For information for logging onto this Online Meeting please go to www.depressedanon.com website and on the first line of the homepage Menu click onto International Online DA SKYPE meeting times. For the English speaking the group starts today at 12:30pm Central Daylight time.
If there is a problem then enter depanon@hotmail.com. That should get you into the online group meeting. See you there!
Hugh
Thank you.
Depressed Anonymous bases its healing and recovery on the premise that once depressed persons admit they are out of control, even to the extent of attempting suicide, they come to believe that a power greater than themselves can restore them to sanity, while at the same time, making a decision to turn their minds and wills over to the care of God, as they understand God,
The God, as we under stand God, is what appeals to more and more persons as we admit our helplessness over our compulsive, depressive thoughts, actions, or behaviors. We feel we have lost all control over everything including our thinking. The depressed person is aware that their unpleasant thinking is a cyclical and spiraling process where there is never a respite. This obsession, driven by one’s one feelings of guilt, shame and worthlessness is the fuel that that continues our own isolation. This experience is not so much a psychopathology as it is a way for the human spirit to comfort itself. The depression is more of a disease of isolation and being disconnected than a biological disorder.
The Twelve Step program helps people to become God conscious. It is in working the program while making no excuses for the spiritual nature of our recovery. We can begin to attribute our new found sense of hope and peace to the Higher Power. For the active member of Depressed Anonymous, there begins to glimmer in the distance the bright light of hope.
By recognizing how it feels to be depressed, more people will have the help and guidance that will get them through their depression. Lives will be saved as well. Besides reading the Twelve Steps at each meeting, the group learns on a firsthand basis about the “miracle of the group.” It is in the sharing and getting connected with the other members of the group where one’s recovery begins.
RESOURCES:
(c) Depressed Anonymous, 3rd edition. (2011) Depressed Anonymous Publications. Louisville. KY. Pages 162-163.
(c) The Depressed Anonymous Workbook (2002) Depressed Anonymous Publications. Louisville. KY.
Please click onto The Depressed Anonymous Publications Bookstore for more information on Depression, spirituality and recovery.
I can do almost anything to feel better and more alive. All I need to do is believe that I can do it. I want to believe.
“Through the Twelve Step program of recovery, I have been on a journey of transformation from the familiar life of drudgery, gloom and desperation, to discovering a new freedom and a new happiness – something I didn’t know existed.
CLARIFICATION OF THOUGHT
This is the real world, the 12 Step program for healing and gradual abstinence from hiding the pressure that builds from inside and pushes me to want to withdraw and isolate myself. I am more sure today than I was yesterday. The more I work my 12 Step program I feel better. I also believe that the more I begin to take charge of areas of my life, like exercising, getting a hobby, and moving about, the speedier will be my recovery.
From childhood, I had a scarce amount of love and nurturing. I know that I can find the freedom to live and feel differently than I did in the past. Today presents me with a clean slate –a new beginning, if you will. Granted my yesterdays are always there, but my today is what really counts. This is the exciting part of living with hope. Life is a challenge and I need to forgive myself for all my yesterdays and live right now as if it is the first day of my life.
MEDITATION
God, make peace and serenity the by-word of our lives and efforts this day. We know that you are here – closer to us than the light in our eyes. We again trust you so that we can live this unpredictable life with hope and trust in you. (Personal comments).
(c) Higher Thoughts for Down Days:365 Daily Thoughts and Meditations for all members of 12 Step fellowship groups. Depressed Anonymous Publications. Louisville. KY.
AFFIRMATION
I deserve to be free of my sadness.
“Now that small voice, that little part of you that wants to have light and some hope, is getting up the courage to seek more for itself.”
CLARIFICATION OF THOUGHT
I can no longer turn back and live in my old self. I am like the butterfly gradually becoming winged and ready to fly as soon as it throws off its old body, the body of the caterpillar. My metamorphosis is in process and nothing is going to turn me back to the way my life had been. I want now for my life to continue to get better as I notice the more I work on myself and trust in my Higher Power, the more I am ready to live with courage and hope. I am beginning to like the taste of living life and look forward to each new day as it comes. I want my wings!
Courage is to have heart and to believe that all things can work out if I just put my belief into gear and work as if it depended on myself and pray as if it all depended on God.
MEDITATION
God, we hear you speaking to us to grow and to trust. We all count the ways that you have cleared the obstacles from our path so that our down days are less than before and we have now more good days than before.
(Write your personal comments here).
SOURCES: (c) Higher Thoughts for Down Days: 365 daily thoughts and meditations for members of 12 step fellowship groups. Depressed Anonymous Publications. Louisville. KY. April 2. Page 55.
(c)Depressed Anonymous, 3rd edition. (2011) Depressed Anonymous Publications. Louisville. KY.
(c) Believing is Seeing: 15 ways to leave the prison of depression. (2015) Depressed Anonymous Publications. Louisville. KY.
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For more information about depression and the twelve spiritual principles of Depressed Anonymous click onto the Depressed Anonymous Publications Bookstore. Please know that one can order online. Our ebooks are also available.
Notice
Depresivos Anonimos is soon ready for publication. Those who wish to have our Big Book in Spanish will be able to order this new version.
NOTICE: Whenever a blog post mentions an online meeting be sure to consult the page Online Depressed Anonymous Meetings for the most up to date and correct information. If the blog post is more than a few days old there is a chance it could be incorrect.
PLEASE CHECK TIME ZONE IN YOUR OWN COUNTRY OR REGION
Please attend our International Depressed Anonymous ONLINE meeting
@ 14.30 (Central European Time) Sundays In English.
