PlugInTheJug.com

Autopilot

feedburner — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:29:17 -0600

Maybe the whole holiday ordeal was harder on me than I thought.� It looks like I?ve been on autopilot for awhile and it has kind of kicked my ass.� Now I?m doing the whole Oprah “I?m mad at myself” Winfrey thing, and while I?m writing this partially as a form of quick confession, I?m also [...]

we?re all gonna die

wordpress — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:27:13 -0600

i’ve been catching up on one of my favorite podcasts, the bob and sheri show.� i’m only on the week of 12/22 when sheri mentions that her power bill is three months behind. she isn’t sure if it’s b/c she switched to paperless billing or if it just slipped her mind.� her partner, bob is haranguing [...]

I Have Another Drunk In Me

b5media — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:33:39 -0600

But I cannot tell you I have another recovery. It is possible I will only be given this opportunity once and I am taking it for all it is worth! “For if an alcoholic failed to perfect and enlarge his spiritual life through work and self-sacrifice for others, he could not survive the certain trials and [...]

DUI Victim Just Barely Dead

discoveringalcoholic — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:22:34 -0600

Sara Longwell of the American Beverage Institute (ABI) is at it again defending the people?s ?right? to drive intoxicated as long they are not caught or just sloppy drunk. In this latest interview, she is demonizing the use of ignition interlocks as punishment for those convicted of DUI. Protecting the ABI?s cash cow, imbibing bar patrons and diners, is her real objective- but as usual she acts as if she were defending a constitutional right.

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She wants judges and law enforcement to ?distinguish between someone who has one sip over the legal limit and someone who has had ten drinks prior to driving?, arguing that someone with a .08 BAC should be punished less than someone with a high BAC. Attention Mrs. Longwell, you are thinking like an alcoholic; only concerned about punishment if caught instead of the repercussions and lives lost caused by driving under the influence.

I?ll make a deal with you Ms Longwell; I?ll push for reduced punishment of those convicted of DUI for just barely being drunk when you convince the coroner?s office to start classifying those DUI victims as just barely dead. Get a grip ABI- and just push for designated drivers that abstain from alcohol totally.

Another Mythical Topic?

b5media — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 09:01:10 -0600

I hear it all the time - “just do the next right thing.” Each time I hear it I want to scream (and I have many times) “where are you getting this from?” Today I can use my memory (in its current condition lol) and go back to those early months in sobriety to consider what I [...]

things i?ve never done

wordpress — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 02:00:49 -0600

uncouth heathen did this list on her blog and i copy almost everything she does b/c she’s so awesome.� heathen credits the idea from this fine lady who is also very awesome.� i started reading xup via heathen’s blog and we’ve hit it off rather well, taking it to the next level by becoming facebook [...]

Maintenance Time

discoveringalcoholic — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 10:05:35 -0600

I have to adhere to a constant maintenance program of progress and developmental growth in my recovery to avoid the trap of slipping back into addictive patterns. Much like a car engine, it?s keeping up this periodic maintenance that prevents a total breakdown- this holds true for the blog The Discovering Alcoholic as well.

With close to seven hundred stories and thousands of comments, the site once again needs to be optimized. So bear with me over the next 24 hours as TDA goes through a platform upgrade and receives some much needed maintenance. The site will be down for a few hours today and then service may be spotty for a while afterwards. Sorry for the inconvenience, but just like in a successful recovery periodic maintenance translates into long term success.

Who?s Willing To Tackle This?

b5media — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 00:15:21 -0600

From “That Ain’t In The Book,” “We must change playmates, playgrounds, and playthings” Page 100-101: “Assuming we are spiritually fit, we can do all sorts of things alcoholics are not supposed to do. People have said we must not go where liquor is served; we must not have it in our homes; we must shun friends who [...]

Significant January Dates in A.A. History

b5media — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:35:50 -0600

Significant January Dates in A.A. History from AA History Lovers at Yahoo! Groups; Jan 1929 - Bill W. wrote third promise in Bible to quit drinking. Jan 1940 - Akron group moves to new home at King School. Jan 1944 - Dr. Harry Tiebout’s first paper on the subject of “Alcoholics Anonymous”. Jan 1944 - Onset of Bill’s 11 years [...]

First Year

discoveringalcoholic — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:41:39 -0600

Promoted to the front page from the user blogs. I want to thank my friend Gatinha for all her contributions. I can think of no finer way to start off the new year than by handing a good friend and fellow alcoholic the first TDA 1-Year Chip ever rewarded. Congrats Gatinha, you earned it! Please find all her previous postings here at Gatinha?s blog.

