Recent Posts
Looking to the Holy Family to Better Love Our Own Family
The disease of alcoholism and addiction is often referred to as the family disease. This is because if someone who suffers from addiction looks hard enough they can often find others in their own family who suffer. For us in recovery, when we take a moment to look...
Developing a “Holiday Battle Plan” to Maintain Our Recovery
With proper preparation, winter is a time to get cozy and a time to indulge in all sorts of things: comfort food, delicious treats, and open fires. Winter can also offer us more time. We can develop new skills, sharpen old ones, and prepare for the following year. But...
How a Mental Health Disorder Can Greatly Affect Our Recovery
In some of my previous articles, I may have mentioned my diagnosis with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) but I haven’t really written about it at great length. Nor have I articulated it in reference to my recovery journey. I’m convinced both in my experience of...
Reflecting on the Step Nine Promises
We learn to live sober through the Twelve Steps. In doing so we find God. And in finding God we find ourselves. Miracles occur when we finally surrender everything to God and take action. One of the biggest miracles is realizing we can actually live without drugs and...
Ways to Avoid Playing the Victim and Blaming Others
We all do it. The blame game. We tend to blame others for our faults. We start when we are quite young, blaming a sibling or even the dog for the broken lamp. This is so common that almost everyone can recall either blaming someone else or being the one getting blamed...
The Importance of Routine for Maintaining Recovery
From the military to sports to the spiritual life, routine is critical for success. However, maintaining a routine can seem boring, rigid, and stifling. I admittedly shared this view for several years. But for addicts who truly wish to be successful in their recovery,...
Applying St. Ignatius’ Rules of Discernment to Recovery: Part One
In my own recovery, I have found many helpful tools in St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises. I could almost call the Exercises a recovery program for addiction and codependency. Within these exercises, St. Ignatius offers rules for the “discernment of...
Haunted by Sexual Dreams: How to Avoid Relapse with Masturbation and Pornography
In attempting to overcome the struggle with pornography and masturbation, some men may begin having multiple sexual dreams a week, including “wet dreams.” In the case of wet dreams, those prone to having them may have also experienced them as boys, though perhaps...
A Reflection on Attachment, Addiction, Psychology, and Spiritual Formation: Part Five
Attachment, as we have seen in previous articles (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four), is central to addiction, recovery, and spiritual growth. St. Ignatius of Loyola describes his Spiritual Exercises as “every way of preparing and disposing the soul to rid...
Continuing Onward After the Thrill of Recovery Is Gone
“Same dances in the same old shoes Some habits that you just can't lose There's no telling what a man might use After the thrill is gone” - The Eagles A few months ago, I was going back and forth in a text conversation with a friend from my home 12-step group. Though...
Looking to the Holy Family to Better Love Our Own Family
The disease of alcoholism and addiction is often referred to as the family disease. This is because if someone who suffers from addiction looks hard enough they can often find others in their own family who suffer. For us in recovery, when we take a moment to look...
Developing a “Holiday Battle Plan” to Maintain Our Recovery
With proper preparation, winter is a time to get cozy and a time to indulge in all sorts of things: comfort food, delicious treats, and open fires. Winter can also offer us more time. We can develop new skills, sharpen old ones, and prepare for the following year. But...
How a Mental Health Disorder Can Greatly Affect Our Recovery
In some of my previous articles, I may have mentioned my diagnosis with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) but I haven’t really written about it at great length. Nor have I articulated it in reference to my recovery journey. I’m convinced both in my experience of...
Reflecting on the Step Nine Promises
We learn to live sober through the Twelve Steps. In doing so we find God. And in finding God we find ourselves. Miracles occur when we finally surrender everything to God and take action. One of the biggest miracles is realizing we can actually live without drugs and...
Ways to Avoid Playing the Victim and Blaming Others
We all do it. The blame game. We tend to blame others for our faults. We start when we are quite young, blaming a sibling or even the dog for the broken lamp. This is so common that almost everyone can recall either blaming someone else or being the one getting blamed...
The Importance of Routine for Maintaining Recovery
From the military to sports to the spiritual life, routine is critical for success. However, maintaining a routine can seem boring, rigid, and stifling. I admittedly shared this view for several years. But for addicts who truly wish to be successful in their recovery,...
Applying St. Ignatius’ Rules of Discernment to Recovery: Part One
In my own recovery, I have found many helpful tools in St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises. I could almost call the Exercises a recovery program for addiction and codependency. Within these exercises, St. Ignatius offers rules for the “discernment of...
Haunted by Sexual Dreams: How to Avoid Relapse with Masturbation and Pornography
In attempting to overcome the struggle with pornography and masturbation, some men may begin having multiple sexual dreams a week, including “wet dreams.” In the case of wet dreams, those prone to having them may have also experienced them as boys, though perhaps...
A Reflection on Attachment, Addiction, Psychology, and Spiritual Formation: Part Five
Attachment, as we have seen in previous articles (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four), is central to addiction, recovery, and spiritual growth. St. Ignatius of Loyola describes his Spiritual Exercises as “every way of preparing and disposing the soul to rid...
Continuing Onward After the Thrill of Recovery Is Gone
“Same dances in the same old shoes Some habits that you just can't lose There's no telling what a man might use After the thrill is gone” - The Eagles A few months ago, I was going back and forth in a text conversation with a friend from my home 12-step group. Though...