1. CHRISTMAS GREETINGS 2. YEAR END DONATIONS: WE     ARE A 501 (c) (3) NON-     PROFIT ORGANIZATION 3. THIS WEEK'S SHOW:     CHRISTMAS EVE SPECIAL "THE     MIRACLES OF RECOVERY,     aka: 'THE PROMISES' " 4. STRAIGHT TALK FROM THE     DOC: "HOLIDAY SANITY" by     Dr Steve 5. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY-     "FORGIVENESS" By Bob Munck 6. HYTHIAM IS OUR NEW     CORPORATE SPONSOR 7. SIGN UP FOR THE FLASH!

1. MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM RECOVERY RADIO
Recovery Radio Sends its Best Wishes for a Merry Christmas!!

Bob, Dr Steve, and the entire Recovery Radio crew send you our warmest wishes for a truly blessed Christmas and Holiday Season. We have just completed our 8th month on-air, and feel exceptionally-blessed ourselves!! You have made us feel that what we are doing to help other alcoholics and addicts is both wanted and appreciated.

Be sure to join us on Christmas Eve, when we will be broadcasting as usual. This week we will feature 3 very special people who will share their stories of HOPE and INSPIRATION. Two of them are previous callers to our show; all three have stories that will blow you away...with the message being that Recovery is POSSIBLE...no matter how deep our addictions may take us.

2.  YEAR END DONATIONS
The Recovery Radio Show is organized as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit public benefit corporation under the IRS tax code.

Now is the time to plan your year-end giving. Recovery Radio NEEDS YOUR CHARITABLE DONATIONS! Please consider us as you think about those organizations and people who TRULY MAKE A DIFFERENCE. We are only able to stay on the air with YOUR SUPPORT; helping alcoholics, addicts, AND THEIR FAMILIES...to find Recovery when no other option is working. We are here for you, 24/7, 52 Weeks per year.

Our Mission at Recovery Radio is to provide education about addiction to our fellow human beings, and to do what we can to allow those still suffering to get into recovery. If you, or your company, would like to make a tax-deductible donation to the RRS, you may do so with our profound thanks and appreciation by clicking on the link above, or by going to the "DONATE HERE" button on our website on the HOME page. Or, you may call our very own Melissa Stewart at 866.334.0471 M-F between the hours of 8A - 5P.
 

The Miracles of Recovery: aka "The Promises"

Christmas is a time of the year where peoples around the world- not just Christians- celebrate a renewed sense of INSPIRATION and HOPE. The first event, or course, is the Christian reflection upon of the birth of Christ. The second and more secular one, is the hosting of the start of the New Year. Both are “birthing” events, filled with deep feelings and desire for a better future. What better time for Recovery Radio to bring to our listeners several individual and very personal stories of INSPIRATION and HOPE??

This week we will interview three very special people; all addicts and alcoholics of the most hopeless variety. Two of them were “callers” to our show during this past year. These are ordinary people who reached extraordinarily deep and depressing “bottoms” in their lives. And each who miraculously found Recovery, and a renewed life, free of the shackles of addiction. You will be absolutely floored by these stories!!!

You will meet Robert Tucker, Robert Moore, and Tracy Moore. You will hear startling bits and pieces of lives that were shattered by the ravages of addiction at its most extreme worst. You will hear amazing testimonies of INSPIRATION and HOPE, where each of these remarkable individuals has found Recovery, and a life of fulfillment and meaning.

Essentially no family in this country is spared from the effects of the disease of Addiction. We all know someone near us who is suffering from this terrible disease. But Recovery from addiction is possible! It is not easy, nor is it quick. These compelling stories will show you that ANYONE can find Recovery….if they are willing to work for it. Recovery….is FREEDOM!!

Join us "LIVE!!" this Saturday night, 6 - 8P Pacific Time 99.5 KKLA Los Angeles, or, in 10 other cities, or, Streaming on the Web. RECOVERY WORKS!!

