MySpace.com - KAREN C. IS A GRATEFUL ADDICT IN RECOVERY ♥NAIOU1♥ - 41 - Female - KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD!, Texas

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**************************************************************************************************************************** You have to view my profile with THE MOZILLA FIREFOX BROWSER or THE SEAMONKEY BROWSER so that it looks right when it loads. It will not work right on Internet Explorer or AOL browsers (It loads vertically (up and down) on IE browser and other browsers and does not spread out like it should on these browsers and doesn't show my profile page correctly so you don't get the full effect of my page when viewing it with those browsers). Sooooo, my page is not messed up, it's the crappy browser you are using if my page does not load or does not look right when it pulls up. You can go to the links I have provided to download THE MOZILLA FIREFOX BROWSER and THE SEAMONKEY BROWSER. Mozilla Firefox ~SeaMonkey . They are the best browsers out there so quit yer bitchin on how my page is messed up lol.

MY CLEAN DATE IS: *11/20/02* ~ November 20 ~ ***Finding Fulfillment*** ~~We weren't oriented toward fulfillment; we focused on the emptiness and worthlessness of it all.~~ *Basic Text, p.86* ~~~There were probably hundreds of times in our active addiction when we wished we could become someone else. We may have wished we could trade places with someone who owned a nice car or had a larger home, a better job, a more attractive mate, anything but what we had. So severe was our despair that we could hardly imagine anyone being in worse shape than ourselves. In recovery, we may find we are experiencing a different sort of envy. We may continue to compare our insides with others outsides and feel as though we still dont have enough of anything. We may think everyone, from the newest member to the oldest old-timer, sounds better at meetings than we do. We may think that everyone else must be working a better program because they have a better car, a larger home, more money, and so on. The recovery process experienced through our Twelve Steps will take us from an attitude of envy and low self-esteem to a place of spiritual fulfillment and deep appreciation for what we do have. We find that we would never willingly trade places with another, for what we have discovered within ourselves is priceless. ***JUST FOR TODAY***There is much to be grateful for in my life. I will cherish the spiritual fulfillment I have found in recovery.~~~

**************************************************************************************************************************** MY NAME IS KAREN C. I AM A GRATEFUL RECOVERING ADDICT RESIDING IN AUSTIN, TEXAS NOW SINCE BEING COURT ORDERED BY GALVESTON COUNTY TO AUSTIN IN 1991 FOR DRUG REHAB. IT WAS EITHER BE COURT ORDERED TO AUSTIN FOR DRUG REHAB OR GO TO PRISON AND DO SOME TIME FOR SOME THINGS I HAD DONE IN MY ACTIVE ADDICTION. I WAS NOT A DUMB DOPE FIEND I WAS JUST SUFFERING FROM THIS DISEASE OF ADDICTION SO YOU CAN GUESS WHAT I PICKED LOL SO THAT IS HOW I ENDED UP IN AUSTIN. I WAS HOWEVER BORN AND RAISED IN GALVESTON, TEXAS, A TRUE GALVESTONIAN WHICH MEANS I AM A BOI (BORN ON ISLAND). I GRADUATED FROM BALL HIGH SCHOOL THE TORNADOES IN 1986. I HAVE BEEN CLEAN SINCE 11/20/02 THROUGH THE FELLOWSHIP OF NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS. I WAS FIRST INTRODUCED TO NA IN 1981 THROUGH MY GRANDMOTHER WHO WAS IN AA AND DIED AT 84 WITH OVER 35 YEARS SOBER. I SPENT MANY YEARS IN AND OUT OF THE NA FELLOWSHIP AND IN ACTIVE ADDICTION, MUCH MORE SO IN ACTIVE ADDICTION. I DO NOT REPRESENT NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS (NA) AS A WHOLE, I AM MERELY A MEMBER OF THE 12 STEP NA FELLOWSHIP. IF MY PAGE IS HELPFUL TO YOU THEN I HAVE ACCOMPLISHED MY PURPOSE WHICH IS TO TO BRING HOPE AND MAYBE EVEN HELP TO THE STILL SUFFERING ADDICT SO THAT HE OR SHE CAN FIND RECOVERY FROM DRUG ADDICTION. IF YOU HAVE A DRUG PROBLEM, WANT HELP OR HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS, PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO EMAIL ME HERE OR AT FATMAMACATKAREN@YAHOO.COM. OR YOU CAN CLICK ON THE LINKS I HAVE PROVIDED BELOW FOR FREE INFORMATION AND MEETING SCHEDULES IN YOUR AREA.

