Hi {!firstname_fix}



We have had a couple of cancellations for ranch. So if you have been thinking about coming and want to, click here now. (smile)

The classes beginning this week are:

Brain Chemistry 101 is for those of you who want to get a basic understanding about how the brain stuff works. A fun way to start.

Step 5: The Art of Browning is so much fun, I couldn’t get them to stop last time. If you want to learn about browns, this one is for you!!!

Doing the Steps: An Overview is for beginners. If you are just starting and itching to do all seven steps at once, here is a way to get a sense of the bigger picture.

We have posted a schedule of the classes for the next month. So you can go ahead and sign up for what you want to join.

A number of you have asked me about how the classes work. Check the class list page for more information on this.

Please feel free to pass this week's newsletter on to your friends and family. Don't forget to let me know what you like and would like to see me cover.

A copy of this newsletter may also be found posted on the web at http://www. radiantrecovery.com/weeklynewsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, use the link at the bottom of the page. Do not email me, do not get mad at me, just click on the link and you will be forever removed.

And be sure to visit our Radiant Recovery® website and Community Forum regularly.

Warmly,
Kathleen

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May 9, 2005
** Quote From Kathleen **

Rather than simply giving up sugars, you are working on a life plan.

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** Testimonial for the Week**


'I'm so weary of all the psychotherapy and other purely mental stuff that has no lasting effect for me!'

That's 'cause it ain't mental!

Yes, I was as well, weary. When sugar sensitives go to therapy to try and fix their shame, isolation, sadness, rage -- it's like fixing a flat tire by singing the national anthem. It just doesn't fix the problem.

That is not to say shame as an entity doesn't exist in human beings, or that it ceases to exist when we heal. It is to say that it is 'proportional' to what is occuring around us. It's just not the human condition, as we know it cosmically speaking, to walk around saddled with unmitigated, undiluted, full-force shame. For no reason we can pinpoint and no answer we can generate as to why it's there.

What a relief to know I'm okay. And it's a knowledge borne of something other than your mental processes. It comes straight from your cells. And that's something you have to experience, because for me to describe, or anyone, I believe, it just falls short.

It's like trying to describe the most beautiful sunset you've ever seen, and in trying to tell someone about it who wasn't there, you slowly realize there's no way they'll ever truly understand. They would have had to be there with you.

So come out with me on the docks and watch the sunset. Okay?

Love,
sky

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**Recipe of the Week**


This exchange was shared on the Parents' list and the recipe is from Janie.

I would love to have your recipe for the cake you mentioned.

Ok, but remember I totally made this up, lol! You can play with it anyway you want. We have always found that adapting recipes to meet our needs is fun. We like experimenting, lol.

This is for a bigger cake. Sometimes I only do half if it's just for Grace to bring to a party.

Mix all together and bake in a pan with greased bottom for about an hour.

Topping

Whip all together 'til stiff. We also put in food coloring to make it 'pretty.'

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**Your Last Diet: More Than What You Think**


Oh my are things buzzing. The Weight Loss Class has started and is rocking. Last week’s chat was wonderful. I am so excited with the energy. What fun to have you all on board.

For those of you who are not yet YLD members, Click here if you are ready to change your life or just plain ole have fun.
 


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**David's Corner **



I know a lot of you are taking classes and sorting out how to build your program. I keep hearing about how much you love the CDs. Put them in your car and listen over and over. Here are our best sellers:


Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better.

Thanks
David

And of course, we have something for everybody in our store


 
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**Our Online Groups**


Welcome!

The Spanish Forum works just like the English language Forum. It's a community forum for Sugar Sensitive people from the Spanish speaking world. We post in Spanish mostly although all responses are translated so Kathleen and others who may not feel as fluent writing in Spanish may participate as well.

It's very exciting to meet people who follow the program in different countries! We are learning about all sorts of different foods and how we can do the program anywhere in the world.

Come join us! As the saying goes, "mi casa es su casa" (make yourself at home)

Lucinda

¡Bienvenidos!

El Foro en español funciona igual que el de inglés. Es un foro comunitario para la gente con Sensibilidad al Azúcar del mundo de habla hispana. Nos escribimos en español la mayor parte del tiempo, aunque todas las respuestas se traduced para que Kathleen y otros que quizás no se sientan con la soltura de escribir en español puedan participar tembién.

¡Es muy emocionante conocer gente que sigue el programa en diferentes países! Aprendemos de todo tipo de alimentos distintos y de cómo se puede seguir el programa en cualquier parte del mundo.

¡Acompáñanos! Como dice el dicho: "mi casa es su casa".

Lucinda

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** Featured Topic**
When Someone In Your Family Drinks
Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.


What are my options? What can I do to help?

