Off Topic: Addiction.

kage Said: Addictions eh? I was a drunk/druggie for 30yrs,at first it was fun then it became a need,i tried treatment places,AA,NA,and plain ole cold turkey...none worked,they were all bandaid effects,it was alrite when things were going good but as soon as it got rough it was Wheres the Bottle?!my family,friends figured that was how i was gonna bite the dust was in the bottle,i lost my license to a DUI so this one day i was hitchhiking to work,i use to have to drink 6-8 beers before i even went to work just so i could function,anyways this cute women(my wife now)picks me up i must have smelt like a brewery but she doesnt say nothing this continued on every morning for awhile and one thing led to another,so were together now and shes always telling me about the Lord and stuff,at that time i didnt give a chit about all that,one day i said look i believe in God you know theres something out there and she says well satan believes in God and he trembles at just His name (the Lords name)well for some reason that really freaked me,so i asked her what i could do about it and she says just ask Him into your life,well the way i did it was Lord if Your true prove itwell we left it at that,i continued drinking for a few more weeks till one day i ask me women I thought when you become a believer all this kinda stuff goes away and she sayswell did ya ask Him to take the urges away and i says What you can ask stuff like that she says of course ya can,so that nite,oh and by the way i was at rock bottom at this point,given up all hope,so that nite i asked The Big Guy to take away my urges for the drink,well that was 10yrs ago and i have had NOT 1 urge or drink since that nite i didnt even get DTs or sick or nothin it was just GONE Im still a lean mean roofing machine but i got The Big Guy on my side now...and guess what so can you!!its free!!no matter what you all have done!!

step 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. You may not have heard it when you went to AA

:laugh:>>>

Addictions eh? I was a drunk/druggie for 30yrs,at first it was fun then it became a need,i tried treatment places,AA,NA,and plain ole cold turkey...none worked,they were all bandaid effects,it was alrite when things were going good but as soon as it got rough it was "Wheres the Bottle?!"my family,friends figured that was how i was gonna bite the dust was in the bottle,i lost my license to a DUI so this one day i was hitchhiking to work,i use to have to drink 6-8 beers before i even went to work just so i could function,anyways this cute women(my wife now)picks me up i must have smelt like a brewery but she doesnt say nothing this continued on every morning for awhile and one thing led to another,so were together now and shes always telling me about the Lord and stuff,at that time i didnt give a chit about all that,one day i said look i believe in God you know theres something out there and she says well satan believes in God and he trembles at just His name (the Lords name)well for some reason that really freaked me,so i asked her what i could do about it and she says just ask Him into your life,well the way i did it was "Lord if Your true prove it"well we left it at that,i continued drinking for a few more weeks till one day i ask me women "I thought when you become a believer all this kinda stuff goes away" and she says"well did ya ask Him to take the urges away" and i says "What you can ask stuff like that" she says of course ya can,so that nite,oh and by the way i was at rock bottom at this point,given up all hope,so that nite i asked The Big Guy to take away my urges for the drink,well that was 10yrs ago and i have had NOT 1 urge or drink since that nite i didnt even get DT's or sick or nothin it was just GONE I'm still a lean mean roofing machine but i got The Big Guy on my side now...and guess what so can you!!its free!!no matter what you all have done!!>>>

Interestin study http://esciencenews.com/articles/2009/09/10/common.mental.disorders.may.be.more.common.we.think>>>

Happy birthday tico! Sep 21 is 18 years for me. We alcoholics are a selfish lot constantly consuming to fill a God sized hole with anything but. After putting God in there the obsession lifted for me. To say my circumstances were and have been unfortunate would be an understatement but I am not nor have I ever been a victim of them no matter how much I thought I was. The only thing in my genes that caused me to drink was money. I am still a bit selfish. I love to talk about myself and gratify my every desire. I must be constantly vigilant for this kind of behavior in myself it is almost as dangerous as drinking for me and certainly a prelude to it.>>>

