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Recent Posts
How My Family’s “Disease” of Addiction Became My Family’s Path to Sanctity
Sep 5, 2019 | Alcohol & Drug Addiction, Personal Testimonies, The Twelve Steps
I was outraged when someone suggested that I suffered from a “family disease” when my child began using drugs. During the ebb and flow of our family’s now eight-year struggle with addiction, I have pondered the idea of addiction as a family disease. How could someone...
What a Mentor and a Beautiful Girl Taught Me about Risking Rejection
Sep 3, 2019 | Alcohol & Drug Addiction, The Twelve Steps
About two years ago, a mentor of mine invited me up to go sailing on Lake Erie to a somewhat famous tourist attraction called Put-In-Bay. It was October Fest weekend, which gave people all the more reason to drink excessively and act nutty. Of the group of guys I was...
The Serenelli Project Offers Those Released from Prison Recovery, Fellowship, and Home
Sep 1, 2019 | 12-Step Meetings, Addiction, Community, Getting Sober
After many years of struggling with alcohol, drugs, and sex addiction, Stephanie found sobriety at the age of 33. It was during that first year of her recovery that she also returned to the faith of her childhood, joining RCIA and becoming a confirmed Catholic. That...
A Step Four and Step Five Reflection: Shedding Light on the Darkest Places in Our Soul
Aug 27, 2019 | Alcohol & Drug Addiction, Spiritual Tools, The Sacraments, The Twelve Steps
Step Four: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Step Five: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. I was warned by my sponsor that many people find Step Four and Step Five very difficult—some...
How Scripture and Prayer Helped Me Overcome My Sexual Addictions
Aug 22, 2019 | Alcohol & Drug Addiction, Pornography & Sexual Addiction, Prayer & Scripture Reflections, Spiritual Tools
One of the keys to moving away from habitual sin is spending time daily with Scripture and in prayer. Most of us have heard this for years and our immediate response might be, "I don't have time." I felt this way 10 years ago. But I can tell you today, as I enjoy over...
This Is True! The Need for Affirmation from the Community
Aug 20, 2019 | Alcohol & Drug Addiction, The Twelve Steps
On my path of recovery, one of the absolute best experiences I have had was my time spent in inpatient rehab. I spent 35 days in a facility in order to receive help for my addiction to pornography. However, to my surprise, I was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive...
A Step Three Reflection: Giving God Unfettered Access to Our Lives
Aug 13, 2019 | Other Addictions, Prayer & Scripture Reflections, The Twelve Steps
Step Three: Made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to God. My 12-step experience has been in overeaters anonymous (OA). But it was in an area beyond food where the depth of my third step came into sharper focus for me: personal finance. I was on a walk...
A Simple Breathing Exercise for Becoming More Like Mary with Our Eyes Fixed on God
Aug 8, 2019 | Alcohol & Drug Addiction, Help from the Saints, Prayer & Scripture Reflections, Spiritual Tools, The Twelve Steps
One of the tools that I learned as I went through the Consoling the Heart of Jesus: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat spiritual practice to help navigate challenging situations was a beautiful breathing exercise. Even today, over three years clean of my porn addiction, when...
What My Recovery Has Taught Me About Dealing With Loss and Grief
Aug 6, 2019 | Prayer & Scripture Reflections, The Twelve Steps
Why is the subject of death so hard to talk about? Is it because when a loved one dies each one of us responds and copes with this loss in a completely unique and personal way? And if I died today, would I be right with God, myself, and others? Would I be reunited...
Priscilla Overcomes an Eating Disorder that Nearly Killed Her by God’s Grace and the Catholic Church
Aug 1, 2019 | Personal Testimonies
When I was a student at university, I participated in a complimentary counseling session with a therapist. During the introductory assessment, I indicated that I had purged the night before. My therapist scheduled a follow-up appointment. At the end of the semester,...
![How My Family’s “Disease” of Addiction Became My Family’s Path to Sanctity](https://catholicinrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/kevin-delvecchio-7noZJ_4nhU8-unsplash-e1567516129985.jpg)
How My Family’s “Disease” of Addiction Became My Family’s Path to Sanctity
Sep 5, 2019 | Alcohol & Drug Addiction, Personal Testimonies, The Twelve Steps
I was outraged when someone suggested that I suffered from a “family disease” when my child began using drugs. During the ebb and flow of our family’s now eight-year struggle with addiction, I have pondered the idea of addiction as a family disease. How could someone...
![What a Mentor and a Beautiful Girl Taught Me about Risking Rejection](https://catholicinrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/julia-caesar-DYTQrnJ5FJ0-unsplash-e1565978077883.jpg)
What a Mentor and a Beautiful Girl Taught Me about Risking Rejection
Sep 3, 2019 | Alcohol & Drug Addiction, The Twelve Steps
About two years ago, a mentor of mine invited me up to go sailing on Lake Erie to a somewhat famous tourist attraction called Put-In-Bay. It was October Fest weekend, which gave people all the more reason to drink excessively and act nutty. Of the group of guys I was...
