Feed Me Friday - Food for Your Body and Soul

We just completed Step 5 (Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs) on the Wednesday posts. Most addicts have a real fear of that step. Some of us fear a lot that life has to offer. Here is a prayer that might help you through the rough spots. 

From Meditations for Street Chicks Step 5 Booklet
Available through our website - click the link on the right.

You could also just sing this Bob Marley song to lift your spirits -

Click here to listen to Don't Worry - Be Happy

I often try to calm my fear and anxiety with eating. Sugar is my go-to food. (I am not saying that it's the right thing to do - but many addicts turn to sugar!) Here is a recipe that was submitted by a reader. It is so EASY that even stirring is not required. Very little clean up involved. Thanks 'mom'! 

Rhubarb Dump Cake

1 pound rhubarb, cut into 1/4 inch pieces (between 3 and 4 cups) (if fresh is not available, look for frozen)
1 cup white sugar (you can substitute Splenda here if you would like) (Stevia conversion is 1/4c)
1 (3 ounce package) strawberry jell-o (sugar free works fine)
1 package yellow cake mix (I used a white cake mix because that's what I had in the cabinet)
1 cup water
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. (I put the butter in the pan, in the oven while it preheated to melt it and grease the pan) Spread the rhubarb evenly in the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle the sugar over the rhubarb, followed by the jell-o, and finally the cake mix. 

Rhubarb (NOT uniformly cut - that's how it came in the bag - frozen) with sugar (Stevia) and jello 

Pour the water and melted butter over the top. Do not stir. 

Looks like you should stir - but don't - you don't need to do more dishes!

Bake for 45 minutes or until the rhubarb is tender.

Not the prettiest cake you've ever seen - but it's pretty tasty!! 

This would be awesome served warm with ice cream or whipped cream!  Since this one was a low sugar version, I would have liked some frozen yogurt!

Please share your favorite recipe! Either leave it in a comment below, or use the link to the right to contact us!

Work it Wednesday - Step 5 - the Final Chapter

Quick review of the steps so far:

Step 1 - We admitted we were powerless over our addiction and that our lives had become unmanageable.

Step 2 - Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

Step 3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.

Step 4 - We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 

Step 5 - Admit to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

 So, by now, you should have a sponsor and have your inventory written down (admitted to yourself). Remember to cover both sides of your double life!  Now it's time to TELL your sponsor (you and God already know)! 

From Meditations for Street Chicks Step 5 Booklet
Available through our website - click the link to the right

Schedule a day and time to get together with your sponsor. Allow PLENTY of time for this - if you were thorough - it could take HOURS! Figure out a quiet place to meet and do it!  You will probably be surprised at how understanding your sponsor is. She has either done a lot of the things you are sharing or knows someone who has. If there is a name for 'it', 'it's' already been done! She will also share her experiences with you. If you are afraid, this prayer may help - 

From Meditations for Street Chicks Step 5 Booklet
Available through our website - click the link to the right

Pocket your pride and let out all of your hidden secrets! Most feel a HUGE relief once they have told their sponsor all of their inventory. They see the world from a new perspective. They begin to feel closer to their Higher Power. Others feel a huge relief that it is over, but the enlightenment takes a while. Don't be discouraged - it WILL come!  

Congratulations! You are free at last! The pain will ease and healing will take it's place. You can 'surf' through the rest of the steps and life with a much lighter load! Come back next week and we will start step 6!

From Meditations for Street Chicks Step 5 Booklet
Available through our website - click the link to the right

Sunday Stories - Summer's Story - the Final Chapter

Summer here, One last time to tell my story.  So I left the treatment house thingy and I went back to my old life. That's what they mean by hopeless state of mind and body. I was of the hopeless variety. I was living to drink. I was just trying to survive my disease and all the  consequences that come with it. I found another state to run to. I took another  hostage. Got another DUI.  They ran from me. Then I picked up a possession charge for cocaine. Went back to jail, Got out. That's pretty much my life - go to jail, get out, go to jail, get out. I managed to get a little rental room. Of course I drank my money up. I was so depressed! I didn't care what happened to me anyway. I got a little painting job and from there actually made a couple friends. God I was short on those.

