Brand What? Explorations and Motivations

A few weeks ago I said that I wanted to resume explorations of this evolving rabbit hole commonly referred to as the internet. It had been over a year since my site host went belly-up, rendering the earlier incarnation of Dopeless Enigmaniac, MIA. Blog-wise, I was virtually rudderless, not wanting to revive any of my older blogs. Still, I was happily busy with other matters which generally kept me offline anyway.

This hiatus gave me time to think between rounds of diaper changes and other aspects of Mommydom. Not so quietly, I longed to be blogging, mentally composing grand entries while obsessively knitting little things. The subjects entertained were varied, as is typically my pattern. Now that I can write a little more regularly again, there's this movement towards developing personal brands.

Personal whats? You've got to be friggin' kidding me, right? Wrong. Disgustingly wrong, from what I've observed. Deliberately developing a personal brand can be too easily equated with allowing oneself to be profiled, cross-filed, defiled... Shannon Paul illustrates this condition in a decidedly more eloquent and thorough manner. However, I like my summation too:

Labels are for soup cans.
Crap! There's a label on my ass.
It says "soup can."

So, is some disingenuous, carefully crafted personal brand in my future? Ugh. Absolutely not.

Do I plan to commit any form of Web 2.0 suicide in an attempt to sanitize my online presence? Nope. Why bother? If the only impact I ever make is not to be a phony, then I retain both my integrity and self-respect.

Am I going to limit my writing only to select themes? Hardly! The world is full of curiosities, beautiful and horrific, innovative and traditional, humorous and solemn, evocative and mundane. I intend to savor and relate as many of these experiences as possible.

Recovery Spirituality Peg and the 12-Step Hole

What follows below is my response to a Google Wave query on Unitarian Universalist's views regarding health and faith.

The topics of faith and health are each personally subjective from any individual's standpoint. Several studies have been conducted over the past few years which suggest a strong correlation between spirituality and health.

My primary health interest is substance addictions recovery (alcohol, street drugs & prescriptions inclusive), relative to 12-step self-help methodology. I see Unitarian Universalism as being a logical accompaniment to addicts earnestly seeking recovery, who struggle with the 12-step precept of this system's reliance upon an omnipotent "Higher Power" entity.

Tracing back through 12-step history, it's no secret that its basic tenets were initially constructed upon overtly Christian teachings. Many decades later, today's world-wide 12-step membership base includes people from all socio-economic brackets, and belief systems.

What had been glaringly absent from the traditional 12-step model was consideration for Atheists and polytheists in recovery. Many would undoubtedly argue that no such biases exist within the modern scope of 12-step society. Unfortunately, this Pagan has experienced a far different reality, having actually been verbally dehumanized (and even physically threatened!) in meetings for holding true to my non-mainstream spiritual beliefs.

UUism, being all-inclusive, allows for validation of one's self-worth, independent from issues of spirituality. Regardless of any specific treatment model, what recovering addict couldn't find inherent value in this?

Further information on the UU Addictions Ministry can be found on the Unitarian Universalist Association's official website: http://www.uua.org/leaders/leaderslibrary/addictionsministry/

Belief systems aside, I find this, overheard many 24-hours ago, to hold some merit (source unknown)...

Religion is for people who don't want to end up in hell when they die.
Spirituality is for those of us who have already been through hell- and don't want to return!

The Annual Influx

It happens every January without fail. People from all backgrounds do it, some for their first time, and plenty of others who've already run this ciruit. They walk into a 12-step recovery meeting.

Who are they? Why are they here? What do they hope to gain from this experience? Their answers are numerous and varied, but one thing is clear: this is an atypical behavior.

Many common thoughts and reactions often accompany their initial exposure. A cup of coffee is sipped by a newcomer seated toward the back of the room. He or she quietly observes the interactions of others who seem comfortable with each other. Snippets of conversation are overheard, and some of it sounds like spoken code, even though the language is familiar. Who are these people, and what on earth are they saying?

The meeting begins in its traditional manner. The chairperson welcomes those in attendance, then asks if there are any visitors or newcomers. Literature is read. Much of the content sounds like it's related to the jargon overheard earlier. A statement is issued about the group being self-sufficient through its own contributions, then a basket is passed. Is this some kind of cult? Some people are putting money into the basket, but not all of them. Those who don't toss a buck into the circulating basket are not getting nasty stares. What's the deal?

People take turns talking about different things, but it's an indirect exchange. Some express their hardships resulting from the disease. Others gladly share how, through working what they refer to as "the program," they are learning new ways to live. A few more talk about the benefits of participation in "service" activities, like doing various things for or with the group, its members, and society in general. Service? That sounds an awful lot like work. Is this some sort of coffee fueled community outreach?

The newcomer grasps what he or she can of all this confusing dialogue. Initially, much of it may not be understood, but the emotions behind it are. With what emotions and concepts does a newcomer identify? Is there an aspect or two of the recovery represented at that gathering which a newcomer would want for him or herself?

Sometimes those of us who have been in 12-step recovery for a few 24-hour periods forget what it was like at the beginning of the journey. As we enter this new calendar year, it is with the sincerest hope that we keep this truth foremost in our actions: Newcomers are the lifeblood of our recovery. Without our new brothers and sisters fresh from the hell of active disease, we serve no immediately meaningful purpose within the fellowship.

Let's be clear. Specific affiliations aside, if there is one universal theme to be carried, it is that We can (and do) recover. Time of year doesn't matter since each of Us has only today. In reality We are all Newcomers. It may simply have been a while since that One Day chip or tag was acquired. ;oD