"The Kid" Bruce Willis

This Disney movie about a workaholic executive who's inner child visits him is powerful for those in recovery doing work with their past. I saw only parts of the movie but it brought me to more greatly consider the experiences that I went through as a child and what they meant to me. If you are a workaholic who is out of touch with themselves put this on your considered viewing list.

Great Quotes:

"The Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 P.M. Please use the back door."

Stop Saber Abuse

"..part of recovery is relapse."

You think your recovery is rough? Try media coverage on your slips and slides. While Mr.H isn't to stoked about the video being released he does hope that it will speak to others. I think it will. I am saddened by the fact that his 16 year old daughter had to intervene. Who parents her? (see the video on the jump)

Relational "Bill Of Rights"

"Declaration of Interdependence"

I have the right to:
• Feel respected as a person.
• To be appreciated and not taken for granted.
• Effective communication as partners.
• To have my privacy respected.
• To not battle for control or power.
• Feel good about myself and our relationship.
• To trust validate and support each other.
• To grow within and outside our relationship.
• To my own separate opinions thoughts and choices.
• To choose to stay or leave in this relationship (Commitment is a chosen bond not a chain.)

NEW WEB ADDRESS: 2ndjourney.com

I placed this blog on an actual domain so typing in the whole "dot-blogspot" thang is not needed. New address: 2ndjourney.com.

How is your 2nd journey going? Have you started yet? How far along are you?

12 steps to Recovery in Iraq

After watching a special on Shia and Sunni cival war in Iraq and ruminating over MacArthurs establishement of democracy* in Japan after WW2 it occured to me what needed to be done:

12 steps to Recovery in Iraq

1. We admitted we were powerless over OUR COUNTRY—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore IRAQ to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of Allah as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves, and our country.
5. Admitted to Allah, to ourselves, and to other nations the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have Allah remove all these defects of national character.
7. Humbly asked Allah to remove these national shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with Allah as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for our people and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual national awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other former dictatorships and terrorist strongholds, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

*"Having decided to keep the Japanese national legislature (the Diet), the cabinet and the bureaucracy in place, MacArthur next faced the question of Emperor Hirohito. The Russians and British wanted Hirohito tried and hanged as a war criminal. MacArthur advised Washington against needlessly angering the Japanese by destroying the sacred symbol of their emperor. MacArthur later wrote in his autobiography: "...I would need at least one million reinforcements should such an action be taken ... Military government would have to be instituted throughout all Japan, and guerrilla warfare would probably break out."

To the Pacific basin has come the vista of a new emancipated world. Today, freedom is on the offensive, democracy is on the march.

--Gen. Douglas MacArthur September 2, 1945

Home Box Office Recovery

HBO has a recovery resource page and has been airing a series of 30 minute programs on addiction recovery.

Craig Ferguson Talks About His Stuff

Another one did not bite the dust

Halle Berry admits to considering suicide after depression onset from her first divorce. Kudos to her honesty and it sounds as if she has some solid recovery info. "...had to reprogram myself to see the good in me. Because someone didn't love me didn't mean I was unlovable." Read full article here

Open House

If you are interested in finding out more about New Hope Community Health a faith based corporation which provides training and guidance to those struggling with drug and alcohol issues, they are having an open house on February 27th. It is the latest love child of my friend the lovely adult child Dennis Mansfield please RSVP by calling 208-672-9200.

Drinking and Driving

This story and shocking photo is a reminder of how the choice to drink and drive can harm so many.

Recovery Oriented Radio

As some of you may know I am honored to have the opportunity to produce a 1 hour weekly radio show that started airing at the first of the year called "Friendly Fire" a program dedicated to those wounded in church relationships.

You can log on to the live stream on Mondays at 3:00pm MST and listen to the pilot by going here or download the program in MP3 here.

This download features Dennis Mansfield as a guest. Dennis is a 2 time congressional candidate, a formerly outspoken politico who recently turned over a new leaf by confessing he was too harsh to his political opponents. After having a child in rehab for drug abuse, Mansfield is now putting his money where his mouth is by rolling up his sleeves and working in the jailing systems. I have really come to love Dennis for his transparency, energy, and "Dennisness".

Recovery TV

Speaking of the Dog Whisperer, many have enjoyed the non-violent techniques of Nanny 911. I am always amazed that my first response is "that kid needs a spanking.", and much like the Dog Whisperer, Nanny 911's focus is to retrain the parents and rehabilitate the kids. Both programs show rapid improvement that seems almost unreal. This reminds me that dynamic and sweeping changes can be made when we learn to do life in a healthy way.

I also like to watch Trading Spouses. It is really easy to see how our lack of openess and preconception cloud honest interaction between those who are different.

Other recovery oriented TV programs:

Breaking Bonaduce:

The title of this program is spot on. Our calous will has to surrender in order to recover. This program is surprisingly honest and transparent. His wife Gretchen's faith and love and commitment are inspiring. Groundbreaking. Worth watching. Although I wish there was more of a narrative for the recovery process. I think Bonaduce legitmately wants to recover.

Shooting Sizemore:

Seems like a spin off of Breaking Bonaduce. But I applaud recovery oriented programming. This one is a little dark and profane. It seems to focus more on Sizemore's addictive nature and past as well as his obseession with getting his carreer back.

Kudos to VH1 for producing something with fiber.

We already covered "My Name Is Earl"- but to recap: The risqué and sometimes raunchy humor is worth enduring for the solid recovery oriented message at the core of most but not all of the shows. Not to mention the top notch performance, scripting, and special guests. Have you made a list of all those you have wronged and humbley go about rectifying things yet? Then don't judge me.