27 April 2021

19 of 180 QUOTES by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous in ALL DRINKING ASIDE (Chapters 31 - 40, Part Four of Nine)

 Chapter 31 Unnatural Disaster 

"The unexamined life is not worth living." - Socrates

TWO LIVES EXAMINED is the Eventual Price of Entry into a Sustainable Recovery: The ADDICTED LIFE & the LIFE IN RECOVERY that is RECONSTRUCTED. I am Worth it. I am Worthy. I am Becoming Whole.

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. 

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

This Quote by Socrates (pictured) opens Chapter 31 (Unnatural Disaster) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO Enjoy.



"There are two ways to slide easily through life - to believe everything or to doubt everything. Both ways save us from thinking." - Alfred Korzybski

*****

I am far from religious in the traditional sense, but even MOTHER TERESA had periods of being deeply tormented by DOUBT. By my view (and likely Korzybski's), her inward turmoil only increased her CONVICTIONS finally. Learning of her internal dialogues only increased my admiration of her accomplishments. She REVEALED HER INTELLECT & HER HUMANITY through measured INTROSPECTION. 

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

This Quote by Alfred Korzybski (pictured) closes Chapter 31 (Unnatural Disaster) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO Enjoy.



Chapter 32 I Killed Reality, Reality Killed Me Back

"In a full heart there is room for everything, and in an empty heart there is room for nothing." - Antonio Porchia

*****

COUNTERINTUITIVE? Not at all. Like the hearts that beats in our chests, Antonio Porchia's heart in the pictured Quote seems, too, to be a muscle whose use increases its strength and disuse leads to atrophy. 

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

This Quote by Antonio Porchia (pictured) opens Chapter 32 (I Killed Reality, Reality Killed Me Back) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO Enjoy.



"You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom." - Malcolm X

Peace and Freedom are JUGGERNAUTS thrown around, weighty and larger than life like Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. It is no exaggeration to say that I was imprisoned by Alcohol, an onerous burden that excluded choices that did not include IT. Peace, Tranquility and Harmony were in no part part of my Daily Passing Out and Coming To. Purposeless beyond itself, Addiction was my Taskmaster.

Recovery or Addiction: "Know Peace or No Peace" (not my construction), but that is fine. 

Recovery is mine, sublime, fine. 

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here:  https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

This Quote by Malcolm X closes Chapter 32 (I Killed Reality, Reality Killed Me Back) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there:  https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c Enjoy.






Chapter 33 I'm Sober. Jean-Paul is Dead.

"If you wish to make an apple pie truly from scratch, you must first invent the universe." - Carl Sagan

*****

Ultimately, the wellspring of creativity is others, as far I can see. Anything I've ever considered original with me, upon reflection, has been a mere reconfiguration of my experience with others, including the origins of words. If I were to speak at length on Humility, it would always include this Sagan Quote.

And yes, I'm Still Sober & Jean-Paul is Still Dead. Nothing funny there.

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

This Quote by Carl Sagan (pictured) opens Chapter 33 (I'm Sober. Jean-Paul is Dead) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO Enjoy.




"I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship." - Louisa May Alcott

MY SINKING BOAT, afloat a Sea of Alcohol, was Steered by Fear. For 30 years, control over alcohol slid from my fingers and 8 years of failed attempts at sobriety did not bolster me. Today, 18 additional years later, this Alcott Quote finally makes sense to me. Learning to Live Sober has sailed my ship through pneumonia, cancer & will guide me through whatever the next storm may be. 

Notice how I was afraid in "My Sinking Boat" became "I am not Afraid of Storms [in my Recovery], for I am learning how to sail my ship"?

Today, a Realistic Humility and an Optimistic Outlook guide my ship. Steady as she goes, Louisa May. A Sober Sip of Sparkling Cider, if you please.

Cheers!

