This article on tips for spirituality came about as the result of work done with people in addiction recovery. The concepts are applicable to most every one however. The question is often asked, what can I do to improve my spirituality?

Addiction can be viewed as a disease of isolation, becoming disconnected to life. Addiction recovery and spirituality can be viewed as the process of becoming connected. The more connections in our lives, the greater the chance of coming into harmony with our surroundings.

There are basically four areas of life, or types of relationships we work toward in becoming connected. Positive spirituality may be viewed as having a healthy relationship and positive self-esteem with yourself, firstly. Secondly, there is the relationship you may have or want to develop with whatever form of Higher Power is right for you. It can be God, Nature, a Force of Universe, it is up to you. Please note we are not mixing religion with this idea of spirituality. The third are to develop healthy connections or spirituality is in relationships with family. Lastly is the area which is kind of a catch all, community. This includes casual relationships, work, social situations, etc.

Here are 7 tips for spirituality that are very concrete areas for development. It is very important to be working in each area, set up specific goals that are measurable and achievable. Instead of saying ‘I will start meditating’ say ‘I will spend 10 minutes before breakfast and ten minutes after dinner alone reading the meditation of the day’.
Without further ado, here they are:

1. Use personal prayer and/or meditation. This is quiet time to start to develop time for yourself and to assess how things are going in your life.

2. Spend time in groups. This could be attending a worship service, singing in a choir, acting in a play or any group with positive interaction and direction. This enhances our ability to develop relationships with other people.

3. Spend time learning. Grow your mind. This could be taking a few classes at the community college, book study groups, self-help or mental health material.

4. Take time for yourself. Plan a quiet day just for you, away from family and work. Indulge yourself in quiet. There are many retreat areas where you can find peaceful surroundings for recharging yourself.

5. Physical fitness and proper diet. There is a very satisfying feeling that comes from taking care of yourself physically. Get in shape to be the best person you can be.

6. Recreation. Indulge in some activity just for sheer fun. Explore hobbies, sports, whatever floats your boat, but make time for it. Do not plan to ‘get around to it someday’. Just do it.

7. Be of service. Do some volunteer work or engage in random acts of kindness. It really does feel good and build self-esteem to help someone with no thought of reward. This is a cosmic win-win situation.

We hope that gave you some ideas about how to improve your relationships with self and others. The key thing is to take action. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Why not take steps to improve your spiritual connection?

Technorati Tags: Addiction, Addiction Recovery, spiritual-connection, Spirituality

It was my privilege to be interviewed by Tammy Mastroberte, publisher and Editorial Director of Elevated Existence magazine.

Tammy put together a wonderful article on spirituality and recovery. Also included was my “7 Tips For Growing Spiritually.

Along with myself she interviewed Alexandre Laudet,PhD., director of the Center for the Study of Addictions Recovery at The National Development research Institutes in New York. Also on board was William White, M.A from Chestnut Health Systems and Diane Zicarelli, director of The Center for the Treatment of Eating Disorders, discussing food addiction.

If the study of spirituality is of interest to you, please visit http://www.elevatedexistence.com to support a quality publication

You can view this article and get a great idea of the professionalism of Elevated Existence in.pdf form by Clicking Here. to download, right click and ’save as’

Technorati Tags: Bill-Urell, elevated existence, Spirituality

by Bill Urell

Increasing spiritual awareness can be viewed as becoming more connected to ourselves, others and the world around us. The more connections in our lives, the greater the chance of coming into harmony with our surroundings. If addiction is a disease of isolation, becoming spiritually fit is about connection.

There are basically four areas of life, or types of relationships we work toward in becoming connected. Positive spirituality may be viewed as having a healthy relationship and positive self-esteem with yourself, firstly. Secondly there is the relationship you may have or want to develop with whatever form of Higher Power is right for you. It can be God, Nature, a Force of Universe, it is up to you. Please note we are not mixing religion with this idea of spirituality. The third are to develop healthy connections or spirituality is in relationships with family. Lastly is the area which is kind of a catch all, community. This includes casual relationships, work, social situations, etc.

7 Steps To Increase Spiritual Awareness

1. Use personal prayer and/or meditation. This is quiet time to start to develop time for yourself and to assess how things are going in your life.

2. Spend time in groups. This could be attending a worship service, singing in a choir, acting in a play or any group with positive interaction and direction. This enhances our ability to develop relationships with other people.

3. Spend time learning. Grow your mind. This could be taking a few classes at the community college, book study groups, self-help or mental health material.

4. Take time for yourself. Plan a quiet day just for you, away from family and work. Indulge yourself in quiet. There are many retreat areas where you can find peaceful surroundings for recharging yourself.

