likerdup1

You've made a lot of good points here, but it will fall on the deaf ears of the THC addicts who frequent this part of the forum.

Well sure, survival of the fittest is alive and well wherever one may be.

Another example of an unwitting foreigner expecting things to be "to code" as they are in his country of origin. You have to be always on alert doing anything in Thailand. Always doubly careful driving, walking, talking, shopping whatever!! It's not your parents nation! My God, wake up expats! Thailand is not your USA, England, France, Norway, Sweden etc etc etc! I learned my lesson trying to jay-walk in Bangkok. Got hit by a car. Last time I do ANYTHING casually when out and about!

The promises you are referring to are the 9th step promises. They are not the twelve promises of AA. There are many more than twelve. The "phase of development" referred to is the 9th step. There are promises for Step 2, Step 3, Step 4, Step 5, Step 9, Step 10, Step 11 and 12. Many more than just the 9th step promises you call the AA promises in your blog post. Please see an exhaustive list of the AA promises in my blog post below. In fact the greatest of all the promises in the Big Book (IMHO) are the 10 Step promises found on page 84. https://www.prestongroup.org/aa_docs/10th_Step_Promises.pdf Here is a blog post I wrote that outlines most all of the AA promises including the 9th step promises you are referring to as the "promises of AA". The complete list of promises of AA are in my blog post here. https://neweraspiritual.blogspot.com/2021/06/promises-of-12-steps-as-found-in-book.html If you'd like to know more about the AA 12 step program I'd be happy to refer you to some great Big Book study groups that are literature based and solution based AA groups endeavoring to carry the accurate message of AA.

It's worth a try. What could happen? They might refuse it. But I hvae a feeling it would be fine. Worst case you'd enter on another 30 day visa exempt. ....If they are allowing back to back visa exempt entries. I may have been in the same situation but my eVisa was approved today in time for my flight later this month. I would have tried exactly what you are proposing. Enter on visa exempt. Stay 30 days, exit then re-inter on the 60 day STV. IMHO They are back logged right now. No more 45 day visa exempt. The first time I applied for an eVisa it literally took only one day. This was back in Jan. I couldn't use it though since my plans changed. This time I applied on March 23 and it's now been approved today. 8 Business days.

Let me apologize as my previous post wasn't kind and I see that now. That's wrong of me. My point about Thailand being a poor country is that it has a low GDP/PCI compared to most all western countries. That fact that their leaders take advantage of the citizens and get rich has been the case for many many years. (Same with Phils and many other SE Asian countries) My point is that the current state of affairs more than likely doesn't have anything to do with your perception that Thais aren't smiling that much theses days. It is more likely about where you go and live than anything.

Has the OP visited every corner of Thailand? Where is it he goes where there are no smiles anymore? This is pretty myopic. Hyperbole IMHO. I contend that the OP probably lives in a tourist area of Thailand like Phuket or Pattaya. If the OP lives in Pattaya or Phuket then he's not really experiencing real Thai culture and probably is the kind of expat that never really cared enough to learn the culture or even learn the language. In Pattaya and other heavy resort towns Thai culture, manners and etiquette are long gone. Certain visitors from certain countries (China, Russia and other insensitive farangs) have no respect for the culture and don't even take the time to investigate it. Thai workers become jaded having been disrespected and treated poorly over and over. For expats that live here very few of them even make the effort to learn the language. It is really galling, lazy and disrespectful. I wonder if the OP knows how to speak much Thai at all. The insensitivity of farangs visiting Thailand insisting that the country their visiting bend to their customs and ways jades most Thai's who experience it over and over day and day out and then... no not many jaded Thais in these tourist towns smile any more because they meet so many drunk, disrespectful, disgruntled farangs and bear the brunt of their insensitive behavior. So, by doing a little research into Thai culture one can find out just what a "smile" really means from a Thai citizen. When a Thai smiles it can be when they are really nervous, confronted or found out in a lie or guilt. Or when doing business and trying to sell you something. Yea the smiles abound. You are equating smiles with Happiness. Thats a mistake in Thailand. That may be the case sometimes and more so in western culture but in Thailand smiling does not always accompany happiness. Life sucks and then you die and in Thailand it can really suck and HAS sucked for many many years not just lately. It's a poor country and a lot of people have lived and do live in hardship. So the lack of smiles WHERE YOU ARE has nothing to do with the current state of affairs.

Glad you find it as a solution to ADHD as a way to earn more money. If that's what you are looking for out of life. Did a Doctor prescribe for you?

Nothing a little tea money won't cure ????

Another reason to avoid Pattaya these days. Way too overbuilt, overcrowded and noisy. I want a quiet retirement!!