At the beginning of 2008 I wrote my story here, and made the decision to try to achieve one year of continuous sobriety. For several years up until then I had months of sobriety, weeks of sobriety, days of sobriety, etc., interrupted by binge drinking which consisted of picking up two tall beers to drink on the way home from work, and a six pack of tall ones to drink at home.

I felt like I was managing my drinking, because I never drank on a night before I had to work. However, I paid dearly for each of these binges by being very ill the next day. I would sleep until noon and spend the rest of the day with rapid heart beats, panic attacks, and depression and so on. I would swear each time that it would be the last time.

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Well, I made it through one year of sobriety. I had always thought that if I could stop the binge drinking, that everything in my life would be resolved. I blamed most of my troubles on my inability to stay sober for any length of time.

What I have discovered is that it takes hard work to recover from a life that depended on alcohol when anything went wrong or to celebrate when things were going well.

Now I have to deal with life on life’s terms. I have to accept the fact that at times I might become depressed and that is OK. At times my heart will beat irregularly but the doctors assure me that my heart is fine. I start to panic every now and then when I let myself worry about what could or might happen in the future.

My worries and fears have not gone away entirely. I have to make a conscious effort to turn my life and my will over to God and trust that He can run things much better than I can.

2008 was a great year however. I have excelled more than ever in my work and have a second teaching job that I love! I’ve made new friends and have spent more time with my family.

An unexpected benefit of not drinking is that I’ve lost "inches" and one of my students described me as "hot" when we were doing a speaking exercise in Spanish in which the students were describing each other and the teacher.

I feel wonderful and am optimistic about 2009. Happy New Year to you, TDA, and to all of your readers.

Gatinha

Almost Forgotten

feedburner — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 01:44:16 -0600

I started writing to save my life.� Even today, but most especially in the earliest days of my recovery the act of writing helped me maintain perspective and focus.� I wrote in a medium that was publicly accessible because I was so profoundly alone. The feedback I got really encouraged me and helped motivate me. All [...]

Staying In The Moment

b5media — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 21:57:33 -0600

One day at a time… Sure, its nice to make all those wonderful plans, goals and resolutions - isn’t it? You sure sound good! Um Hmmm - until roomie brings the meeting back to reality. :) Okay, my God doesn’t have a problem with me making plans. That’s because He reserves the right to change them when He [...]

2009: History We Make Today

discoveringalcoholic — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 17:55:59 -0600

History is more or less bunk. It’s tradition. We don’t want tradition. We want to live in the present and the only history that is worth a tinker’s damn is the history we make today. ~ Henry Ford

New Year?s Day is a time of recollection and resolutions for most of the world, but I think it is important for those of us in recovery to remember that dwelling on the past and making promises for the future is something at which we have always excelled. The old cartoon above from 1905 is a great reminder that time marches on predictably, so we must act now before we are once again wistfully looking back at the past.

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Direct action is the key to a healthy recovery program. This does not mean one needs to set unreasonable or lofty goals; adding in simple, repetitive tasks of positive influence into our daily program like quality hygiene and family time is a great idea to mark progress and build self confidence. Confidence breeds success and before you know it, mastering the simple tasks carries over into the ability to tackle larger problems.

I like the quote cited from Henry Ford, it is very similar to the stress placed by AA on living for the day. Ford?s assembly line produced complex machines in this manner, by having workers become adept at the simple tasks that were part of the larger process. A recovery program should follow suit with the end goal being becoming efficient? at staying sober; leaving us time to work on the larger process of building a successful life. If we never master the ability to successfully navigate the day, then all we have to do to see our future is to look back at our history.

hasn?t stabbed anyone ever

wordpress — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 16:38:55 -0600

the other night my son was taking a bath, i walked in and he sang, “surprise! surprise! the hippies don’t want to pay taxes”! he was rather impressed with himself, noticing my reaction and� i had to ask him to repeat himself.� i was actually on the phone with my sister that i call “angel” and [...]

Borkenstein?s Monster

discoveringalcoholic — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:04:05 -0600

Exactly eighty years ago tonight Indiana police introduced unsuspecting New Year?s revelers to the Drunkometer, the first utilitarian device that was used to calculate the blood alcohol level of drivers by breath testing. But it wasn?t until 1954 when Robert Borkenstein developed the Breathalyzer, a more stable and portable device, that highway police were able to use the alcohol breath test as a routine procedure to accurately distinguish intoxicated drivers as ?over the limit?.

As a practicing alcoholic I wasn?t scared of drunk driving or the possible deadly repercussions, but I did fear the breathalyzer and the loss of freedom it represented. In recovery and as an advocate I am all too aware of dangers of DUI and routinely deal with the aftermath, now I see the Breathalyzer as a benevolent tool. Much like Dr. Frankenstein?s creature, many see only the monster while those that look deeper will see an invention that reflects the struggle of man dealing with the vagaries of modern advances.