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c  

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

This Quote by Louisa May Alcott closes Chapter 33 (I'm Sober. Jean-Paul is Dead) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c  https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c Enjoy.

zn.to/1bX6JyO






Chapter 34 Seeing Eyeball to Egg Yolk

"You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality." - Ayn Rand

Passing out drunk onto a plate of eggs, EYEBALL TO EGG YOLK, as it were, did not stop my alcoholic descent. It was funny, darkly, not quite portending the increasingly dangerous bingeing blackout drinking days to come. Yes, darker days and deeper consequences would soon catch up to me.

REDUNDANT AS HELL, but Consequences would be dealt with LATER. Now, in the Drunken Moment, I wanted my drink and I wanted it NOW. But it never really was Now because the Next Drink was always just beyond reach. 

RECOVERY is Within Reach, because it truly is NOW. There is Nothing Else to Swallow.

Recovery is Possible, Doable, Irreplaceable. Truth AND Consequences. Now.

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

The Quote by Ayn Rand opens Chapter 34 (Seeing Eyeball to Egg Yolk) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c Enjoy.



"Only fools learn from their own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others." - Russian Proverb

This Russian Proverb has been one of the hardest truths for me to swallow. 

Self-taught, on my hands and knees, I searched for my reflection in the toilet bowl amid the stench of vomit inches from my face. I learned that the puking brought on by drinking too much would soon stop if I continued drinking sip by sip as the vomiting continued. I wish I hadn't taught myself so well.

Learning lessons from the mistakes of others would take a decade longer when I finally did get sober. 

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c  

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

This Russian Proverb ends Chapter 34 (Seeing Eyeball to Egg Yolk) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c Enjoy.






Chapter 35 Cocaine-Laced Icing on My Rum Cake

"If we had no faults of our own, we would not take so much pleasure in noticing those of others." - Francois Duc de La Rochefoucauld

GOSSIPING About Others and COMPLAINING of Our Own Dire Straits are the EVIL TWINS of a Lazy Tongue. Positive Progress Dwells in a Mindset of Actions Big and Small & Not in Doing Nothing but talk, Talk, TALK.

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

The Quote by Francois Duc de La Rochefoucauld opens Chapter 35 (Cocaine-Laced Icing on My Rum Cake) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c Enjoy.







"When things go wrong, don't go with them." - Anonymous

*****

Dull, Insipid, Banal, Trite.

But when not Wrong, this Quote's so Right.

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c  

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

This Quote by Anonymous (pictured) closes Chapter 35 (Cocaine-Laced Icing on My Rum Cake) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c  Enjoy.



Chapter 36 A.D.D.: Alcohol Deficit Disorder

"A man's errors are his portals of discovery." - James Joyce

ERROR. ERROR. ERROR.: I humbly crawled and repeatedly fell before I could remain Sober without my Go-To Substance (Alcohol). My Delusional Thinking had a Momentum all its own. So much Unravelling to do before a Sober Tapestry could be brought to light. The Terror of it All are now mere Memories. Recovery is so right for all who seek it. Time, Patience and a little Shared Courage most certainly will help. 

INFRASTRUCTURE of the RECOVERING KIND: My Internal Windows, Doors, Bridges and Roads were in Desperate Need of Construction and Reconstruction when I first got Sober. It is my Personal & Life-Long Responsibility to Create and Live a Life in Recovery. Addiction is DESTRUCTION. The Choice is obvious, and the Work is hard but remember that "Nothing matters more than that we remain sober because when we remain sober everything matters more." 

DISCOVER RECOVERY, then MAINTAIN, MAINTAIN, MAINTAIN.

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c  

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

The Quote by James Joyce opens Chapter 36 (A.D.D.: Alcohol Deficit Disorder) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c  Enjoy.






"I have learned this: it is not what one does that is wrong, but what one becomes as a consequence of it." - Oscar Wilde

"GET A LIFE!" vs. "YOU GET A LIFE!"

The Consequences of my Alcoholic Descent Snow-Balled and the Road to Recovery was a rebuilding of what was worth salvaging in the remaining debris and from that, the creation of a new and sober life. 

The Consequences of Addiction vs. The Consequences of Recovery?

"Get a Life!" (an Admonition in Addiction) vs. "You Get a Life!" in Recovery.  

