It’s about Time, As addiction treatment programs have sprung up across the country, there has been a focus on many different substance abuse populations. We have numerous eating disorder programs for women, countless drug rehab programs for men, sex addiction and sexual trauma programs for both men and women, but what about the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender population? Where do they seek drug/alcohol treatment? Why are they continually expected to fit into the same “addiction treatment model” (heterosexual) that resembles the life model which created so much shame for them. Some would suggest they fit into a same-sex addiction treatment center, which is generally nothing more than a set up for relapse.

Drug Rehab Focus to Be Population Specific One of the major goals of any drug rehab is to create and environment where a patient can feel comfortable enough to be honest, can be treated with respect, dignity and not feel judged. Right or wrong, good or bad, history shows us that the gay and lesbian population is one that through the years has been criticized, ridiculed and misunderstood by the majority in the heterosexual community, the same community that makes up the majority of the population in an addiction treatment program. For this reason alone, the gay and lesbian population needs to have therapists that understand their specific needs, an environment that will affirm them as people and support them as they share their secrets of shame, humiliation and anger.

Addiction Treatment vs. the Real World Philosophically, a person’s last day in drug rehab, should resemble their first day in the real world. A person does not stay in a drug rehab program forever. That being said, an addiction treatment program does not have to be completely “gay friendly” to be effective treatment for a gay person. While, specific clinical activities, groups, lectures etc. need to be gay specific in order to create a safe space for them to communicate, it is also their responsibility to learn how to communicate effectively and live in the heterosexual world without turning to drugs or alcohol. As such, there is no better place to begin this transition than in the addiction treatment program, where a person can receive ongoing support from their therapist and peers.

Please post ideas for posts

Thnaks

Ron Mills

Those who have addiction problems go to many organizations to get cured, and the Alcoholics Anonymous is in the front line among all those. This organization has become so popular over the years and a main reason for that is the tremendous success of their 12 step program. This program has successfully cured many individuals and returned them to the society – to family and friends as cured. So the 12 step program is just right for all those wanting to cure alcoholism and drug problems and regain self control and acceptance in the society. This program has become for many as a one-point reference point of solving addiction problems.

As the name suggests, the 12 step program comprises of 12 steps. Here are the various steps.

Step One: Giving up the power and accepting the fact that the use of alcohol, drugs and other elements has made the person lose control over his life. Accepting this as a fact is a useful first step.

Step Two & Three: These steps involve submission to God or a higher power. Actually belief in God is the second step while turning the life to God involves the third. This is one area where the 12 step program has been criticized. Many call it too religious.

Step Four & Five: Here are steps that also have some religion in it. These steps involve morality and confessions to self, to acquaintances and then finally to God.

Step Six: This step is quite passive and has been criticized as well. Almost the same as step 1, here the addict assumes that he is powerless in front of God who will then help the individual to recover, remove the negative forces and get back into the original condition.

Step Seven, Eight & Nine: These steps involve the process of expressing regret and asking for forgiveness for the various mistakes committed.

Step Ten, Eleven & Twelve: Morality is part of the tenth step as well. In the next step, the addict has to get close to God through prayers. In the last step the addict is supposed to achieve spiritual awakening. This awakening will automatically make him recover and despise drugs, alcoholism and other types of addictions.

The 12 step program encourages the former addict to speak of his addiction problems, his challenges and how the situation was turned around. The success story will work as an encouragement for others.

Though it has been successful, the 12 step program has been criticized from many quarters. While some say that the program is too religious, others feel that in the program, the addict is perceived as helpless and needs to depend on God and a higher force. There is no need to take matters in own hand.

All people have their own way of being in the world. It is easiest to comprehend this basic yet profound fact when we consider that every human being on the planet occupies a distinct role in the universe. We grow up in different environments, affected by a unique range of influences. The preferences, values, and beliefs we embrace are frequently related intimately to our origins. And the need to individualize our experiences is instinctive, as doing so enables us to cope when we must face challenges on our own. Consequently, each of us has developed a perspective that is uniquely ours. Interacting peacefully and constructively with people from all walks of life is a matter of first understanding where they are coming from. Then we can adjust our expectations so that we avoid making undue assumptions about what they are about.