We all got a job on a crew painting in Tampa. Restoring a 4 star historical Hotel. We got free rooms and 2 meals a day. Plus cash each week for painting. That a great gig for anyone, but me, it was Breathe itself. Food, money and shelter.  Three things I seemed to have a tough time providing myself with.

I learned to paint, a skill I would take into my sobriety. Of Course I lost that job too. I found a Martini Bar and drug  neighborhood all in the same weekend.

I Finally just gave up. Homeless again. I just simply could not get back up and stay afloat. Life was running through my fingers like water or like alcohol I should say.

I'm not trying to be all dramatic and stuff. But #$%@%# it was so painful all the time and no breaks. No more catching my breathe. Sitting on the curb with a half a can of beer, no friends, no money, no where to go, and terrified!  How am i gonna get a drink? Merciful God please kill me. I gave up all hope for myself.. I didn't know it at that moment but I was about to receive a gift. 

I finally called my poor parents in  Ft Myers. I  caught a bus . Detoxed and finally went to an AA meeting. I walked into the building broken and scared and sat down in a plastic chair, to a new meeting for newcomers. They were on Step One. All I wanted to do was drink. I didn't know that I was suffering from an obsession beyond my mental control. Or that when I took a drink my body was made different than normal people and that gave me a craving for more liquor. I didn't think I could get sober. But I had nowhere else to go. I hung around until I could think of a new plan. So I did what they told me and something happened to me. I took those 12 steps in that book and I changed! I actually changed!  

My obsession to drink was removed by my Higher Power. Remember the gift I told you about!  That was it. That was 11 years ago. I haven't had a drink since. I wish this wasn't just a blog. I got all kinds of great stories in recovery to tell you. I am here to say one last thing.  

The 12 steps work. Give up the fight and join us.

Get off the road of pain and on  the road to healing. Thanks for reading.

Love Summer.

Thanks for sharing your story Summer!! Next month we will feature a story from another women in recovery - stay tuned!  I you have a story  - we would love to hear it! Just contact us through the link to the right.

Feed Me Friday - Food for Your Body and Soul - Magic Cookie Bars & A Better Me!

 Bill Metts with Hope by Song put music to a story/poem submitted by Roxanne at SalusCare. It could very well have been written just for me. Anyone else feel the same way? 

Click here to listen to 'A Better Me'

Magic Cookie Bars - YUM!

This is all you need for this recipe- twice! I made a double batch -

 one to take with me to a get together, the other to keep at home!

This couldn't be easier!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick) 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 1 (14 ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut 1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans!)

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Heat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees for glass dish). Put the stick of butter in the pan, in the oven to melt. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn! When melted, take out the pan and add the graham cracker crumbs.
2.	Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Press down firmly with a fork.
3.	Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars or diamonds. Store covered at room temperature.

Before baking

After baking

I put the nuts for one batch in the blender and made them really finely chopped - the left pan. In the right pan I simply rough chopped them. I just depends on how you like them.

If you have a favorite recipe I'd love to try it! Just click the link to the right to contact me!

Work it Wednesday - Step 5 (part 2)

Quick review of the steps so far:

Step 1 - We admitted we were powerless over our addiction and that our lives had become unmanageable.

Step 2 - Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

Step 3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.

Step 4 - We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 

Step 5 - Admit to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

Last week we talked about finding a sponsor. Do you have a sponsor? If not, what's stopping you from asking someone? If you are uncomfortable with this, realize that it is not a life time commitment. If things don't work out with your sponsor (which happens for a variety of reasons) you can find another one. It's important to have a guide, if you will, through these steps!

While writing your inventory in the 4th step, you may have found that it was difficult to put some of that on paper. A friend recently told me that she had to FORCE her pen to move the thoughts from her mind to the paper. She did not want to admit to someone else that some things in her life had happened. Some of us cover those facts up so well that it seems we are living a double life.

