Recovery -- Blogging -- Anonymity

The anonymity involved in blogging has allowed this vastly growing pass time to literally develop into a way of life. Empowering different peoples throughout the world from all walks of life, enabling uninterrupted communication, freedom of expression, while all but eradicating the distance gaps and pulling different worlds closer together through the advent of technology.

People can now autonomously express their views, as well as anonymously with the entire world and gain critical feedback, no matter how sensitive the subject matter.

IAnonymity is the main principle behind the most successful recovery program known yet, anonymity is the ruling principal behind the [12 step] anonymous recovery program. Recovering addicts are actually a rare breed, few individuals actually ever recover from this deadly disease. It is frowned upon by our society and considered the lowest of social ills, due to its incommensurable nature and high mortality rate.

Naturally during a recovery process, one would like to keep their private business a secret from every Tom, Dick & Harry, so it is crucial to practice a modicum of anonymity, especially on the internet, where a blog can get literally get thousands of hits within a matter of hours.

Anonymity is an integral variable in the equation. Imagine you had an addictive streak in you and were attending a 12 step anonymous meeting. Could you be sure that some of the less than close colleagues at work, if they were to find out wouldn't gossip, I doubt it. Those trying to recover from gambling disorders or other addictions aren't looking for anyones support. I mean how would that look, in a place where Iyou may have out done yourself, proved your expertise, competence & worthiness time and time again, being a favorite amongst your clients and being branded the most trustworthy? If it were suddenly to become common knowledge that you are attendind 12 step meetings, even with heavy connections in the industry, there would undoubtedly be irreparable damage done to you, as word will get out and there would be anything but a positive reaction career wise.

Quoting one of my buddies who happens to be in recovery:
"My past-using-buddies have all passed away and those that haven't are approaching a slow but sure death, so you see the party for me is so over. The program has taught me things that money just can't buy and has protected me from certain insanity, pain, grief and hardship if not imminent death."

Why anonymity, because it Focuses on the oneness of the group as a whole, not as individuals. Later it focuses on each and every individual, one at a time. Success would be impossible if everyone who enters the program were to just think of themselves. One can not quit and live a psychologically sound & healthy life based on sheer will power alone. A sophisticated battle proven method with a help apparatus can though, if we are willing to partake in the journey. And thank God people have..

There is Sex Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous, Over Eaters Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, Cannabis Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and many more, the most popular being the latter two. Whatever your addiction might be, the 12 step program is the most succesful of all the recovery tools. And get this, there are meetings 24 hours a day all over the world including online.

"When we first quit using, we are not familiar with dealing with any emotions or handling situations with out being intoxicated and suddenly being able to feel things can actually be pretty scary. In time we become equipped and learnt how to deal with situations that used to baffle us."

Another quote from an N.A. member in Egypt:
"So in the beginning I didn't like going to meetings with so many addicts in one room for various reasons. Some owed me money a long time ago that never paid me back and others, I just got a bad feeling about, as if I may have owed them money but had totally forgot about it. Not to mention that I felt that all these addicts wore their hearts on their sleeves, some thought that it is OK to relapse believing if they do, then it is God 's will and the program will always be there when they decide to come back and try again, although a lot never made it back at all. Others more or less quit only for a while in order to lower their tolerance to dope so that when they use again they don't have to use as much to get high. Others gathered to meet up and score, then there was the insane dating scene, 8 or 9 guys taking turns hitting on the same girl, pretty much all at once. And ofcourse the losing suitors calling her a slut, till there was no point in attempting to retain any serenity from these meetings at all as it became futile. Also a great number of folks ended up relapsing and overdosing. However in the end it was well worth sticking around till I found a group that fit like a glove because I was able to recover. It's like finally finding a nice restaraunt where you like the food and ambience and everybody knows your name and you just feel at home being there."

"Yes it was quite the mess until I finally settled in with the right crowd, until I did I was lucky enough to be able to harness the power of anonymity on the net by hanging out in the 12 step chat rooms."

Now that I started blogging I wanted to pay a tribute to the anonymity that makes all of this possible in recovery & blogging.

"After a lot of clean time, I went back to some of the large local meetings and they didn't seem as menacing as before but none the less brought back memories of how timid I was in the beginning. So if anyone has some sort of grave obsession or addiction, I recommend checking out the 12 steps. Believe me if I can do it then anyone can do it, once a person realizes that if there is no pain there is no gain & is willing to go the distance, they will find themselves in a way better place than the one they were in, even before the addiction or obssesion which availed the oppurtunity to address such issues that otherwise wouldn't have been addressed."

My hats off to all the recovering 12 steppers out there in cyber space as well in the rooms they call home groups.

Anonymously..

Egyptian Reverse Culture Shock

I remember years back once when it was like 5:00 a.m. in the morning after a long night of partying and drinking whilst listening to the newest tunes under a talented mixoligists at the Atlas Hotel, our group headed out to check out the new nearby Mcdonalds for an early breaky.

Even though they still lack the basic breakfast menu here in Egypt like Egg Mcmuffins and Pancakes and what not that you can find in the West, Egypt has still come a long way indeed since the early 80's.

Back then there was only one channel on tv, things were just a little backwards to say the least.

I explicitly remeber coming to live in Egypt for the first time -- for some strange reason -- way back 1982 from Washington D.C.

Being accustomed to good ol American Junk food and what not, it was so depressing moving to Egypt, I remeber full well. You couldn't even buy a pizza here except at a place called La Cassetta, and it was really expensive. My folks kept on telling me that it was the equivelant of two weeks pay of a government employee with 5 kids. Just so that I would appreciate them taking me thereto eat every blue moon or so.

You also couldn't grow your hair past your ears back then if you were a guy, even though Michael jacksons' thriller topped the charts back then. The population was 30 million and people thought that was an astronomical figure lol, compared to todays 70+ million. That means the population has more than doubled in the past two decades, wow.

There was lots of traffic back then too but not as bad as today, now way and I remeber that Ahmad Adawiya song "zahma ya Donia zahma," he was the equivelant of todays Shaaban Abdel Rahim I guess you could say.

Mcdonalds didn't come to Egypt till the mid 90's, I guess it hasd something to do whith when saddam invaded kuwait and all the Gulf Arabs were like 'What - there is no God damn Mcdonalds here!' Though I must admit there was KFC & Wimpy back then long before I even arrived in Egypt.

So in essance you see Egypt has come a long way but in all reality I think it has a long way to go yet.

Having reverse culture shock is quite common every time I leave egypt for a couple of years and return. So I have learned to accept the fact that Egypt will never really be anything like the West and I should stop comparing.

For what it's worth, good job egypt yet you still have a long way to go.