Recovery Universe - Share Your Experience, Strength, and Hope

Recovery Food

Just For Today

Up Or Down

'This is our road to spiritual growth. We change every day.... This growth is not the result of wishing but of action and prayer.'

Basic Text, p. 35-36

Our spiritual condition is never static; if it's not growing, it's decaying. If we stand still, our spiritual progress will lose its upward momentum. Gradually, our growth will slow, then halt, then reverse itself. Our tolerance will wear thin; our willingness to serve others will wane; our minds will narrow and close. Before long, we'll be right back where we started: in conflict with everyone and everything around us, unable to bear even ourselves.

Our only option is to actively participate in our program of spiritual growth. We pray, seeking knowledge greater than our own from a Power greater than ourselves. We open our minds and keep them open, becoming teachable and taking advantage of what others have to share with us. We demonstrate our willingness to try new ideas and new ways of doing things, experiencing life in a whole new way. Our spiritual progress picks up speed and momentum, driven by the Higher Power we are coming to understand better each day.

Up or down - it's one or the other, with very little in between, where spiritual growth is concerned. Recovery is not fueled by wishing and dreaming, we've discovered, but by prayer and action.

Just for today: The only constant in my spiritual condition is change. I cannot rely on yesterday's program. Today, I seek new spiritual growth through prayer and action.

pg. 238

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Addictive Behavior

Behavioral and Physical
Warning Signs of Drug
And Alcohol Use:

It is important to keep in mind that if a child shows any of the following symptoms, it does not necessarily mean that he or she is using drugs. The presence of some of these behaviors could be the product of adolescent stress. Others may be symptoms of depression or a host of other problems.

Whatever the cause, they may warrant attention, especially if they persist or if they occur in a cluster. A mental health professional or a caring and concerned adult may help a youngster successfully overcome a crisis and develop more effective coping skills, often preventing further problems.

If you suspect that your child or significant other is using drugs or alcohol the following information will help you make an educated decision. If you still have doubts there are many websites that offer home Urine Drug Screen Tests that can be helpful to bring a uncover a substance abuse problem and bring it to the surface for counseling & treatment.

The key is change; it is important to watch for any significant changes in your child's physical appearance, personality, attitude or behavior.

Drug Specific Symptoms:

Marijuana
Glassy, red eyes; loud talking and inappropriate laughter followed by sleepiness; a sweet burnt scent; loss of interest, motivation; weight gain or loss.

Alcohol
Clumsiness; difficulty walking; slurred speech; sleepiness; poor judgment; dilated pupils; possession of a false ID card.

Depressants
(including barbiturates and tranquilizers) Seems drunk as if from alcohol but without the associated odor of alcohol; difficulty concentrating; clumsiness; poor judgment; slurred speech; sleepiness; and contracted pupils.

Stimulants
Hyperactivity; euphoria; irritability; anxiety; excessive talking followed by depression or excessive sleeping at odd times; may go long periods of time without eating or sleeping; dilated pupils; weight loss; dry mouth and nose.

Inhalants
(Glues, aerosols, and vapors ) Watery eyes; impaired vision, memory and thought; secretions from the nose or rashes around the nose and mouth; headaches and nausea; appearance of intoxication; drowsiness; poor muscle control; changes in appetite; anxiety; irritability; an unusual number of spray cans in the trash.

Hallucinogens
Dilated pupils; bizarre and irrational behavior including paranoia, aggression, hallucinations; mood swings; detachment from people; absorption with self or other objects, slurred speech; confusion.

Heroin
Needle marks; sleeping at unusual times; sweating; vomiting; coughing and sniffling; twitching; loss of appetite; contracted pupils; no response of pupils to light.

Tobacco/Nicotine
Smell of tobacco; stained fingers or teeth.

Types of Drugs commonly used by teens:

Cocaine
(coke, rock, crack, base)
Physical Symptoms: Brief intense euphoria, elevated blood pressure and heart rate, restlessness, excitement, feeling of well-being followed by depression. Look For: Glass vials, glass pipe, white crystalline powder, razor blades, syringes, needle marks.
Dangers: Addiction, heart attack, seizures, lung damage, severe depression, paranoia (see stimulants).