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

This Quote by Oscar Wilde closes Chapter 36 (A.D.D.: Alcohol Deficit Disorder) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c Enjoy.






Chapter 37 Alcoholic, Straight or Iced

"Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world." - Arthur Schopenhauer

My Field of Vision became limited in my Addiction, to be sure. Like a Horse wearing Blinders, all I saw on the Road Ahead was Another Drink. In Recovery my Perception went from a Constrained View to an Expansive One.

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

The Quote by Arthur Schopenhauer opens Chapter 37 (Alcoholic, Straight or Iced) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c Enjoy.






"There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact." - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

"I am a high-functioning alcoholic. Obviously, you don't understand the creative process." That's what I may have at one time answered if confronted by others about the mounting negative consequences of my daily bouts with drugs and alcohol.

Does "I was only fooling myself" ring any bells?

My degree of dysfunction was never considered. I was always too busy protecting my bottle.

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c    

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

The Quote by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle closes Chapter 37 (Alcoholic, Straight or Iced) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c   Enjoy.








Chapter 38 Bartender, Give Me My Level of Addiction

*****

"SIMPLICITY IS COMPLEXITY WELL DONE." - Jeff Jarvis

I saw a T-Shirt on the Boardwalk which reads: "I don't have a Drinking Problem. I drink. I get drunk. I fall down. No Problem!" Intuitively we know the intent of this humorous approach. It is an admission of both "Leave me alone" & "I need help" by my interpretation.

And yet, there are those who will disagree with me. PROVES MY POINT: It is Simply Complex! ha-ha. 

Well Done!

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

This Quote by Jeff Jarvis opens Chapter 38 (Bartender, Give Me My Level of Addiction) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c Enjoy.






*****

"We are slow to believe that which if believed would hurt our feelings." - Ovid

In the most twisted sense, I HURT MY OWN FEELINGS. 

You see, Alcohol Deadened All Feelings, not only those I wished submerged. How could I believe this substance had such power over me? Truly, I did not wish it so. I cannot fully blame myself, however, as so many in the world seem to do. Addiction is so neatly and conveniently Stigmatized by the Masses. If Addiction were not so Stigmatized, might I have sooner seen myself losing control of my drug and alcohol use?

Old as the hills, far older than I, "If Wishes Were Horses, Beggars Would Ride."

Recovery is largely a matter of discovering the Inside inside.

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

This Quote by Ovid closes Chapter 38 (Bartender, Give Me My Level of Addiction) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c Enjoy.






Chapter 39 Deadly, Slowly, Consequently

"I don't do drugs, I am drugs." Salvador Dali

ALCOHOL was "my poison, my prison. A brick wall, a trap door, a cancer, a bad joke, an empty bottle, an excuse, a leaky faucet, a loan shark, a broken promise, a cracked mirror, an earthquake, an avalanche, a train wreck, a recurring nightmare." ALCOHOL WAS MY INSANITY.

Drugs flowed through me. Now, I flow with my Recovery and am resolute, determined, unflinching. I will that I will not drug today.

I wish anyone who is reading this the same. 

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here:  https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

The Quote by Salvador Dali opens Chapter 39 (Deadly, Slowlly, Consequently) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there:  https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c Enjoy.


Chapter 40 The New Normal

"Sometimes you put walls up not to keep people out but to see who cares enough to break them down." - Socrates

WALLS BOXED ME IN (the walls of addiction), NOT AT FIRST. In the beginning drinking and drugs were a way to get over my social awkwardness and to feel a sense of belonging. Drinking and Drugs were rampant in my teenage and early adult years. THEY USED TO ESTABLISH CONNECTION. So very sad and wrong that once the addictions took over, STIGMA kept me entrenched, alienated. By the end of my thirty-year run there was no one left to break down the walls that had been built around me. "By the time I had a reason to stop drinking, reason no longer had anything to do with it."

Truly, I WAS HELPLESS in my early recovery. 

I am not helpless now, but I still need help. Reaching out to help others is about all I have left to do. Walls have Windows, Doors. Roads have Bridges. Socrates (circa 470 - 399 BC), you have expanded my vision today. Thank you for having been alive and shared your wisdom with the generations. 