Christmas is a very difficult time of the year for the alcoholic- or the addict, for that matter!!. Not only is alcohol abundant at Holiday parties and other social functions, but there’s more than enough stress to last the entire year!!

What can the alcoholic do to decrease the likelihood or relapse during this time??

Be healthy, be sane, be busy.

Don’t give up your “me time” just because it’s busy. MAKE the time you need to nurture yourself, and avoid excess stress. Exercise. Don’t skip your workout. Eat when you are hungry. Avoid getting hungry, angry, lonely, or tired.

If you are stressed, or having a particular problem or emotional issue during this extremely hectic and overwhelming time of the year: TALK TO SOMEONE!! Do not hold it in. Doing so increases the likelihood of resorting to our "old behaviors".

Don’t stop going to your 12-Step meetings, and don’t stop calling your sponsor. This is NOT the time of year to economize on meetings!!

If you have a dual diagnosis, be sure to have that emotional or psychiatric condition in good order. Take your medications, and see your physician or psychiatrist if you are having problems. If you are on any adjunctive drugs for your alcoholism or addiction, such as naltrexone, campral, or antabuse, don’t forget to take it religiously. If you see a doctor for a cold or the flu- be SURE to tell your doctor that you are in Recovery- he/she MUST know that in order to avoid prescribing addicting medications.

If you go to your company’s Christmas Party and alcohol will be served; go with a sober friend; DON’T go alone. And…you just MAY want to leave early…after you’ve said your hello’s, and before the drinking crowd gets too tipsy. After all, most Christmas parties, at least the “traditional ones” are really nothing more than an excuse to drink….and get drunk. Why even go??

If you slip and have a drink, call your sponsor immediately. Go to a 12-Step Meeting. Get away from any unsafe places. Relapse is an unfortunate defining aspect of addiction and alcoholism. It is, after all, by definition a chronic, relapsing brain disease. If you DO relapse, it needn’t be the end of the world. Make it a positive experience, if only to bolster your renewed 12-Step program once you’ve chosen to return to your sobriety. Most importantly: Have a Relapse Plan in effect, so you don't relapse in the first place!!

This is Dr Steve, giving it to you straight!!

Each week on our show, Bob presents his "Thought for the Day", a unique and powerful personal devotion. This is from a man with 15 years of personal sobriety, and with many years of recovery leadership. He has seen and heard it all. He has sponsored hundreds of men during that time. Addiction is a medical disease that is unique in having emotional and spiritual components, as well. This week in the FLASH! we are reprinting Bob's Thought for the Day for this week...a spiritual reflection which challenges and inspires those of us in recovery.

"Foregiveness" adapted by Bob Munck

Who is this 'Jesus' who was born 2005 years ago? Around the world there are millions of people that will celebrate his birth on this coming Christmas Day.

I would like to ask you a question: Do YOU want to know how to be forgiven??!! Here are some thoughts on how to find Forgiveness:

One of the Greatest Joys that our hearts will ever experience in our lifetimes is Forgiveness. Nothing else can set a person free from the guilt of the past, and place us on the path of Hope and Recovery. Forgiveness comes to us as a Free Gift from God. One cannot earn it or work for it in any way. One can only Receive it. Forgiveness is not based on what one has done, how Good one may have tried to be, or how Sincere one has been. Forgiveness is based on the Sacrifice that Jesus Christ has made for our sins. It is by His Blood alone on the Cross that Is the only reason we may be forgiven. Our Forgiveness is only a Prayer away. Let us turn our hearts to God, confess and forsake our sins and ask Him to Cleanse and forgive us. His Word says that He will do it by His Grace and Mercy. As we Pray to God, llet us ask Jesus Christ to live in us and be with us always. He will be our Lord and Savior, and His Life will make us a New Person in Recovery.

Amen

This particular article has been adapted from a writing taken from Living Cross Prison Ministries, PO Box 1313, Peralta, NM 87042

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That's it for this week....Join us this Saturday Night, won't you?????.....6-8 Pacific Time...on-air, or on the web.

Yours very truly, and in sobriety,
Dr Steve, Bob, and the Recovery Radio Crew