*************************************************************************************************************************** ~~~ WORLDWIDE NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS NA WEBSITE ~~~ AND THE ~~~ CENTRAL TEXAS AREA CTANA WEBSITE ~~~ ********************** ~~~ NA WORLDWIDE PHONE/HELP LINE DIRECTORY ~~~ ***************************************************************************************************************************** YOU ARE NOT ALONE, AND I HAVE PERSONALLY "BEEN THERE" IN THAT HELL AND HAVE LIVED THROUGH IT. MY LIFE HAS TOTALLY CHANGED BECAUSE OF NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS AND I HAVE FREEDOM FROM ACTIVE ADDICTION....JUST FOR TODAY. Narcotics Anonymous has saved my life. For 20+ years I was a heroin/methadone/cocaine junkie in active addiction and dying from this cunning, baffling and powerful disease of addiction. Really though my my drug of choice was "more" and "yours". My son, Lee who was born addicted to heroin, methadone, and cocaine in 1996 and both my children at that time were taken away from me by Child Protective Services shortly after he was born. He is truly a miracle. Both of my children are a blessing in my life today and I am grateful that because of Narcotics Anonymous and the steps both of my beautiful children, Meagan and Lee are a part of my life today. My addiction no longer robs me from them or them from me. I would like to be able to network with some other recovering addicts from all over the world. There are a lot of us here from Austin already. That is how I was invited to join this site. I am so grateful to be CLEAN and FREE today !!!! I would also like to network with anyone dealing with HEPATITIS C. I have HEP C, Genotype 1A and have completed Interferon and Ribaviran treatment for it from February 16th 2007 to February 16th of 2008. I will go back to the Doctor August 2008 to see if the treatment worked....keep your fingers crossed!!! UPDATE ON HEPATITIS C: AUGUST 30TH 2008 MY HEPATITIS C IS NOW UNDETECTABLE!!!! I GOT THE CALL LAST WEEK FROM THE DOCTOR THAT AFTER DOING A YEAR OF INTERFERON FOR MY HEP C FOR GENOTYPE 1A THE HARDEST ONE TO GET RID OF AND COMPLETING INTERFERON TREATMENT ON FEBRUARY 16TH 2008 AND DOING THE BLOOD DRAW 6 MONTHS AFTER COMPLETING INTERFERON TWO WEEKS AGO ............... MY VIRAL LOAD IS NOW UNDETECTABLE!!!! FOR THOSE THAT DON'T KNOW THIS MEANS IN MEDICAL TERMS THAT THEY CONSIDER ME CURED OR AS CURED AS I CAN BE FROM THIS DEADLY DISEASE AND HAVE A SVR (SUSTAINED VIROLOGICAL RESPONSE). ALTHOUGH I WILL ALWAYS HAVE THIS DISEASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF THE VIRUS EVER COMING BACK AND DOING DAMAGE TO MY LIVER IS LOW. I WILL ALWAYS CARRY THE VIRUS AND CAN GIVE IT TO OTHERS THROUGH BLOOD TO BLOOD CONTACT BUT I WILL MOST LIKELY NEVER HAVE TO BE PUT BACK ON INTERFERON AGAIN AND IT IS UNLIKELY THAT IT CAN DO NO FURTHER DAMAGE TO MY LIVER. I WILL AT THIS POINT GET CHECKED EVERY YEAR TO KEEP AN EYE ON IT. I CRIED WHEN THE DOCTOR GAVE ME THE NEWS AND I AM OVERJOYED WITH THE OUTCOME. THIS IS INDEED A VERY GOOD PROGNOSIS AND THE PAIN OF DOING INTERFERON AND RIBAVIRAN FOR MY HEP C HAS BEEN WORTH IT. DON'T EVER GIVE UP AND ALWAYS KNOW YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN YOUR STRUGGLE. THERE IS HOPE EVEN FOR GENOTYPE 1A OF HEPATITIS C. BELOW IS THE SOMEWHERE VIDEO THAT WAS CREATED BY BY BRUCE WAYNE OF RECOVERY RADIO 101. IT IS FANTASTIC! SO IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY SEEN IT, CHECK IT OUT! IT MADE ME CRY THE FIRST TIME I SAW IT. IT IS VERY MOVING.

