PJ fans in 12 step Recovery

mickeyrat

fairly new to the board and I was wondering how many like me are out there.Doesn't matter to which fellowship you may be a part of.Curious to know how certain songs or lyrics aid in your recovery.and while certianly fictional what lessons do you get from PJ's work.

Piper At The Gates

There are so many PJ tunes that I find apply but I think the best is," Saw things so much clearer, in my Rearviewmirror". Stay clean and sober, it's well worth it as time goes on.

Keiran

Congrats on taking the 12 step journey!!!! I've never been there but I have seen a 12 step program revolutionize my mother in law's life. And therefore increase the quality of the lives of everyone around her. Best of luck and hang on for the ride - it's worth it.

Damn Piper - I was gonna say "RVM"! Every time I hear "I gathered speed from you fucking with me" I hold up a gigantic middle finger to the person who emotionally abused me for 45 years. Music = Freedom
Peace

norm

Underneath this smile lies everything
all my hopes, anger, pride and shame

make yourself a pact, not to shut doors on the past
just for today,... I am free

I will not lose my faith
It's an inside job today

I know this one thing well,...

I used to try and kill love, it was the highest sin
breathing insecurity out and in

Searching hope, I'm shown the way to run straight
pursuing the greater way for all,... human light.

How I choose to feel,... Is how I am.
How I choose to feel,... Is how I am.

I will not lose my faith
It's an inside job today

Holding on, the light of night
On my knees to rise and fix my broken soul

Again.

Let me run into the rain
To be a human light again

Let me run into the rain
To shine a human light today

Life comes from within your heart and desire
Life comes from within my heart and desire
Life comes from within your heart and desire

oldfannewposter

Rearview seems to be looking back on the shit... but when you begin your journey after being in a booze/drug haze for a long time it's more like...

My lips are shakin
My nails are bit off
Its been a month since Ive heard myself talk
All this advantage this lifes got on me
Picture a coffin in the middle of the sea

The 12 steps can really be simplified to taking care of your business, and everything else will take care of itself.

saw that new post too... inside job is a great one as well.

mickeyrat

should have clarified.I'm new to the pit.I've been the rooms for awhile now and my life is incredibly better. It's just even when still using I interpreted certain songs that way(recovery).Like EWBCIAST that song just killed me.WAAAAAY back early nineties, Wash floored me enough that I tossed the tape.Couldn't let go.And then , when I was ready Wash still meant the same thing to me.Lost Dogs has a bunch of stuff The Dogs disc first 6 or 7 songs.Strange Tribe spoke to me about my new recovery family (line about angled light i.e. new perspective). From the Seattle "scene" Alice in Chains always seemed to be about the problem and PJ spoke massively of hope in a despairing kinda way.and the last disc "avocado" yeah definately Inside Job and Life Wasted speaks directly about what I left behind.

locked

so spooky because I had the exact same thought of starting a thread like this..

Have been in recovery for about 3 years now..

I read portions of the lyrics to "Thumbing My Way" and "Inside Job" to my AA group after I got my one year chip..

I use Mike McCready as my inspiration...

You can be sober and a head-banging rocker as well!

Lots of recovery themes in PJ songs...

welcome to the "Inside Job"-site thread, I guess?!

Piper At The Gates

You all have it so right with Inside Job and I Got Shit. It does come from inside. We have to draw strength from within to keep putting days of sobriety together. to have that resolve to say that no matter what, I will not lose my faith in myself, every day.

mickeyrat

imagine dvd Mike saying "to say I'm obsessed is an understatement...."
i was like YEAHHH!So many more songs that I've often wondered if ed and the boys have read the Big Book and used those themes in writing.seems like so many themes of songs correspond with with whats written. BUt those are times I need to remember that I'm bodily and mentally different from my fellows and that generally "normies" think and act , well , normally.Any way I do draw inspiration from just about all their stuff.

potluck

inside job is definately about what goes on during the road to recovery.

