I believe one of the important steps to sobriety is recognizing that we are not perfect and never will be perfect. To use Steve's moshul, we are all pickles and we won't be cucumbers anymore. But it's okay to be a pickle. Some may say it's even better. If we are aiming fo...

Someone wrote to us: I found one of your first posts to me 12 months ago, that's kept me thinking for all these months: "Yes, we CAN love and be loved, deeper than we could have ever imagined. We truly can find pleasure, comfort and security that we only dreamed cou...

LITTLE INTRO, CRASH COURSE, reminder - This addiction is only a symptom. We use it to relieve our pain. Our pain comes from restlessness, irritability, and discontent in life. Why do we have this R.I.D? Because of our Ego. We can't accept when things don't go our way. Now...

Someone wrote: I fell again last night... I have learned that my urge is sometimes too powerful. "Yosef Hatzadik" answers: You're probably gonna fall again. Why do I say this? I read it in your post. You wrote that you learnt that the urge is sometimes too powerful. As l...

Avraham (a Talmid of Duvid Chaim's groups) writes: The 12 step program, specifically addressing my list of fears in step 5, really helped me overcome procrastination. I was holding myself back from doing things I knew I should be doing. After the Chevra helped me let go o...

Sometimes we just need to get down on our knees and beg Hashem to save us (see here for the halachos of kneeling by R' Simcha Feuerman, Director of Nefesh). We need to get used to stopping whatever we're doing when the lust attacks, and just have a talk with Hashem. If we...

This morning I listened in to my wife's OA call and I had some observations. Many of us (myself included) sometimes have our doubts whether we are addicts (maybe its not really "doubts" but simply pride). Listening in to others describe a different type of addiction - in ...

We struggle so hard to "figure" our way out, to try to understand what's happening. But my experience has been that my understanding "availed me nothing" (as the AA saying goes).Maybe you are beginning to understand that this is a problem that's bigger than you, than you ...

I was talking with someone about the idea of changing our personalities through the 12-Step program. He said, "Is it really true? I can really change?". It seemed a bit hard to believe. So, I explained it like this: It's very rare to find someone who is ENTIRELY SELFISH....

The AA Big Book talks about "being on a new plane of existence"; a spiritual plane. Duvid Chaim often speaks about "Getting out of our heads". "Getting out of my head" means being concerned how other people are feeling, and being helpful when possible. I feel like I've re...