instant Karmas gonna get you

Gonna knock you right on the head

You better get yourself together

Pretty soon you’re gonna be dead

What in the world you thinking of

Laughing in the face of love

So, does it all balance out in the end? All this does not bode well for your average recovering drug addict. The last thing he wants, is to get what he deserves, and, that instant karma doesn’t sound too good.

So why frame this maxim and put it up on the wall in your Therapeutic Community’s dining room? What does this expression mean in the life of those in recovery from drug addiction?

“What goes around comes around” is about the skill of learning patience. The bigger picture, however, is to provide a coping mechanism to handle the circumstances that life throws at us. Most of the consequences now coming back to us, are now outside of our control. Life is not fair. We have been dealt a bad hand.

Injustices and set backs are part of life, of relationships, of trying our best and not being recognised, of not being affirmed for what we have accomplished, or in relationships yet to be reconciled.

This is all part of the daily grind but it can serve to discourage those in recovery. Getting a grasp of the meaning of “what goes around comes around” helps the person to accept the circumstances and deal with the consequences.

This maxim may have two important messages.

First, patience is required to accept unfairness and injustice in our daily lives because these factors are part of life.

Second, although we may feel that the circumstances are not ours to control, this doesn’t mean that we should just be resigned to our fate.  We should go forward confidently because we have a hope that things will get sorted out in the future. We are not alone in experiencing these things, and we will not be tested beyond our endurance.

Alan Butler is a Recovery Coach having worked for the last 10 years with men recovering from addiction. Three years of this were invested as a House Parent on site at the Christian run Ovis Farm Project in Devon, England. He has a Diploma in Coaching and Mentoring from the Institute of Counselling, Glasgow. He is currently taking time out with his children and granchildren in Australia but would welcome comment through http://www.therecoverycoach.co.uk

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/addictions-articles/what-goes-around-comes-around-906112.html

The Rush to Nowhere

People struggle in accepting their need to change destructive behaviours because they are afraid. They have become afraid because they have become disconnected and have forgotten how to soothe themselves. By slowing, down, and learning to quieten the ‘mind activity’ we can reconnect to the quiet soothing sounds of our soul and of the Universe around us.

Imagine driving through an area of outstanding beauty. Then you realize just how fast you are traveling – everything a blur. Notice the trees, the fields, that church steeple over there slipping by within one blink of an eye. Did you see the lambs or did you miss them? Was that a gentle stream over there or perhaps a canal with its Narrow Boat traveling at walking pace? Did you notice the old man ploughing his field or the Buzzard hovering over its prey? Then, in a moment of clarity to realize that you are traveling at breakneck speed, you are out of control and are in danger of a major pile-up. This is how many people lead their lives and yet pride themselves with being in control and self aware. Never mind all that, we have meetings to get to and people to see. I have projects to manage and products to sell. I have a mortgage to pay and bills that I owe. Don’t stop me now I am on a mission to nowhere – I am on a mission to self destruct.

Why do people spend so much time rushing around and overworking and eating too much food and drinking too many beers, snorting too much coke and gambling away all their hard earned cash? The simple answer is because they are not content; they are not at peace with themselves and their lives; they are disconnected. So by blurring life with chemicals and activity and filling their lives with noisy activity they blur their discomfort.I remember meeting a man, an unhappy individual. He came from a very poor background in the East End of London, his mother and father working all hours just to keep the wolf from the door. When he was a wee boy, this man took an oath; he swore to himself that no matter what it took he would never let that happen to him and his family when he was grown up, and he would do whatever it took to avoid the terrible shame he felt at his Core as a result of being poor.

When I met this man he was a multimillionaire, Alcoholic and Cocaine Addict. He had made a million, then another, then more; he had lost his wife through emotional neglect and was estranged from his children who felt that they hardly knew him. Yet he remained driven to avoid poverty and shame despite the unlikelihood of that ever happening and in so doing he was on the edge of losing himself to his Addictions. There comes a time in all our lives when we must take stock of where we have been, where we are now and of course where we are going to journey to. It may be a Mid Life Crisis which brings this opportunity to a head; it might be addiction or some sort of emotional breakdown. Whatever the catalyst, the crisis is an opportunity to make changes, but in order to do this we have to take time out, slow right down to a walking pace and take stock of all that has been and all that is now. If the way we are leading our lives is causing us to be discontented, unhappy and unfulfilled then a reassessment and new decisions must be made.

People are often afraid to change what they are used to even although the familiar has become destructive – better the devil we know. And, because they are often travelling so fast they do not notice that life is rushing away while they are locked in on some unconscious mission which has no real meaning or end in sight. “One day, if I work really, really hard, meet everyone else’s needs and do everything perfectly, maybe then they will notice me and love me – one day.” I call this the Myth of One Day and that day never comes simply because it is always one day. It is never today and it is buried in a past life which cannot be reached by the happenings of today. As we slow down to the pace that life meant for us, we progressively begin to notice more and more. We feel the pain of yearning at first; the pain of what wasn’t and couldn’t be and then, as our egos diminish and become less relevant we begin to notice that peace, serenity and contentment are quiet energies that exist deep inside us at the level of our Spirit.

I have met many who want to have a quick fix to their pain and struggles. They want a magic solution, a pill or potion to take away the suffering but without the need for change. “I can’t afford time off to change, just fix me and I can get back to normal.” This approach will never work and will produce more of the same pain except worse. At times like these when great change is needed, you will need guidance from others who have made this type of journey before you.

Psycho- spiritual Psychotherapy can be a solid guide through the difficulties that our egos put in the way of change and growth. Meditation and therapies which allow a slowing down and the healing process to take place are essential. Time out from everyday life is recommended. Of course it is possible to find your way back to what you feel deep down is missing but you cannot do this while traveling at 100 miles an hour on the road to nowhere.The word meditation and the word medicine come from the same root. Medicine means that which heals the physical, and meditation means that which heals the spiritual. Both are healing powers.

Stephen G Russell is a Director of Breathing Space Thailand, a luxury, residential drug and alcohol addiction rehab centre in Asia.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/addictions-articles/the-rush-to-nowhere-906462.html

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