When someone in your family drinks, you have probably spent many hours agonizing over what to do to control it or change it. You may have argued, been irrational, been emotional, made deals, thrown liquor down the drain, made threats, drank with the family member or tried to ignore the whole thing. Some of these may have worked for a short time, but the problem comes back.

At this point, you are probably tired or angry or scared or overwhelmed or all of these. You may feel alone, inadequate, and dumb because you haven't been able to "fix" or even help the person you care for so much.

You and the person who drinks are caught in the web of an illness which, untreated, is both progressive and fatal. You've taken the first step to healing by acknowledging that there is a problem. Alcoholism on the one hand is a cunning, baffling, and powerful disease. On the other, it is a clear cut issue with fairly straightforward treatment options.

How can I tell if someone is an alcoholic?

If someone drinks despite negative consequences, they generally have a problem. The first indicator of alcoholism is denial--when the drinker and those around him or her simply do not see that alcohol is causing problems. The determination of where a person falls on the continuum of alcoholism can be done with the help of either a trained professional or a person "in recovery" (i.e. someone who has stopped drinking and understands the complexity of the disease). Someone who simply stops drinking and announces they "don't have a problem" generally remains in denial about his disease.

If you feel that someone is an alcoholic, trust your feelings and act on them. Generally alcoholism gets to full-blown proportions before family members or friends recognize it.

What can I do?

Learn the facts. Alcoholism has four components: behavioral, chemical, emotional, and spiritual. Full recovery requires attention to all four. No recovery can progress until the alcoholic stops drinking. The alcoholic has one focus, and one relationship-- that's with the bottle. You can learn about the disease by talking to professionals (including me) or to other persons trained to work with addictions, by reading, or by attending 12-step programs like AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) or Alanon (for families of alcoholics). Many bookstores have "recovery" sections which offer great resources. The more you learn, the better you can help.

Recognize that alcoholism is not due to lack of willpower or moral failure. Treat it as a behavioral problem which emerges from a chemical sensitivity. Judging the alcoholic will only cause pain and resentment for both of you. Get help for your own feelings and you'll be a better ally to the alcoholic. Learn detachment!

Attend Alanon or start you own treatment. You may feel that the alcoholic is the one with problem, but the truth is that this disease affects everyone around the alcoholic. Anyone in the system is caught in it. Your biggest gift to the alcoholic is to focus on your own healing. You didn't cause it, it's not your fault. You cannot control it and you can't cure it. Even if you start healing, your family may not, and may continue to drink. But you'll get healthier, and increase the chances that you can help more effectively.

Encourage the one you love to seek treatment. Remember, you cannot be the one to help the alcoholic heal. At this point, you are too involved. Your best role is to get help to reinforce your own detachment and your own deeper understanding of the behaviors which support recovery. If you are concerned about violence, or about your loved one's safety (for example, he or she regularly drives under the influence), get professional help for yourself now!

Learn appropriate boundaries. Usually, alcoholics are surrounded by people called "enablers." These people support the disease by protecting or lying for the alcoholic. An enabler will give the alcoholic her car after he has totaled his own because "he needs to go to work." An enabler will give the alcoholic money because her rent will be foreclosed. These behaviors make it easier for the alcoholic to stay in denial because they reduce the consequences of drinking. Your job is to help the alcoholic experience the devastating consequences of the disease. The best way to show your love for the alcoholic is to step out of taking care, of making life easy.

Reinforce treatment options. Learn what things are available and how they work. Be informed, but do not prescribe. If the alcoholic shows interest in treatment, be prepared with information. The alcoholic may choose a path different from your preference. Be ready to support his or her freedom of choice.

Do your own homework. Usually, people who love an alcoholic assume that the alcoholic is the one who should "do" something. It is good to support the alcoholic's recovery, but don't expect someone to do something that you are not willing to do for yourself. Modeling through your own recovery is the most compelling argument you can use to support the alcoholic's movement toward recovery.

Learn how to support recovery. It is a slow process. Relapse happens. Often, shortly after an alcoholic achieves sobriety, the whole family system gets wobbly. The myth that sobriety would make everything all right is indeed a myth. Sobriety is the beginning of recovery, a process which takes a while and a lot of work. Recovery may heal families and relationships and it may precipitate separation. Keeping up your own homework will guide you in your healing.

Be patient, be tender, be clear, both with the alcoholic and with yourself. This is a big disease. It takes real courage and commitment to start your recovery.



©Kathleen DesMaisons 2005.

Here are the folks who are helping put the newsletter together:

Gretel, the liaison for the recovery list and the webmaster puts it all together
Naomi gathers the recipes
JoAnna, the liaison for Rolling Hills gathers the testimonials
Terri, the liaison for Ambassadors sends over the ambassadors quote
Marie, the liaison for diabetes gathers the info on the online lists
David, who runs the Radiant Recovery® Store talks about what new products we have.