My Addictions - Man Recovered and Comes Clean After 43 Years in Bondage

After being influenced and addicted to drugs of all kinds, I am finally FREE from the bondage and the chains that kept me wrapped up for nearly 43 years.What an amazing roller coaster ride I've been on to say the least!

In trying to come to terms with "this disease" I can't help but look back at everything that happened in my life, and how I used circumstances sway my mind in such a negative way.

The battlefield was definitely in my mind and it is the only place where I went to feed the dark impulsive behavior that I cherished to reside in. It was "my" pitty-party and I didn't want anyone included who really cared about me. I liked being alone. I was a thinker, a problem solver, a person who could save the world, so I thought.

Let me take you back to some of the excuses I used to try and justify the hellish lifestyle I led.

(1) Father was too busy and didn't pay any attention to me
(2) Step mother had her own kids and didn't really like me
(3) Was always picked on and nobody gave me any attention
(4) Was overweight as a kid and had weighty issues. (pardon the pun)
(5) Dad was police chief. Called "narc" and had to fight for self-image.
(6) Sent to military school for boys at 14 years old
(7) Accused by dad and step mother of doing drugs when I wasn't
(8) Wasn't punished or disciplined because no one was there.
(9) No structure.

You see, although these things are true, if you'll notice one common denominator, it's the word "I" or "Me". I didn't even think of forgiveness and how that might affect my future. I wasn't concerned about helping others. In a word, I was selfish, in two words, I was exceedingly selfish.

 More about that in another article.

The main purpose of this article is to try and help you understand my psyche, the internal workings of my mind at the time. I was a bright kid, full of life and hope, loaded with energy and potential. I was athletically inclined. I played the guitar and still do, was gifted and had my physical health. I had all the reasons to be thankful and to be an over-achiever.

So what happened?

I didn't "Just Say No" to that first toke, or that first hit, or that first poke. I wanted to experience more. I felt physically and spiritually invulnerable. I had no fear, and although I always felt like a stranger to the planet earth, I wanted to experience life on earth to the fullest.

Let me try to explain this "stranger to earth" statement. I had always felt this void deep within my being. It was a lost feeling, a feeling, and remember, being the by-product of the Baby Boomer Generation, feeling was all we went by. Little did I realize that feeling was gonna get me in a whole bunch of trouble later down the path of "if it feels good do it".

Going back to the time when I was about 14 years old, I became withdrawn and my mind began to lie to me. I believed the lies for so long. You see, until we realize we have a problem, there is no problem, so I was too busy noticing others problems instead of my own.

I was easily influenced, gullible I guess you'd say, so when that first opportunity came to escape this reality and enter another, I ran toward.

My first encounter with any mind altering substance was sniffing glue. I was really enjoying just sitting back, listening to music and huffing a paper bag laced with Weldwood contact cement. The active ingredient in Weldwood was Toluol, a strong, fast acting solvent for specific oil based paints, lacquers and adhesives. It was extremely potent and highly hallucinogenic.

That persisted for about 6 months or so and then I took my first hit of marijuana. I thought weed was the perfect drug for me because it seemed to inspire and expand my mind. This went on for quite some time until I found that I couldn't afford it so I learned how to grow it.

Next issue: My Addictions - Continuing the Lie

Larry Christenson is a publisher and website owner.
Marketing Business Manager

Affiliate Internet Marketer intermittently for the past 18 years.
You can more of Larry's articles at his website:
http://a2zinternetsolutions.com/

Original article

Clean and Sober in Baja California

Based on Baja's old image one would not think it to be a place to get clean and sober. However, Baja has addressed one issue in a set of complex issues and has created a government supported organization called CRREAD; a very long Spanish name meaning clean and sober. Its program helps men through the withdrawal and detox stage of their addiction. It focuses on every detail needed to be successful, and therefore it has a 6 month commitment to the rehabilitation process. It has been seen that 28 day programs do not have the time to address all the real issues once a person gains sobriety, and it takes time to anchor health in a person's mind, body, and spirit.

CRREAD's foundation is based on the 12-steps of Alcoholic Anonymous. And in one of the newer facilities just south of Rosarito Beach in Northern Baja, the 3 story structure was built on donated land near the Pacific Ocean. It grew to its three-story height one brick at a time; the work done by the recovering men. For as the men become clean and sober their natural skills return. Under one roof one will find all the skills needed in construction, including plumbers, electricians, wood workers and artisans.

In 2012 the facility is housing 200 men under one roof! Any ideas that comes to mind about how this might look and sound like would be wrong. On occasion, I take visitors through the quiet and immaculate structure. Floors are polished mosaic tile designed by the sober artisans. Everything is in perfect order from the pantry that holds large bags of rice and beans, to the kitchen that feeds the men three meals a day. What is clear is a shared goal for sobriety and everything that includes. A doctor comes in to care for the men going through the DTs or withdraws from heroin, as it can be a life-threatening process. A sterile environment in the infirmary provides the visiting doctor a place to check on the patients' physical well-being. Even a barber shop staffed by one of the men. The 12-step meetings go on all day and into the night. When the men are not in a meeting they have work details inside the grounds, which are silently guarded by "brothers" with more sobriety.

When a drunk starts to sober up, they will often discover that sobriety means much more than just not drinking. Their families have been harmed in many ways because of the addictions, and now for the first time those relationship can begin to be heal. It takes everyone's effort to heal the family system. Families need the support as much as the addict, and 12-step can also help with the Al-Anon program. While the men are in the program, they can not leave the building, but are allowed to have family visits on the weekend.

After a certain level of sobriety they can work in the community, bringing "home" the wages earned which goes to support the co-op that supports them. They never go out alone. They always "buddy" up so there is no temptation to "fall off the wagon." Each phase of sobriety takes as long as it takes, each man is different, but the safe environment, the steps back to sobriety in all areas of life, will lead naturally to serving others. CRREAD each year invites the children in the local community to an Easter egg hunt and a Christmas event with a real Santa Claus. Some of the men are "lifers" and stay on to be part of the program to help others. While others may move into administrative positions. They all attest to the fact that CRREAD gave them the time they needed to develop the skills to reenter society, and that the 12-Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous saved their lives. The only time I ever heard 200 men raise their voices was at the end of a meeting, "It works if you work it!" was their affirming roar.

Martina Dobesh has lived in northern Baja for 12 years. She is a journalist and editor of her online publication about Baja and the people who live there. In her early college days she earned a degree in Alcoholism Counseling. She is an avid supporter of those working towards sobriety, and holds the CRREAD program in the highest regard. She is always looking for stories about Baja that will show the positive choices that people make and how those choices contribute to the entire community. Often the positive things happening in Baja are rarely reported. Her commitment is to report stories that inspire, and will give the readers experience, strength and hope.
http://www.thebajasun.com/

Original article