Help may come from the most distant times and places.

Recovery is Possible, Doable, Irreplaceable. 

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

The Quote by Socrates opens Chapter 40 (The New Normal) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c Enjoy.







*****
"When a person drowns himself in negative thinking, he is committing an unspeakable crime against himself." - Maxwell Maltz

I didn't start out with negative thinking, but when drinking for something to do turned into something I could not do without, I found myself drowning in a sea of alcohol. Eventually, drinking stopped the pain of not drinking. Thirty (30!) Years and Fifty Thousand (50,000!) Drinks became "an unspeakable crime."

Did I even know I needed help when I was deep in the soup? 

Hell, no! 

And early recovery sucked even with all the help in the world. What I learned was that for me, drinking and drugs had become self-harm, no matter how it started.

Recovery is a Life-Preserver, literally and figuratively. 

Like a Creature from The Deep, slowly, I evolved the legs I needed to support myself on Dry Land. With any luck, I'll balance my 30 Years of Addiction with 30 Years of Recovery. But no matter. My motto is now this: "Don't Count the Days. Make the Days Count." - Muhammad Ali

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

This Quote by Maxwell Maltz closes Chapter 40 (The New Normal) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c Enjoy.










24 April 2021

15 of 180 QUOTES by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous in ALL DRINKING ASIDE (Chapters 21 - 30, Part Three of Nine)


Chapter 21 (My Power Grid)

"Never confuse movement with action." - Ernest Hemingway

My attempts to regain power over my drinking was like "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic" as it was sinking. My actions were futile in the face of repeated catastrophic results. 

Surrender to Win. 

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

The Quote by Ernest Hemingway opens Chapter 21 (My Power Grid) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO Enjoy.





Chapter 22 (The Intelligence of Trees)

"Hard work is a prison sentence only if it does not have meaning." - Malcolm Gladwell

*****

ADDICTION is HARD WORK & MEANINGLESS, Malcolm. 

That PRISON DOOR feels SOLDERED SHUT yet is WIDE-OPEN. 

INSANITY, Mr. Gladwell, INSANITY.

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

This Quote by Malcolm Gladwell opens Chapter 22 (The Intelligence of Trees) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO Enjoy.





"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." - Demosthenes

FAR BE IT FROM ME to outpace a Greek orator, but DANG, Demosthenes, what you describe here is the Fate of Mere Mortals! We Addicts and Alcoholics in Recovery have lived in a World of SELF-DECEPTION like no other. The Addict's Brain is deceived into believing that its Substance-of-Choice is Instrumental for Survival. Addiction Dupes Us as We Dupe Ourselves (Crazy enough for you?) into thinking that this is what we really, really want and need.

STOP! Life is hard enough without these Chains. In humble gratitude, we know that "nothing matters more than that we remain sober because when we remain sober everything matters more."

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

The Quote by Demosthenes closes Chapter 22 (The Intelligence of Trees) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO Enjoy.







Chapter 23 (Fireworks of Darkness within Darkness)

"It's not denial. I'm just selective about the reality I accept." - Bill Watterson

SORRY, Bill Watterson. It's not you, it's me. Addiction WAS Funny at times. Until the attempts on my life and the attempts to save my life (Death threats & Hospitals) coalesced. In the end it was NOT Funny at all (You humor me now, Bill, now that my sense of Humor has returned. Many Thanks.). 

Addiction made me feel like the Victim of an UNCHOSEN REALITY. Not Totally True, I suppose, at least until the bitter end. True RESPONSIBILITY would not be mine to own until later when I finally found Freedom in RECOVERY.

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

The Quote by Bill Watterson opens Chapter 23 (Fireworks of Darkness Within Darkness) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO Enjoy.






"Sometimes a majority simply means that all the fools are on the same side." - Claude McDonald

FADS, MASS HYSTERIA & RIOTS are all forms of Collective Behavior. Being Wary of Group Dynamics made my Early Recovery especially difficult, but experience has shown me that I, for one, could not get Sober without help. I had to REJOIN the HUMAN RACE were I to SURVIVE.

