The truth shall set you free(but first it shall piss you off)

[ignominious]

The truth shall set you free(but first it shall piss you off)

Why you shouldn't smoke. Reefer madness!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMrzGauQJdk[/video]]YouTube - Reefer Madness Clip from 1937 movie

I told a friend of mine who's been sober for 10 years that I was feeling a bit out of sorts since stopping drinking and he just said, "That's normal" but in such a matter of fact manner as to imply that I would have been abnormal to not be under some duress.

Special NB to sparkling Americans and Zimbarbians

[JackieClaire]

The truth shall set you free(but first it shall piss you off)

Seethepony;1107510 wrote: I don't bother with GD because I don't see that point in Shouting out about another super sober sunday or any of that bollocks. Shout out? It's a load of wind. Or the ever-present Army Thread. WTF is that about?!
I'm also not interested in reading the same crap over and over again. "I held my breath for 600 days and then I fucked up and now I'm back to square one, I feel like shit..."
I tried talking about baclofen there, and my successes with it, and a group of harpies attacked me with their handbags. Fuck that.
So that's why I don't hang out there. There are some good souls who can flit effortlessly here and there, and I have nothing but admiration for them. But I have nothing to contribute there. Me saying "You can do it!" would be bullshit. Because I don't think, most of the time, you can.

You know I very rarely visit the meds threads for the this exact reason.

Bit of the old green eyed monster, STP.

Hang on while I'll go and hold me breath for another day while white knuckling, waving me hand bag,sharpening up me harpie skills,feeling guilty for all my past relapses and if I'm not busy with that a may go and find time to actually have a real laugh.

[Zephra]

The truth shall set you free(but first it shall piss you off)

Hi Coalfire, Sorry your feeling lonely and unsupported. I don't venture into the other parts of the board because the meds thread is what I came directly too. I love your sig.

Can you look at your positive GG test for TSM as being Insurance in your pocket. You seem to be doing well staying of the ale. Congrats on that. z

[Cassia]

The truth shall set you free(but first it shall piss you off)

JC - I guess being supportive and encouraging of people keeping their sobriety without the aid f medication is just a non starter for some. Oh well. I would much rather be totally af then have terrible side effects with a drug just so I can drink normally.

I quite like being a positive harpie!

Xx

[bleep]

The truth shall set you free(but first it shall piss you off)

Cassia;1107543 wrote: JC - I guess being supportive and encouraging of people keeping their sobriety without the aid f medication is just a non starter for some.

...

It's not that Cassia. It's simply that I, and most of the others, simply don't visit the rest of the site. In much the same way that people who don't moderate won't post in the moderators section, congratulating a long term moderator, for example.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

The truth shall set you free(but first it shall piss you off)

I didn't read the whole thread. It drives me crazy when people do that. So sorry in advance.

I had to read what would set me free and piss me off! lol

Um, Coal. I used to visit the other threads frequently. I have offered congratulations to many. I admire and appreciate the thoughts of many more. (Mario most recently.)

I've also tried to participate in some of the other boards, though not as consistently as I'd like. (an AA thread, newbies nest, holistic all over the place, long term abs, tigger's travels, music, exercise and the list goes on.) I've actually encouraged people to take some of the stuff that we have here and put it on the appropriate thread in another place. Where it always languishes. :-(

There are only two that I haven't read and don't participate in. The guy one and the religious one. Because they don't pertain to me.

I actually really love MWO. And many of the people on it. I don't feel any urge or need to 'tell' people about bac, but have jumped in when it seemed as though people might be interested... (Charlie was one, he was in Need Help ASAP. There are a couple of others more recently that someone alerted me to via pm, so I shared my experience a bit... And they weren't interested in bac. That's what I know, so I've got little left to offer, you know?)

But now? Now I am VERY short on time. I miss participating or reading. I still subscribe to several threads, including Inspiration. (Sheri, if you read over here, YOU inspire me. Thank you.)

So. You might be right. or not. But you didn't piss me off, and I shouldn't be on your list!

(And yes, Coal, I've read with interest some of the stuff that you've posted on other boards. You're a smart chick. I like you.) again
xo
Ne

[Ne/Neva Eva]

The truth shall set you free(but first it shall piss you off)

I read just a bit more. I have no idea what the pot-thing is, but baclofen has eliminated that from our lives too. just sayin.

And coal, if you're feeling left out? I was wondering where you went and missed your poetry and would really, really, really like to earn a poem.

I really like your mind. I'm sorry if you didn't hear that.

[Rusty]

The truth shall set you free(but first it shall piss you off)

Coalfire,

I read your first posts on this thread saying that Cinders and Bruun are the only women who congratulate people on the GD forum when a person reaches a sobriety anniversary. You must not read those posts consistently. I have NEVER missed congratulating someone when they reach an AF milestone on any of these threads: GD, or the Daily or Monthly Abstinence. I am a woman and American too so toobad to hear you are pissed off at Americans. It must suck to be you. You sound like you're miserable and I hope you find a way out

[Guitarista]

The truth shall set you free(but first it shall piss you off)

I hope you're feeling better Coalfire.

It's a tough and confounding battle at times, to be sure. Would you take up boxing and/or running?
Very effective stress releaser's. I know sometimes we just want to get numb, but these feelings move on. Hang in there, and Congratulation's on your 100 day's AF! This is a huge acheivement. Keep it going.

The battle is inside us, and it is there that it is fought and won, no matter what our environment. But we can draw lot's of inspiration from outside of us everywhere.

For me it was focusing on AF people and using them as role model's. Book's, inspiring movies, cartoon's, the local AF garbo, anything. Obvious stuff, but useful tool's.

Keep your chin up friend, you are rockin' it.

