People Are Often Bitches!

People Can Be Ruthless at Times

With no consideration for the future or Karmic Law. BUYER BEWARE!

So sorry to be negative but I need to vent. My daughter and me got ripped off by an “Acceptance Now” salesman at HHGregg. Usually the deal on rental/purchase agreements are you pay in 90 days and there is little to no interest. “Just like Cash” they advertise. I have purchased from them before and everything went smoothly. I paid the balance off in time and had little interest. However that waswit a different sales person.

Continue reading “People Are Often Bitches!”

September 21, 2015

WHY AN A.A. MEMBER RESENTS THE HELL OUT OF A.A.

This is not an anti A.A. website, please randomly read any article and you will see that.  However XXX Anonymous is a friend of RFH and we have allowed her to vent in an article.  If you have some helpful feedback please post it at the bottom of the article.

AN AA MEMBER WRITES “WHY I RESENT THE HELL OUT OF A.A.”

My name is XXX Anonymous and I am an alcoholic. I have struggled to stay sober for years. I have tried and tried beating myself up all along the way. Once I got ten years sober from an intense born-again spiritual experience in a church. Well I am still born-again and love Christ but I have relapsed 8 times since that experience. I am not trying to compare which is better church or AA because I have learned that 2 good things are 2 good things. They don’t cancel each other out and they are not in a race or competition. I also learned that the 3 things people use to stay sober are spirituality in what-ever way we can get it, therapy, and AA. I do know that health issues can keep a person sober and “relationships” sometimes work.

Resentment

I got sober this time on April 18, 2015. I know for a fact that I have exactly 100 days sober or 3 months 9 days sober, or 0.27 years sober due to the sobriety calculator on this site. Big deal! I do hate myself for not having more clean time!!!! Well this is what happened.

BETRAYAL

I got a sponsor who helped me so much that I had nearly a year sober. I brought her to my house and introduced her to my family and husband. Come to find out she has a lesser secondary addiction called “SEX ADDICTION“. Which okay I don’t judge her for that but It really hurt me that my sponsor betrayed me like that. I did fire her and get a new one.

Condemnation from my fellows

So I worked through the betrayal and then my doctor who knows I am an addict put me on a medication for pain. I had a bad accident and the pain was causing me to stay in bed. When I told one or two of my friends in the program about it they told others and then the whole group knew. (another betrayal) If that wasn’t bad enough a women confronted me when I picked up my medallion. She said “your not sober your on the prescription drug bla bla bla”. I had no idea that drug addicts are known to abuse the drug my doctor put me on.

FAKE PEOPLE

I get tired of so many people in meetings pretending that their lives are the picture of serenity. They never have any problems or struggles or emotional issues. They get sober and then all is well and perfect. That’s not the way that it is for me. And I don’t believe it is for them either. I know normal people who have day to day struggles. I know alcoholics that have day to day struggles why do they think they have to portray a perfect life? That makes me feel lesser than. It makes me feel like something is wrong with me. And I feel like the way that I work the 12 step program must be wrong because I do have difficulties and temptations and sad days and stress and anxiety. Yes I have good days too and lots of them sober but I didn’t join AA so I could be a social icon who everyone wishes they were because I am perfect. ridiculous that’s why I appreciate Recovery Farmhouse because it portrays real life recovery not some fake bullshit perfect life. Work the steps once then its happy joyous and free all the time, right?

I SOMETIMES GET RESENTMENTS SO I GOT AN “F” ON MY RECOVERY TEST/REPORT CARD

Really? The AA club I go to acts like if you ever get a resentment then you failed your test in recovery, you got an ‘F’ on your sobriety report card. But really in real life everybody gets pissed off at people and has to pray for them until the resentment is finally gone. So why do so many members want to make AA a place where you can’t be honest about short-comings or you will be dis-fellowshiped or labelled as spiritually un-fit?

That’s it. These are the reasons I resent AA at the moment. My sponsor says you can’t get recovery while you look down your nose at it. She says pray for everyone and do a fourth step to figure out why I am mad at myself and God.