From Meditation for Street Chicks Step 5
Available through our website, click the link to the right

Does this look like you? All business on one side, all drunk on the other? Many of us feel like we have more that two sides. We show one side to the world and the other we keep to ourselves.

Alcoholics and addicts tend to push all the 'stuff' they don't want others to see WAY down deep into their souls. They hope and pray that they never surface. They stay stressed out and afraid of being 'found out'. This leads to more drinking and/or drugging, which leads to more 'stuff' to hide. A vicious circle. Kind of like a dog chasing his tail. This is made worse by things done on a spree. The alcoholic/addict goes on a binge and wakes up with even more things to be ashamed of and sometimes can't remember what really happened.

This double life may lead to isolation and depression. It is much easier to tell the truth than remember all of the lies that you have told. You might feel like you are on the outside looking in, like the odd man out. You are lonely. There is relief from this feeling and it starts with step 5!

From Meditation for Street Chicks Step 5
Available through our website, click the link to the right

This is why it is so important to be honest with ourselves, God and someone we trust. Visiting medical professionals often fail because we are not honest with them. Once you have found a sponsor, that will be able to keep your confidence, don't hesitate. Set a date. Choose a place to meet where you can talk without (much) interruption and remember to allow plenty of time for you to tell your story. Wouldn't it be nice to be on the inside looking out?

Next week on Work it Wednesday - the conclusion to step 5!

Sunday Stories - Summer's Story continues......

Happy Sunday! Summer here with the rest of the falling down part of my story.

Look, it was a long way down. I landed in a City in Missouri. I got a job at a local restaurant as a short order cooks helper. I made a few friends and got a place to stay. That gave me enough breathing room to come up with a plan for my life.... I answered an ad in the local newspaper for a sales job selling cars. I go the job. That was my introduction into a business other than managing a rock band. 

I spent 12 years in that industry. My drinking continued and so did my sordid relationships. I moved place to place. Sales job to sales job. I inhabited all the little towns outside of the City.

A DUI here, a DUI there. I went back to cocaine use and went from powder to crack.

Then it got bad.

The disease of alcoholism and drug addiction are progressive. Drinking and getting high became the center of my world. Actually I was the center of my world. I learned that when I got sober. God, I thought it was bad before.

But running the streets smoking crack is like living in a Freddie Kruger movie. I actually fell so hard that even my drinking and druggy friends suggested I do something about my problem. They were getting tired of taking care of me.

I found a 28 day treatment house outside of the city. It was cheap and my folks payed for me. I got physically better and I heard a few things. But my mind was too sick to see the truth. I could only see myself. After the 28 days I was off and running, AGAIN!

This disease is patient! It just waited for me to get out of that place.  Alcohol would later beat me into submission so that I could take step 1.

Check back next Sunday for more of Summer's story!

We would love to hear your story too! Please e-mail us through the form off to the right and we will get in touch with you! The best way to stay sober is to help others - and sharing your story is a great way to do that!

Feed Me Friday - Dangerous Poetry and Orange Crunch Cake!

First, a selection from our book, The Dangerous Book of Poetry, Anonymous Poems from Real Women on the Street  

Available through our website
www.streetchicks.net
Just click the link to the right!

Trust

Yesterday the sky was sad.

It cried a river.

Overflowing the streets and gutters

With its tears.

At last exhausted, it fell asleep

Covered with the night.

Today, the sky is sullen,

Teardrop puddles,

Filled with broken dreams,

Reflect no light.

A hint of peace begins to form;

Sitting sun appears in the west!

Tomorrow, the sky will smile.

Cotton clouds will play peek-a-boo

With Mr. Sun, whose, golden

Rays will dry the 'teardrop puddles'.

Tomorrow all belongs to Thee.

This is my trust.

If this doesn't make you, and everyone around you smile, there's something seriously wrong - see a doctor immediately!