Prigz I believe you took out of context what I said concerning addiction . If the diet is correct addictions are rare . It is blatantly obvious that addictions are everywhere. The foods we are eating are mostly the wrong ones if we are eating the FDA 'a recommend or worse just stuffing sugars , corn syrups and fructose down the pie hole . IMO if you eat the right foods you will recover and will become healthy your life changes , your thinking becomes clear your moods are level and calm and joyous for the good . That was what I was referring too. tico I love your honesty .>>>

Tico, you've lived a really tough life. If you've been able to walk away from all that, you've a bigger and better man than most of us. I've had a father who didn't know how to be a father, and sometimes talked with his fists, but he mellowed a great deal once he got older (and I was out of the house). I have tried to be a good father to my daughters, and although I've made mistakes along the way, I think I've improved on my father's record. However, you've lived a much harder life than I even want to think about. My hat off to you for the travelling the new road you're travelling.

Copperman, the good doctor claims in his book that in every case he's been involved in, the homeless/derelict/addict had a really bad childhood. Some survive those situations, but many do not. Your wife's drinking, your mother's experience, and your father's really colors their view of the world, and the drugs are usually the only reliable solance. The fact that your wife has been able to pass through and come out the other side is a testament to her strength and character.

Ciak, I would have to disagree with you that addictions are rare. There aren't enough skid-row inhabitants to consume all the drugs coming into the good USA. So there are a lot of "normal" people who are self-medicating. As well, when you take into account alcohol, prescription drugs, tobacco products, food and drink, there's a lot of addictive behaviour going on. Add to the mix non-drug addictions (internet, porn, promiscuous sex, risky behaviours), and we see a large portion of the population indulging in behavior that controls them. We've also heard of "shop-a-holics" and "endorphin-junkies". In fact, I'm beginning to suspect that the truly balanced individuals who can control their "wants", are the true minority.>>>

What drives a person to addiction can often be traced back to childhood and family history. I for one do not have any addictions but my mother,father, brother all were alcoholics. Being raised in an home like that I ended up marring a alcoholic. Because it was familiar subconsciously. In my wife case her drinking started at 13 as a result of sexual and physical abuse from her father. Until she dealt with that the drinking was impossible to stop. Happy to say that she is 13 years sober after 11 rehabs and extensive therapy. Today her quality of life is very good. I have met so many people struggling with addiction and all seam to have had traumatic experiences as children. This was also the case with my mother(raped as a child) My father(mother died when he was 3 and father was extremely abusive). My brother was abused by my father. Some how I escaped this fate. Traumatic events change the chemicals in the brain and how they respond to stimulants. Takes a lot of time to work through all the baggage to get to the real person inside.>>>

Prigz THE LOVELY MRS CIAK and I have been working on becoming more balanced in our nutrition . It is enlightening. With the current Health Care debate being one of( IMO ) smoke and mirrors . If you are healthy and do the right things through diet. Addictions are very rare . I'll include a couple of articles that may help. With a perfect machine, it is silly to haphazardly throw things at it and in it. http://www.economist.com/sciencetechnology/displayStory.cfm?story_id=12415194http://www.philly.com/inquirer/health_science/weekly/20090831_Studying_ancient_man_to_learn_to_prevent_disease.html Which may present another set of questions . What is the diffence between Brocolli and snot. It is easier to get kids to eat snot.>>>

My first experience with Vancouver's Downtown East-side was in 1967 at an age of 13 when I was with my Mother and my oldest sister and her husband and we were looking for my older sister who was at that time on drugs and living the hippie life in Vancouver. It was overwhelming to come from a small town of 400 people to a place of swarming people who in a lot of cases were drunk, on drugs or mentaly ill.

Nothing has really changed in 40 years in this area. You can pass by a crowd of 200 street people and within 1 block be shopping in the richest area of downtown Vancouver. Something akin to having a bad rash in an area that most people can't see.

Compulsive behaviours is probably one of the main causes of most addictions. FAS (fetal alcohol syndrome) and FAE (fetal alcohol effects) also have been a big contributor to this problem, both now and more so in the past. We are now starting to have to deal with "drug babies" who are now reaching the age where they again are going to repeat the cycle.

I've had personal experience in trying to help street people in the past 3 years and for most it is a lifestyle they crave. No responsibility and un-ending excitement counter balance the heartache most endure daily.>>>