5. Physical fitness and proper diet. There is a very satisfying feeling that comes from taking care of yourself physically. Get in shape to be the best person you can be.

6. Recreation. Indulge in some activity just for sheer fun. Explore hobbies, sports, whatever floats your boat, but make time for it. Do not plan to ‘get around to it someday’. Just do it.

7. Be of service.

Do some volunteer work or engage in random acts of kindness. It really does feel good and build self-esteem to help someone with no thought of reward. This is a cosmic win-win situation.

We hope that gave you some ideas about how to improve your relationships with self and others. The key thing is to take action. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Why not utilize the 7 tips for spiritualty to improve your spiritual connection?

Here are some outstanding blogs and post on spirituality:

Why Relationships in Early Recovery Serve as a Poor Replacement … – A substitute for spiritual growth. Another reason that the new relationship is so dangerous is because they demand so much of our creative energy. Normally this is not a problem, but in early recovery, you need to spend that creative …

The Role of Spirituality in Recovery – The real question is: how does one go from being a self-centered drug addict or alcoholic to living a spiritual life in recovery? You might also want to ask yourself:. 1) Can an addict choose to have a spiritual experience? …

My journey to joyful and healthy – A remarkable account of health restored through the writer’s search for God and for answers to her recovery from an inoperable brain tumor.

Reflection for the Week – June 9th – Further, I believe that one of the crucial elements of recovery will have to be a deep commitment to the reading, study, and appropriation of Scripture. Living the practices embedded in the biblical text is central to Christian …

On Healthy Relationships in Recovery: by Peter S. Lopez aka: Peta – Yet it is also a symptom of deeper spiritual demons or diseases that we must closely examine, medically treat and spiritually heal. A Spiritual Program will naturally help enhance our progressive recovery program. …

Technorati Tags: 7-tips-for-spiritualty, spiritual, Spirituality

I found a great new addiction recovery blog yesterday while surfing the Internet. It is called the Spiritual River Overcoming Addiction.

I discovered it because a former teacher of mine had contributed an article to the blog and it caught my eye. I left a comment, and faster than lightning the owner of the blog had contacted me and introduced himself. That’s what I love about blogging, meeting like minded individuals and helping each other out.

This makes only the third blog I’ve endorsed in two years, the content is well-written, clinically accurate, and useful for anyone in addiction recovery. Here are two sample articles you might want to take a look at:

The first is on ‘How to help an addict‘

The next on ‘How to do an intervention‘

Technorati Tags: Addiction, overcoming addiction

by Bill Urell

When I was told I would need to address spirituality in addiction recovery “Are you nuts?” was a pretty watered down version of what I thought and said. I didn’t even believe in God and now you’re telling me I have to get spiritual? This is going to be a pain.

So I concentrated on maintaining abstinence without addressing spirituality, my sponsor said ‘Don’t worry about spirituality yet, that’s the advanced stuff. Just concentrate on staying abstinent for now”. Oh, says I, that makes sense. so I accidentally did the right things for the wrong reasons. I went to treatment, and after that I followed a continuing care plan, all the while going to meetings and building a sober support network.

About 7 or 8 years sober a question started creeping into my head. I asked myself ‘Is this all there is?’. Despite being abstinent I was not happy. I started to feel that I was actually happier using than not. Luckily I was a good student and new that this was the beginning of the relapse process. But how do I turn it around?

I addressed the question of ‘spirituality‘. I had come far enough along to realize that what I had was not as important as who I was inside. I think it was Jason of the Argonauts, or maybe Ulysses who fought the Cyclops the one eyed giant monster. He beat him by forcing the monster’s eye around so he was looking at himself. He died because of what he saw. I sure did not want to turn my eyes inwars and look at myself. I was looking outside myself and finding fault with all that was around me.

I was not comfortable with the traditional God image, so I had to get creative. I heard of spirituality as being described of as connection. Connection with yourself, with your family and the society and world around you. That, I could work with. My spiritual journey began at year 7 in recovery and it started with simply asking questions. To me, it was the asking that was important, not really the answers.

The breakthrough came for me when I realized I might not ever find the answers, and that was OK. I could restructure my life to be of service to others, do the next right thing, and be conscious of, and take responsibility for my own actions. That kind of sounded like a workable spiritual plan for me in addiction recovery.

Spirituality did not get me sober. It keeps me sober. What it does for me is add texture, color and depth to my sober living experience. It is not really all about me anymore, but rather how I fit in and connect with those around me. Spirituality, while not the originator of my sobriety, sure makes it a richer experience and is crucial now to my addiction recovery’s longevity.