A friend of mine recently celebrated Cinco de Mayo by running off to the courthouse and getting MARRIED! We had been discussing how awesome the Orange Crunch Cake at the Bubble Room is, so I decided to make her one for a wedding gift. It was not as tall as the Bubble Room's, but was just as delicious!  Here's how I did it. Recipe courtesy of the Cake Duchess.  

crunch layer
1 cup graham crackers (7 sheets)
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

I put the graham crackers in a zip lock bag and crushed them with a rolling pin. Get all of the air out of the bag first, or it may explode on you. I put the almonds in the blender to pulverize. Then I just added them, the brown sugar and butter to the bag and used my hands to mix it up. It should look like rough sand.

cake 

2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk (or whatever milk you prefer)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp orange zest
3 large eggs

Your orange should look like this after being zested. You want to make sure you do not zest the white part of the rind, since that is bitter. A whole orange yielded 2 Tbsp of zest, which was just right for this part, but did not leave me any for the frosting. I left it out of the frosting seeing that I did not want to make a trip to the store, and it turned out just fine. If you want zest in your frosting, buy 2 oranges!

frosting
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp orange juice
2 tsp orange zest

Directions:
crunch layer: in drum of food processor, pulse graham crackers and almonds until coarsely ground.  Add brown sugar and butter; pulse to combine. Remember, I did this in a baggie.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Spray  2 9-inch cake pan with baking spray. Divide and spread crunch mixture evenly on the bottom of the pans. Press down gently with fingers to cover the bottom of pan evenly and set aside.

cake batter:

In medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.  In a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, beat together sugar, buttermilk, orange juice, oil, vanilla, and zest.  Add the eggs one at a time and mix to combine.  Add in the dry ingredients a little at a time and mix until almost combined.  Stop mixer to scrape the sides of pan with a spatula and fully combine the ingredients.

Divide the batter evenly among the two prepared pans.  Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until a knife inserted in middle of cake comes out clean.  Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes.  Run a knife along the sides of the first pan to help loosen the cake before inverting it onto invert that cakes onto a cooking rack.  Completely cool cakes (I resisted just 30 minutes). I actually put them in the fridge for a bit because I was in a time crunch.

while cake cools, make frosting:  With your electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth.  Add the orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla extract.  On low speed, add powdered sugar (1/2 cup at a time) and beat until you have a nice and smooth frosting. This frosting is very soft - meaning it does not get as stiff as most - I ended up adding the whole bag of powdered sugar to try and make it more spreadable. The weather here in SW Florida (hot and humid) has a lot to do with the consistency, even with the AC on. Don't over do it on the sugar though, it will make the frosting overly sweet.

make your cake: With a spoon, drop half the frosting onto the cake on the serving plate (you should be doing this on the crunch side of the cake).  I put a spoonful of frosting on the serving plate before you put the first layer on the plate. That helps hold the cake to the plate. Especially if you are going to be transporting it! IMPORTANT - the first layer goes on the plate crunch side UP.

With a spatula, spread this thick layer of frosting.   Place the second cooled cake crunch side down on top of frosting.  Spread the remaining frosting on the top of the cake.  Since the frosting was real loose/soft, I put about half between the layers, then spread some on the top only! I didn't think it would 'stick' to the sides. I like the fact that you could see the crunch layer when complete! I also ended up putting 3 toothpicks down in the cake from the top to keep the top layer from sliding off in my car. (I delivered it to my friend) To transport, simply place the cake (plate) on a towel (I put both the towel and cake in a box but not necessary) and put on the floor board of your car, or in the back of your SUV and drive carefully - especially around corners!  I also placed the whole cake in the fridge before moving it and that firmed up the whole thing just right!

I barely made it to my destination without eating this! It SMELLED divine in my car. Luckily, my friend offered me a piece, and I was smart enough to take her up on it! It was YUMMY!! I highly recommend when making a gift of food for a friend, make two so you can have some as well!

