The Library

There is a huge difference between "fulfilling desires" and "happiness". Fulfilling desires is like scratching an "itch". It may feel like we need to. It may feel good while we do it, but scratching just makes the itch worse - and it brings no happiness whatsoever. Onl...

I usually feel like I'm not getting anywhere in recovery. However, I recently celebrated a year of sobriety, which gave me a chance to look back and see that I really have made some progress. I have actually been on the road to recovery for about three years. I started as...

One of GYE's favorite Motto's on the forum (from the old-days) was: "Keep On Truckin'!" Someone sent us this song (click the link above) and they suggested that we make it into GYE's theme song!

"Getting what you want is not nearly as important as giving what you have."

In school, they teach you a lesson and give you a test.  In life, you are given a test to teach you a lesson.

Thanks for the constant chizuk. B"H I am on day 16 today! Hi, just wanted to share and amazing quote from the Chazon Ish z"l: "מעלתו ויחודיו של האדם אינו בכך שיכול לעשות מה שרוצה אלא בכך שיכול לעשות מה שאינו רוצה"Translation: "The greatness and uniqueness of man is not ...

A newspaper editor once offered a prize for the best answer to the question, "Who are the happiest people on earth?" The four winning answers were the following: 1. A mother bathing her baby. 2. A craftsman, or an artist, whistling over a job well done; 3. A docto...

After facing millions of moments of indecision with multiple options in front of me for the past 16 years - being involved in program and recovery and marriage and raising children and paying bills and city life and Judaism etc - I finally internalized the phrase that hel...

When we left Egypt, we went from being slaves to being free. But, we are now slaves again - to Hashem! So what's the difference? Chasam Sofer in the beginning of parshas Bechukosai says that the last of the berachos mentioned for following the Torah is 'voeshbor motos ulc...

Sholom to all my brothers-in-arms! I would like to share some stuff: you know, it helps just to know people in the same boat as me read my stuff. So thank you ahead of time - this comradery helps us grow. It helped me 6 years ago and it helps me now. We have to have patie...

Question: Pesach is coming up. This means that I will not be able to shave until lag baomer. I have never done this before as I have always been worried about looking weird. Can you give me an idea of how to have an attitude that I will actually keep the omer properly? I ...

An astonishing and sobering contrast concerning the nature of the human psyche captures our imagination in this week's Torah portion (Emor). The Torah prohibits a Kohen, a priest (which includes all descendents of Aaron), from marrying a divorced woman. It also prohibit...

A rabbi was called to a hospital to see a Jewish teenager who was suicidal. He had attempted to take his own life, feeling that he was a good for nothing who could not get anything right. Even his suicide attempt had failed. The hospital staff, seeing he was Jewish, cal...

Hi, I'm an addict. Although I've been clean for quite some time now I still call myself an addict and not a recovering addict. Let me explain myself with a story. The Kotzker Rebbe once had a talmid who thought he was ready to tackle the real world. "Let me go out into t...

1. Persistent presence of supportive friends. 2. Chronic Positive Expectations: tendency to frame events in a positive light. 3. Increased sensitivity to others. 4. Tendency to adapt to changing situations. 5. Repeated episodes of gratitude and generosity. 6. Com...

I learned two halachos recently that relate to some beautiful things about recovery. The first one is: If chometz is sent to you in the mail on Pesach, you do not have to accept it. Basically, this is the same message that a friend of mine in the SLAA group says: "If som...

"One thing I've asked from Hashem, that I dwell in the house of Hashem all the days of my life..." -Psalm 27 "All the days of my life" doesn't mean from now until I go away from this world. It means from the day I was born until the day I pass away from this world. What ...

To my star pupil, I am writing this letter to let you know what I think of you. Up here in heaven things are not like they are down on Earth. Over there, people only know what they can see. If they see a person is "successful", they think that he is the greatest guy. Whe...