Technorati Tags: Addiction, Addiction Recovery, spiritual-growth, Spirituality, spirituality-in-addiction-recovery

The 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous written about 70 years ago, after the first hundred members became sober. Their conception of alcoholism at the time was that it was a three part illness, consisting of the mental, physical and spiritual components.

They described the mental part of the disease of alcoholism as having to do with the obsession. Is it about the distorted thinking that makes the need to drink the most important aspect of our life.

The physical part of the disease involves the idea of compulsion. That is the phenomenon of continuing to drink after taking that first drink is the inability to control or set and keep limits on our drinking. The original Alcoholics Anonymous concept of alcoholismim was that of the physical allergy. The dictionary describes an allergy as an unusual reaction to a common substance. The common substance was alcohol; the unusual reaction was the compulsion to drink more and the mental obsession with it.

This is a spiritual disease has to do we the erosion of our values. Those concepts would use to hold near in dear such as honesty pride and integrity, tend to lose their significance as are addiction progresses. Another spiritual aspect of the disease is the propensity to become isolated and disconnected from our family, are higher power, and perhaps most importantly ourselves.

Technorati Tags: 12-steps, 12-steps-of-Alcoholics-Anonymous, Addiction, alcoholics-anonymous, obsession-and-compulsion

Research Summary:
Recovery doesn’t usually change addicts’ core beliefs about God and religion, but measures of spirituality appear to increase along with sobriety, according to researchers from the University of Michigan Addiction Research Center.Researchers assessed 10 measures of Spirituality among 154 adults in an outpatient treatment program for alcohol dependence and abuse. Measures included patients’ views of God, religious practices such as prayer or church attendance, forgiveness, spiritual experiences, using religion or spirituality to cope, and existential meaning. 

The study found that half of the measures of spirituality changed over the six-month study period, including daily spiritual experiences, the use of religious practices, forgiveness, positive use of religion for coping, and feeling of purpose in life.

“While people’s actual beliefs don’t seem to change during recovery, the extent they have spiritual experiences, and are open to spirituality in their lives, does change,” said lead researcher Elizabeth A.R. Robinson, Ph.D. “This effect was also independent of their participation in Alcoholics Anonymous which has a strong spiritual aspect.”

Use of alcohol also declined, with 72 percent of participants successfully avoiding heavy drinking for the six-month study period. Participants whose spirituality increased were less likely to drink heavily, researchers found.

The study appears in the March 20007 issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

Technorati Tags: alcohol-dependence, outpatient-treatment, spiritual-connection, spiritual-growth, Spirituality

Here is part 2 of Improving Your Spirituality: Keeping It Simple And Concrete. To Continue our list of spirituality tips

Get healthy

Being physically fit and eating in a healthy fashion simply feels good. Being fit and engaging in an appropriate diet helps keep the body toned and the mind more receptive toward spirituality.

Have fun

This is the part I like. Believe it or not, being spiritual does not only mean being serious at all times. Ironically, being spiritual allows you the freedom to not take yourself too seriously. Why not engage in some hobby or activity for the simple fun of it. You could begin by exploring sports, hobbies or whatever it is that catches your fancy.

Serve, serve, serve

For some people, doing some volunteer activities or doing some acts of random kindness works best to help them become more spiritual. Helping someone out out not for some ulterior motive makes people feel good inside. It is a true win-win situation.

Practice non-judgment

This is hard to accomplish because everyone makes judgements all the time. When you judge someone or something you really are comparing them to your own standards. If they are do not meet your standards you can look down on them and feel better than them. If they exceed your ideas you could feel inferior. This is a lose-lose situation.

Show gratitude

There is actually a lot to be thankful for in our lives. The instant you discover the many wonderful things that life has to offer, and appreciate what you already have in life, the world opens up itself to positive possibilities. Again, try to practice each day appreciating an aspect in your life you know you are grateful for. Thank the universe for another day to spend and another day to make yourself, your life, or others lives better.

Become objective

Ironically, seeing things objectively helps in developing your spirituality. There may be times when we live seeing life with the isead that there is only one opinion, ours. We then become frustrated when the world does not live up to our expectations. The world is at it is, we cannot control it beyond ourselves. The world is what you are, and how you perceive it. When it comes down to it, developing one’s Spirituality takes time and effort. The rewards however, for the time invested are limitless.

Technorati Tags: Spirituality, spirituality-tips

Spirituality can be an important part in one’s life.  Taking certain steps in defined areas can produce great results.  Please be aware we will not be taking on the issue of religion vs. spirituality. The former being more process oriented and the latter being more concentrated on your own personal relationship with your own choice, recognition and relationship of whatever Higher Power is acceptable to you. 

