N R Change Everything EWSLETTE

NEWSLETTER
Thursday’s Meeting 7:30 - 9:00
EATON CANYON SOBER LIVING
Jim W.: Understanding the Problem
sional — a doctor, a dentist, a car
mechanic — and that person can
find out what your problem is and
tell you. But alcoholism and other
drug addictions are the only diseases
in which the patient has to make his
or her own diagnosis. It won’t do
any good to have a doctor tell you,
“You’re powerless over alcohol [or
cocaine, marijuana, etc.].” You
must make this diagnosis yourself.
This is very hard to do because
alcoholism and other drug addictions are diseases that tell the patient, “You haven’t got it; you’re
fine.” That is how you can tell who
has the disease. If someone swears,
“I haven’t got it,” it’s pretty certain
the person does.
What exactly is the problem?
The Big Book tells us, without
The very first thing you have to
do to solve a problem is find out
what the problem is. This sounds
simple, but it often isn’t. In order to
find a real, lasting solution, you
have to understand the problem
thoroughly and know exactly what it
is. Until you have this information,
you can’t solve your problem. If
your roof is leaking, you can’t begin
to fix it until you find the hole.
Usually when you have a
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problem, you can go to a profes-
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Visit Us
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On The Web!
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www.eatoncanyon.org
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pulling any punches, in Step One
of the Twelve Steps: The problem
is that we’re powerless over
alcohol and our lives have become unmanageable. Understanding and acceptance of this
will be the first step in your
recovery.
It all boils down to that one
word: powerless. Once we really
see this and accept it, then we can
understand that there’s a solution.
Until we fully understand this,
however, we’re still lost.
This newsletter was written,
edited, published and
printed by Alcoholics and
Addicts in Recovery.
Eaton Canyon Foundation
3323 E. Fairpoint St.
Pasadena, CA 91107
N
EWSLETTE
R
IN THIS ISSUE
• Live in the N.O.W.
• Relapse Prevention
• Understanding the Problem
• Testimonials
Vol. 1 No. 1
August • 1998
Change Everything
By Devin R.
my experience and the experiences
My experience has been that
of many others I know, drug and
change is the most basic ingredialcohol abuse are but one symptom
ent of recovery, one which applies
of the disease of addiction — the
to every aspect of life. I had to
Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous
change everything about me —
tells us that we need a program of
my friends, my values, my ideas,
living which will
my morals, my
thinking, my behavA common miscon- both prevent future
relapses and allow
ior and my overall
ception is that once
us to function as
lifestyle. I had to
drugs and/or alcohol
positive and contribbecome a entirely
uting members of
are
taken
away,
life
for
new person. I
the alcoholic/addict and society.
acquired a new
The entire
his family will be serene
belief system based
program here at
on an understanding
and prosperous
Eaton Canyon
of a power greater
—Devin R. centers around
than myself.
giving people like
A common misconception is
me an opportunity and structure in
that once drugs and/or alcohol are
which I can begin to change and
taken away, life for the alcoholic/
grow. Using the 12 Steps of Alcoaddict and his family will be
holics Anonymous, other on-site
serene and prosperous with no
education, plus the fellowship of our
further action necessary. But in
house and 12 Step meetings, I have
begun to develop an entirely new
lifestyle, one I can enjoy without
substance abuse.
I’ve come a long way from the
person I was just a year ago. Drugs
and alcohol are no longer a part of
my daily life. I can enjoy life on
life’s terms, be of service to others,
and be a productive employee and
citizen. If you’d asked anyone, a
few years ago, if I was capable of
The Choice Is Yours!
such changes, they would have said
Eaton Canyon House
“NO” and so would I. It’s only
been possible through this program
Helps You Choose Wisely!
of recovery.
“
”
A Human Service Provider
EATON CANYON SOBER LIVING
Eaton Canyon
House
People Helping People
“I Need To
Tell You...
...in spite of what
you think!”
By James Heard, Executive Director
‘In order to become someone that
you’ve never been...you have to do
something that you’ve never done.’
The same man will drink again...
and such can be expected if there is
no change. The recovery process
begins with taking an indepth look at
self. Since, of course, drugs and
alcohol are only symptoms of the
problem, the real problem lies
within. Thus the only logical and
reasonable conclusion would be that
a complete overhaul of self is necessary.
What an order!
This involves abandoning everything that we believe in and live for.
It leaves us vulnerable to all our
fears, naked of our facade, our egos
crushed, and our false pride deflated.
How can I live with myself?
The answer lies within the 12-Step
Program, a proven design for living.
It provides a new set of concepts and
motives which begin to dominate our
lives. A new way of thinking, character development and belief system
that allows us to successfully live
life on life’s terms, thus controlling
and minimizing character defects
that once tried to destroy us.
Without making these necessary changes,
“the same man will drink again.”
Tuesday’s Meeting 8:00 - 9:00
Wednesday’s Meeting 7:30 - 9:00
Bill M.: Live In The N.O.W.
Yvonne P.: Relapse Prevention
Has it ever occurred to you
that the only time you can recover
is in the present moment? Probably
HAVE YOU
Talked
To
Your
Higher
Power
Today?
Eaton Canyon
House
EATON CANYON
SOBER LIVING
NEWSLETTER
Executive Director . James Heard
Peer Counselors
. . . . . Bill M., Yvonne P., Jim W.
House Manager . . . . . . . Devin R.
Writers . . . . . . . House Residents
Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . Jonathan B.