***************************************************************************************************************************** NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS HELPLINE #'s: AUSTIN, TEXAS 512-480-0004; EN ESPANOL 512-480-0007; HILL COUNTRY AREA (Includes San Marcos) 800-765-1266; TOLL FREE # 866-79-CTANA (28262). ***~~~~~ WORLDWIDE NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS NA WEBSITE ~~~~~*************** AND THE ~~~ CENTRAL TEXAS AREA CTANA WEBSITE ~~~ NA WORLDWIDE PHONE/HELP LINE DIRECTORY ~~~ ***************************************************************************************************************************** RIGHT BELOW MY VOICE IS ON THE BEGINNING OF THE PSA's (Public Service Announcement's). I say. "I really wanted to stop using drugs" and then at the end I say...."and thought I couldn't live without them." and NO THOSE ARE NOT MY EYES OR ANY OF OUR EYES that did the PSA lol (I get asked that question all the time). I have no clue whose eyes those are on the video....Awhile back about five or six of us recovering addicts here in Austin Narcotics Anonymous had the honor to do this PSA for the Central Texas Area because we had a friend in NA who works in radio and is a member of PI (Public Information), which is a sub-committee of Narcotics Anonymous. Anyway he pulled some strings and got us a slot to do the PSA. It was an awesome experience. I hear it on the radio so it was really cool to see it on someone's profile here and to see it on youtube and the internet, thank you so much Denise for sharing it with me :). We did it originally for the Central Texas Area Of Narcotics Anonymous and later it was adapted into the second PSA below for the Fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous as a whole. Hugs, Karen C. fatmamacatkaren/KSC 11/20/02 Grateful Recovering Addict In "Keep AUSTIN Weird", TEXAS Homegroup Recovery South CTANA ~ Central Texas Area Of Narcotics Anonymous

~~~ WHO IS AN ADDICT? ~~~ Most of us do not have to think twice about this question. We know. Our whole life and thinking was centered in drugs in one form or another - the getting and using and finding ways and means to get more. We lived to use and used to live. Very simply, an addict is a man or woman whose life is controlled by drugs. We are people in the grip of a continuing and progressive illness whose ends are always the same: jails, institutions and death. *************************************************************************************************************************************** ~~~ WHAT IS THE NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS PROGRAM? ~~~ NA is a non- profit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. We are recovering addicts who meet regularly to help each other stay clean. This is a program of complete abstinence from all drugs. There is only one requirement for membership, the desire to stop using. We suggest that you keep an open mind and give yourself a break. Our program is a set of principles written so simply that we can follow them in our daily lives. The most important thing about them is that they work. There are no strings attached to NA. We are not affiliated with any other organizations, we have no initiation fees are dues, no pledges to sign, no promises to make to anyone. We are not connected with any political, religious or law-enforcement groups, and are under no surveillance at any time. Anyone may join us, regardless of age, race, sexual- identity, creed, religion or lack of religion. We are not interested in what or how much you used or who your connections were, what you have done in the past, how much or how little you have, but only in what you want to do about your problem and how we can help. The newcomer is the most important person at any meeting, because we can only keep what we have by giving it away. We have learned from our group experience that those who keep coming to our meetings regularly stay clean. *************************************************************************************************************************************** ~~~ WHY ARE WE HERE? ~~~ Before coming to the fellowship of NA, we could not manage our own lines. We could not live and enjoy life as other people do. We had to have something different and we thought we had found it in drugs. We placed their use ahead of the welfare of our families, our wives, husbands, and our children. We had to have drugs at all costs. We did many people great harm, but most of all we harmed ourselves. Through our inability to accept personal responsibilities we were actually creating our own problems. We seemed to be incapable of facing life on its own terms. Most of us realized that in our addiction we were slowly committing suicide, but addiction is such a cunning enemy of life that we had lost the power to do anything about it. Many of us ended up in jail, or sought help through medicine, religion and psychiatry. None of these methods was sufficient for us. Our disease always resurfaced or continued to progress until in desperation, we sought help from each other in Narcotics Anonymous. After coming to NA we realized we were sick people. We suffered from a disease from which there is no known cure. It can, however, be arrested at some point, and recovery is then possible. *************************************************************************************************************************************** ******************************************************************************************************************************************** Photo Below is called Sprained Minds you can view the artists website by the link I have provided. ~Jenni Tapanila Website~ ...... ..

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