Panic Disorder 411
Alcoholism Recovery
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"Until One Is Committed"
"There is a hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always
ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and
creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which
kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one
definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves, too. All sorts
of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have
occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and
meetings, and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt
would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of
Goethe's couplets: "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin
it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it." W. H. Murray in
The Scottish Himalaya Expedition, 1951.
One Day at a Time
It can be overwhelming to make a lifelong commitment to sobriety,
so each morning we promise to stay sober just for today, then
renew our commitment each and every morning.
Postponement - Excerpt from The Road To Fort
Worth
"The day came when he was tested. He knew that he was going to
drink and thought about the dire consequences that would follow.
The delusion that he could somehow control his drinking had
disappeared years before. When he thought about drinking, he saw
train cars filled with beer and whiskey for his sole consumption.
He wasn't worried about the consequences at the moment. He was
still going to drink. Then it occurred to him that he could
drink, but he'd wait until the next morning to start. He'd get up
bright and early, and waste no time getting to the bar as soon as
it opened. He knew that he could stay away from a drink until
then. In the morning, the obsession to drink had released its
grip, and he thought of the hangover, remorse and insanity that
he'd avoided by not drinking. He hadn't denied his desire or
decision to drink, only postponed it, and it worked for him time
and again. God had given him one sign after another trying to get
his attention, and he was starting to listen. He'd given him one
more tool to stay sober."
Commitment Without Reservations - Excerpt from The Road
To Fort Worth
"After his last relapse, Jack took a good look at the meaning of
the word commitment. It meant getting through each and every
storm, no matter how severe, without picking up a drink. The
commitment to stay sober one day at a time had to be promised
without reservation, without a clause that said, "Unless you have
a panic attack, or you're overwhelmed with financial woes, or
your loved one dies, or you contract a terminal illness."
Look to this Day - Ancient Sanskrit Poem
Look to this day for it is life, the very life of life. In its
brief course lie all the realities and truths of existence: the
joy of growth, the splendor of action, the glory of power. For
yesterday is but a memory and tomorrow is only a vision. But
today well lived makes every yesterday a memory of happiness and
every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well, therefore, to this
day.
THE ROAD TO FORT WORTH by Michael Jackson Smith: Very little was known about panic disorder when I had my first panic attack. There was no help available to teach me how to assuage the attacks, but I discovered that alcohol would dissolve my fear instantly. My website contains the kind of information that would have been a tremendous help to me in the early days of my illness as I searched for solutions for the panic disorder, agoraphobia, and alcoholism that incapacitated me. My book is the story of my journey into recovery. Read Chapter 8 | Top of Page↑
