We hope everyone is enjoying summertime and plans on having a fun, safe Independence Day weekend. For those of you who might spontaneously decide to take a road trip or join up for some 12 Step fellowship, here is a list of North American fellowship events for this weekend. Let us know how you’re living!

AA July
2-5 Bangor, PA
The Camping Trip
Email: TheCampingTrip@verizon.net
www.TheCampingTrip.com

2-5 Torrance, CA
25th South Bay Roundup.
www.southbayroundup.org

3-5 Eugene, OR
32nd Summerfest.
www.aa-summerfest.org

3-5 Maniwaki, Quebec
Algonquin Group Roundup.
aaalongonquingroup@hotmail.com

NA July
2-5 Grand Rapids, MI
Michigan Regional Convention 25
Crowne Plaza Grand Rapids
616.957.1770 ext. 708
www.michigan-na.org/mrcna

2-5 Atlanta, GA
Midtown Atlanta Area Convention 19
Sheraton Atlanta Hotel
Event Information 678.429.3616

2-5 Orlando, FL
Florida Region Passport to…

Joshua Lyon, author of Pill Head, has penned a book that could not be more timely. Pill Head, which hits the stores on 7/7, is part drug addled memoir and part thoughtful, investigative journalism; it is the story of a pill addict told with unflinching honesty, from first pill to detox. The book weaves together the stories of addicts, doctors, and governmental agents–effectively demonstrating how the lives and decisions of each are intertwined in America’s new drug epidemic–prescription pills.

Lyon admits that prior to his Vicodin use, he had sampled plenty of goodies from the recreational drug grab bag; ecstasy, coke, mushrooms,…

For some, alcohol is a fuel; for others it is a vice. Numerous artists have called upon alcohol as a muse, even Winston Churchill attributed his six part memoir to alcohol. Churchill said, “always remember that I have taken more out of alcohol than it has taken out of me.” Mark Twain is quoted as saying,“My vices protect me but they would assassinate you!”

Many addicts in recovery are likely to agree that the truth, for us, is: “It has taken more out of me than I have taken from it.”

While a direct genetic link between alcohol and creativity has not been…

Intervention, on A&E, is a popular show examining various addictions and the effects on the addict and their families. Click on the image above to see the lineup for this season, as well as past episodes. Full video can also be found on their website.

Tonight’s episode:

After being molested as a child, Nicole developed an unusual eating disorder–she was unable to swallow. By age 16, she weighed just 68 pounds, and doctors inserted a feeding tube into her stomach. The tube was supposed to be temporary, but 16 years later, Nicole still relies on the tube and can’t swallow any food or liquids.…

Sometimes I get sporadic flashbacks from my using days.
Today, it was while brushing my teeth–about one of the more difficult and, um, absurd situations that I faced when first getting sober. While I think there is no rhyme to reason for these flashbacks, I know that part of healing is to dig deep, to identify triggers and change behaviors.

The summer that I graduated college, I moved out of town to the beach. I was in my “trying to get clean” phase. Which could just as easily translate into: the dealer had cut me off and I was left snorting a script…

This Sunday Dr. Michael Stein, author of The Addict, will host a one hour chat. The Addict chronicles both the physical and psychological pain of Stein’s patient, Lucy, a 29 year old Vicodin addict, as she seeks to overcome her addiction. Dr. Stein will be blogging at TSR on occasion; his introductory post is here; feel free to leave your questions for the Doctor. His book has been reviewed by Ginger and can be found here.

The Sunday chats have been hosted by a number of bloggers, authors, and recovering addicts. Our conversations are always interesting and the hour is always up…

I’m in the midst of packing, err, thinking about packing and all it entails. Just last year I made this move, and had not planned to make it again so soon. That’s okay. The year before that, I had not planned on meeting a woman I love and moving to Maine. Just 1,095 days before that I was hiding out in a holistic retreat center, healing my body and overcoming a nasty crystal meth addiction.

When I chop my life up into little one year increments, it’s fascinating to see, well, how unpredictable I am and how much I’ve grown. Right now…

Go Green. Got to be Green. Scream for Green. Good to be Green. Free 2 be Green. It’s Easy being Green…

I remember as a kid, fourth grade I think it was, drawing posters for a contest about recycling. That was in 1984. Tonight I was scrubbing out depleted mustard, ketchup and salad dressing containers for the recycling bin, something I hate to do so much. It’s just gross. And I find it mildly odd that I have to use energy to clean something in order to save energy and resources down the road. (even though the resources really aren’t comparable) I…

Hey, they say, “an apple a day,” and now Apple phone owners can get “dialed in” to smoking cessation.

Smokers who use Apple iPhones now have an application available to help them quit smoking, the GW Hatchet reported May 11.

Lorien Abroms, an assistant professor at George Washington University (GW), created “My QuitLine” - a free application for the iPhone that facilitates instant messages and phone calls between users and trained smoking-cessation counselors from the National Cancer Institute Quitline.

