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Anyone in Recovery "Out there"?

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jgrotts
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Post  Todd Ellis Thu Jun 03, 2010 12:43 pm

I was wondering if there are any Bonsai people "out there" who are in recovery from alcohol or other drugs. I have been clean and sober for 14+ years; best years of my life! thumbs up Many people on this sight mention their favorite alcohol. I would like to hear from other clean and sober folks who are out there! Most people in our society can drink moderately and responsibly; I'm not one of them. I am now an Alcohol and Drug Counselor for a local Behavioral Health Agency.

I have a "drug story" which happened to me approx 15 years ago. I was working with a Garden & Bonsai business (vendor) and hauling a truck load of Japanese Maples to the Potomac Bonsai Association Spring Show. Our caravan drove through a small Maryland town and stopped for lunch; I was the last of three vehicles. I noticed a couple of police cars following me and very soon, six police cars stopped me on the highway. They told me that someone reported that I was hauling marijuana plants. (Apparently a person saw the trees in the back of the truck while we were stopped and called the police.) They looked at the trees and I had to explain that they were Japanese Maples. The police searched my pockets thinking I had paraphenalia; I had some Mudmen in my pockets. (I think they smelled marijuana on me but couldn't find anything; the sad thing was I was "high as a kite"). As true and funny as this story is, it was a "wake up" call for me. Everytime I drive with Jap. maples, I think back to that time. I am very blessed that I never wrecked or hurt anyone while driving under the influence. It is very scary to think that I use to feel it was okay to drive, while high, because I thought I was in control. The fact IS, I was a menace on the highway because my reaction time and judgement was "thwarted". As my sponsor use to tell me "...DON'T believe everything YOU think!"

Cheers and salut!, Todd
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Post  JimLewis Thu Jun 03, 2010 1:11 pm

I too was struck by the number of folks who mentioned one kind of booze or another (or all of them!) in their "what-I-like-to-do" posts. We sound like a bunch of sotted lushes. It's a wonder our trees don't fall out of their pots.

Congratulations, Todd on your accomplishment. Anyone in Recovery "Out there"? 582674 Anyone in Recovery "Out there"? 369513 Anyone in Recovery "Out there"? 754636

I hope most of us handle our drug of choice responsibly. Personally, while I love my two bottles of dark beer, I learned to detest drunkenness way back in college, and since I don't do parties . . . . Wife Jackie has one glass of Merlot (as medicine for the heart, she says) every night. (Aren't WE pure, though! Anyone in Recovery "Out there"? Icon_cat Anyone in Recovery "Out there"? Icon_exclaim )

I hope there's a long list of folks here who are on the wagon.
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Post  Guest Thu Jun 03, 2010 1:30 pm

Hello Todd. Whilst making light of my love for Scotch, I probably give the impression I drink more than I do. Like you, I was a heavy weed and resin smoker from the age of 15 to 29. I smoked all the time from when I woke to when I went to bed. I used most drugs, LSD, mushrooms MDMA,Opium and Cocaine etc but never Heroin. I gave it all up 15 years ago when my first child was born and haven't looked back. I now work for the Probation service and use my knowledge and history to help others.
I admire your honesty Todd, well done by the way.

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Post  Hawaiian77 Thu Jun 03, 2010 4:21 pm

Aloha Todd,

A "BIG" Mahalo for sharing with us and your honesty. It takes a man to admit that he has a problem but it takes a bigger man to do something about it. All the best.

A Hui Hou,
-Tim Cool
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Post  littleart-fx Thu Jun 03, 2010 11:45 pm

Dear MR Todd!

Holland as within the Netherlands i've learned.

How can i say,....and now whole Belgium is watching/reading.......haha inside joke!
Thanks for honesty and tail!

Lets say i know my way around,......mdma made me people see......thc made me think.
Alcohol is disturbing balance,....would love to people see!
Lsd,....should be forbidden.....pure sound in sight.....dimension is just a rhythm.....
And yes,....music is within creations....and now....clean for year's.

Bad habits kick in and is there, when i want to reach it.......i have learned the good,...i hope....No

And yeh! never try this at home or any!

quick answers on a quick question!

again thnx todd....why?

haha,....!
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Post  littleart-fx Thu Jun 03, 2010 11:47 pm

Todd,....hope you have made the best of it!
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Post  bonsaisr Fri Jun 04, 2010 1:25 am

This thread is very touching to someone whose worst addiction is chocolate. I admire you guys for this discussion. All the best.
Iris
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Post  Todd Ellis Fri Jun 04, 2010 2:09 am

bonsaisr wrote:This thread is very touching to someone whose worst addiction is chocolate. I admire you guys for this discussion. All the best.
Iris

Thanks, Iris. Chocolate is on my "binge" list. I will never give it up...totally! cheers
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Post  John Quinn Fri Jun 04, 2010 3:10 am

The Japanese Maple story is probably more common than you think. One of our club members,a public defender, (attorney for indigent criminals for those unfamiliar with the term) several years ago was walking through a local courthouse and spotted two prosecutors carrying a large potted Japanese Maple...yup, some poor sad sack had been accused of growing marijuana by a nosey neighbor. Duh!
One day at a time, Todd!
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Post  jgrotts Fri Jun 04, 2010 4:01 am

I have been sober 19 yrs, been doing the little tree thing 20+, the trees look better now. I work in Probation and part-time in treatment. Newly recovered addicts are like little trees...always need attention, pruning, and wiring!