Addiction makes all Under Its Influence look and act like fools. I am still Unraveling Addiction long after complete disengagement from the Behaviors associated with it. I am on the side of Recovery. Simply put, I am Becoming Unbroken. 

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

The opening Claude McDonald Quote closes Chapter 23 (Fireworks of Darkness within Darkness) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO Enjoy.






Chapter 24 (Triple-Digit Drunk)

"Every recovery meeting is an intervention between me and the first drink." -  All Drinking Aside

I suppose the importance of Recovery Meetings can't be underestimated, especially in Early Recovery, which for me was the first five years after the preceding eight years of periodic relapse and short-term recovery. Often one hears in the Rooms of Recovery, "If you sponsor yourself, you have a fool for a sponsor," which expresses my sentiment that in Early Recovery [For me, ALL Recovery is Early, New & Fresh compared to the Stale, Old & Tired Days of Addiction.], especially, the brain is still reshaping itself after the chemical assault of what may have been many years of use, abuse and addiction. 

All of which is to say that long after the drug of use has left the body, the physiological structure of the brain must undergo a long period of restructure and healing. UNDER THE INFLUENCE of the drug of choice continues long after a urine drug test declares you clean.

One last thing, stated for the umpteenth time, Addiction robs of user of human connection. Recovery is the rejoining of the Human Race. 

Pace yourself. Stay connected. Rejoin the Human Race. REJOICE!

"Every recovery meeting (and other human connections) is an intervention between you and the first drink or drug."  [extended cut, you are special edition]

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in my Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

This Quote written by me (pictured) closes Chapter 24 (Triple-Digit Drunk) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO Enjoy. 








Chapter 25 (Obviously Obliterated)

"Sometimes the truth of a thing is not so much in the think of it, as in the feel of it." - Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick: 2001 A Space Odyssey 

Jim Anders: A 30-Year Spaced Oddity

"My past unravels as my future unfurls"* shows my GRASP on Truth was TENUOUS at best.

Today, I am not Anesthetized by Alcohol which, when it deadened one feeling deadened all feelings. When I first got sober, the floodgates opened (sometimes not reacting to the reality at hand). Today, my emotions are more in balance, the think and feel of things intertwined.

*All Drinking Aside

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

This Quote by Stanley Kubrick (pictured) opens Chapter 25 (Obviously Obliterated) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO Enjoy. 

*****
"We learn something every day, and lots of times it's that what we learned the day before was wrong." - Bill Vaughn
Often, and maybe always, others inspire me ("Come on Baby, Light My Fire" - from The Doors 1967 album). 
This Quote by Bill Vaugh:  inspired me to write this: "Sometimes wrong roads teach you what you need to know before the right road appears," and of course, similar things have been said before, but that's okay. 
The picture you see here is likely the result of a similar inspiration (or consternation).
It's all good. We're human. We're all inspired. We all inspire others.
It's a beautiful thing.
"Get it? Got it. Good." (The Court Jester 1956)
This post is a jumbled mess.
So is the picture.
So was my life.
Deal with it.
Get with it.
It's a beautiful thing. 
Be moved and move on.
"Come on Baby, Light My Fire"
lol, lol, jingle all the way...
"Jingle Bells, lol, Jingle all the way..."
See? I'll bet you just did it too.
We're a Rhythm Nation (Janet Jackson).
FULL STOP.

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

This Quote by Bill Vaughn (pictured) closes Chapter 25 (Obviously Obliterated) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO Enjoy. 



Chapter 26 (Pompeii in Motion)

"The world breaks us all. Afterward, some are stronger at the broken places." - Ernest Hemingway

Sometimes an EPIPHANY is the result of SCATTERED SOURCES coming together. This Quote by Hemingway is one of several sources (including the visual inspiration of Kintsugi, the Japanese Art of repairing broken pottery with gold) that made BECOMING UNBROKEN the title to my second book (Still in the works, Available Spring '22).

