Hello, I'm johnny and am in recovery. I am hoping that this section will
become a cybermeeting of sorts. With my schedule, getting to meetings is tuff
but not impossible. h.a.l.t. is something that I have to keep an eye on.
especially the tired part, working alot of hours. does any one have a good
topic for this meeting?

12 responses total.

   ok, i'll bite. what does h.a.l.t. mean?

H.A.L.T. are the four things that can get us into using mode real fast:
        Hungry
        Angry
        Lonely
        Tired

It is best to avoid these extremes.

   cool. i'd never heard of h.a.l.t. before. it certainly does apply.

I would have to agree as well, and it seems to make sense.  
Unfortunately, I can't seem to escape them.

It's been two years since I wrote that, but I have seen references to 
H.A.L.T. again in the resources I am using.  It is *so* very 
applicable.  However, as I have said in another item, it's not enough 
to simply avoid these extremes.  It is far better to prevent them, if 
possible, and from what I've read and everything I've experienced, it 
is setting clear boundaries away from the downward spiral-- 
recognizable ones that should raise additional red flags as you near a 
H.A.L.T. situation.

For example?  What are your triggers?  What elements of the 
environment around you triggers that response within you to feed upon 
your addictive substance?  It's helpful for me to know what my 
triggers are, and then to avoid them when I can.  It is also helpful 
for me to have joyful activities in place that I can draw on when I 
need help, such as playing my guitar.  When people are available to 
talk to, I do that.  This option is why A.A. and many other groups use 
sponsors.

Lots of stress.  Lots of anger which, for whatever reason, cannot be
expressed at the person or people who made me angry.  Old tapes.  That
sort of stuff.

*nod*  Okay.

As I've come to understand it, triggers may be anything that arouses 
our senses or evokes memories and emotions; and is connected to 
feeding upon our addictive substance.

How do you mean by "old tapes," void?  I've heard of the concept of 
tonal anchors in psychology-- certain sounds, usually music, will be 
connected to particular memories and feelings.  They may be happy or 
painful, and in the latter case, we may turn to our substance in order 
to self-medicate, so to speak.

Parental pressure and disapproval are a big one for me.  My mother is 
still a big handful to deal with, and I often find myself continuing 
to defend myself while attempting to be diplomatic as possible.

I'll make a separate item for this.

Old tapes...someone starts acting like one of the more dysfunctional
people I've known, so I start reacting to the old dysfunctional behavior
instead of the current situation.  If I don't catch what I'm doing in
time, things spiral and pretty soon I start contemplating going off to
find a fifth of vodka and/or other mind-altering things.  I'm better at
catching it.  These days, my blood family are about the only people who
can set off that old tape reaction for me, which isn't surprising since
they're the ones who recorded most of those tapes into my brain in the
first place.

ah.  Programming.

This response has been erased.

No, old tapes.  As in stuff which is no longer useful and now
appropriate to trash.

Right-- I just used a word that didn't quite translate.

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