I WON’T LET THESE THINGS PUSH ME OUT OF A.A.

I still go to meetings. I won’t stop because it’s the best thing I can do to stay sober and work the steps. I keep meeting new people so eventually maybe I will find people who don’t portray perfection and the perfect life. Because in A,A. seems there are two types of people. Perfect people, and totally worthless people. Right now you see my problem? These people don’t know the definition of balance.

___________________________________________________________________________

I want to thank Laura Edgar for publish this article on her website. She said that all aspects of A.A. are allowed on this website and no one will be excluded as long as they are in alignment with the “singleness of purpose” declaration which is “the only requirement for membership IS a desire to stop drinking.” And to “carry the message to the alcoholic who still suffers.” Thank God that Bill and Bob knew better than to make a bunch of membership requirements. They were the right men for the job weren’t they,

By XXX Anonymous

February 19, 2015

Gainesville 12 Step AA & NA Programs

Thank you “Elmer” for your insight on emotional tools which you shared at the Triangle Club to help the guys your worked with get well.

In Gainesville ******ics Anonymous Program some of us have a certain tradition. I am not talking about the 12 traditions right now. I am talking about an exercise that we do in accordance with the fifth step. This tradition keeps us SANE, AND SOBER. This tradition keeps shame at bay which is the number one reason people leave the program…shame. Yes “resentment is the number one offender but it is not the #1 reason people that have the program working for them yet choose to leave. Ok yes they leave because they drank or wanted to drink and then the shame sets back in.

The Gainesville tradition that I am referring to is that we share in our meeting “WHAT HAPPENED AND HOW IT MADE US FEEL.” We have learned that keeping secrets about our INTENSE feelings will kill us. We have learned that all the repressed emotions in the world will not change who we are. We have learned how to come to terms with who we are and to accept that. But not only accept..WE SHARE NOT ONLY “WHAT HAPPENED” BUT “HOW IT MADE US FEEL”

This is the magic children. This is the one thing that 12 step programs around the world are missing. THERE IS NO WRONG FEELING ONLY WRONG ACTIONS. If we label our feelings “wrong” we are labelling ourselves wrong. Every feeling that we have is for a valid reason and is valid. Granted we don’t share all of our feelings nor do we allow our feelings to rule over us. However, we do respect and honor our feelings, they are valid. No we don’t run around having to express every small felling we have. There is a time to say “feelings aren’t facts” and simply ignore them. But there are on the other hand feelings that are eating our lunch that need to come out… Otherwise we may slip into our old behavior of projecting and blaming others for the way we feel. So we put our intense and nagging emotions into the middle of the meeting room so they get absorbed and carried away by the Spirit of the program. This my friend is one of the most important solutions I have. It is just as important as not holding resentments. Similar article “Men in Recovery”

May 29, 2014

ANGER & The Seven Deadly Sins

Wrath
Jealousy
Gluttony
Greed
Lust
False Pride
Envy
Sloth

There is a sin unto death or a sin that will kill you or others. Then there are the not so mortal sins. Over eating makes obesity and death. Rage causes murder. Jealousy sparks hate, and murder. Jealously like every other deadly sin is based in fear and insecurities that are programmed into us from birth. Greed takes from others what they need to survive. More- “murder”.

Lust will blind a man to his own spiritual needs by which he may lose his soul due to spiritual neglect and a lust for life & fun or a lust for vile and evil things. Lust isn’t always for sex. It’s blood lust and the lust for power the slaughters millions of the innocent. Lust for sex, if it results in abortion…is murder of the worst kind. The slaughter of our own unborn children done so, many times, in ignorance. God help us. We are taught that this is morally acceptable. We must do a fourth and fifth step on this deadly sin.