So does Changwattana go with the 800k on the day of Non-O for retirement application? I remember some reports of Desk 7 at Jomtien Immigration still asking for 2 months of 800k "seed time" for the initial Non-O ...correct? I'm arriving BKK soon and will probably opt to stay in BKK and get my Non-O in Changwattana, especially if they follow the Non-O requirements and rules.

Alcohol is dangerous as well as Heroin, Cocaine, Meth etc. Cannabis comes with it's own set of dangers especially for young developing minds. It's all <deleted> peddled to people who have problems to begin with and want to ingest a substance to feel better about themselves, life, the world around them etc. It's all a lie though. None of these things are an answer to unhappiness, depression, self-consciousnesses, anxiety etc. IMHO the problem is the MARKET. Why are there people who feel the need to alter their minds with any of these substances? THE DEMAND is the problem and then the ensuing addiction. Once addicted the individuals life goes down the toilet and they become a burden on society. Criminal, homeless etc. The problem with decriminalization and legalization is the availability to children. Mark my words. Now that pot is legal in most states in the USA many more children will able to try it than ever before. It's just not good for building a healthy society.

Correct. I don't drink, smoke, shoot, snort or pop anything these days that alters my mind. I do drink coffee and even it makes me a bit nervous if I take too much. You can't get arrested for drunk driving if you haven't been drinking. At least in the USA. I'm fine with myself. I don't need a drug like alcohol, THC, cocaine or anything else to be comfortable and feel OK. I want to be present and have all my faculties available for LIFE!! I don't want to numb myself through what few years I have left. I probably have about 20 years left on this earth. I want to be present and "all there" mentally for every minute. Habitual drinking and alcohol abuse can be even worse the cannabis use. Drunk, one is even more impaired.

I used weed for a number of years and looking back I can't see ANY benefit to me whatsoever. I quit after it started making me really paranoid. Useless drug for me. I had to ask myself: Why did I need to alter my mind? What's wrong with me that I needed some drug to feel better? Why wasn't I OK without having to alter my consciousness. I don't like talking or being around people who are high. They are "under the influence" and in most all cases are not at all enhanced by being high. They feel good but act stupid, slow, dumb and useless. Same as drunkards. Their thinking is impaired and may think they are "insprired" but their perceptions are being screwed up by a "blunt" and obviously mind numbing drug. Outlawing it again is fine for me except for medical purposes.

Let's not sling mud here. Let's behave has our Higher Power would want us to. My level of comprehension of English is obvious to anyone a actually reads my posts. I'll say this. It's clear to me you are latched on to a definition of what "sober in AA" means to you and what you think it's means to others. But I contend that you should look closely at AA's great promise of recovery from Alcoholism. It's NOT ONLY sobriety. IT'S RECOVERY! Big difference. I do not announce myself as a sober alcoholic in AA meetings. AA offers something much more than just being sober. It offers recovery. I do announce myself as a recovered alcoholic having had a spiritual awakening as THE result of the steps. I am not cured but recovered as outlined all throughout the Big Book as the goal. Please do yourself a favor. Have an open mind that your many years in AA do not necessarily mean you know the true program of AA as outlined in the literature. Study the texts. Join a good literature based group. It's the best thing I ever did for myself! If you are interested in pursuing that I'd be happy to help! Message me and I'll direct you to some meetings that are solution and literature based. Also I have some favorite Big Book teachers that have great talks online. I've just realized that what we are doing here is really not appropriate. the OP was reaching out for help .. we turned this thread into a discussion far from being helpful to the OP. I"m done here. Message me directly if you want a conversation. Otherwise good luck!

Show me where in any AA literature the word "sober" is redefined. We are speaking English here right? Has the word sober "In AA" been redefined? The program of AA offers something much more than sobriety. It offers recovery from alcoholism. Man, it's a shame. You know we are talking about peoples lives here right? Alcoholism is a fatal illness my friend. Let's make sure we are communicating the AA message of recovery to people as best as possible. The AA message of recovery: Recovery from alcoholism through a spiritual awakening achieved by doing the 12 step program of Alcoholics Anonymous. The best thing I ever did was get a sponsor who knew the Big Book and Twelve and Twelve and was dedicated enough to the program to take me through it. We studied the first 164 pages of the Big Book line by line paragraph by paragraph with a DICTIONARY.

No. Gonna need documentation for Immigration officials my friend. Bank transfers. Wires, Switft etc. have a good paper trail. And it is gonna have to be one years worth of transactions from what I recall. (check it out) Going with the 800k in the bank is a better option IMHO.

How's your experience with BitKub? If a farang in Thailand can open an account and sell BTC, ETH or other to Thai Baht that would be stellar! Will a Thai drivers license work?