Using the application can double a person’s chance of quitting smoking, Abroms said.

Read more at Join Together.

I’ve always been a little bit shy about engaging with the Future. The Present moment has always held much more appeal to me. While there are certainly merits to living in the moment, you know, “they call it the present, because it’s a gift,” my methods have also been a bit juvenille. I have to make sure I’m not confusing “just for today,” with fear of the future, procrastination, or instant gratification. I’ve been so cautious about making sure I’m not adjusting life into my desires that I sometimes forget what it is I desire. What are my goals, my…

I had just been ushered up to front row, to fill in the empty spaces, at the public hearing for same sex marriage. I suppose the usher thought I looked rather peaceful because they seated me right next to the microphone where opponents where speaking against gay marriage, in half hour time slots before switching over to the supporters. Lather. Rinse. Repeat–11 hours this public hearing. Many opponents came prepared with bad science data, but the worst was a belligerent man who screamed, “Gay marriage will give homosexuals unfettered access to children! And they will sexually abuse them!”

Supporters of the…

I was at the grocery store when I noticed a missed call from my mother. Just then, another one came in from her. Since the calls were only 5 minutes apart, I answered, thinking something disastrous was happening. My Mom was in tears and wanted to talk about a blog post that I had written and sent to her to read. Her parameters are limited to email, as technology is painful for her, so on occasion I send her something she might enjoy.

She told me that she just couldn’t read “I’m a bad mother,” any more times and felt that…

It’s been awhile since A. Miles has shared about her life and the happenings in said life.

I’ve been hard at work, y’all.
I find myself pretty connected to the seasons, and I notice that my spiritual growth can be likened to a hardy perennial, which flowers over many seasons in their lifetime. Recovery and transformation require such diligence, and each step and barrier I take and surpass creates a new flower. Often I stop and admire such “flowers;” full of gratitude and wonder over how these “things” unknown to me just five, ten years ago could actually suffocate my true potential…

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

T.S. Eliot — “Little Gidding” (the last of his Four Quartets)

It took a long time for Virginia to feel like home, it surely never felt like a place, “for lovers.” Ironically, just as it finally began to, after 27 years, I left again.  My childhood is not one I would choose for another to experience. My upbringing left me confused, hurting and with many questions. Almost as soon as I could leave the house, I left…

I recently attended a conference that examined the reasons why we need to establish a Department of Peace. I walked away with many tools to apply towards my recovery; towards my transformation into a well being.

Since I had received a scholarship there I wanted to help serve in some way. While meeting with my team to discuss our schedule for the weekend, I said, “more will be revealed.”  Now, I thought I picked that up from the Magic 8 ball, that round superficial soothsayer. Apparently this is a recovery phrase. One of the conference volunteers pulled me aside the next…

You are invited to join our weekly Sunday chats that each week feature a new host from the recovery community.  Margaux will be our host this Sunday, March 29th, at 8pm EST.

I read Margaux often, for inspiration, for reflection on how to stay strong and transform pain into self-discovery. Her words are candid and insightful, punctuated with both humor and grimace.  She brilliantly communicates all the emotions and revelations that come up as her and her husband unravel the knot of his sex addiction.

She discovered her husband’s addiction three weeks before their wedding. As she writes, “Ending up in a…

April is Alcohol Awareness month. The Second Road will showcase a recovery story everyday during the month of April. Please help TSR applaud those living in recovery while helping to bring awareness to addiction and to also make people aware of the strong community of support that exists.

TSR wants to salute the people who are battling alcoholism; as a child, a parent, a spouse, sibling, or as an addict. Be it 22 years or 2 days, they want to hear from the people making the decision to start a new path—to take the second road. TSR hopes this showcase will…

Ginger Bauler is our humble Road Warrior; she runs the show over here at The Second Road.  She does a ton of behind the scenes action and she is also an inspirational blogger. She is a recovering addict/alcoholic committed to seeing the vision of TSR spread to a worldwide audience. Her blogs honestly address issues everyone in recovery faces on a daily basis. She loves her kid, doggies, movies, ice cream, shoes, and working out…. in that order.  She is my hero and favorite chat buddy. You can often find her in the chat rooms but she will definitely be…

April is Alcohol Awareness month. The Second Road will showcase a recovery story everyday during the month of April. They want to applaud those living in recovery while helping to bring awareness to addiction and to also make people aware of the strong community of support that exists.