False Pride-Pride says “I have no need of God” Pride says “I am a good person and I have no need to repent.” But none are good no not one. False pride has no humility. Humility is Truth. Truth sets a man free and keeps the man alive. False humility is to put yourself down just to appear humble. It is self degradation and often it’s a lie. We should avoid both pride and false humility. We should not speak ill of ourselves in public. Nor should we act falsely not for the hour is getting late. Pride can cause death in a number of ways.

Envy-Envy takes peace from a man. It is a root of bitterness that starts as a seed and if not addressed, turns to spite, wrath, and again murder. Envy grows briers around a man’s heart that only Jesus can break through to release and free the heart that is bound by it. Envy breeds bitterness and unkind words that in turn make a man sick from the inside out.

Sloth breeds the other deadly sins-Sloth can steal a man’s soul by procrastination of spiritual needs. And by a lack of exercise a man’s heart grows weak. Then when he rises to work out of necessity, his heart fails him. Example-Too lazy to seek God, too lazy to work the 12 steps to learn what is in one’s own heart. Sloth puts off the work that is needed to keep a man vibrantly alive. If the body doesn’t exercise the man will fall pray to his recliner in front of the TV and there shall he become a victim of gluttony, lust, and the rest of the temptations of evil. Not having the need to hunt and gather makes sloth a temptation.

Sloth, Gluttony, Pride, Vanity, Deceit, Betrayal, Covetousness, Jealousy, Rage, Greed, Lust, Envy, Perversion — WELCOME TO RECOVERY FARMHOUSE We would love for you to sit and stay a while. Have a glass of tea, light a smoke and check out the many articles pertaining to getting and staying clean and sober. Life on life’s terms …..yikes sometimes its a scarey thing and sometimes a wonderful thing but we are gonna live it with eyes wide open. We don’t have to pretend that it doesnt suck at times. The face of quality sobriety has man looks and some of them are tears, screams, smiles, laughs all are a part of emotions that we need to express when they are inside of us…that way we won’t go crazy and lie in our coffins wearing a mask that we had fitted so tight it wouldn’t even come off our face in death. As for the sinful ladies….choose a Higher Power that’s forgiving because sin? We all do it in one way or another. (I recommend the “anger” article click up top.

SELF-AWARENESS

Anger & Resentment Issues that lead to rage and dysfunctional responses.

STEP FOUR

ANGER
In AA we are sometimes taught by comments in meetings and other people’s attitudes that it is a shame to be angry. We learn that if we have a resentment even when wronged we have somehow failed so we receive a giant “F” on our recovery report card! We get the feeling that if we are angry our spiritual condition is less than it should be. Granted if we were made of Love and Love alone anger would be below us and not in tune with our own natures because if we were only Love we would be only Spirit. BIG HOWEVER! No matter how much we meditate, pray, read the big book, go to meetings confess our shortcomings, work on core issues, call our sponsor, resfrain pen and tongue etc. etc. we will still eventually become angry and hurt because we are humans and anger is one of our primal key human survival emotions. ANGER IN SPITE OF POPULAR BELIEF IN THE ROOMS IS NOT A CHARACTER FLAW. Wrath on the other hand is a flaw and also one of the seven deadly sins. The trick is not to allow our natural anger to become wrath by hurting ourselves or others in result of it. We in recovery must learn how to admit our anger to ourselves, God and another human in spite of our shame. And so we say to ourselves; “its ok I am angry” and then we move on to the solutions of how to express the anger in a healthy way to let it go. We journal our feelings. We write a letter that we will NEVER send journalling all the reasons for our anger. We leave logic and self-conscience maturity behind and we write our core feelings toward ourselves, others, and our Higher Power if need be. At the end if we have wronged anyone, are not trusting God, or are playing God in our minds we admit our part. We ask our Higher Power to remove any defects of character.

WE DO NOT BEAT OURSELVES UP FOR HAVING EMOTIONS. Our emotions should flow through us and out of us. We addicts tend to hang on to feelings and not let go. We revisit our Third Step…we are in God’s care and we sigh a sigh of relief and giggle at ourselves a bit for forgetting we are human.