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Wednesday, February 14, 2007

THE TWELVE STEPS OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

THE TWELVE STEPS OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS


1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Who am I?

For those of you wondering, my husband calls me Sassle, it's his nickname for me because of my sometime challenging personality so that's where the title of the blog comes from. My purpose for this blog is simple it's about my day to day life, my thoughts and my experience with the program of Alcoholics Anonymous and following The South Beach Diet.

I'm a 43 year old married woman, I love animals, the sound of a child's laughter, tortilla chips with salsa & cheese and I love white cake with vanilla frosting. I'm a sugar addict, a recovering alcoholic with 9 years of sobriety, I don't smoke, I love long walks with my mp3 player and I live on a beautiful 6 acre farm (rent not own). I love my husband, I have 2 very spoiled cats, one horse (a mare) and one miniature pony. I am mother to two adult step-children and grandmother to two.

I have some weight to lose so you will definitely hear about my successes, trials and tribulations, my calorie intake and food choices. I have every intention of bringing God into this blog because he is everywhere I am so its fitting to have him here and I will discuss him on these pages, if you don't believe that's OK just please keep it to yourself, if you do believe and have some interesting theories and beliefs please share.

My pet peeves are dirty hands (my own or yours), wet hands (again mine or yours), sticky hands(surely you see the pattern here), people who don't finish conversations, loud noises, white noise, hair in my face and injustice.

Personal Disclaimer: If poor grammar drives you nuts then I apologize in advance because I will drive you nuts. If you like stories that have an even flow, well then I must warn you, you won't get that here, I suffer from "short attention span theater" and my writing suffers because of it.

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

PMS Types!

PMS Types

Most women experience some form of PMT in our modern world. It is due, I think, to busy schedules, poor diet, stress and lack of quality individual self-care time. Cyclic behavior is simply not acknowledged in this male dominated world so it can be difficult to give yourself the rest and time out that you need in the pre menstrual phase.

For information on looking at PMS from an emotional or metaphysical point of view go here http://www.menstruation.com.au/periodpages/pms.html - it will change the way you look at the pre menstrual phase.

There are generally about 5 different sorts of PMS. Type A, B, C, D and H.

The general Health Guidelines to assist with PMT discomfort are;

Include Vitamin B6, Zinc, Magnesium, and Essential Fatty Acids. (taking a good multi with regulating herbs often covers many of these)

Avoid caffeine and alcohol - try herbal teas or dandelion coffee

Eat natural whole foods.

Avoid sugary refined foods.

Drink lots of water.

(Refer to last Newsletter or these links for more general food rules http://www.menstruation.com.au/periodpages/foods.html )

TYPE A (high oestrogen : low progesterone ratio)

Nervous tension, weepiness, anxiety, mood swings and irritability. Periods start suddenly and are heavy with clots.

Extra help - Vit E,

TYPE B (high progesterone:oestrogen ratio)

Stress is a big factor in this type and the mood changes and irritability will lean more towards aggression than depression. Aggression or depression is just energy (which we have labelled as negative) which is either directed outwards - aggression, or directed inwards - depression.

Weight gain, swelling of hands and feet and breast tenderness.

Extra help - Vit C with bioflavinoids.

Reduce salt. _ On this note _ What sort of salt do you use? Throw out your table salt because it is harmful and only buy Sea Salt, which is more beneficial containing important trace minerals. Be aware that processed foods often have high amounts of salt in them - You will get more than enough salt even if you don't add extra salt to your food.

Include a natural diuretic such as celery or Juniper in your diet. Drink more water not less, as this will flush your system out. Your organs of elimination including your kidneys work better when the fluid intake is high.

TYPE C

Often associated with fluctuations in blood sugar levels can include headache and fatigue, moodiness and irritability due to drops in blood sugar level.

Extra Help - Magnesium is very important as it assists in insulin metabolism.

Eat smaller meals frequently and include starchy and complex carbohydrate foods like pasta, potatoes, vegetables and quality proteins (lean meat, fish etc). Avoid sugar and refined foods.

TYPE D (low oestrogen: high progesterone ratio)

Emotional changes like depression, forgetfulness, insomnia, confusion, and teariness.

Extra Help: Kelp, spirulina, and potassium oxide. Eat simple foods that are easily digested.

TYPE H

Water balance symptoms - fluid retention, bloating, breast tenderness, swollen hands and feet related to high sodium and alcohol intake.

Flower remedies or vibrational essences can also be very helpful for PMT symptoms. I will explain more thoroughly how these essences work next newsletter, but for the mean time here is a short list of helpful remedies.

Rose of Raphael Essences - Pomegranate, Green Goddess Lily, Bat Plant and Pineapple Sage. See our site http://www.menstruation.com.au/menstrualproducts/rorind.html

Bach Flower Essences - Impatiens, Mustard, and Olive - http://www.bachflower.com/

Californian Essences - Chamomile, Pretty Face, Scleranthus, Sunflower

Australian Bush Flower - She Oak - http://ausflowers.com.au/
"This blog is so much more then writing about my weight loss journey it has become an extension in helping me know who I am and who I can be."

Sassle