In the face of emerging interpersonal conflict, it is easy to assume that others are being difficult, unreasonable, or stubborn. We are apt to grow frustrated when someone in our environment does not share our opinions or feel compelled to support us in our endeavors. It is likely that the individual or individuals before us may simply possess differing notions with regard to what is and what is not important in this life. We can ease the tension that exists between us by reaffirming our belief in the fundamental right of all beings to determine their own destinies. To foster a harmonious relationship, we need to do our best to relate to the unique universes they inhabit. And as we discover what makes them tick, our ability to find a mode of interaction that is pleasing to both of us is enhanced.

When there are barriers keeping you from connecting with someone else, think of questions you can ask them to gain a more thorough understanding of their point of view. You may discover that in addition to the differences in perspective dividing you, they are subject to insecurities and other personal issues that influence their way of seeing the world. It is likely that you will never fully grasp the myriad complexities embodied by humanity, but you can go a long way toward encouraging mutually satisfying relations by reaching out to others in the spirit of sympathetic comprehension.

by Jarrett Terrill

you are experienced at all in the art of meditation then you probably had a good chuckle at the title of this article. “Meditating Perfectly” is a concept that most of us must release in order to achieve a meditative state… A perfect meditation, for many of us, is an oxymoron.

But if you are determined to recieve “benefits” from your meditation, I can give you a few pointers and wish you the best:

1) Find Your Style - No one can decide for you what level you are at. If you have some cult-like yogi bearing down on you with illustrious descriptions of what “dimension” you are in, it is my recommendation that you terminate the friendship ASAP. There are a number of great books on the subject of meditation and you were born with the ability to smell “poohie” when it presents itself.
Some people prefer to approach meditation from a religious or spiritual position and there are a number of classes, seminars, and FREE meditation workshops conducted by Churches, Temples and Religious organizations. Although you need not ever pay to meditate properly, some teachers and instructors are actually worth the money when you can find yourself a good one.
Other people find that meditation is a highly scientific process and examine the benefits of deep relaxation as a way to reduce blood pressure, relax muscle tension and filter out extraneous mental processes collected throughout the day… This type of meditator will sometimes find themselves “missing out on the magic” and becoming frustrated with others who claim to have had a more spiritual experience. The highly scientific rules of a staunch non-spiritualist almost always inhibit their ability to recieve the supposed benefits they are looking for. To them, I say: “relax”.
The questions you might want to answer for yourself are: Do I want to listen to music, nature sounds or be silent when I meditate? Do I want to have a guide on my meditation or see what I can do on my own? Do I want to meditate with a group of more experienced people who can show me their techniques or do I want to avoid other people’s bad habits and meditate at home?

2) Leggo Your Ego - I don’t know you but I know you are not perfect and neither am I. This is an essential step in recieving a good meditation: we must realize that a meditation is a gift (whether it be from God, the teachings of Buddha or a natural phenomenon is irrelevant). The point is that you must let go of the idea that you can “make it happen” for yourself. We are free to affect our lives directly during our work week and in our interpersonal relationships all we want… Meditation is not your time to be a superstar. If you kick back, relax and stop trying to force an outcome, you will be far more pleased with the experience you recieve.
If you are generally an “uptight” sort of person with a lot of anxiety about the directions your life is headed in, I would actually recommend that you meditate with a group of rowdy teenagers so you can learn patience and develop a sense of humor. Just don’t kill the poor kids.
Seriously, anxiety must be dealt with by self-confrontation… not ignoring the anxiety or trying to make it “go away”.

3) Props are really cool - Although you’ll never be able to convince anyone that they are necessary, you might find some comfort in having a special or familiar object on your person when you meditate. The buddhist monks will sometimes have a loop of 108-count prayer beads (Japa Mala) with which they remember to say their meditative chant 108 times, Native Americans use drums to achieve a transcendant state, Catholics have a Rosary, Tibetans use singing bowls, the Muslims have Misbaha to coincide with the 99 names of Allah, and many others “awake” with a bell.
Occasionally people prefer a special totem of significance to set at their side or hold in their hands. Others will find a practical item essential to their meditative state like a comfortable pillow to sit on or a cup of their favorite herbal tea.
The choice is yours but it is also my advice to not focus on the theatrics of a good setting and lose sight of your purpose. Some kinds of incense will bother a person with allergies, some caffienated beverages will increase restlessness and some props become a circus sideshow of their own accord… keep it simple.

4) Actually meditate - This is the most difficult step for many people. They talk about meditation, read books about meditation, tell other people about meditation… but do they really meditate?
One of the silliest things I used to say was “I don’t have time to meditate”. The irony of that statement is that I was so preoccupied with all of my day-to-day problems that I left no space in my life for a solution to those problems.