The Bubble Room cakes are very tall! My guess is that they make this recipe twice and make 4 layers. In that case, I would put all layers crunch side up and just be careful frosting the top so as to not get crumbs in it. Just a warning though - that would be a LOT of cake, so make sure you have a crowd to enjoy it!

I'm always looking for great inspiration and recipes! If you have either, please email me through the 'Contact Street Chicks' box on the right, or just leave a comment below.

Work it Wednesday - Step 5 (Part 1 - Finding a Sponsor)

Quick review:

Step 1 - We admitted we were powerless over our addiction and that our lives had become unmanageable.Step 2 - Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.Step 3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.Step 4 - We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 

Now for Step 5 - Admit to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

Booklets available through our website
www.streetchicks.net

This is often the most difficult step for a person to take! We don't like to admit our 'stuff' to ourselves let alone to someone else. Admitting it to God isn't so bad, because he probably knows anyway. Some try to skip this step. We have learned from experience that we cannot live alone with the thoughts of the very things that almost killed us. We have to talk to somebody about them - ALL of them!!

So, who do you tell? In recovery, we call that person your sponsor. That person has worked the steps and has more recovery under their belt than you do. Someone to guide you through the steps of recovery. If you were going to build a house, wouldn't you want help from someone who has done it before? That's what a sponsor is - someone who has 'been there, done that'! A sponsor can share their experience, strength and hope. Another addict that is willing to share their journey through recovery with you. 

What a sponsor is NOT a dumping ground, therapist, counselor, social worker, parent, financial adviser, or legal adviser. 

Sponsors and sponsees often go to meetings together, and participate in activities with others in recovery. Some people choose a sponsor that belongs to the same religious organization that they do. Some people with no religious connections still choose a clergy member. Others have chosen a doctor or psychologist. Remember, you are going to disclose all of your inventory from step 4, so be careful not to choose a friend or family member that might be hurt or unhappy with that information. 

Look for a sponsor that has similar experiences as you. Someone you are comfortable with. Look for someone who, when you see them, you think to yourself  'I want what she has'. The last step in finding a sponsor is to ASK! No one is going to come up to you and say 'Hey, you look like you need a sponsor'. Do NOT be offended or hurt if when you finally ask someone, they say no. It's not personal. Sponsors often have more than one sponsee, plus lives of their own. They will not agree to another sponsee if they cannot provide you with ample time and energy and being honest about that is good for you! You don't want to be in the position of needing to talk with your sponsor and them being too busy!

Most importantly, it has been shown that - 

So, take a look around and find someone to talk to. Someone to work the steps with. Ask them to be your sponsor.

Next week, are you leading a double life?

Sunday Stories - Summer Becomes a MOM (Summer's Story Continued)

(The beginning of Summer's story can be found in the archives of the blog, in the lower left had corner.) 

Summer here, trying to get the rest of my story out. It was a long road to get from there to were I am now. My hope is that someone will identify with my journey.

It wasn't like opps, I have an allergy to alcohol and opps, I'm sorry I hurt you....And gee isn't it great I"m sober now! It was more like this......

After I was inducted into the Girls group home I was a charging train running full steam off the tracks. I ran away from there with my boyfriend and my best friend Sara to Arizona. Sara had an Aunt in Phoenix. Sara also had a car. The trip was filled with adventure. Coming from a northern state, we saw the mountains in Colorado for the first time. We slept outside in sleeping bags under the stars at the bottom of the mountains.

We landed in a reservation in New Mexico after a flat tire. That time we slept on a dirt floor with a family who had picked us up off the road. They got us a new tire in the morning and we were on our way. This was the life I had dreamed of - living easy, living free, doing what ever I wanted to do!  I had no idea I was on the road to Hell.

We made it to Arizona and back. We ran outta money. Coming back to my hometown sucked. So I ran the streets drinking, getting high and basically mooching off of people. Oh, and stealing. That's were I met a man who's drinking was far more advanced than mine.