So on this New Year?s regardless if you view the Breathalyzer as good or evil; just be sure to stay safe and make wise decisions. If you drink designate a sober driver, because Borkenstein?s monster will definitively be haunting the roads tonight.

urgent care lobby stuff

wordpress — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 23:36:58 -0600

last week, i had to make another trip to the urgent care due my 2nd round of strep throat.� it was kind of busy in there, evidently the whole town is sick. i tried to pass the time in the lobby by playing scrabble on my ipod, then solitaire, then the SAT writing test but i [...]

Yes, That?s Me

b5media — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:14:01 -0600

We sit in meetings, we offer others our experience, strength and hope, we share the stories of our lives. Why? I think the last paragraph of the preface of the Fourth Edition says it well; “All changes made over the years in the Big Book (A.A. members’ fond nickname for this volume) have had the same purpose: to [...]

Staying Safe Doesn?t Mean Locked Away

discoveringalcoholic — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:44:09 -0600

Posts on how the recovering alcoholic/addict can stay safe during the New Year festivities are a dime a dozen right now. Have an escape plan, always keep a glass in your hand, have support on call; all these things are not bad ideas, but the sure way to stay safe on this holiday eve is just to avoid alcohol and drugs. If you are so worried about drinking that you need a sponsor on speed dial, let me make the decision for you, don?t go. The very fact that an alcoholic/addict feels it?s necessary or worth the risk to join others in a farewell toast to the year while still struggling with sobriety is indicative of addictive thinking.

But staying safe doesn?t mean staying locked away.

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There is no law against celebrating the holiday sober. No written rule that prohibits spending the night with a loved one watching a movie marathon. Go bowling with strangers. Do a midnight clink of the cheap mugs at Waffle House and usher in a scattered, smothered, and covered New Year.

If deciding what to do on the holiday becomes too stressful- skip it. That?s right, just don?t participate at all. Strip some furniture or clean the house, getting a head start on the new year is better than barricading up in a depressive funk. It may not be a memorable night, but it?s better than not have any memory of the night as millions will experience the next morning along with a pounding headache.

Universal Health Care, the Next Prohibition?

discoveringalcoholic — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 23:08:46 -0600

A few days back TDA reader Norm sent me an article about UK insurers raising life insurance rates on people who exceed the recommended alcohol limit. Now in the ping pong match that is my cognitive process I moved quickly from this story to New York?s proposed obesity tax, then to California?s alcohol tax (still much smaller than originally proposed), but the volley stopped at our President-elect?s proposed universal health care (UHC).

The ball came off the table at UHC because at this point I (and you) become responsible for the foreseeable consequences of other people?s voluntary health risks. Avoid the fat tax, don?t drink soda. Keep away from the alcohol tax, eschew beer. With UHC however, there will be no avoiding paying for the wino?s new liver and the smoker?s lung regardless of how healthy we live our own lives. But never fear, surely the government will come to our aid to reduce taxes by implementing a public awareness blitz, a new temperance movement.

Sounds like a TDA dream right? Not.

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Movements like this are hard to stop, take the organization and enforcement ability of the government and combine it with today?s pervasive healthcare technology? and prohibition may be closer than you think.

Only this prohibition might go much further than just alcohol because it?s a wired world these days; UHC could go so far beyond Hillarycare it?s scary. In the old days a pledge card like the one above was the feeble reach of accountability, now current wireless and sensing technology enable real time monitoring of key physical parameters and body chemistry variables. Thinking along these lines it doesn?t take a prognosticator to see how government run healthcare would become not only pervasive, but perverted.

Cigarettes, marijuana, and all illicit drugs would be the first to be monitored and taxed- it?s called lifestyle incentive management. Next would be junk food and ?unhealthy proportions?. All of these I?ve mentioned so far the government already has or is attempting to either ban or tax so we are not talking about much of a stretch. How about forcing people to exercise? If you neglected reaching your target heart rate three times a week then the penalty of being bumped up a tax bracket might actually have the same effect.

I?ll be the first to speak on behalf of a new temperance movement, but I?m keeping a tinfoil hat handy just in case UHC and pervasive healthcare technology spark a neo-prohibition.

Normal? What The Hell Is Normal???

b5media — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 21:17:51 -0600

Earthlings will not be able to understand this… From Chap. 11 “A Vision For You” “For most normal folks, drinking means conviviality, companionship and colorful imagination. It means release from care, boredom and worry. It is joyous intimacy with friends and a feeling that life is good. But not so with us in those last days of heavy [...]