You can be happy if you are willing to let go of your past and leave yourself unencumbered so you can fly freely. Chris Prentiss More Quotes by Chris Prentiss More Quotes From Chris Prentiss What determines each person's state of happiness or unhappiness is not the event itself, but what the event means to that person. Chris Prentiss unhappiness events mean Embrace simplicity…be content with what you have and are, and not one can despoil you. Chris Prentiss embrace simplicity The best way for you to get that new experience is to change your response to what happens. Chris Prentiss response new-experiences way The events that occur in my life are workout situations. They are there for my benefit so I can become strong and gain wisdom and information by working my way through those situations. Chris Prentiss information workout strong When you need an idea about how to do anything, get quiet and relaxed and think about what it is you need to know. Then the flow of ideas will come. Be patient and let it happen. Sometimes it takes a little while, but it always works. Chris Prentiss littles ideas thinking To give up power to change for the better is inherently distasteful to everyone, and to force people to affirm that they are addicts or alcoholics so they can speak in a meeting is shameful and demoralizing. Chris Prentiss change-for-the-better giving-up people Think about the stigma that is attached to the idea that alcoholism is a disease, an incurable illness, and you have it. That's a terrible thing to inflict on someone. Labeling alcoholism as a disease, a cause unto itself, simply no longer fits with what we know today about its causes. Chris Prentiss disease ideas thinking How you conduct yourself along the path that is your life determines how your life unfolds. Chris Prentiss determine path Even if it is painful and lonely, associate with worthy companions. Chris Prentiss worthy painful lonely I wrote this book to show you that a cure is entirely possible because I've seen it happen over and over again. Chris Prentiss sobriety inspirational book The Universe doesn't make mistakes. Chris Prentiss making-mistakes universe mistake You are not an alcoholic or an addict. You are not incurably diseased. You have merely become dependent on substances or addictive behavior to cope with underlying conditions that you are now going to heal, at which time your dependency will cease completely and forever. Chris Prentiss substance behavior forever The true source of happiness is within each of us. Chris Prentiss source-of-happiness source At the bottom of every person's dependency, there is always pain, Discovering the pain and healing it is an essential step in ending dependency. Chris Prentiss pain healing steps If you can stop using substance or stop your addictive behavior for extended periods of time without craving, you are not dependent. You are dependent only if you can't stop without physical or psychological distress (you have unpleasant physical and/or psychological withdrawal symptoms) or if you stop and then relapse. Chris Prentiss withdrawal psychological substance There is only one way to achieve lasting happiness. That is simply: Be happy. Chris Prentiss lasting-happiness achieve way When people who believe themselves to be addicts or alcoholics come under great stress or trauma, they mentally give themselves permission to drink or use drugs as a remedy. Chris Prentiss stress giving believe If you examine your motive for doing anything, you'll soon discover that your reason is that you believe it will make you happy. Chris Prentiss make-you-happy reason believe Stress comes from the way you relate to events or situations. Chris Prentiss events stress way If you feel depressed for an hour, you've produced approximately eighteen billion new cells that have more receptors calling out for depressed-type peptides and fewer calling out for feel-good peptides. Chris Prentiss feel-good cells calling