The Wisdom of the Rooms

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AA Wisdom: “Don’t take yourself so damn seriously!”

October 26, 2012 in AA Related, The Wisdom of the Rooms by jherzanek | Permalink

The Wisdom of the Rooms

AA Wisdom: “Don’t take yourself so damn seriously!”

So many people who call Changing Lives Foundation feel like they are all alone in their struggles. Our best advice to those who have limited resources is to visit an Open AA meeting or two, attend an Al-Anon or Nar-Anon meeting. There , you will find others with concerns, similar to yours. Many of these people offer gems of wisdom just like this—one of our favorites:

AA Wisdom: “Don’t take yourself so damn seriously!”
~ by Michael Z.

When I came into the program, everything was a big deal, and I was very serious. My finances, my future, my wreaked relationships – everything was overwhelming. I remember attending meetings and hearing the laughter and thinking, “What’s so damn funny? The only reason we’re here is because our lives suck!” It took me quite a while before I could join in with that laughter, and the moment I did my life began to change.

As I got further into the program, that sense of impending doom began to dissipate, and I felt like I could breathe again. The secrets and shame I had hidden so long began to come out, and as I shared what was inside me with others, I began to feel lighter. I began to laugh more at myself and with others, and I finally began to feel human and a part of again. Most of all, I started to realize what was truly important.

Today I know that the future will take care of itself if I take care of today. I now have faith that there is a God working in my life and that even if things don’t go my way, that’s not only OK, it often turns out for the better. Today, money isn’t as important as relationships, and the only thing that really matters is health and sobriety.

Today I’ve learned to live life on life’s terms and, most of all, not to take myself so damn seriously.

 

Wisdom of the Rooms, Volume 4

 

AA Wisdom: “Don’t take yourself so damn seriously!”
Excerpted from “The Wisdom of the Rooms Volume IV”
~by Michael Z.

Click Here
to Purchase

This beautiful, Fourth Volume will enrich your recovery for years to come!

More from Wisdom of the Rooms:
Things might not get better for me, but I can get better despite things
12 Step AA Wisdom: Bring the body, the mind will follow
We found we couldn’t help ourselves, but we could help each other

Related:
The AA Promises

RESOURCES:
Addiction Recovery Resources for Families of Substance Abusers, Addicts and Alcoholics

Why Don't They Just Quit? by Joe Herzanek
Why Don’t They Just Quit? What families and friends need to know about addiction and recovery.

> Paperback

> Audio Book CD, MP3 (NEW!)

> Kindle

> Audible Audio Download  (LISTEN TO 4 MIN. SAMPLE)

Return:
from “AA Wisdom: Don’t take yourself so damn seriously!” to Changing Lives Foundation Blog Home

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“We couldn’t help ourselves, but we could help each other.”

April 2, 2012 in The Wisdom of the Rooms, Words of Wisdom by jherzanek | No comments

The Wisdom of the Rooms“We couldn’t help ourselves,
but we could help each other.”

~by Michael Z

So many family members who call Changing Lives Foundation
feel like they are all alone in their struggles.
Our best advice to those who have limited resources is
to visit an Open AA meeting or two, attend an Al-Anon or Nar-Anon meeting.
There,they will find others with similar concerns.
Many of the people in these meetings offer gems of wisdom just like this
from Michael Z.
Read what he has to say about helping others, the power of God and ultimately, helping yourself—


Before recovery I did everything I could think of to get better on my own. I’d try to stop drinking during the week; then on Mondays through Thursdays. I’d join a gym and exercise a while, or I’d go on a healthy diet. I went into therapy to work on myself, and I started journaling. At the end of all of this, though, I’d find myself alone, depressed and drunk.

When I entered the program, I thought I might finally learn how to help myself. Instead, I was given direction that made no sense. “Wash the coffee cups after the meeting,” I was told. “Get a commitment to get to a meeting early and set the chairs up.” “Become a greeter and ask other people how they are doing.” What about me? I thought. How am I going to get better if I’m focused on helping others rather than myself? Even though I didn’t understand it, I was desperate, so I followed your direction.

And that’s when the miracle took place. Over time I came to see that alone I couldn’t, but together we could recover. I learned that the solution began when I got out of myself and helped you. That when two alcoholics got together, that’s when the power of God flowed and healed us both. Ultimately I learned that when I was helping you, you were helping me and that was the solution I could never find by myself.

Today I know that while I can’t help myself, I can always help you – and together, we can help each other.

 

________________________________________________

Excerpted from “The Wisdom of the Rooms Volume 2″
~by Michael Z.

 

The Wisdom of the Rooms Volume 2Order Your Signed Copies Today!

Click Here
to Purchase

This makes a Great Gift for yourself and others you know in and out of recovery.