5) Empty your mind, don’t fill it - A common obstacle in meditation is the discovery that we have a tendency to day dream or “drift off” and feel as though we are wasting valuable time. Afterall, if meditation is only an opportunity to day dream, then we needn’t put so much emphasis on the practice, right? Some people are suited just fine to go on a trip to their castle in the sky while others want to achieve true inner peace by way of an EMPTY mind. So, why is it so hard to not think about things?
This is what some buddhists refer to as “the cart wheel following the hoof of the ox”. Obviously, something must happen to disconnect us from that which we are trying to relieve ourselves from or it will always follow us. As humans, we have a tendency to ignore the simple solution which is just to be still and “try again”.
After we have shown resolve to keep meditating, our active mind will get tired of trying to interfere with this process… it will take a break. In the meantime, when your “mental chatter” gets the best of you, simply acknowledge that it has happened (again) and go back to counting your breaths or listening to your guide.
There are many philosophies on what should be the desired outcome of meditation but I believe that clearing the “mental chatter” should be a top priority. This incessant over-thinking and pointless inner dialogue which the 12-step recovery folks have dubbed “The Entire Committee (in your head)” is what inhibits us from functioning happily and peacefully.

This is not to say that Meditation is a “miracle cure” for anything. I am only suggesting that when meditation is practiced with good intention, we can calm the parts of our minds which prevent us from experiencing the benefits of l

Some Meditations and Resources Online:

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• Meditation and stress_management_dr._shriniwas_kashalikar (slideshare.net)
• 6 minute stressbuster meditation (christopherspenn.com)
• When You Can’t Meditate (medicineformindbodyspirit.wordpress.com)

The following information could be included in a training or educational program.

Barriers to Treatment Access

Barriers to adequate substance abuse treatment for the LGBT community have been touched on in other chapters. In addition to the reasons any prospective client might have, the reasons LGBT individuals may avoid or delay seeking professional care include fear of disclosing their sexual orientation or gender and previous experiences with health care providers who attempted to convert them to heterosexuality, who attributed their substance abuse to their sexual or gender orientation, or who were otherwise judgmental and unsupportive.

Engagement and Retention

LGBT individuals may leave treatment prematurely for the same reasons as non-LGBT clients. But LGBT clients may have additional treatment difficulties if a facility lacks culturally specific services, if it lacks self-identified LGBT practitioners or sensitive counselors, if it has few contacts with the non-substance-abusing LGBT community, or if it fails to engage non-LGBT clients in exploring their prejudices or honoring diversity.

Relapse Prevention

While many programs address relapse prevention, LGBT clients may need additional help to find LGBT-specific resources, which may be scarce outside metropolitan areas. LGBT clients may have difficulty addressing problems with their sexual or gender orientation and may have difficulty with their families of origin, complications related to other addictive behaviors, and issues related to HIV/AIDS, such as grief and loss or medication compliance. Additional counseling referrals for these issues may be required.

Lacking specific and often essential information about the special problems of LGBT clients, professionals may attribute treatment failures to the clientele rather than to the insufficient training and education about LGBT issues that resulted in inappropriate treatment by the providers.

For more information Visit SoberRevovery.com Forum

1. Recognize your Creator. Think on this: There is a supreme power in the universe that is bigger and more powerful than your small mortal self. This step makes you humble.

2. Seek opportunities to put more love into the world. Strive to be a vessel of love, to fill the world with more compassion and kindness. This step makes you loving and lovable.

3. Set aside time each day to spend in spiritual reflection and contemplation. Dwell in the presence of the divine: Your path may be to pray, meditate, read spiritual material, take a long walk through nature—or all of the above—but an optimum practice includes both morning and evening sessions of at least 20 minutes each. This step makes you strong.

4. Become more accepting. With every interaction, surrender any tendency to judge another person. Pray for a more accepting heart. This step makes you gracious.

5. Forgive anyone you have not forgiven. Whenever you withhold forgiveness, you keep yourself bound to your own feelings of guilt. This step makes you kind.

6. Recognize your mistakes. Admit where you yourself have been wrong, and be willing to be corrected. This step makes you responsible.

7. Try to see the good in others. When you’re tempted to judge someone, make an effort to see their goodness. Your willingness to look for the best in people will subconsciously bring it forth. This step makes you positive.

