Chance To Do Some Fun Service

When it comes to service, don't run on empty. Please help us raise money for Support 4 Recovery by volunteering just 2 hours of your time on a Saturday. We have the following dates reserved for car washes at the Willow Pass 76 Station on Willow Pass and East St. in Concord. The dates are: April 10, May 15, June 12, July 17, August 14, Sept. 11, and Oct. 2 from 10am until 4pm. We need people to do 2 hour shifts on these days. Sign up at support4recovery@gmail.com.

Happy Holidays!

Holiday Tips - Twelve Tips

Twelve Tips on keeping Your Holiday Season Sober and Joyous.

Holidays parties without liquid spirits may still seem a dreary propect to people new to recovery. But many of us have enjoyed the happiest hoildays of our lives sober--an idea we would never dream of, wanted, or believed possible when drinking. Here are some tips for having and all around ball without a drop of alcohol.

1. Line up extra recovery activities for the hoilday season. Arrange to take newcomers to meetings, answer the phones at a clubhouse or central office, speak, help with the dishes, or visit the alcoholic ward at a hospital.

2. Be host to recovery friends, especially newcomers. If you don't have a place where you can throw a formal party, take one person to a diner and spring for coffee.

3. Keep your recovery telephone list with you at all times. If a drinking urge or panic comes--postpone everything else until you've called another person in recovery.

4. Find out about the special holiday parties, meetings, or other celebrations given by groups in your area, and go. If you're timid, take someone newer than you are.

5. Skip all drinking occasions you are nervous about. Remember how clever you were at excuses when drinking? Now put the talent to good use. No office party is as important as saving your life.

6. If you have to go to a drinking party and can't take a recovery friend with you, keep some candy handy. Also, take your cell phone with you and a phone list. Call people.

7. Don't think you have to stay late. Plan in advance an" important date" you have to keep.

8. Go to church. Any church. You don't have to be religious. Make it your own meditation time.

9. Don't sit around brooding. Catch up on those books, museums, walks, and letters.

10. Don't start now getting worked up about all those holiday temptations, Remember-"One Day At A Time".

11. Enjoy the true beauty of holiday love and joy. Maybe you cannot give material gifts -- But this year, you can give love.

12. Having had a ..." No need to spell out the Twelfth Step here, since you already know it.

What are some of the things you can share that you do to take care of yourself during the holiday season?

The History Of Halloween Plus 5 Things You Didn't Know About The Holiday!

The History Of Halloween Plus 5 Things You Didn't Know About The Holiday!

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Lois Wilson

Lois Wilson (March 4, 1891 - October 5, 1988) was the founder of Al-Anon, a support group for the friends and family of alcoholics. She was the wife of Alcoholics Anonymous founder Bill Wilson. Lois was born into affluence in Brooklyn Heights with her father being a prominent surgeon and gynecologist. Abraham Lincoln's grandchildren were playmates of her siblings when they were young and they attended prestigious schools. Lois began to work on efforts for families of alcoholics after Bill had gone through rehab and founded A.A. These efforts led to the founding of Al-Anon.

After Bill died in 1971 of emphysema, Lois inherited 90% of her late husband's estate and copyright royalties from The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. Bill left the other 10% of his estate to his long-standing mistress.

Creative Approach

Ever want to try something different if the same 'ol thing isn't working for you? Reiki is the name given to a simple yet profound system of natural healing for body and mind, which was developed by Dr. Mikao Usui who lived in Japan during the nineteenth century. Rei means "universal", and ki, or chi, in Chinese, means "Life Force Energy." Many people also regard Reiki as a path to personal and spiritual growth. If you'd like to check it out, give Valarie a call.

Senate Bill 707 (DeSaulnier) Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor Certification and Licensure Update

Senate Bill (SB) 707 is the measure, sponsored by the Department of
Alcohol and Drug Programs (ADP) that will create an alcohol and other
drug (AOD) counselor certification and licensing system administered
by the department.

The bill was amended on June 23, 2009, and reflects the
recommendations of many stakeholders. Some comments that CAADE
has received in the past several weeks addressed provisions that
were in a previous version of the bill. They have a summary of the bill’s
provisions and a link to the actual bill on the ADP website. We
encourage everyone to visit the ADP website for updates and let us
know what you think. We will pass this info on to CAADE.

SB 707 is currently in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Senator
DeSaulnier and ADP plan is to move the bill in January. In
preparation for January, ADP is meeting with stakeholders who have
expressed an interest in the bill to hear their concerns and likes,
and to get their recommendations for strengthening the measure.

CAADE will be hosting meetings at ADP, at 1700 K Street in
Sacramento, and via conference call to discuss specific provisions of
the bill such as, but not limited to, the different tiers that will
allow for professional growth and a career path, criminal background
checks and wash out periods, and education requirements. The goal of
the topical meetings is to come up with solutions and participants
should submit their proposed amendments to ADP prior to the relevant
meeting(s). The following sessions will allow participants to hear
the broad array of perspectives on the issues and help them to
understand the various points of view and impact that proposed
amendments would have on the AOD service and provider system.

• Criminal Background Checks on Monday, October 26 from 1:30 to 3:30pm.
• Counselor Testing on Wednesday, November 17 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
• Counselor Education and Experience Requirements on Monday, November
30 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
• AOD Counselor Scope of Practice on Monday, December 7 from 1:30 to
3:30 p.m.

Also, The Assembly Select Committee on Alcohol and Drug Abuse will be
holding an informational hearing in the Capitol on November 16. The
topic of the hearing will be counselor certification and licensing and
SB 707. Senator DeSaulnier and ADP Director Zito will be on the
agenda and there will be opportunity for public comment.

Advisory Council Meeting

S4R Board member Amy A. gave a presentation to the S4R Advisory Council about applying for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). So many great ideas were born from this discussion! There are quite a few eligible activities. One that was talked about was prison re-entry services. As we all know, inmates (both men and women) usually have a very difficult time when they get out of prison with very few services available to them. S4R can help make a difference. Come and join us. Let us know your ideas! The next Advisory Council meeting is Friday, November 20th at 5:00pm. We now have a Volunteer meeting for those who would like to be involved with our future events. That meeting will follow the Advisory Council meeting on November 20th. It will be at 6:00pm. Check out the events page at the S4R website for the calendar.

How about doing a big Spaghetti Feed??