Marijuana
(pot, dope, grass, weed, herb, hash, joint)
Physical Symptoms: Altered perceptions, red eyes, dry mouth, reduced concentration and coordination, euphoria, laughing, hunger.
Look For: Rolling papers, pipes, dried plant material, odor of burnt hemp rope, roach clips.
Dangers: Panic reaction, impaired short term memory, addiction.

Hallucinogens
(acid, LSD, PCP, MDMA, Ecstasy, psilocybin mushrooms, peyote)
Physical Symptoms: Altered mood and perceptions, focus on detail, anxiety, panic, nausea, synaesthesia (ex: smell colors, see sounds)
Look For: Capsules, tablets, "microdots", blotter squares
Dangers: Unpredictable behavior, emotional instability, violent behavior (with PCP)

Inhalants
(gas, aerosols, glue, nitrates, rush, white out)
Physical Symptoms: Nausea, dizziness, headaches, lack of coordination and control.
Look For: Odor of substance on clothing and breath, intoxication, drowsiness, poor muscular control.
Dangers: Unconsciousness, suffocation, nausea and vomiting, damage to brand and central nervous system, sudden death.

Narcotics
Heroin (junk, dope, black tar, China white)
Demerol, Deluded (D's), Morphine, Codeine
Physical Symptoms: Euphoria, drowsiness, insensitivity to pain, nausea, vomiting, watery eyes, runny nose (see depressants).
Look For: Needle marks on arms, needles, syringes, spoons, pinpoint pupils, cold moist skin.
Dangers: Addiction, lethargy, weight loss, contamination from un sterile needles (hepatitis, AIDS), accidental overdose.

Stimulants
(speed, uppers, crank, bam, black beauties, crystal dexies, caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, amphetamines)
Physical Symptoms: Alertness, talkativeness, wakefulness, increased blood pressure, loss of appetite, mood elevation.
Look For: Pills and capsules, loss of sleep and appetite, irritability or anxiety, weight loss, hyperactivity.
Dangers: Fatigue leading to exhaustion, addiction, paranoia, depression, confusion, possible hallucinations.

Depressants
(barbiturates, sedatives, tranquilizers, downers, tranks, ludes, reds, VAlium, yellow jackets, alcohol)
Physical Symptoms: Depressed breathing and heartbeat, intoxication, drowsiness, uncoordinated movements.
Look For: Capsules and pills, confused behavior, longer periods of sleep, slurred speech.
Dangers: Possible overdose, especially in combination with alcohol, muscle rigidity, addiction, withdrawal and overdose require medical treatment.

Physical Warning Signs

Loss of appetite, increase in appetite, any changes in eating habits, unexplained weight loss or gain. Slowed or staggering walk; poor physical coordination.

Inability to sleep, awake at unusual times, unusual laziness.

Red, watery eyes; pupils larger or smaller than usual; blank stare.

Cold, sweaty palms; shaking hands.

Puffy face, blushing or paleness.

Smell of substance on breath, body or clothes.

Extreme hyperactivity; excessive talkativeness.

Runny nose; hacking cough.

Needle marks on lower arm, leg or bottom of feet.

Nausea, vomiting or excessive sweating.

Tremors or shakes of hands, feet or head.

Irregular heartbeat.

Change in personal grooming habits.

Possession of drug paraphernalia.

Behavioral Warning Signs

Change in overall attitude/personality with no other identifiable cause.

Changes in friends; new hang-outs; sudden avoidance of old crowd; doesn't want to talk about new friends; friends are known drug users.

Change in activities or hobbies.

Drop in grades at school or performance at work; skips school or is late for school.

Change in habits at home; loss of interest in family and family activities.

Difficulty in paying attention; forgetfulness.

General lack of motivation, energy, self-esteem, I don't care attitude.

Sudden over sensitivity, temper tantrums, or resentful behavior.

Moodiness, irritability, or nervousness.

Silliness or giddiness.

Paranoia

Excessive need for privacy; unreachable.

Secretive or suspicious behavior.

The Twelve Steps		The Twelve Traditions
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable. 2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our 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, promptlym admitted it. 11. Sought though prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.		1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity. 2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority - a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern. 3. The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking. 4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole. 5. Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers. 6. An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose. 7. Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions. 8. Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers. 9. A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve. 10. Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy. 11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio and films. 12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.