Through him, I met my daughters father. I moved to a more southern state. He was a drug dealer. I was about to go to a whole new low. I had just turned 18. I had fun at first. I started a band in which I played the bass. I met cocaine. That's a great date at the beginning but it turns on you fast. The dude I met also turned out to be abusive. My drinking increased from weekends to weeknights to everyday. Then I got pregnant.

I kept drinking but we stopped dealing coke. That's the only reason I didn't use it. I didn't have any friends and no resources. I had that old stupid street code don't tell, don't tell, don't tell. So I didn't tell and I had a baby girl. By Gods Grace she doesn't have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. After 6 years I ended leaving him. I left my baby girl with his parents and I planned to get my stuff together and come back and get her.

Problem is I never got it together.... and least not yet.

Come back next Sunday to hear more!!

Feed Me Friday - Was All Alone and Sushi Roll

TGIF! Today on the Street Chicks in Recovery Talk Show (shown on Comcast ch 8 at 7:30am), Todd Verdun sang a song called Was All Alone and Lisa Lisa Lisa rolled sushi. In case you missed it (or don't live in SW Florida), here are both!

First, food for your soul - 

Todd Verdun

Hope by Song

Was All Alone
submitted by Taryn, SalusCare.

Click here to listen

Hope by Song takes stories and poems written by people in the midst of their struggle (abuse, addiction, homelessness, PTS) and puts them to music to give hope to others!  Here is the link to their website where you can read more about it and listen to more of the music!  We love Hope by Song!

http://www.hopebysong.com/index.html

You can listen to songs while making sushi!

Next, food for your body -

Lisa Lisa Lisa and guest cook Mary Fisher rolling sushi!

Think you'd HATE sushi cuz it's raw fish? Think again!
Think sushi is too hard to make at home? Think again!
Think you need a sushi matt to roll your own sushi? Think again!
It's actually a GREAT way to use leftovers and EASY to do!

Ingredients:

3 cups short grain rice - cooked
Sushi seasoning - 1 package
Rice vinegar, or just use water
Wasabi
Soy sauce
Assorted vegetables (thinly sliced) meat (cooked) and condiments to put inside the sushi

Use your imagination here! Some suggestions are: cucumbers, carrots, asparagus, tuna (canned works), crab meat, chicken, shrimp, fish sticks, cream cheese, mayo, hot sauce).

Here, Lisa is using leftover breaded shrimp, grilled chicken strips, canned tuna, carrot strips, cucumber, avocado and mayo.





Don't have a sushi matt? Make one using a thin magazine covered in plastic wrap!

Mix 1 package of sushi seasoning into cooked rice. Allow to cool.

Place rice vinegar into a small bowl and wet your hands. If you don't have rice vinegar, water works! This will help keep the rice from sticking to you.

Place a scoop of rice onto the matt and press out with your fingertips to cover the matt. Approximately a 4"X8" rectangle.

Place whatever ingredients you want to roll up down the length of the rice on the matt (down the 8" side). Start with your condiment (mayo or hot sauce) then lay veggies/meat on top of that.

Begin to roll. Squeeze the matt/sushi along the way and when roll is complete.

Wet a knife in the vinegar or water before cutting the roll into about 2" pieces.

 THAT'S IT! THAT WAS EASY!

Serve with wasabi and soy sauce to taste! Chop sticks optional - at the studio, we used our fingers! YUM!
This recipe along with lots of others can be found in the Street Chicks in Recovery Cookbook - Recipes to Help Conquer Your Addictions. Available on our website http://streetchicks.net/
         

Work it Wednesday - Step 4

Quick review:

Step 1 - We admitted we were powerless over our addiction and that our lives had become unmanageable.
Step 2 - Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Step 3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.

Now for Step 4 - We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 

Booklets are available through our website
www.streetchicks.net

 Step 4 is the action to the decision we made in step 3. It is referred to as personal housecleaning. You can also think of it this way - a business which doesn't take a regular inventory usually goes broke. It allows the business to find damaged or unsalable goods and get rid of them, promptly and without regret. Same goes for you - find what is damaged or flawed in yourself and get rid of it! It takes effort to face the things which are blocking us and it is very important to be completely honest here.