For anyone who is having a drinking problem and wishes to check out AA doing it online is a very easy way! You can go to meetings online at anytime of night or day and don't even have to show your face. You can just listen. Share if you wish. Participate or not. AA doesn't require you to do anything in meetings. One can just "take a peak" in a meeting and not turn on the video and just listen. Use the zoom video conference app on a smart phone, computer or tablet. It's an easy way to check out AA in the comfort of your own home. If you are in Thailand there is an online group that meets at noon everyday. http://aathailand.info More online meetings of AA from these websites. Meeting are going on 24/7 365 days a year! https://aa-intergroup.org https://aathailand.org

What it means to me is what it means in English. Twisting the English language and making up our own definitions of words makes communication difficult at best. If we are talking about a method of recovery from alcoholism then "what words mean to me" is dangerous. We are talking about saving peoples lives in AA. What the words mean is much more important. We are using the English language here correct? So let's look at a definition. SOBER: adjective Not intoxicated or affected by the use of alcohol or drugs. Abstaining from or habitually abstemious in the use of alcoholic drink or other intoxicants. Straightforward and serious; not exaggerated, emotional, or silly. Not drinking does not necessarily mean one is recovered from alcoholism. Being recovered from alcoholism is the great promise as described in the Big Book. So sober time in AA does not necessarily mean a person is recovered from alcoholism. Especially if that person is not a real alcoholic as described in The Doctors Opinion, There is a Solution and More about Alcoholism chapters in the Big Book. It is a sad reality in the modern day AA fellowship. A good many people, some sober awhile in the fellowship have not taken short time to STUDY the basic text of AA society. The Big Book and Twelve and Twelve. They've been going to meetings for years and never studied even the first 164 pages of the Big Book. Why? It's sad. My group is a literature group. We make sure anybody new knows exactly what the AA program is as laid out in the literature. This is so they at least have the opportunity to know what's available and the promises of hope and recovery available if they are willing to do that work. This is the great hope of AA. RECOVER intransitive verb To regain the use of (a faculty) or be restored to (a normal or usual condition). intransitive verb To regain a normal or usual condition, as of health. intransitive verb To cause to be restored to a normal or usual condition. Through doing the 12step program of AA I've regained my life and been restored to what most people would say is a normal existence. Nobody would guess I'm alcoholic if they looked at a day or week in my life. (except if they observed me going to meetings)

Going to meetings of AA and doing the 12 step program of AA are two different things. Going to meetings does not bring about recovery from alcoholism. (coming in and out of AA doesn't cut it, going to meetings will not bring about recovery) Doing the 12 steps brings about a spiritual awakening required to be recovered the AA way. Sobriety (not drinking is one thing) Actual recovery from alcoholism is quite different. The 10th step promises on pg 84 of the book are what a recovered alcoholic looks like. My stats are my experience in doing 12th step work. Of all the men I've sponsored over the last 25 years the ones who do all the steps as designed and laid out in the Big Book recover. 100% recovery rate. They go onto sponsor other men. It's a pure joy to experience! My AA group has several of my sponsees in it who are now sponsoring new commers. Magical! Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. There are a fair number of people with long term sobriety in AA who are not real alcoholics as defined in the AA Big Book. These people do not have what it takes to help real alcoholics. Those are the folks who just go to meetings and don't do the steps and stay sober long term. They are most likely not a real alcoholic as defined in the Big Book. Doctors Opinion and the Chapter "More about Alcoholism."

Go to some AA meetings my friend. Try your best to dry out again and use this website to go to online meetings. https://aa-intergroup.org You can go to meetings online at anytime of night or day and don't even have to show your face. You can just listen. Share if you wish. Participate or not. AA doesn't require you to do anything in a meeting. use the zoom app on cell phone or computer. It's an easy way to check out AA in the comfort of your own home. If you are in Thailand there is an online group that meets at noon everyday. http://aathailand.info

Yes, also most all real alcoholics who go to AA meetings and do not do the 12 step program of recovery will relapse and not succeed. Many people don't understand there is a big difference between just going to AA meeting and really doing the 12 step work. Doing the 12 steps takes a lot of work, willingness, open mindedness and courage.

Show me any AA literature stating that they have a cure for alcoholism. They do not. Only recovery. Where do you get these stats? Do you know what it takes to become recovered the AA way?

If one is alcoholic by definition they lack self discipline to "resist alcohol's temptation" otherwise most all alcoholics would just stop drinking once things get bad. AA understands alcoholics are powerless to abstain on self will or "resist temptation" and recommends contact with a Power Greater to get the needed power. AA is a spiritual program of action.