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Post  Todd Ellis Fri Jun 04, 2010 4:22 am

jgrotts wrote:I have been sober 19 yrs, been doing the little tree thing 20+, the trees look better now. I work in Probation and part-time in treatment. Newly recovered addicts are like little trees...always need attention, pruning, and wiring!

Congrats on your 19 years and thank you for the great analogy! Salut, Todd
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Post  jgrotts Fri Jun 04, 2010 4:40 am

We start by collecting them, pruning roots, finding appropriate environment, pruning the topside, wiring, setting aside to grow, feed them when time is right, and starting over if really needed....yep little trees = little addicts...I learned a lot of patience for my clients working with trees.

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Post  Todd Ellis Fri Jun 04, 2010 5:58 pm

Thanks everyone for your kind, supporting words! It is great to have this wonderful community on the internet!
cheers Salut, Todd
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Post  Jay Gaydosh Fri Jun 04, 2010 7:29 pm

I'm addicted to ... FOOD!

Can't help myself. I even did lunch today! (All joking aside, I'm a recovering food-a-holic. Blood sugars are now normal, I'm off insulin and I'm approching 70 pounds lost!)

I do like my scotch and over induldge once or twice a year. Two rules, I must have a place to crawl to sleep it off and /or a designated driver to get me to where I can crawl to sleep it of! The rest of the year I seldome drink. Never tried illegal substances.

All in all, I'm a lucky dog. As for your own private battle... kudos to your for the long sobriety.

Jay
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Post  Todd Ellis Fri Jun 04, 2010 8:23 pm

Jay Gaydosh wrote:I'm addicted to ... FOOD!

Can't help myself. I even did lunch today! (All joking aside, I'm a recovering food-a-holic. Blood sugars are now normal, I'm off insulin and I'm approching 70 pounds lost!)

I do like my scotch and over induldge once or twice a year. Two rules, I must have a place to crawl to sleep it off and /or a designated driver to get me to where I can crawl to sleep it of! The rest of the year I seldome drink. Never tried illegal substances.

All in all, I'm a lucky dog. As for your own private battle... kudos to your for the long sobriety.

Jay

Awesome that you lost that much weight! I lost 75 pounds last year, for health reasons (hypoglycemia and to get the weight off of my two new hips (2008 bilateral replacements; simultaneous). For the first time in 25 years, I'm below 200 pounds. I am a food addict, too, and had to "really believe" that chocolate is NOT a food group! (I'm still in denial Razz )

Wight loss and maintenance is the hard one; we have to eat.... Thanks for sharing your success and kudos for being a responsible drinker. Salut, Todd ThumbsUp Bagpiper
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Post  bonsaisr Fri Jun 04, 2010 8:40 pm

It is hard for the rest of us to believe there are true food addicts. There is one who writes a column for our local newspaper. She was able to lose 250 lb. Some of her comments are of interest to the general community, like being aware of how the food industry has conspired to foster overeating & obesity.
Iris
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Post  Dustin Mann Fri Jun 04, 2010 10:57 pm

Hi Todd, I am sure there are many "Friends of Bill" or "Dr. Bob" out there. My grandparents owned a large profitable bar before Stock Market crash in 1929 in Cleveland Ohio. If you are wired for obsession/addiction does not really matter if you stay away from booze/drugs.The obsessiveness and resentments are just "out in the parking lot doing pushups and waiting yrs. for the stress to add up" My wife(a dog/cat lover) reminds me that animals and plants/trees live by nature's laws and no self will. A bonsai tree does not need jails,mental health clinics,hit another tree, or get pulled over for DUI of too much fish emulsion. Dustin Mann Very Happy Very Happy

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Post  Harleyrider Mon Jun 07, 2010 10:10 pm

Congratulations, Todd, and well done!

I used to drink many years ago (not excessively), but gave it up when I realised that a) I didn't actually like the taste and b) I was only doing it to be sociable.

Being a biker, I still to this day get funny looks when I walk around weekend rallies with a pint of orange or a coffee in my hand. It's amazing how much good natured 'abuse' I get because I don't drink. I have my revenge the following day, though, when I'm the only one who can remember what everyone was doing the night before!

As for drugs, never have, never will.