Selfishness, self centeredness and self pity are the root of our problems. They are driven by fear. Combine these and you get a big dose of resentment. Resentment destroys more addicts that anything else. To deal with resentment, we have to get them out of our heads and on to paper.

Step 4 is really just a long list.

First, list the people, institutions or principles that we are angry at, had offended us or had injured us.

• People - mom, dad, my boss, Sally, Dick, Jane.......
• Institutions - bank, school, treatment center, jail, church.......
• Principles - rules of conduct, integrity, fundamental truths........

Second, next to each item from the first list of who/what you are resentful at, list the cause of that resentment. In other words, why are you angry at them? List the specific action that someone did to hurt you. 

• He ripped me off
• She called the police on me
• The person or institution lied to me
• She is overbearing and doesn't understand
• They fired me
• He dominated my life and controlled my every move
• He/she cheated on me with my best friend

Third, next to that, list the affects it has had. Did it affect your self esteem? Pride? Ambition? Personal Relationships? Fear?

• My pride was hurt
• It affected my personal relationships with others
• It crushed my self-esteem (fear)
• Lessened my ambitions
• Left me scared to love again
• Made me not trust authority

Page 7 from the booklet Meditations for Street Chicks Step 4
Available through our website
www.streetchicks.net

Most people are very fearful of this step and put it off as long as possible. The longer you put it off and avoid dealing with the issues of 'self' the longer you avoid recovery and are prone to relapse. Look at step 4 as simply a bunch of lists. Lists of trash that you need to take to the curb and get rid of. Most importantly, ask God for help, guidance and strength to get through it. If you are thorough, you will be listing a lot! You are starting to see what your role has been in your past troubles. How self-reliance and selfishness failed you.

Now you can begin to ask yourself how you can do it better in the future. You can grow toward new ideals. 

Grab some paper and a pen and start making your list! The sooner you do, the sooner you can move on! 

Feed Me Friday - Food for the Body & Soul: 3rd Step Prayer and Ramon Noodle Salad

Wednesday, we discussed Step 3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. Here are a variety of 3rd step prayers to help you with that.

From Meditations for Street Chicks Step 3 booklet
available on our website www.streetchicks.net

Third Step Prayer, Life With Hope

Higher Power,

I have tried to control the uncontrollable for far too long.

I acknowledge that my life is unmanageable.

I ask for your care and guidance.

Grant me honesty, courage, humility, and serenity,

to face that which keeps me from you and others.

I give this life to you to do with as you will.

Native American 3rd Step Prayer

Oh Great Spirit whose voice in the winds I hear,

And whose breath gives life to all the world-

Hear me.

Before you I come

One of your many children.

I am small & weak.

Your strength & wisdom I need.

Let me walk in beauty & make my eyes ever behold the sunset.

Make my heart respect all You have made,

& my ears sharp to hear Your voice.

Make me wise that I may know all You have taught my people,

The lessons You have hidden in every rock.

I seek strength, not to be superior to my brother,

but to fight my greatest enemy - myself.

Make me ready to stand before You with clean & straight eyes,

So when life fades as the fading sunset,

may my spirit stand before You without shame.

Mitakuye Oyasin

Deciding to turn your will and life over to God is EASY!  So is this crunchy Ramen noodle salad!

Ingredients

1 package of coleslaw mix
2 packages Ramen noodles
Vinaigrette type salad dressing of your choice - I like to use Balsamic Vinaigrette, but it would be delicious with Italian, Asian, etc...

Place the slaw mix in a large bowl with a tight fitting lid. Crunch up the Ramen noodles and add to the slaw mix. Discard the seasoning mix. Add enough salad dressing to coat - about a cup. Put the lid on and shake!  That's it!!

This keeps for a couple of days, but the noodles loose their crunch. Great for a potluck!  Some recipes also add sunflower seeds, onion, and sesame seeds. The combinations are endless. Just use your imagination!

THAT WAS EASY!