As Rav Dessler says in his sefer, "Ein breirah!"

MT

it absolutely amazes me how much an addiction can take away our reason.depending on how strong the magnet of addiction is, a true addict will do the WORSt things, no matter how many reasons you give him/her.so, if someone is sinning with other human beings, there is a chance of disease.you think this fact makes even a little bit of difference to the addict? he/she'll rationalize: 'it wont happen to me'.or 'i wont get caught'. he/she will go for that drug of choice:smoking,drugs,sex etc.because the body has become addicted.so how to recover? because people who love you want you to stop, and you MUST submit yourself to those people.without submission, you're cooked.read all the stories in tanach of people who wouldn't back down because THEY were right: pnina (taunted chanah & lost sons) , chiel (built yericho & lost sons), the list goes on.you want to submit to Hashem? this is better, if you can do it.
NO REASON WORKS! stay clean because people love you.and in GYE, that is the case.r' guard loves us all, and wants us to be clean, more than anything.every single person here loves everybody else here - i know, because that's the ONLY REASON (i hate this word) i was able to do the small amount i was able to do.and it's a process.it takes time.i'm in my 5th year now, and i'm not perfect.but i have progress.and the chofets chaim said as long as you dont intentionally rebel against the Creator, but you're not a tzadik, there's still hope for you.but once you rebel, you're toast.that's why yehoshua said to klal yisrael :ach bashem al timrodu'. you dont have to be a tzadik - Hashem will bring you to the land.even if you have many sins (egel,taavah, etc).but if you rebel, fuggedaboutit.
jack

dear holy chevra, i'm sorry to have to tell you this but if it can help anyone, i must tell it. here's what happened:
i was doing really very well for 4 years, not perfect, but quite an improvement from prior to my joining GYE.i NEVER had internet, i never wanted it,i KNEW it would be no good for me.recently, a family member wanted it for email & stuff.so i bought a laptop - one of the worst things i ever did.i got k9, just like everyone says to do.then i found out how to get around it.i was about to get accountability software - but i didn't get around to it.i was going to return the laptop - but i never got around to it.you know the rest.i got a virus, the fbi moneypak virus.i got so scared. i knew i was never going to return this computer or get accountability software.i was terrified.i ended up breaking the laptop into a hudnred pieces and throwing out the pieces.wasted over $200 but learned a lesson - i'm POWERLESS.i called the GYE hotline and got my friend from the south.it was 2 A.M.i didn't want to wake him up - i wanted someone from israel to answer.i'm sorry guys.the good news is i'm back to my pre-laptop days of struggling but remaining clean as long as it's not within arms reach - just like the handbook says.
jack

As usual, your realness is amazing, Jack. OK, so now:

NEXT!!

squeak, squeak....squeak, squeak....

(the bicycle)

dov - thanks for those few words from the heart - they entered mine! my friends here, who don't abandon me, and who don't throw me to the wolves, but instead accept me, with my failings, is THE whole reason i have the strength to go on!

jack wrote on 30 Nov 2012 18:41:


Present company included!

thanks kedusha - i was quite shaken up by that experience - but i'm back now to my clean struggling self - as long as the box is not within arms reach.if i can reach it, the magnet kicks in.

Jack,

I hope you're doing well. A Freilichen Chanukah!

Kedusha

i am doing fine - as long as i dont have that thing within arms reach.and another thing - w/out GYE, i'd be back in my addictive cycle: clean, dirty, feel bad, go back to clean.addiction kicks in, back to dirty, feel bad, etc.

this is addressed to gvurah shebysod:
dear GS: i was told that you know the answers as to how this forum works.so, here goes:
1 - what's an expert border, fresh boarder, etc?
2 - by whom is it determined? is it automatic based on some criteria?
3 - what about the other ratings? what do they mean?
4 - can the topics be sorted like on the old site so we can find a topic faster without having to look through all of them until we find the one we're looking for? on the old site, we could sort by 'started by', last post date, and subject.
5 - how many moderators are there?
if these questions were already addressed, i apologize.but chazarah is good, no?

jack wrote:


I guess I really do spend way too much time here....
But here's what I know...

1 & 2: It's sort of the same thing as the member levels on the old site, 'Newbie", Jr. Member" etc. It's based on the number of posts. I haven't figured out how many levels there are and what the thresholds are yet.

3: You mean the "Karma"? That's sort of like Like/Dislike. You can give other people a + or -. There are limits on how many times per day / per person you can do it so you can't abuse the system. In practical terms I don't think it means much.

4: As far as I know the only choices are newest first or oldest first. You can set it in your profile preferences.

5: I have no idea.

Machshovo Tova wrote:
Whatever the boarders is all about, does any boarder know where this MT guy went? Is he hibernating in Bardstown, KY?

Dov wrote:


This MT guy is right here where he belongs. Thanks for caring, Dov. Actually, this is my first post on the new GYE. I must admit that in my old age I find it hard to get used to the new GYE. I visit every day and keep up with the latest, but I am not comfortable with using the system (hard to explain if you do not understand). Anyhow, B"H I'm doing great - with Hashem's help - a day at a time - avoiding all trouble and living in the glory of Realville. I have a daily telephone shiur with Tehillim Zugger in the GYE handbook (we're making our second siyum this week iy"H).

Shabbat Shalom

MT

Machshovo Tova wrote:


And BTW, TZ is also doin' great B"H.

MT

Hey MT, glad to see your doing good!!!

Chaim