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

This Quote by Ernest Hemingway (pictured) opens Chapter 26 (Pompeii in Motion) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO Enjoy.






"The ego is not master of its own house." - Sigmund Freud

*****

I CAN'T ALWAYS BE SERIOUS (otherwise, how could I possibly remain sober?). Today's Quote from my book reminds me of something I once heard in a Recovery Meeting: "EGO is NOT MY AMIGO!"

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

This Quote by Sigmund Freud (pictured) closes Chapter 26 (Pompeii in Motion) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO Enjoy.





Chapter 27 (F--k You, Gentle Reader)

"Delusions of grandeur make me feel a lot better about myself." - Jane Wagner

DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR were low on the list of Symptoms exhibited by my Addiction to Alcohol. But Best Believe my Perceptions of Reality were altered by this Chemically Induced Insanity. Denial, Anger, Fear, Depression, Self-Pity and Doubt led the Parade. Hospitalizations, Detoxes and Rehabs trailed not far behind. Monkey Off My Back but Circus Still in Town, Clean-up of the Debris began, kicked up by my unsteady feet. Like a Freakishly Bad Movie Franchise, Relapse I, II, III and IV followed. 

Confusions, Illusions & Delusions, 

Contusions & Infusions. 

Party over, a Realistic Humility accrued once the Tail Quit Wagging This Dog. 

"Nothing matters more than that we remain sober because when we remain sober everything matters more."

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

This Quote by Jane Wagner (pictured) closes Chapter 27 (F--k You, Gentle Reader) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO Enjoy.






Chapter 28 (Didn't You Used to Be Somebody?)

"I find that the harder I work the more luck I seem to have." - Thomas Jefferson

It took hard work to get from "DIDN'T YOU USED TO BE SOMEBODY?"  to feel okay when I finally got sober.

But Won't Simply Stopping Alcohol and Drug Use and Abuse be Enough?

Quite simply, NO!

Luck is for Losers and I always Lost at the Drinking Game. When I did stop, it was always through hospitalizations, so Sobriety was a Gift of sorts. Sustained Recovery would have to be Earned. Earned through hard work. 

Occasionally I have been forced to believe in the Wisdom passed down through the Ages. Thomas Jefferson is one of those Sages.

Hard work. Work hard. However, you want to say it. 

No Action Too Small. As heard in most Recovery Meetings, "Work it. You're Worth it!"

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

This Quote by Thomas Jefferson closes Chapter 28 (Didn't You Used to Be Somebody?) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO Enjoy.









Chapter 29 ( Reuptake Alcohol, Delusional Effects)

"When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion." - Abraham Lincoln

*****

This Quote by Lincoln SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. 

Why?

Because Lincoln SPOKE FOR HIMSELF.

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

This Quote by Abraham Lincoln (pictured) opens Chapter 29 (Reuptake Alcohol, Delusional Effects) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO Enjoy.



"It only takes one person to change your life - you." - Ruth Casey

*****

I ALONE COULD DO IT, BUT I COULDN'T DO IT ALONE.

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

This Quote by Ruth Casey (pictured) closes Chapter 29 (Reuptake Alcohol, Delusional Effects) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO Enjoy.



Chapter 30 (Hammer and Chisel)

"The world is full of people looking for spectacular happiness while they snub contentment." - Doug Larson

*****

I WANTED ONLY TO NOT DIE AND TO NOT DRINK (Got more than I asked for).

*****

Immerse yourself in my Descent into Addiction and eventual Recovery in this Autobiographical Fiction. Emerge more fully whole.

ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal  

Find it on Amazon. Book it here: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO 

#alcoholism #addiction #recovery #books

All Drinking Aside bookends each of its 90 Chapters with Quotes by the Famous, Infamous & Anonymous.

This Quote by Doug Larson (pictured) closes Chapter 30 (Hammer and Chisel) of All Drinking Aside.

Resolve to read it. Explore your own mind within its pages. Check out the 5 Star Reviews on the Amazon page while you're there: http://amzn.to/1bX6JyO Enjoy.