[Bipolar1Disorder]

1. Admitting Powerlessness over the insanity of our Bipolarity that our lives had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves (medications, doctors, families, support team and friends) could restore us to sanity.

3. Made a decision to turn our wills and lives over to the care of a Power greater than ourselves as we understand it.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

5. Admitted to our Higher Power to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our illness.

6. Were entirely ready to have our Higher Power remove our illness.

7. Humbly asked our Higher Power to remove our illness.

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and become willing to make amends to them all.

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

10. Continue to take personal inventory and when we are sick promptly seek help.

11. Sought through therapy and medications to improve our conscious sanity as we understand it.

12. Having had a conscious awakening as a result of these steps, we try to carry this message to other Bipolar people and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

I keep these 12 Steps To Bipolar In-Order pinned up on my wall.

[cocoabeans]

1. I am not powerless especially not to bipolar.
2. No higher power needed.
3. My will is what gets me through.
4. Good.
5. No need there.
6. Uh?
7. Huh?
8. Acceptable.
9. Okay...
10. Fine.
11. Alright.
12. I see. Now, I understand where you're coming from.

What ever works for you dude.

[BlueInanna]

Thanks for sharing B1D. This helps me right now. I'm in ER again with my son, he cut himself up pretty good, and almost the whole family. I'm happy for ppl with bp who can get by without meds. My son is not one of those ppl.

Originally Posted by cocoabeans

1. I am not powerless especially not to bipolar.
2. No higher power needed.
3. My will is what gets me through.
4. Good.
5. No need there.
6. Uh?
7. Huh?
8. Acceptable.
9. Okay...
10. Fine.
11. Alright.
12. I see. Now, I understand where you're coming from.

What ever works for you dude.

__________________________________

Cute answer, Cocoabeans, to the Alcoholics Anonymous steps to
remission translated to Bipolar 12-step program.

[hamster-bamster]

AA in all those long years have never shown a solid proof of effectiveness. See Wikipedia for an informative article about it.

[venusss]

1. Admitting Powerlessness over the insanity of our Bipolarity that our lives had become unmanageable.

I ain't powerless. My life is NOT unmanagable. It ain't Greek drama where Deux ex Machina rules... there might be hard times, but mostly I can grasp control.

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves (medications, doctors, families, support team and friends) could restore us to sanity.

Doctors and meds ARE NOT higher power... And friends can help, but they cannot save me and neither would I ask them to.

3. Made a decision to turn our wills and lives over to the care of a Power greater than ourselves as we understand it.

I am not turning my life over... especially to the "higher power" mentioned in point two...

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

whose version of moral? The communist party's one? Or the one of Catholic church? Or the one of bank owners? Or of my potential pdocs?
I think I am pretty decent person, though I do have fears.

5. Admitted to our Higher Power to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our illness.

I am not ill. I am troubled. Deities know. Few friends know.

6. Were entirely ready to have our Higher Power remove our illness.

There is not "cure". And as much as I believe in Gods... there's war in Syria and I feel it is selfish to pray for myself at times like this.
And if higher power means what was mentioned in point two... then no, thanks.

7. Humbly asked our Higher Power to remove our illness.

Again, I prefer to pray for Syria and my troubled nation and for the whole humanity and for my friends who need it more.


8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and become willing to make amends to them all.

I can do that. I pretty much did that already.

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

Acceptable.

10. Continue to take personal inventory and when we are sick promptly seek help.

Do I have to? I didn't go to doctor with broken toe back then (and it grew together alright).

11. Sought through therapy and medications to improve our conscious sanity as we understand it.

Does Ayrvedic and other wisdom count too? Does going outside of the Shenghen zone to see how people who have it worse then we do live and live happily count? Does turning to universe count? Astral travel and existentialism?

I am trying to hold on possitive aspect of my insanity anyways... since normal sane people in this world gamble on Wall Street and trade with arms...

Is it even possible to understand sanity?

12. Having had a conscious awakening as a result of these steps, we try to carry this message to other Bipolar people and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

I am a light carrier... but I prefer different version of light.

Different strokes for different folk, I guess.

Originally Posted by Bipolar1Disorder

1. Admitting Powerlessness over the insanity of our Bipolarity that our lives had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves (medications, doctors, families, support team and friends) could restore us to sanity.