Believe it or not, you may call your Higher Power whatever you want to, Nature, Jesus, Force of the Universe.  More important than the name or label you attach is your humility and acceptance of such an energy and allow it into in your life.

Here are some basic tips to help you improve your spirituality as well as help you develop a more solid connection with your own spiritual self.  Please know that spirituality, just like Rome, was not built in a day.  Work on spiritual aspects of your life gradually and consistently.  Doing it this way keeps you from being overwhelmed. Here are the tips for spiritual growth:

Engage in the practice of meditation

In a consistent fashion, try to establish a time and place where you could spend a quiet moment in the morning or during the evening.  Ten to fifteen minutes is all it takes.  This is also a good time to assess goals or to simply calm and focus the mind.  Your mind has to have some relaxation to be sharp.

Praying is a form of meditation.  Having a short meditation phrase helps you focus on your breathing instead of any random thoughts that may come and go in your mind. 

Get involved in group worship

The point of the matter is involved with like minded people.  There are those people who prefer to spend time alone and focus on their Spirituality and those who prefer to spend time with people while working on developing their spirituality.  See which works best for you.

Get involved with people.

 You could try joining a dance class or joining a hobby club.  For some folks, having positive relationships and interaction with different people can alleviate that feeling of lonliness. 

Get some more education

It is always never too late to go on learning.  The mind is like a sponge.  Make sure you continually nourish it.  You could do so by taking some courses at your nearest community college.  You can start engaging in a book study group or just by reading books and other materials related to mental health, spiritual concepts or self-help books.

Tomorrow we will publish part 2 of 2 tips for spitituality

Technorati Tags: spiritual-connection, spiritual-growth, Spirituality

Spirituality made simple…go love your family 

This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness. -Dalai Lama-

Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.
-Dalai Lama-

Spiritualty made simple. Connect with others honestly.

Technorati Tags: spiritual-connection, Spirituality

Trust me on this, if you are in the mood for 5 minutes of reflection and beauty click on this link:

Time Out For Beauty And Wonder

This article on tips for spirituality came about as the result of work done with people in Addiction Recovery. The concepts are applicable to most every one however. The question is often asked, what can I do to improve my Spirituality?

Addiction can be viewed as a disease of isolation, becoming disconnected to life. Addiction recovery and spirituality can be viewed as the process of becoming connected. The more connections in our lives, the greater the chance of coming into harmony with our surroundings.

There are basically four areas of life, or types of relationships we work toward in becoming connected. Positive spirituality may be viewed as having a healthy relationship and positive self-esteem with yourself, firstly. Secondly there is the relationship you may have or want to develop with whatever form of Higher Power is right for you. It can be God, Nature, a Force of Universe, it is up to you. Please note we are not mixing religion with this idea of spirituality. The third are to develop healthy connections or spirituality is in relationships with family. Lastly is the area which is kind of a catch all, community. This includes casual relationships, work, social situations, etc.

Here are 7 tips for spirituality that are very concrete areas for development. It is very important to be working in each area, set up specific goals that are measurable and achievable. Instead of saying ‘I will start meditating’ say ‘I will spend 10 minutes before breakfast and ten minutes after dinner alone reading the meditation of the day’.
Without further ado:

1. Use personal prayer and/or meditation. This is quiet time to start to develop time for yourself and to assess how things are going in your life.

2. Spend time in groups. This could be attending a worship service, singing in a choir, acting in a play or any group with positive interaction and direction. This enhances our ability to develop relationships with other people.

3. Spend time learning. Grow your mind. This could be taking a few classes at the community college, book study groups, self-help or mental health material.

4. Take time for yourself. Plan a quiet day just for you, away from family and work. Indulge yourself in quiet. There are many retreat areas where you can find peaceful surroundings for recharging yourself.

5. Physical fitness and proper diet. There is a very satisfying feeling that comes from taking care of yourself physically. Get in shape to be the best person you can be.

6. Recreation. Indulge in some activity just for sheer fun. Explore hobbies, sports, whatever floats your boat, but make time for it. Do not plan to ‘get around to it someday’. Just do it.

7. Be of service. Do some volunteer work or engage in random acts of kindness. It really does feel good and build self-esteem to help someone with no thought of reward. This is a cosmic win-win situation.

We hope that gave you some ideas about how to improve your relationships with self and others. The key thing is to take action. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Why not utilize the 7 tips for spiritualty to improve your spiritual connection?

There is a gallery of sober living and life skill information available in the free, 89 page Recovery Rolodex, Click Here

Technorati Tags: 7-tips-for-spiritualty, Addiction, Addiction Recovery, self-help, spiritual-connection, Spirituality, tips-for-spirituality