[mario]

The truth shall set you free(but first it shall piss you off)

Sheri;1107596 wrote: There are also plenty of people at MWO (not just in the meds thread) who never congratulate anyone for their successes or seem to pick and choose who they congratulate. It's something I struggle to understand as well, because we are supposed to be, first and foremost, a support group for one another, and what better way to support someone than to congratulate them for achieving an important milestone. DG is great, and certainly deserves all the praise and admiration she gets for sure :h, but she's not the only supportive American at MWO.
Sheri

Says it all for me thanks sheri.
Hope you feel better soon coalfire,

[coalfire]

The truth shall set you free(but first it shall piss you off)

Sheri They werent intended to offend. Just struggling to fit in with the underground nature of this bloody addiction. I will edit/adjust

[Ne/Neva Eva]

The truth shall set you free(but first it shall piss you off)

Geez, Coal. I read the thread.

It made me laugh out loud. Jerry/Oprah indeed.

But also made me really feel for you. I can't imagine being so isolated. I'm sorry if I've contributed to that.

I understand the dilemma and the angst the positive test must yield. I wonder if Gratitude might have something to share in that regard. He was sober in AA for 4 years and decided to try bac to add to the regimine. He dealt with what may be a similar dilemma...

I can't be less American. I yam what I yam. But I can be ... something? supportive?

:l

[gyco]

The truth shall set you free(but first it shall piss you off)

life is what it is

coalfire;1107609 wrote: Sheri They werent intended to offend. Just struggling to fit in with the underground nature of this bloody addiction. I will edit/adjust

hi coalfire,i feel your anguish, for many years i felt the same,:upset:im trying to make this about you but i've been doing this for 42 years,can't say you'll ever feel different ,unless you really want help,as someone b4 me said,addiction is hard to ddeal with,but at the same time,educating ones self, to me is the key for success,plus just because you mite drink to much, it doesn't make you a alchoholic, or a drug addict,which on the second one you made perfectly clear you've never done,,as far as using topomax or all the other medications,if it works fine,just by being here and expressing ones feelings is a step in the rite direction:goodjob::thanks:gyco

[Doggygirl]

The truth shall set you free(but first it shall piss you off)

Hi Coal. I'm so glad that you decided to reach out with your pain/frustration rather than to stuff it and drink over it. Isolation was sure my enemy - mine however was self imposed. I can't imagine what it would feel like living in a community such as the one you have described.

I think our tendency as addicts is to find excuses to drink or "use" within whatever circumstances we are in. And if we want to get clean and sober, we have to find a way to do it regardless of whatever circumstances we are in. One of the beautiful things about this forum is that we can find people who have managed to get sober despite a wide variety of personal circumstances that seem negative. Frankly, drinking tends to lead us into negative circumstances, so that is a bit of a common theme for most of us.

100 days was an interesting milestone for me when I quit smoking, and when I quit drinking. For whatever reason, I recall feeling like I was in a pressure cooker about to explode at that point. And then, somehow I got through it and things felt substantially easier after that - I especially remember it vividly with quitting smoking. You have come this far - I hope you hang in there.

Alcohol was the only coping mechanism for life that I ever knew as an adult. I had to find new ways to relieve stress. I have had to find ways to avoid the stress from coming on in the first place. My most important tool and "friend" in this is acceptance. Really assessing a situation that is upsetting to me and applying the serenity prayer to it. Am I trying to control something I cannot control? (i.e. where people do and don't post on this forum? what bosses are doing at work?) Or am I resisting a change that I could make, but am fearful about? (i.e. changing my living circumstances?) That is what I usually find at the root of my stress. Acceptance, or courage to change what I can.

And in the mean time, I love G-Man's suggestions. Exercise blows off steam for me in a better way than AL ever did.

Pot is addictive. If you don't believe me, I'll hook you up to talk to Mr. Doggy. Burying your brain in pot is not the answer.

Hugs to you my little tart. I hope you hang in there.

DG

[redhead77]

The truth shall set you free(but first it shall piss you off)

I feel bad for you too. In a few ways. That does not forgive the fact that in your anger, you started a thread with a list of names, disparaging us, and calling out the Americans with vitriol, no less. I would never do something like this no matter what kind of day I was having.

Different people have varying amount of time to commit to MWO. If they are able to inundate themselves in multiple threads, good for them. It does not make others less "caring". There are people on the meds threads, I rarely comment on. It is not because I don't think they are important or care about them.

Does one have to post everywhere and on everything, to be part of this support group? If one could call it a support group at this point. It has become anything but. I love to wake up in the middle of the night and read my name called out. Lovely! Makes for a great night's rest.

If we need to post everywhere I would say my true passion lies in the holistic section. There is not a thread on there that I couldn't contribute to. I could live there. I could post tons of new threads too. It doesn't happen.


Regarding Americans. One thing we Americans have to learn is something called cultural competence. Yes, we may not understand each countries specific dialect or terms, i.e. wing mirrors and spotted dick desserts. We do have to be open to other cultures and respectful of them. Most of us anyway, there are always bad eggs in every basket.

We live in the melting pot. When people are dissing us in most other areas of the world, they are dissing some of their own as well.

Cultural Competence from Wikepedia:

Cultural competence refers to an ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures. Cultural competence comprises four components: (a) Awareness of one's own cultural worldview, (b) Attitude towards cultural differences, (c) Knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews, and (d) cross-cultural skills. Developing cultural competence results in an ability to understand, communicate with, and effectively interact with people across cultures.[1]

I think this goes both ways Coal.

Now, that I have spent time here today, that I wasn't planning to spend, defending myself and my country, I will get back to what I must do today. I will also be taking a break at this point. I need to evaluate if this is where I need or want to be spending my time.

Redhead