The 12 steps are a great way to get your life back on track but dont work for everyone. Good luck and hang in there. I hope the steps continue to do what they are suppose to for you.

Find yourself and the rest is easy.

kidrock9904

I been coming around awhile now. I often wonder about alot of their songs and sobriety. Its fun to listen to good music sober. Whole new meanings.

One Became Five

after I got my one year chip..


congratulations on that milestone!

i was a week away from my year chip and slipped.

mickeyrat

one became five,

before my wife and I got married, she went out to celebrate graduating a summer paralegal program on her ten month day.now realizes she shouldn't have gone because she was uncomfortable to begin with. We both learned a valuable lesson from that. For me , I'm to work my own program and for her she will never not need the rooms and everything that goes with them.At that time a good friend eased her mind over this by telling her she really didn't lose anything.his analogy was if i'm walking to the store and fall down half way there I don't get up and start from the beginning , I get up and keep going.

I hope you took from that experience of yours somme lessons you can apply.We did annd we're stronger individually and as a couple.

mrbako

I am not involved with aa anymore, but it was defintely helpful for me early in sobriety. Anyway, present tense.......

jmurray

I have faced it,... A life wasted,...
I'm never going back again.

Reminds me of the bottom and not wanting back there again.

pauly-p

Oh...the lights of this city.....they only look good when I'm speeding......ohhhh...this time I'm gone, so long, this time I'm gone....I'm gone!

locked

Chris Cornell is in recovery and his lyrics to "Cochise" from Audioslave seem to be 12 step themed:

Well I been watchin’
While you been coughin
I’ve been drinking life
While you been nausous
And so I drink to health
While you kill yourself
And I got just one thing
That I can offer

Go and save yourself
Take it out on me
Go and and save yourself
Take it out on me yea

Well I’m not a martyr
I’m not a prophet
And I won’t preach to you
But heres a caution
You better understand
That I won’t hold your hand
But if it helps you mend
Then I won’t stop it
*********************

I also see imagery of steps one and four in "Burden in my Hand"(Soundgarden)..to me its about the days when my disease controlled me..with selfishness and wallowing in my own dirt..
I imagine Chris was probably going through the same things when he wrote it..

Follow me into the desert
As thirsty as you are
Crack a smile and cut your mouth
And drown in alcohol
cause down below the truth is lying
Beneath the riverbed
So quench yourself and drink the water
That flows below her head

I shot my love today
would you cry for me?
I lost my head again
would you lie for me?
I left her in the sand
just a burden in my hand
I lost my head again
would you cry for me?

Close your eyes
and bow your head
I need a little sympathy
cause fear is strong
and loves for everyone
Who isnt me
So kill your health
and kill yourself
And kill everything you love
And if you live
you can fall to pieces
And suffer with my ghost
Just a burden in my hand
Just an anchor on my heart
Just a tumor in my head
And Im in the dark

So follow me into the desert
As desperate as you are
Where the moon is glued
to a picture of heaven
And all the little pigs have god

mickeyrat

well hell , almost the whole audioslave disc "out of exile " speaks to recovery for me.even alot of soundgarden speaks to recovery in a weird way.

pearlfanjam

Struggle
1 : to make strenuous or violent efforts in the face of difficulties or opposition <struggling with the problem>
2 : to proceed with difficulty or with great effort <struggled through the high grass> <struggling to make a living>
this lyric is from Indifference

I'll swallow poison till I grow Immune (Disturbing)

mickeyrat

another good line from indifference is "I'll keep taking punches til their will grows tired."

the things I seem to struggle with are the day to day mundane things. so far the desire to be and stay sober are far stronger than any desire or fleeting thought to get messed up.Fortunately I've got a good sponser and an awesome home group.meets 7 days a week.