TSR wants to salute the people who are battling alcoholism; as a child, a parent, a spouse, sibling, or as an addict. Be it 22 years or 2 days, they want to hear from the people making the decision to start a new path—to take the second road. TSR hopes this showcase will…

It is night time and I am at my Aunt’s with D. My Aunt no longer lives in her rural estate, in Alabama;  she has been transplanted to Missoula, Montana, where I first met D.  The fog is heavy, making the night eerie but we decide to go into town for dinner. There is a troubling sense that the town has a well kept secret, I found this to be true even when I wasn’t dreaming.  But the feeling is becoming more sinister, as are the events. My Aunt is gone, she left us in town with her friends, and…

Exciting news. Betty Ford: The Real Deal will be airing on PBS, March 16-30.
Fortunately, PBS is a station most all of us can access,  even without those fancy satellite dishes.

Click here to find out when it airs in your town. You will have to plug in your own zip code.
Description reads as:

Although in the White House for fewer than 2.5 years, Betty Ford was the most important feminist First Lady in the 6 decades between Eleanor Roosevelt and Hillary Rodham Clinton. She was a staunch advocate of abortion rights, the Equal Rights Amendment and the appointment and election of more women…

I’m going through writings to submit in my portfolio, and I came across this gem. Some of y’all don’t know too much about me, so I’ll give you a little background relative to the post below. I rode 22,000 miles on my scooter, for Peace. What does that have to do with recovery? It has to do with having a clear mind, with transforming, with breaking out of negative cycles and working towards something I believe in. For a cause greater than myself, but one which I am inextricably a part of.  The post below has to do with finding…

TSR is a community recovery platform where some really amazing people contribute advice, support, laughter and wisdom. Someone whose name I know only by their avatar, “Truliaboozehound,” has agreed to host the Sunday night Sober Chats.

It is always nice to run into Trulia in the chat rooms and we’re thrilled that she is hosting this Sunday, at 8pm EST.

The discussion will be centered around Sponsors; choosing one, working with one, being one, letting one go. For many new to recovery,  sponsors  help them to get their footing, navigate through the steps–and life.

Trulia describes herself as a;  “writer, editor, geek, creative…

Join Together, a source of news and policy concerning health, addiction, drugs and alcohol, has a great article examining the federal funding for addiction programs.

Click over for the details: http://www.jointogether.org/news/features/2009/among-trillions-in-federal.html

Christmas found me employed temporarily as a UPS driver’s helper. Kinda like an elf, I guess. Not sure if it was hard work, because I have a high threshold for pain and enjoy a challenge. The driver I worked with seem to think I was really good, and that yes, it is very hard work that few people can do.

I often surprise myself with the things I can accomplish. Yet when I place my accomplishments against my day to day mundane routines, I feel pretty inferior. When I’m really passionate about something, immersed in an environment, facing a deadline, or…

The Second Road is seeking submissions from people very new to sobriety.  Our mission states that:  We are an online community BY and FOR people in recovery from addictions of all kinds. We welcome people in ALL stages of recovery using ANY method that works for them.

We want to welcome people who are new on the road to recovery, and help them connect with the community of other wonderful people facing the same obstacles. There are many people here who understand the fear and pain involved in overcoming addiction. Sharing your story here helps you reach out to people who…

Congratulations to the winner of the raffle: Judith.

Judith is AKA Vicarious Rising, a talented writer whose recovery blog is http://vicariousrising.typepad.com/
Word is she will be publishing a book of her own in the near future.

For now, she is the winner of Blackout Girl: Growing up and Drying out in America. We would like to thank both Judith and the author, Jennifer Storm, for helping us raise $40 this raffle.

Stay tuned for the next raffle, to be announced this week!

TSR is hosting raffles to raise money for website operations. The winner will be announced before the chat tomorrow, at 7:45 pm. For this raffle, author Jennifer Storm has donated a signed copy of her book, Blackout Girl: Growing Up and Drying Out in America! Enter HERE.

“A common story. A rare twist. When the American Dream becomes her secret nightmare, quietly Jennifer Storm begins the dark descent into addiction. Then she discovers that the same events that destroy her, also create her. Written in a humble, raw voice, Jennifer Storm helps us remember where we came from–and why. ‘Blackout Girl’ brings…

Syd, will be hosting and has chosen the topic, “Getting your life in balance.”
It’s a great topic, and there should be lots of discussion, so stop on by with your questions and share your insights with us! This is Chat 2.0 for Syd, who showed up to host last time, only there was a glitch in service that night, so none of us could stayed log on!

Syd has been blogging here at TSR for almost 7 months and today just reached 100 posts! Congratulations Syd!!!!!

He says his blog, is his way of “telling about what it’s like to work on…

We can’t escape the Ego. Our best option is to embrace it, understand it, and forgive it. Ken Wilber is the philosopher who most influenced my initial recovery, encouraging me to use the big Ego as a functional vehicle. When I am defined by Ego, I am Narcissistic. Addicts are usually riding backseat in a limo driven by their Ego. In fact, I had to hijack the limo to arrive at the proper destination–sobriety.

Admitting our mistakes, our failures, our weaknesses, our sins, our fears–all part of the healing process. Not only is it a scary process, but it is one…