The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
Feels like a long time since I been here. I been busy. But I still keep in contact with some of the people here so its not like I'm isolating.
Got a funny story for ya. About 25 years ago, this guy I know (in AA) was working in a recovery home for alcoholics, and like most A's he had an idea a minute about how things could be changed for the better. Finally, the board of directors said, "Listen Charlie[not his real name], your ideas are good and maybe they might work and we think when you get your own house you can run it whatever you want, but while you're in our house you'll do things our way." So Charlie quit his job and opened his own house and it's quite a nice place to live in, and not a bad to place to work in. I should know, I worked there for ten years. I don't work there anymore and I'm not even going to tell you that story. But about a year ago, my boss called me aside (because I was having an idea a minute about how to make his house a better house) and he said, "You know Bernie, you have a lot of good ideas and some of them might even work, and when you get your own house you can run it whatever way you want, but....etc. etc. etc."
So guess what. I'm opening my own house. Should be up and running inside of six months. So I'm going to need a lot of Al-anon......just wanted to let you know what's been occupying my time. I'll try to hang out here some more.
p.s. it will be for men only. I learned that lesson the hard way.
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Not all my days are priceless, but none of them are worthless, anymore.
I wish you luck Bernie...I've got some of that experience with the exception of "having my own house". I figure it this way...If I haven't been able to fix even one of them at a time what am I saying about my denial with a house full...LOL I've been a board member, the chairman and president of the board and manager and more...the ownership I leave up to the other guys who have done real well I might add.
I resonate with this posting in a number of ways...
...I have never worked in any house, and would be unlikely to...
...in a lot of my employment I have thought 'I can to better' and always tried to 'second guess' my boss. I think i have learned not to and in my new job, at the moments i am not planning to. Having said that I do believe a good employer should consult and consider suggestions from their staff.
Over 20 years ago in our country there was a publicly funded treatment centre. it was said to have been modelled on 'the Betty Ford Centre'.
I went through it as a family member. In oiur community lots of people 'went through the programme', at the time.
My own experience of terrible, horrific. This was mainly to do with me, of course. But the success rate of this centre was small.
It is my own impression that the use of the 12 Steps by this centre, and by other perhaps, really dumbed down and distorted them. I am not sure if this was the same overseas, but I would be interested to compare and to know.
Over the last 20 years I have seen private treatment centres advertised in NZ... ...I don't have any opinion on them because I don't have experience of them- but they are for addict/alcoholics only.