Subscribe to Quote of the Week


Return from “We found we couldn’t help ourselves, but we could help each other.”
to Visit “Why Don’t They Just Quit?” Home

More from Wisdom of the Rooms:
Things might not get better for me, but I can get better despite things
12 Step AA Wisdom: Bring the body, the mind will follow

Related:
The AA Promises

Have you “tried everything?” To learn about Affordable Phone Counseling with Joe Herzanek click here.
•More info and testimonials click here
____________________________________________________________

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Criticism: Advice That is not Asked for

November 14, 2011 in AA Related, The Wisdom of the Rooms, Words of Wisdom by jherzanek | No comments

The Wisdom of the Rooms“Criticism: Advice That is Not Asked For”

~by Michael Z

So many family members who call Changing Lives Foundation
feel like they are all alone in their struggles.
Our best advice to those who have limited resources is
to visit an Open AA meeting or two, attend an Al-Anon or Nar-Anon meeting.
There,they will find others with similar concerns.
Many of the people in these meetings offer gems of wisdom just like this
from Michael Z.
Read what he has to say about criticism, advice and AA—



I have someone in my life that, after she asks how I’m doing and I begin to tell her, immediately begins telling me the things I need to change or start doing. Until this quote I didn’t realize that the reason her unasked for advice made me feel so bad was because it was thinly veiled criticism of the way I was living my life.

Thank God the program doesn’t work that way. If people in the program or my sponsor started giving me unasked for advice or telling me what to do, I would have left long ago. Instead, people give me suggestions (when I ask for them) based on their own experience. If they had a similar situation as mine and they did something that worked for them, then they may suggest that it might work for me as well. It’s up to me at that point to try it or not.

Because of the AA program, I have learned to apply this wisdom in my other relationships as well. In fact, people now call me a good listener, and it’s because I know that all people really want is to be heard and understood. If asked, the best I can do is share my experience with a similar situation – if I have it. Otherwise, it’s best to listen, empathize and help them process their experience.

That’s always better than giving advice that’s not asked for.

________________________________________________

Excerpted from “The Wisdom of the Rooms Volume 2″
~by Michael Z.

 

The Wisdom of the Rooms Volume 2Order Your Signed Copies Today!

Click Here
to Purchase

This makes a Great Gift for yourself and others you know in and out of recovery.

Subscribe to Quote of the Week

 

 

To go from “Criticism: Advice that is not asked for”
to Visit “Why Don’t They Just Quit?” Home

More from Wisdom of the Rooms:
Things might not get better for me, but I can get better despite things
12 Step AA Wisdom: Bring the body, the mind will follow

Related:
The AA Promises

Have you “tried everything?” To learn about Affordable Phone Counseling with Joe Herzanek click here.
•More info and testimonials click here

____________________________________________________________

Criticism Advice AA

 

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Things might not get better for me, but I can get better despite things.

October 31, 2011 in AA Related, The Wisdom of the Rooms by jherzanek | 2 comments

The Wisdom of the Rooms“Things might not get better for me, but I can get better despite things.”

 So many people who call Changing Lives Foundation feel like they are all alone in their struggles. Our best advice to those who have limited resources is to visit an Open AA meeting or two, attend an Al-Anon or Nar-Anon meeting. There , you will find others with concerns, similar to yours. Many of these people offer gems of wisdom just like this—

Things might not get better for me, but I can get better despite things.
~by Michael Z.

When I was a newcomer, I was convinced that because I was now sober, things in my life would get better. I was sure my career would finally get on track, my relationships would improve, etc., and I knew that as those things came together, I would finally be happy. In fact, I secretly felt like I deserved for things to improve now that I was being “good”. Boy was I wrong.

What actually happened was that my life started to spiral out of control. It was as if things had a natural momentum to them, and even though I wasn’t acting the same way, the wreckage of my past was beginning to catch up with me. As I grew more and more miserable, my sponsor taught me something that set me free.

I remember he sat me down and asked me if I could make it through the day without a drink or a drug. I told him I could, and that’s when he taught me that while I may not be able to control all the things in my life, I could control the most important thing of all – my sobriety and my recovery. He told me that if I took care of that, then all the other “things” would work out.
While at first I didn’t believe him, it turns out he was right.

Today I know that while things may not always get better for me,
I can get better if I focus on the one thing that matters.

 

The above is excerpted from “The Wisdom of the Rooms” by Michael Z.

 

Wisdom of the Rooms, Volume 4

Volume Four Now Available! Order Your Signed Copies Today!

Just $14.95 each!

Click Here
to Purchase

This beautiful, Fourth Volume will enrich your recovery for years to come!

Subscribe to Quote of the Week

 

To go from “Things might not get better for me” to  Visit “Why Don’t They Just Quit?” Home

Related Articles:
The Addict’s Mom. She just couldn’t do it anymore
Drug Addiction: Moving Into Recovery

 

Have you “tried everything?” To learn about Affordable Phone Counseling with Joe Herzanek  click here.
More info and testimonials click here

 

 

 

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The AA Promises

October 9, 2011 in AA Related, The Wisdom of the Rooms by jherzanek | 7 comments

The AA Promises

The AA Promises

1. If we are painstaking about this phase of our development,
we will be amazed before we are halfway through.

2. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.

3. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.

4. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace.

5. No matter how far down the scale we have gone,
we will see how our experience can benefit others.

6. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear.

7. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.

8. Self-seeking will slip away.


9. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.

10. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us.

11. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.

12. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us
what we could not do for ourselves

Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us -
sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them.

_________________________________________________________________

RESOURCES:
Addiction Recovery Resources for Families of Substance Abusers, Addicts and Alcoholics

Why Don't They Just Quit? by Joe Herzanek
Why Don’t They Just Quit? What families and friends need to know about addiction and recovery.

> Paperback

> Audio Book CD, MP3 (NEW!)

> Kindle

> Audible Audio Download  (LISTEN TO 4 MIN. SAMPLE)

RETURN:
FROM : “The AA Promises” TO CHANGING LIVES FOUNDATION BLOG HOME

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The AA Promises Alcoholics Anonymous Promises The AA Promises Alcoholics Anonymous Promises


12 Step AA Wisdom: “Bring the body, the mind will follow.”

June 13, 2011 in AA Related, The Wisdom of the Rooms, Words of Wisdom by jherzanek | 1 comment

The Wisdom of the Rooms

So many people who call Changing Lives Foundation feel like they are all alone in their struggles. Our best advice to those who have limited resources is to visit an Open AA meeting or two, attend an Al-Anon or Nar-Anon meeting. There , you will find others with concerns, similar to yours. Many of these people offer gems of wisdom just like this—one of our favorites:

 

“Bring the body, the mind will follow.”
~ by Michael Z.

This is a quote I heard early on in my recovery, and it has served me well over the years. Over and over again, when I haven’t wanted to go to a meeting, I went anyway and once my body was there, my mind ended up being glad it went along, too. Like much of the wisdom in the program, I can apply the truth in this quote to many other areas of my life as well.

 

What I’ve learned is that taking action is almost always the gateway into feeling better. Rarely have I been able to think my way into different behavior or results, instead it’s only when I take action (especially when I don’t want to) that things begin to shift, and I begin feeling better.The program, like life, doesn’t work when I’m into thinking, only when I’m into action.

 

It’s interesting how, even with this knowledge and experience, my mind still tells me not to do the things that will make me feel better. Often I’d rather watch TV than go to a meeting, rest after work than go to the gym, procrastinate rather than take action. The good news, though, is that it always works out for the best when I go ahead and take action anyway.

 

“Whenever I bring my body, my mind always follows…”

Wisdom of the Rooms, Volume 4

 

Volume Four Now Available! Order Your Signed Copies Today!

Just $14.95 each!

Click Here
to Purchase

This beautiful, Fourth Volume will enrich your recovery for years to come!

 

 

Related Articles:
Drug Addiction: Moving Into Recovery

RESOURCES:
Addiction Recovery Resources for Families of Substance Abusers, Addicts and Alcoholics

Why Don't They Just Quit? by Joe Herzanek
Why Don’t They Just Quit? What families and friends need to know about addiction and recovery.

> Paperback

> Audio Book CD, MP3 (NEW!)

> Kindle

> Audible Audio Download  (LISTEN TO 4 MIN. SAMPLE)

RETURN:
FROM : “12 Step AA Wisdom: “Bring the body, the mind will follow.” TO CHANGING LIVES FOUNDATION BLOG HOME

_________________________________________________
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The Wisdom of the Rooms

This quote reinforces our message about the importance of Step One.
Click Here to Read:
POWERLESS, Step One: What’s the big deal about Step One? (excerpted from “Why Don’t They Just Quit?”)

You couldn’t tell me anything before I entered recovery because I knew it all. I had all the answers for my life, and I had all the answers for yours, too, and I was quick to tell you about it. In fact, my favorite saying back then was, “Those who think they know it all are really annoying to those of us who do!”

When I came into the program, I brought all my opinions into the rooms with me. At first I tried to do things my way and thought I had better answers than you. I mean, “Turn it over”? “Let go and let God”? That may work for you, but I was sure I knew better. 90 days later, though, I was drunk!

When I finally admitted that I didn’t know how to stay sober, I became willing to admit that perhaps I didn’t know everything after all. That was the moment I became teachable, and it was the moment I began to recover. The longer I’m in the program, the more I realize that many times what I think I know, just ain’t so.

Today I’m quick to admit that I don’t have the answers, and when I do I become open to the wisdom that lies beyond.

This was reprinted from “The Widsom of the Rooms” ~by Michael Z
Subscribe to Quote of the Week

 

 

 

 

 

Have you “tried everything?” To learn about Affordable Phone Counseling with Joe Herzanek  click here.
More info/testimonials click here

_____________________________________________________
Wisdom is knowledge know it all AA wisdom Wisdom of the Rooms

October 6, 2009 by jherzanek | No comments