![The Serenelli Project Offers Those Released from Prison Recovery, Fellowship, and Home](https://catholicinrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/CIR-Blog-Testimonials-2-1080x600.png)
The Serenelli Project Offers Those Released from Prison Recovery, Fellowship, and Home
Sep 1, 2019 | 12-Step Meetings, Addiction, Community, Getting Sober
After many years of struggling with alcohol, drugs, and sex addiction, Stephanie found sobriety at the age of 33. It was during that first year of her recovery that she also returned to the faith of her childhood, joining RCIA and becoming a confirmed Catholic. That...
![A Step Four and Step Five Reflection: Shedding Light on the Darkest Places in Our Soul](https://catholicinrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Albrecht_Dürer_-_Christ_as_the_Man_of_Sorrows_-_WGA06911-e1566919503428.jpg)
A Step Four and Step Five Reflection: Shedding Light on the Darkest Places in Our Soul
Aug 27, 2019 | Alcohol & Drug Addiction, Spiritual Tools, The Sacraments, The Twelve Steps
Step Four: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Step Five: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. I was warned by my sponsor that many people find Step Four and Step Five very difficult—some...
![How Scripture and Prayer Helped Me Overcome My Sexual Addictions](https://catholicinrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ben-white-1MHU3zpTvro-unsplash.jpg)
How Scripture and Prayer Helped Me Overcome My Sexual Addictions
Aug 22, 2019 | Alcohol & Drug Addiction, Pornography & Sexual Addiction, Prayer & Scripture Reflections, Spiritual Tools
One of the keys to moving away from habitual sin is spending time daily with Scripture and in prayer. Most of us have heard this for years and our immediate response might be, "I don't have time." I felt this way 10 years ago. But I can tell you today, as I enjoy over...
![This Is True! The Need for Affirmation from the Community](https://catholicinrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/sydney-rae-geM5lzDj4Iw-unsplash-1-e1565048458724.jpg)
This Is True! The Need for Affirmation from the Community
Aug 20, 2019 | Alcohol & Drug Addiction, The Twelve Steps
On my path of recovery, one of the absolute best experiences I have had was my time spent in inpatient rehab. I spent 35 days in a facility in order to receive help for my addiction to pornography. However, to my surprise, I was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive...
![A Step Three Reflection: Giving God Unfettered Access to Our Lives](https://catholicinrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/CIR-Religious-W_Copy-16-e1565710602538.png)
A Step Three Reflection: Giving God Unfettered Access to Our Lives
Aug 13, 2019 | Other Addictions, Prayer & Scripture Reflections, The Twelve Steps
Step Three: Made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to God. My 12-step experience has been in overeaters anonymous (OA). But it was in an area beyond food where the depth of my third step came into sharper focus for me: personal finance. I was on a walk...
![A Simple Breathing Exercise for Becoming More Like Mary with Our Eyes Fixed on God](https://catholicinrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Sassoferrato_-_Jungfrun_i_bön-e1565710885244.jpg)
A Simple Breathing Exercise for Becoming More Like Mary with Our Eyes Fixed on God
Aug 8, 2019 | Alcohol & Drug Addiction, Help from the Saints, Prayer & Scripture Reflections, Spiritual Tools, The Twelve Steps
One of the tools that I learned as I went through the Consoling the Heart of Jesus: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat spiritual practice to help navigate challenging situations was a beautiful breathing exercise. Even today, over three years clean of my porn addiction, when...
![What My Recovery Has Taught Me About Dealing With Loss and Grief](https://catholicinrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/anton-darius-thesollers-lQMtXKvBmuw-unsplash.jpg)
What My Recovery Has Taught Me About Dealing With Loss and Grief
Aug 6, 2019 | Prayer & Scripture Reflections, The Twelve Steps
Why is the subject of death so hard to talk about? Is it because when a loved one dies each one of us responds and copes with this loss in a completely unique and personal way? And if I died today, would I be right with God, myself, and others? Would I be reunited...
![The Serenelli Project Offers Those Released from Prison Recovery, Fellowship, and Home](https://catholicinrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/CIR-Blog-Testimonials-2-1080x600.png)
Priscilla Overcomes an Eating Disorder that Nearly Killed Her by God’s Grace and the Catholic Church
Aug 1, 2019 | Personal Testimonies
When I was a student at university, I participated in a complimentary counseling session with a therapist. During the introductory assessment, I indicated that I had purged the night before. My therapist scheduled a follow-up appointment. At the end of the semester,...