ChadsStillAlive

Awesome thread. I have always thought about starting one like this, but just never have. Thanks for getting this discussion going. The whole PJ experience is a spiritual one for me, so therefore just about everything within it relates to my recovery. When I saw PJ at MSG this year, I was very, very emotional, particularly on Night 1. The song "Down," (played at that show) is one that comes to mind immediately. I actually quoted it Tuesday night in my meeting: "If hope can grow from dirt like me, it can be done," i.e. if I can do it, so can you - Miracles Happen.

Pearl Jam and McCready's story are all about hope and the strength of faith, trust and love to bring us into the light and ensure us that life is a gift and everything will work out in the end. So it turns out for me that PJ is another extension or appendage of my recovery, Higher Power and the 12 Steps.

locked

"all the rusted signs we ignored throughout our lives.. choosing the shiny ones instead.."

(Make sense?)

locked

bump..

anyone hung over?

(not me!)

sherm

I have to say Inside Job for obvious reasons. Thats why when I saw a thread not too long ago about how the lyrics to that song were "cheesy" I almost took it personal.

gobrowns19

locked wrote:

so spooky because I had the exact same thought of starting a thread like this..

Have been in recovery for about 3 years now..

I read portions of the lyrics to "Thumbing My Way" and "Inside Job" to my AA group after I got my one year chip..

I use Mike McCready as my inspiration...

You can be sober and a head-banging rocker as well!

Lots of recovery themes in PJ songs...

welcome to the "Inside Job"-site thread, I guess?!

It's posts like this one and ChadsStillAlive's that make me feel great to find so much enjoyment in this music.

Great thread, keep up the good fight.

smile05

i'm still so rough typing this post from last night,some really fine post's from people who are obvisouly better people than me, keep it up

all those yesterdays ~ let it all wash away BTW

Piper At The Gates

smile05 wrote:

i'm still so rough typing this post from last night,some really fine post's from people who are obvisouly better people than me, keep it up

all those yesterdays ~ let it all wash away BTW

What do you mean by better people? No one is any better than anyone else. If you mean people who have more sobriety time, that doesn't make them better, just more sober. I have met stone cold addicts and drunks who have it more together than people I know in sobriety. I know it sounds corny, but all people are equal. If you are being facetious, thats another story.

Cropdust Captain

Great topic. My best friend is in recovery, since last December. She likes Pearl Jam, not a huge fan or anything but she loves Into the Wild. I think it's helped her a great deal. I'm going to get her to listen to Inside Job though.
Some great songs listed here, All Those Yesterdays being a great mention. I'll throw out another song here, esp. for those with loved ones they're trying to help: Save You

mickeyrat

lets try to keep this hot and on top. currently out of town and away from my homegroup. did my homework and found one of 5 clubhouses in cincy.going to the one closest to hotel.matter of fact i need to change from work and get ready for the meeting.I'll be on later.

sherm

smile05 wrote:

i'm still so rough typing this post from last night,some really fine post's from people who are obvisouly better people than me, keep it up

all those yesterdays ~ let it all wash away BTW

Im a little confused by your post, its not about being better, I hope you don't really feel that way, everyone has their demons. I managed to make a little more than 5 months clean and sober before I threw it away. Honestly, I know at times Ive been playing with fire for about the last 2 years now. The last time I went to a meeting, I freaked out and never even got out of my truck, I didn't go in. This is a great thread. Good luck to all of you. I know it can be an amazing struggle at times.

mickeyrat

sherm3000 wrote:

Im a little confused by your post, its not about being better, I hope you don't really feel that way, everyone has their demons. I managed to make a little more than 5 months clean and sober before I threw it away. Honestly, I know at times Ive been playing with fire for about the last 2 years now. The last time I went to a meeting, I freaked out and never even got out of my truck, I didn't go in. This is a great thread. Good luck to all of you. I know it can be an amazing struggle at times.

I would say you haven't thrown anything away.maybe you were just sticking your toe in the water , so to speak.were you attending meetings only? I did 3 months initially not steps just meetings.doesn't work.least not for me.I'm sure the people you've met in the rooms would be very glad to see you again.and thanks for being a part of this thread.