Graphic Design . . . . . . . . Mike D.
The Eaton Canyon Foundation is a not for
profit organization that operates the Eaton
Canyon Sober Living, the Navarro House,
and a Bad Weather Shelter in Pasadena.
This Newsletter is published once a month
by the Eaton Canyon Foundation in order to
better communicate it’s purpose to it’s
benefactors and contributors. All information
contained within this Newsletter is designed
for the private use of it’s residents, staff,
supporters and alumni and must not be
distributed to individuals not associated with
the Eaton Canyon Foundation.
Contributions contained in this Newsletter
do not neccessarily reflect the opinion of the
Foundation.
few have realized, even slightly, all
that it implies. It means that you
can only live in the present. It
means you can only experience in
the present. It means that you can
only act in the present.
Above all, it means that the
only thing you have to heal is the
present thought. When you understand this thoroughly, remarkable
results will follow.
All that you can know is your
present thought, and all that you can
experience is the outer expression of
all the thoughts and beliefs that you
are holding at the present time.
What you call the past can only be
your memory of the past. The
seeming consequences of past
events, be they good or bad, are still
but the expression of your present
state of mind (including the subconscious).
What you call the future, things
that you may be planning, or things
Tools
of
Sobriety
Apply the tools of
Recovery in
All Your Affairs
Work with a Sponsor
Eaton Canyon Foundation
Go To Meetings
People Helping People
(626) 798-0150
3323 E. Fairpoint St.
(626) 798-8155fax
Pasadena, CA 91107
Daily Prayers
that you may be dreading — all
this is still but a present state of
mind.
The only joy you can experience is the joy you experience
now — a happy memory is a
present joy. The only pain you
can experience is the pain of the
present moment. Sad memories or
existing resentments are present
pain. Get conscious of the present
moment and know peace, harmony, joy and good will.
It is only by staying in the
now that one can have a conscious
contact with God which will allow
you to be free of the past and
accepting of the future.
Now stands for:
No
Other
Way
...to know God.
The Eaton Canyon Foundation
Needs Your
SUPPORT!
This non-profit organization needs
your donation in order to continue
helping those in need.
“The greatest poverty that can
afflict the human spirit is the
loss of a generous heart. You
will know that success has
slipped away when your
passion for helping others
grows cold.” - Bill Lane Doulos,
Supporter
Mail your tax-deductible
contribution to:
Eaton Canyon Foundation
3323 E. Fairpoint St.
Pasadena, CA 91107
or call (626) 798-0150 for
more information or receipt.
This Group is based on a
cognitive-behavioral treatment
that combines behavioral skilltraining procedures with cognitive intervention techniques to
assist individuals in maintaining a
sober lifestyle with desired
behavioral changes.
It is one thing to get sober
— the challenge is to live sober
one day at a time. To reduce the
risk of relapse, we take a qualitative look at harms associated with
addictive behaviors, those things
that bind us.
We look at high-risk situations that pose a threat to the
individual’s sense of control and
increases the risk of potential
relapse, particularly things with
emotional impact. Each week, a
didactic Group is led with experiential components. The following is a list of topics:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Anger, Blame and Resentment
Hurt and Sadness
Fear and Insecurity
Guilt and Shame
Caretaking and Codependency
Taking Care of Ourselves
Emotionally
7. Grief Recovery
Get Out Of Your
Head
And Into Go d!
8. Forgiveness — Self and Others
9. Relationships
10.Procrastination
11.Remorse, Responsibility and
Regret
12.Love, Understanding and
Appreciation
In a chronic disorder such as
alcoholism/addiction, the danger of
relapsing is always present. The
result of relapse is often very tragic.
To hamper such setbacks, the
Relapse Prevention Group spends
time and effort attempting to identify triggers and aid in discovering
what happens emotionally.
In each Group one thing is
always stressed — to see to it that
your relationship with God is right.
For only then, as the “Big Book” of
Alcoholics Anonymous tells us, can
great events happen for us and
countless others. We learn from the
“Big Book” that “probably no
human power could have relieved
our alcoholism” and “that God
could and would if He were
sought.”
In Relapse Prevention Group,
we seek Him together.
Testimonials
These are the personal words
of some of our residents. They
reflect their present growth and
commitment to their new way of
life, while also reflecting their
dreams and expectations of a clean
and sober life. We at Eaton Canyon feel that these comments
reflect the majority of our residents.
Michele G., Alcoholic-Addict
Eaton Canyon has given me a
structured, supportive environment in
which I can begin recovering from
alcohol and drugs. There exists a
comraderie involving people who
sincerely care about one another and
are honestly concerned about each
other’s problems. We go to 12-step
meetings together, read and discuss the
Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous,
meditate and pray together, and generally help to promote each other’s
recovery.
Grant G., Alcoholic-Addict
Eaton Canyon is, in every sense, a
house of God. I came here after a
period of sobriety during which I’d
suffered misfortune in my personal and
business life. I wanted to try sober
living as a safeguard against a return to
substance abuse. However, I never
expected to encounter the experience I
was to find here. This house and its
residents gave me not only a place to
live, but also friendship, support,
education, spiritual development, love
and peace.
James N., Alcoholic
After over a period of ten years of
drinking and drugging, which resulted
in losing my home, my wife, my job
and self-respect. I had been admitted to
many treatment centers with very little
success. I then came to Eaton Canyon
Sober Living and by the Grace of God
had a spirtual awakening and was given
a new lease on life.