Recovering hoarders?

[Teacher Terry]

UL: it is not true that there is not much hope-that is totally wrong!!! But I am done discussing this with you because not only do I read the studies but I have seen professionally first hand the change that people make on a permanent basis. However, I will never change your mind and that is fine. I just hope that no one that needs help listens to you because it will be an excuse for people to continue with their addictions. I don't think you are a bad person but I do think your upbringing has turned you into a negative, pessimistic person. So we will have to agree to disagree)

[Ultralight]

UL: it is not true that there is not much hope-that is totally wrong!!! But I am done discussing this with you because not only do I read the studies but I have seen professionally first hand the change that people make on a permanent basis. However, I will never change your mind and that is fine. I just hope that no one that needs help listens to you because it will be an excuse for people to continue with their addictions. I don't think you are a bad person but I do think your upbringing has turned you into a negative, pessimistic person. So we will have to agree to disagree)

If this social work thing works out then I might be an addictions counselor, which will be easy because I will just tell everyone there is no hope of them getting clean!

[ApatheticNoMore]

UL: so in looking at studies on weight loss it states that the common folk lore since the 1950's is that only 5% of people keep the weight off for a year. Of course just like people that abuse alcohol people that overeat tend to lose weight themselves and don't use a formal program so stats are hard to get. Some studies have sent out surveys to people to ask about this and what they discovered is that many more people not in official studies have maintained weight loss, etc.

yea the studies on weight loss may be less optimistic, hunger is the most basic drive (or maybe thirst). But the addiction thing from substances was just what seemed totally off to me, and I have some familiarity with it (no not because I'm an addict of course, but I have exposure). And so of course it was.

My hope is that people in need of help seek out strong, positive people, professional help if they need it or use their inner motivation/strength to help themselves.

I don't discourage anyone from doing it, they could have better luck than me and so shrug, but personally no I don't recommend professional help, professional help is mostly a waste of time and money and has a lot of negatives built right into it (like power imbalance - people might be better off with peer support - I mean the power imbalance is seriously negative when you get down to it). I would recommend both self-help and peer support (even support groups) over professional help.

[Chicken lady]

How do you do that chopping a post into little quote boxes thing?

[QUOTE=UltraliteAngler;248659]Are you unhappy about spending massive amounts of time trying to dehoard and/or churning?


Yes.


I'd just not use coupons and toss them all.



But we've established I still have time available to sell. The coupons meet my pay requirements.


It seems like you feel as though your are dehoarding for everyone else, but not really for you. How true is this?


Probably, 10% me, 90% everyone else (including my desire for positive feedback in this section)

Not bad!

But then you los any mail you actually wanted. In which case, why not just get rid of the mailbox?


Not sure what your getting at


Keeping up up with the papers is like vacuuming every day - not really worth the return compared to letting them pile in and then sorting them, say, when I'm stuck on the phone with dh mom.



How often to you buy stuff?

as rarely as possible - basically the only non consumable things I buy for myself that I don't need are the dolls and maybe every month or two a trip to the thrift store for clothes, books, studio toys and household stuff - usually under $10 total unless I buy a furniture for a specific purpose. My last thrift store trip was in early June and I bought stuff for Dd's wedding flowers and I think a cookie mold I probably have too many of. I also bought - retail - a dress and a bra for the wedding. That would be an example of something I needed.




Most of the time I am on here I am at work. I am not on here on the weekends!

that was my point.

[Ultralight]

How do you do that chopping a post into little quote boxes thing?

I copy and paste the opening quote code and the ending quote code so that it is in front of and behind, respectively, each part I want to separate into snippets.

[Teacher Terry]

ANM: yes as I stated earlier the studies show that 3x's as many people quit alcohol on their own then do in programs. But then again I know people who tried repeatedly on their own and only quit with either professional help or a 12 step program. Some places also have sober houses where people can live as long as they want. They rent a room, follow the house rules. Some people with addictions are lonely and their friends are all users so this has greatly helped people rebuild a new life. Everyone is different. UL: sorry but SW is not the right occupation for you. It needs people that are optimistic about others and their ability to change, emphatic, not negative, etc. Clients already have had enough negativity in their lives by the time they see a SW and what they need is encouragement, etc. Hope you are kidding about the addictions counseling.

[Ultralight]

About paper, here is what I do. Maybe this is an idea that could be useful in some context.

I get my mail. The junk mail gets tossed on my way back to my apartment building. My mailbox is outside. There is a dumpster on the way.

The mail with sensitive info goes into a very small box to be shred when it is full. The bills get put on the table, then paid, then put in the shred box.

I only have to shred like once a year.

[Chicken lady]

I'll try that next time.

in July so far, I bought a box of reusable canning jar lids - which are in use, a doll, and a drink that came in a souvenier cup - which I kept. I also bought a class, food, animal feed, a goat, and gasoline.

[Ultralight]

AUL: sorry but SW is not the right occupation for you. It needs people that are optimistic about others and their ability to change, emphatic, not negative, etc. Clients already have had enough negativity in their lives by the time they see a SW and what they need is encouragement, etc. Hope you are kidding about the addictions counseling.

I am kidding. I want to work for the government, city or county, in a capacity that I can kick hoarders out of their homes and condemn the houses.

[Chicken lady]

This is what I do with the mail - if I get it out of the box I toss the obvious junk mail into the recycling on the way into the house (if someone else gets it, the recycling has to be carried back out)

dh mail (I'm pretty sure if we have any sensitive info it's in here) including bills goes upstairs on his desk. There are also locations for the mail of other people in the household who may or may not pick it up promptly.

my mail either gets read and either recycled or set aside for later or just set aside for later. Usually on the kitchen table or counter near the phone. Then somebody needs to eat or cook or read blueprints, or knocks it to the floor with the phone cord and swears, and it goes into my "in box".