My mildly amusing story concerns a dozen or so of my Manchester Harley Owners Group friends and a much larger group of Hells Angels who were attending the same rally as us.
Having found ourselves sharing a beer-soaked table with said group of 1%ers, both groups started the evening off by trying to ignore the other. As the beer and suspicious substances began to flow, tentative conversations began to commence betwixt 'them and us'. At some point in the proceedings a joint was passed from them to us and it inexorably made it's way in my direction, proferred by the meaty hand of one of Satan's finest.
My response was, on reflection, perhaps a trifle abrupt, all things considered, and brought about one of those " *kicks saloon doors open* Ah've come fer mah boy" type moments when everything suddenly goes very quiet. I believe the phrase is 'conversation stopper.'

"Get that stinking shit out of my face!" says I, quite forcefully.

Guess what happened next?

The gorilla who was holding the offending article in front of my face looked around his mates and, in unison, they did the 'old lady holding her handbag in front of her "OOOoooOOOOHHhhh!" thing. (Sorry if you don't know what that is. It may just be an English thing.)

Suffice to say, the rest of the evening went swimmingly, and the drinking went on long into the night. And most of the following day, I recall.

We still see those lads now and again and they always come across for a chat and a laugh.
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Post  Todd Ellis Mon Jun 07, 2010 10:41 pm

Harleyrider wrote:Congratulations, Todd, and well done!

I used to drink many years ago (not excessively), but gave it up when I realised that a) I didn't actually like the taste and b) I was only doing it to be sociable.

Being a biker, I still to this day get funny looks when I walk around weekend rallies with a pint of orange or a coffee in my hand. It's amazing how much good natured 'abuse' I get because I don't drink. I have my revenge the following day, though, when I'm the only one who can remember what everyone was doing the night before!

As for drugs, never have, never will.

My mildly amusing story concerns a dozen or so of my Manchester Harley Owners Group friends and a much larger group of Hells Angels who were attending the same rally as us.
Having found ourselves sharing a beer-soaked table with said group of 1%ers, both groups started the evening off by trying to ignore the other. As the beer and suspicious substances began to flow, tentative conversations began to commence betwixt 'them and us'. At some point in the proceedings a joint was passed from them to us and it inexorably made it's way in my direction, proferred by the meaty hand of one of Satan's finest.
My response was, on reflection, perhaps a trifle abrupt, all things considered, and brought about one of those " *kicks saloon doors open* Ah've come fer mah boy" type moments when everything suddenly goes very quiet. I believe the phrase is 'conversation stopper.'

"Get that stinking shit out of my face!" says I, quite forcefully.

Guess what happened next?

The gorilla who was holding the offending article in front of my face looked around his mates and, in unison, they did the 'old lady holding her handbag in front of her "OOOoooOOOOHHhhh!" thing. (Sorry if you don't know what that is. It may just be an English thing.)

Suffice to say, the rest of the evening went swimmingly, and the drinking went on long into the night. And most of the following day, I recall.

We still see those lads now and again and they always come across for a chat and a laugh.

That's a great story! Thanks! thumbs up Salut, Todd
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Post  Rob Kempinski Wed Jun 09, 2010 3:22 am

Harleyrider wrote:Congratulations, Todd, and well done!

I used to drink many years ago (not excessively), but gave it up when I realised that a) I didn't actually like the taste and b) I was only doing it to be sociable.

Being a biker, I still to this day get funny looks when I walk around weekend rallies with a pint of orange or a coffee in my hand. It's amazing how much good natured 'abuse' I get because I don't drink. I have my revenge the following day, though, when I'm the only one who can remember what everyone was doing the night before!

As for drugs, never have, never will.

My mildly amusing story concerns a dozen or so of my Manchester Harley Owners Group friends and a much larger group of Hells Angels who were attending the same rally as us.
Having found ourselves sharing a beer-soaked table with said group of 1%ers, both groups started the evening off by trying to ignore the other. As the beer and suspicious substances began to flow, tentative conversations began to commence betwixt 'them and us'. At some point in the proceedings a joint was passed from them to us and it inexorably made it's way in my direction, proferred by the meaty hand of one of Satan's finest.
My response was, on reflection, perhaps a trifle abrupt, all things considered, and brought about one of those " *kicks saloon doors open* Ah've come fer mah boy" type moments when everything suddenly goes very quiet. I believe the phrase is 'conversation stopper.'

"Get that stinking shit out of my face!" says I, quite forcefully.

Guess what happened next?

The gorilla who was holding the offending article in front of my face looked around his mates and, in unison, they did the 'old lady holding her handbag in front of her "OOOoooOOOOHHhhh!" thing. (Sorry if you don't know what that is. It may just be an English thing.)

Suffice to say, the rest of the evening went swimmingly, and the drinking went on long into the night. And most of the following day, I recall.

We still see those lads now and again and they always come across for a chat and a laugh.

Great story and I like your appraoch. Never could understand how bikers could do those poker runs, where they drive from bar to bar and have drinks at each. Doesn't seem to be room for a designated driver on a motorcycle.

Congrats to al the folk that have shrugged off the demons/booze/drugs. Keep at it, as John said one day at a time.
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