some stuff...

Thought I might share some tips I have picked up along the way

I am not really a waffler so they will be short and to the point I hope.

• A label is a name you call yourself. For example 'an addict'. To call yourself an addict makes you 'an addict'. As an addict/alcoholic I could also choose to call myself a 'recovering addict' but I choose not to. Over 7 'clean' years down the track I am quite well aware of what my addictions did to me and where they came from and in my opinion (which is just that) to continue to call myself an addict in that regard is detrimental to myself. I am Michelle who had a problem with substances and no longer does because she CHOOSES not to. I could, I suppose, call myself 'a person who makes good choices' :) My point here is that by continuing to label oneself as something negetive, one reinforces, constantly, the negetive aspect. By choosing not to do so one empowers oneself instead. Thats how it works for me. Of course, if I was still struggling with the demons I would happily label myself as I would need to do so. I could also, of course, choose to pick up where I left off and use again, but that would be a choice I made, not an uncontrollable behaviour of mine. Same goes for 'abused' and 'victim' and other such labels. So, I am Michelle who used to have a problems with drugs and alcohol and was abused and allowed herself to be a victim. I no longer am any of those things so I choose not to call myself any of them or to identify with them in anyway in my thoughts about myself. That way lies guilt and shame and Im not going there today.....a choice indeed.
  
• Which brings me to choice. Interesting word/concept yes. A choice is something we make each and every day, in many different circumstances. The outcomes of our choices are the things we have to live with. These are called 'consequences'. Whether we experience positive or negetive consequences is entirely our choice. It is a roundabout circle that we have ABSOLUTE CONTROL over. Too simple really. The human mind likes to confuse us by pretending everything is very complicated when, in fact, it is very very simple. Of course, we can and do make bad choices. These can be called mistakes. The good thing about mistakes is that we have a choice not to repeat them. This is call a learning process and we all go through it. Perpetually. Somebody wise once said that the definition of insanity was to keep doing the same things over and over again and expecting a different outcome. Hmmmmm

Thats probably enough for now.

Hot today isn't it

:0)

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