8. Take stock of your thoughts and behavior. Each night ask yourself, when were you negative when you could have been positive? When did you withhold love when you might have given it? When did you play a neurotic game instead of behaving in a powerful way? Use this process to self-correct. This step makes you grow.

9. Bless the world. Pray not just that your own life will be blessed but that blessings be poured on everyone. This step makes you beautiful.

10. Use each interaction to be the best, most powerful version of yourself. Try to rise to the occasion. Be the most wonderful expression of you that you’re capable of. This step makes you a conduit of God’s love.

You may feel optimistic today as you think about all the possibilities awaiting you. Your upbeat mood could inspire you to manifest the life you desire. It may be helpful for you to visualize your life as you would like it to be. Try imagining your life as a road stretching into the future. Along the road, you can picture places you would like to go and options you would like to explore. Watch as you walk down the road and see what you would like the future to bring. If you happen to visualize an obstacle, simply approach it with a positive frame of mind, smile, and continue along the way, knowing that the universe is guiding you. Creating a positive picture of the future today could help you prepare for these opportunities when they actually come into your life.

When you have a hopeful outlook toward life, you are better able to realize your dreams. From past experience, you may have noticed that your thought patterns form the world around you. You begin to perceive that your future reality can evolve from your current thoughts. If you think pessimistically, you are more likely to create negative situations in the future. By staying in a positive frame of mind, you construct a more promising reality. Imagining your future as a bright beacon of positive energy will pave the way for you to manifest what you want in life today.

People need motivation to carry them through a variety of
activities. If you have ever dreamed of performing in a
symphony orchestra, or playing the lead in a play; getting
that book published, or landing that dream job, frustration
is something you will have to deal with. So, the question
facing you is, how do you stay motivated when faced with
frustration?

Paying The Right Price

Step one is to realize that nothing worth achieving is going
to come easily. To become a great musician, actor, singer
etc. requires training and practice. If you want to write a
great book, the next great American novel, you need to learn
about plot structure, character arcs etc. and write, write,
write! When trying to get a good job, you need to have the
skills the company wants, and be ready when they have an
opening.

Then comes the frustration. No matter how good you are at
whatever it is you do, you will probably not succeed at your
first attempt. The reason: there are so many other people
with the same abilities. Look at a show like “American
Idol”. How many times have you seen a singer you thought
should stay on get tossed off? How often have you applied
for that perfect job, or auditioned for that great role,
only to miss out?

Why Become Better

This is where step two comes into play. You have to accept
that you are not the only person suited for whatever it is
that you are striving to achieve. Often times getting what
you comes down to good timing, networking, and a bit of
luck. Yet, this does not mean that you give up. This is
where you use step three to keep you focused. Review all of
your talents, and look for areas to improve and hone them.

Look around your community; are there classes you can take,
or groups you can join to help you on the path to success?
Along those same lines, a class or book that addresses the
issue of motivation can be helpful. Remember, when trying to
achieve something, no matter what it is, frustration is a
common stumbling block. So, just learning about methods of
motivation can really help you to stay focused on your goal.

What Winners Know

Next, reviewing the accomplishments of others can help you
to deal with the frustrations of your own life. Look at
Thomas Edison, and his quest to create the electric light
bulb. For that matter, look at any of his inventions. With
virtually everything he created, he faced frustration again
and again as experiment after experiment failed.

His attitude? He looked upon those failures as merely
experiments that he did not have to do again.
Abraham Lincoln faced frustration again and again as he
struggled to find a competent general to lead the Union
Army. He took solace in his faith; he was certain that God
was with him, and the Union.

Are You Supported?

A lot of times, that can be the key: finding out what are
the things that help you to stay motivated. Is it your
faith; is it your support system or friends and family?
Whatever it is you rely on, the critical factor is a
positive attitude. If you surround yourself with people who
are forever negative, always looking down on things,
chronically “glass half empty” sorts, then you are going to
find it hard to stay motivated. So, that is why a strong
support system is vital.

Finally, an excellent means of staying motivated is to look
at others who have succeeded in the face of adversity.
Consider someone like author J.K. Rowling; she was “on the
dole” as they say in the UK, on public assistance, when she
wrote the first “Harry Potter” book. Yet, today, she’s said
to be richer than the Queen of England. If that isn’t
motivation for a writer, nothing is!

People who don`t get a handle of killing frustration live
very difficult, stressful lives. Make sure that the agony of
frustration does not rob you of your dreams and truly
enjoying life to the full.

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• Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. (quotationsbook.com)