Join: https://join.skype.com/l8xfouW4hYUW
The meeting will follow the DA meeting format process for ONLINE group meetings. You all are welcome. Please click on and join us.
Thank you,
Hugh
NOTICE: Whenever a blog post mentions an online meeting be sure to consult the page Online Depressed Anonymous Meetings for the most up to date and correct information. If the blog post is more than a few days old there is a chance it could be incorrect.
Please take notice that the International Depressed Anonymous Online SKYPE meeting is now open for group members. Newcomers are especially welcome.
The way to attend this meeting, which is online every Sunday at 14.30 CET (Central European Time). People can check on the Internet what the time would be for their own time zone. The meeting uses the same format as at a regular Depressed Anonymous meeting. The meeting is in English.
Here is the address that will take you immediately to the DA meeting.
https://join.skype.com/l8Xf0uW4hYUW
NOTICE: Whenever a blog post mentions an online meeting be sure to consult the page Online Depressed Anonymous Meetings for the most up to date and correct information. If the blog post is more than a few days old there is a chance it could be incorrect.
INTERNATIONAL ONLINE DEPRESSED ANONYMOUS SKYPE MEETING ON SUNDAYS OF THE MONTH.
For information about the Online Group, please use the following information below if you would like to join this Depressed Anonymous Online Group.
The emailaccount address that you will contact is depanon@Hotmail.com. You can send a request to be connected to the group on SKYPE and a member of DA will send you time of meeting. You will need to get the exact time (with appropriate time zone).
If you are experiencing difficulty gaining access to the group please email us here at depanon@netpenny.net.
I hope that you will be able to be an active participant in this mutual support group.
Hugh
We think about the 24 hours ahead when we wake up, and attempt to live the day in honesty and peace. We ask God to ward off thoughts of self-seeking, dishonesty and false motives. As Alcoholics Anonymous says, with the indecision about something, we then ask God for inspiration and we let go of struggling for an answer. Alcoholics Anonymous says that you will be surprised at how the right answers will come after we have practiced this way of living. It also comes to pass that our hunches are more right than wrong. We also pause throughout the day when we are fearful, puzzled or anxious. We pray to the Higher Power for which direction to take. I like this suggestion the best when Alcoholics Anonymous says : We constantly remind ourselves that we are no longer running the show, humbly saying to ourselves many times each day “‘Thy will be dome,’ ” We are then in much less danger of excitement, fear, anger, worry, self-pity, or foolish decisions. We become more efficient. We do not tire so easily, for we are not burning up energy foolishly as we did when we were trying to arrange life to suit ourselves. By coming to the meetings and admitting our addictions, we finally get in touch with those emotions that have all but shut down from an early time in our lives, when to feel hurt too much. We now have the chance to let these feelings get displayed and expressed in the supportive and trusting environment of our newly chosen family of the Depressed Anonymous group.”
SOURCE: Depressed Anonymous, 3rd edition. (2011) Depressed Anonymous Publications. Louisville. Ky. Page 101/Step 11.
NOTE: Even though most of us who join the Depressed Anonymous group, do not suffer from alcohol addiction, Depressed Anonymous is modeled after the 12 spiritual principles of Alcoholics Anonymous. We have based our program of recovery on the 12 steps of recovery and using them on a daily basis. The 12 Steps are now universally used as the basis for a myriad of recovery tools for those who are trying to free themselves from addictive behaviors and attachments.
VISIT THE STORE at the DEPRESSED ANONYMOUS PUBLICATIONS BOOKSTORE. at www.depressedanon.com. One can order online.
This month (12/2018) we have had four requests to start a Depressed Anonymous group in their particular locations. Three were requests from individuals living in the US and one was from a person from Canada.
Our first inclination would to advise them to go to our Newsletter Archives at our Home Page Menu and read the issues from #1- through and including the Newsletter for 2018. Each of the Newsletters has a section about our program of recovery as well as other important information about overcoming depression. Each is titled “How to Start A Depressed Anonymous group.”
Since all of our Groups worldwide use the Depressed Anonymous, 3rd edition Manual, it serves as an excellent guide for each of the newly formed Depressed Anonymous group membership and part of their ongoing program of recovery. There is a chapter in this Manual for the Leader of the Group with an example suggested for leading a Depressed Anonymous Group. Also, included in the Manual is a chapter on How to Start a group.
Like most 12 Step programs of recovery they each have their own way of conducting meetings. The 12 Steps and the 12 Traditions of Depressed Anonymous are read at every meeting. Also included in every meeting is the reading of The Statement of Concerns plus How Depressed Anonymous Works.
Most 12 Step groups also have their own “Big Book” which is what the Alcoholics Anonymous program is referred to. In a sense, this is the bible for the fellowship and most members know it by heart chapter and verse. If you want to start a Depressed Anonymous group in your community it is a given that you will want to have a copy of this important book, authored by the early members of the fellowship. In fact, we think it essential to have copies of this book available at each and all meetings. If you are going to be a founder of a local DA group we hope you read this book before you set up your own group meeting. After 30 years working with Depressed Anonymous and helping to set up groups around the world, we have found ourselves continually reflecting on various passages which guide us in our own daily recovery.
You can order Depressed Anonymous Online plus other books written by those of us who WERE depressed. The sale of books provides us with revenue to share hope with others who are in need our support. Please click onto The Depressed Anonymous Publications Bookstore at depressedanon.com for more information.
We want to hear from you and are looking forward to another group meeting the needs of those “Still suffering from depression.”
Please email us at depanon@netpenny.net. Locate us at www.depressedanon.com.