3. Made a decision to turn our wills and lives over to the care of a Power greater than ourselves as we understand it.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

5. Admitted to our Higher Power to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our illness.

6. Were entirely ready to have our Higher Power remove our illness.

7. Humbly asked our Higher Power to remove our illness.

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and become willing to make amends to them all.

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

10. Continue to take personal inventory and when we are sick promptly seek help.

11. Sought through therapy and medications to improve our conscious sanity as we understand it.

12. Having had a conscious awakening as a result of these steps, we try to carry this message to other Bipolar people and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

I keep these 12 Steps To Bipolar In-Order pinned up on my wall.

going to keep these myself.

thanks for sharing them...

[LiteraryLark]

AA is for quitters
BP is for life

[cocoabeans]

Originally Posted by BlueInanna

Thanks for sharing B1D. This helps me right now. I'm in ER again with my son, he cut himself up pretty good, and almost the whole family. I'm happy for ppl with bp who can get by without meds. My son is not one of those ppl.

Sorry to hear.

Always remember: he is not one of those people now. We cannot know the future.

Question everything.

Originally Posted by DrSkipper

AA is for quitters
BP is for life

i will remember that one.

and your quote on the bottom?

i'm convinced that's matchbox 20- i've even got the album with it on.

[Bipolar1Disorder]

Nobody on here has to copy these and pin them on their wall.
I am just sharing something with others here so there is no need
for anyone on here to get angry or upset over this. Some of you
need to go take a nap and sleep it off.

[venusss]

I just don't like defeatism. I don't like implycations I need heavy fixing and I should trust other over myself...

If it works for you, then power to you... but I do have right to express my opinion... And some of these points ticked me off, especially number 2... it promotes helplessness, imho and we see too much of it as it is here and in other similar groups.

[hamster-bamster]

I think Venus wrote beautifully. I have little to add, except for one thing from me as someone who DOES use p-docs and medications.

A p-doc is my helper. If he/she is good, an esteemed helper. If he/she is ******, as has been the case, then it spells trouble including a suicide attempt. But in no event are they higher power. They are professionals doing their job. We hire them, or the state pays them when we can't. No higher power whatsoever. And we should not submit or surrender to them; we should develop a good working relationship with them.

If someone suggested that I surrender to my dermatologist, you would think it weird, would not you? What is the difference?

[Bipolar1Disorder]

Angry Audience.

[LiteraryLark]

Originally Posted by shattered sanity

i will remember that one.

and your quote on the bottom?

i'm convinced that's matchbox 20- i've even got the album with it on.

Rob Thomas is the lead singer of Matchbox 20, so you are correct.

1. Admitting Powerlessness over the insanity of our Bipolarity that our lives had become unmanageable. I am not at all powerless over my bipolarity and my life is not unmanageable. I am quite capable of managing my illness.

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves (medications, doctors, families, support team and friends) could restore us to sanity. Calling my doctors my higher power is a bit blasphemous to me. Those people are resources I can use to help myself manage my symptoms, but they can't do the work for me nor do they have more power or ability over my life than I do.

3. Made a decision to turn our wills and lives over to the care of a Power greater than ourselves as we understand it. I already do this.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. I'm trying to figure out what bipolar illness has to do with morality. Having bipolar symptoms is not something I've done "wrong".

5. Admitted to our Higher Power to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our illness. Well, since the jury is still out on what exactly causes bipolar disorder, I'm not sure this can be really accomplished. I know the symptoms I display when I am ill though I'm not sure why I need to "admit" them to God; he's already quite aware.

6. Were entirely ready to have our Higher Power remove our illness. I don't believe there is any evidence that bipolar illness can be "cured" although some go into remission. I don't play those kinds of games with God. My God helps me work with who I am and what obstacles I encounter in my life. I don't expect Him to part the Red Sea with my bipolar disorder.

7. Humbly asked our Higher Power to remove our illness. See #6.

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and become willing to make amends to them all. That's a good thing to do no matter what your issues are. I've been pretty good about not letting myself harm others though.

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. Again, see #8.

