Recent Posts
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,...
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...
Chantal Begins Her Recovery from Meth Addiction on the Steps of a Catholic Church
When Chantal was in the 9th grade she had her first drink: her father’s peppermint schnapps. For her, it was the response to the turmoil brewing within her family, her father’s controlling and suffocating strictness and his drinking. She would move onto smoking when...
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...
Remember, You Are God’s Beloved!
Each of us has an ache in our hearts: an emptiness and need to feel complete. We are wounded because, for many of us, our earthly fathers never effectively communicated the message each of us needs desperately to hear: “You are my beloved son in whom I am well...
How to Overcome Falling Indefinitely to Pornography and Masturbation
“I hate myself! I just made a great confession and felt clean and blessed. So, why did I commit this sin yet again?” I often had the above thought when I fell to sexual sin and before I took my recovery from pornography and masturbation seriously. Perhaps it’s a...
How Contracting COVID-19 Deepened My Appreciation for Suffering with Christ
Most of my adult life was spent complaining when it came to any kind of pain or suffering—even though the majority of this pain was self-induced and in the form of terrible hangovers. I would whine and complain, asking “Why me?” And when I became ill or was injured I...
Jon’s Miraculous Moment of Prayer Breaks Years of Alcoholism
It was several decades ago while sitting around a campfire as a teenager when Jon realized what alcohol could do for him. After a few beers, he could become someone else — someone funny, good with girls, charming, self-confident — the type of person he had always...
A Reflection on Attachment, Addiction, Psychology, and Spiritual Formation: Part Four
Attachment, as we have seen in previous articles (Part One, Part Two, and Part Three), is central to addiction, recovery, and spiritual growth. But what do St. Ignatius and St. John of the Cross mean by “attachments”? And how does that tie to our recovery from...
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,...
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...
Chantal Begins Her Recovery from Meth Addiction on the Steps of a Catholic Church
When Chantal was in the 9th grade she had her first drink: her father’s peppermint schnapps. For her, it was the response to the turmoil brewing within her family, her father’s controlling and suffocating strictness and his drinking. She would move onto smoking when...
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...
Remember, You Are God’s Beloved!
Each of us has an ache in our hearts: an emptiness and need to feel complete. We are wounded because, for many of us, our earthly fathers never effectively communicated the message each of us needs desperately to hear: “You are my beloved son in whom I am well...
How to Overcome Falling Indefinitely to Pornography and Masturbation
“I hate myself! I just made a great confession and felt clean and blessed. So, why did I commit this sin yet again?” I often had the above thought when I fell to sexual sin and before I took my recovery from pornography and masturbation seriously. Perhaps it’s a...
How Contracting COVID-19 Deepened My Appreciation for Suffering with Christ
Most of my adult life was spent complaining when it came to any kind of pain or suffering—even though the majority of this pain was self-induced and in the form of terrible hangovers. I would whine and complain, asking “Why me?” And when I became ill or was injured I...
Jon’s Miraculous Moment of Prayer Breaks Years of Alcoholism
It was several decades ago while sitting around a campfire as a teenager when Jon realized what alcohol could do for him. After a few beers, he could become someone else — someone funny, good with girls, charming, self-confident — the type of person he had always...
A Reflection on Attachment, Addiction, Psychology, and Spiritual Formation: Part Four
Attachment, as we have seen in previous articles (Part One, Part Two, and Part Three), is central to addiction, recovery, and spiritual growth. But what do St. Ignatius and St. John of the Cross mean by “attachments”? And how does that tie to our recovery from...