10. Continue to take personal inventory and when we are sick promptly seek help.
THAT is good advice.

11. Sought through therapy and medications to improve our conscious sanity as we understand it. THAT is also good advice.

12. Having had a conscious awakening as a result of these steps, we try to carry this message to other Bipolar people and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
I'm not out to save the world, just my little part of it.

[hamster-bamster]

Regarding #12. I must say, if I were an alcoholic, and I am not so this is purely hypothetical, the outcome that I would have had in mind as a positive one for me would have been the ability to enjoy a glass of wine in good company and stop there. I would not have been looking forward to a lifetime of preaching sobriety to the rest of the world, no.

[cocoabeans]

Originally Posted by Bipolar1Disorder

Nobody on here has to copy these and pin them on their wall.
I am just sharing something with others here so there is no need
for anyone on here to get angry or upset over this. Some of you
need to go take a nap and sleep it off.

Actually, number 12 sort of implies we do or at least that you make an attempt to convince us of your mind set. When you do that, people will disagree.

Telling people who simply stated that they don't agree with your ideas to take a nap is rude.

No one was being negative toward you.

[Bipolar1Disorder]

Originally Posted by cocoabeans

Actually, number 12 sort of implies we do or at least that you make an attempt to convince us of your mind set. When you do that, people will disagree.

Telling people who simply stated that they don't agree with your ideas to take a nap is rude.

No one was being negative toward you.

Like I said angry audience. Your being rude. Nit picking it to death is being rude and negative. Your on PsychCentral so you are all psychos and rude. Your attitude will never change you will always be psycho and rude, rude, rude.

I don't need to be lectured by a rude person. Rude Rude, Rude. You are all being negative towards me and have been for weeks now every since I got here. Rude, rude, rude. NO HUGS.

[hamster-bamster]

I posted a poll for you when you could not figure out how to do it; the poll has garnered a huge number of responses and you did not even show up! And no "thank you" to me either. And now you are calling cocoabeans rude for no reason whatsoever. Get a mirror!

[venusss]

You posted something that is highly controversial. People disagreed and explained themselves. Do you think that taking nap would make us accept hierarchy of people this piece implies (psychos > normals > psychiatrists)? And calling people psychos is not very nice either.

We all are here for reason... so we are troubled... so are you, that is why you post here. A lot of us have gained life experience contrary to your "guideline". It's against you... it's maybe something to think about. Especially about not being powerless and not having to surrender to others.

[cocoabeans]

Originally Posted by Bipolar1Disorder

Like I said angry audience. Your being rude. Nit picking it to death is being rude and negative. Your on PsychCentral so you are all psychos and rude. Your attitude will never change you will always be psycho and rude, rude, rude.

I don't need to be lectured by a rude person. Rude Rude, Rude. You are all being negative towards me and have been for weeks now every since I got here. Rude, rude, rude. NO HUGS.

Not really no. You have an extremely negative view of people who have bipolar disorder. This has been discussed in your other posts. Obviously when you enter a forum like this one you're going to find people who disagree with that and even find your ideas offensive. Much of what you claim to be truths about bipolar is garbage. Sometimes I wonder if you're just here to be trolling too.

Maybe read a few books about the disorder so you can at least know a bit more about it and take some time to listen to other people's experiences. The world doesn't revolve around you.

Listen to others and quit the judgements and maybe oneday, if you're lucky, someone might want to hug you.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by cocoabeans

maybe oneday, if you're lucky, someone might want to hug you.

Well, Bipolar1Disorder HAS been thanked on this thread, because SOME people like the 12 step approach - as Venus points out, the topic is highly controversial so there would be likes and dislikes - it is to be expected. The question to Bipolar1Disorder is why he is not satisfied with SOME people thanking him - why does he want to get 100% appreciation? Is it realistic?

Farmergirl, thanks for pointing out that from the standpoint of a true believer in God, the whole idea is pure blasphemy.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by VenusHalley

And calling people psychos is not very nice either.

I am not a psycho. I take antipsychotic . I have all my faculties present when I write .

[LiteraryLark]

Many people here are in a middle of a crisis, we're here to support each other and not fight. If you don't like the way the thread is going, then don't participate. I should talk, considering another thread I was in, but that's a different story. We're here because this place is suppose to be calm and supportive.