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Recent Posts
A Look at Internal Family Systems Therapy for Adult Children of Dysfunctional Homes
Mar 1, 2023 | Adult Children of an Alcoholic, Psychology & Therapy, Therapy
In ACA (Adult Children of Alcoholics) and ACDH (Adult Children of Dysfunctional Homes) meetings, we often hear about people doing IFS (Internal Family Systems) therapy. So I decided to do a little research and discovered Souls and Hearts founded by Dr. Peter...
Do I Really Need a Sponsor for Food-related Recovery?
Feb 22, 2023 | 12-Step Sponsorship, Compulsive Eating Behaviors, Sponsorship/Mentorship
The short answer? Yes. The long answer? Yes, you can’t do this alone. If you are like me, you have begged God to relieve you of your addictive or compulsive behavior. I can’t tell you how many times I prayed, asking God to make me wake up thin and promising to give...
Beauty, Eros, and Why Pornography Is So Hard to Overcome
Feb 14, 2023 | Pornography & Sexual Addiction, Sex/Pornography
In his writings, Saint Thomas Aquinas describes sight to be the principal and primary of all the senses. His reasoning is that when we open our eyes and look at something, we are immediately abstracting—taking into our minds—what we see and rearranging it in an...
The Magic If: Acting Our Way out of Compulsive Overeating
Jan 11, 2023 | Compulsive Eating Behaviors, Getting Sober, Other Addictions, Spiritual Tools
I never imagined that God would use my theatre degree to save my life. Since I received my acting and directing training before Method Acting got its current bad reputation, I was trained in what’s called Stanislavski’s Method, which involves a number of exercises an...
Dante and Recovery Part 2: Vice, Virtue, and Character Defects
Jan 11, 2023 | General, Getting Sober, God, Pornography & Sexual Addiction, Sex/Pornography
In my previous article, I discussed how Dante made his descent into the depths of Hell to not only witness the torments of unrepentant sinners but also face down his own sin and personal hell. At the end of Dante’s Inferno, at the very bottom of the ninth circle,...
15 Ways to Celebrate without Food or Alcohol (Plus 1 Bonus)
Dec 19, 2022 | Community, General, Service, Spiritual Tools
I recently discovered that the word “celebration” comes from the Latin root celebrare, which implies groups of people assembling together for the purpose of honor and praise. This is why we as Catholics say that we “celebrate the sacraments.” Celebration by its very...
Recovery and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Nov 30, 2022 | Pornography & Sexual Addiction, Sex/Pornography, Spiritual Tools
How can each gift of the Holy Spirit help us stay sober in our recovery as well as grow closer to the Lord? As Saint Thomas Aquinas illuminated, God helps humanity in its process of perfection with particular habits. These habits or instincts enable us to transcend...
The Gift of the Inner “Loving Parent” for Adult Children of Alcoholics
Nov 23, 2022 | Adult Children of an Alcoholic, Family, Loved One of an Addict, Therapy
For members of Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA), part of our solution for healing is to become our own loving parents. We do this through 12-step work and by taking a blameless inventory of our caregivers to recognize the wounds that we received from them so that we...
All Things Unholy: From Sexual Addiction to Merciful Liberation
Nov 16, 2022 | 12-Step Meetings, Addiction, Codependence, Getting Sober, Loved One of an Addict, Personal Testimonies, Personal Testimony, Pornography & Sexual Addiction, Sex/Pornography
I remember the moment I came to terms with my addiction: the moment I stepped out of denial and into God’s healing light. I had no idea what would happen. I was scared and overwhelmed with guilt and shame. I had gone almost twenty years without openly acknowledging...
Three “Catholic” Myths About Self-care (and How to Debunk Them)
Nov 1, 2022 | Addiction, Compulsive Eating Behaviors, Other Addictions
Everybody in any kind of recovery knows how cunning and patient those old thought patterns are, just waiting to sneak back up on us in the middle of a stressful day. So it really wasn’t any surprise to me when, on one of those recent stressful days, I was passing by...
![A Look at Internal Family Systems Therapy for Adult Children of Dysfunctional Homes](https://catholicinrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/230301_chloe-1.jpg)
A Look at Internal Family Systems Therapy for Adult Children of Dysfunctional Homes
Mar 1, 2023 | Adult Children of an Alcoholic, Psychology & Therapy, Therapy
In ACA (Adult Children of Alcoholics) and ACDH (Adult Children of Dysfunctional Homes) meetings, we often hear about people doing IFS (Internal Family Systems) therapy. So I decided to do a little research and discovered Souls and Hearts founded by Dr. Peter...
![Do I Really Need a Sponsor for Food-related Recovery?](https://catholicinrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/230223_celeste.jpg)
Do I Really Need a Sponsor for Food-related Recovery?
Feb 22, 2023 | 12-Step Sponsorship, Compulsive Eating Behaviors, Sponsorship/Mentorship
The short answer? Yes. The long answer? Yes, you can’t do this alone. If you are like me, you have begged God to relieve you of your addictive or compulsive behavior. I can’t tell you how many times I prayed, asking God to make me wake up thin and promising to give...
![Beauty, Eros, and Why Pornography Is So Hard to Overcome](https://catholicinrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/230214_ambrose.jpg)
Beauty, Eros, and Why Pornography Is So Hard to Overcome
Feb 14, 2023 | Pornography & Sexual Addiction, Sex/Pornography
In his writings, Saint Thomas Aquinas describes sight to be the principal and primary of all the senses. His reasoning is that when we open our eyes and look at something, we are immediately abstracting—taking into our minds—what we see and rearranging it in an...
![The Magic If: Acting Our Way out of Compulsive Overeating](https://catholicinrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/230112_emc.jpg)
The Magic If: Acting Our Way out of Compulsive Overeating
Jan 11, 2023 | Compulsive Eating Behaviors, Getting Sober, Other Addictions, Spiritual Tools
I never imagined that God would use my theatre degree to save my life. Since I received my acting and directing training before Method Acting got its current bad reputation, I was trained in what’s called Stanislavski’s Method, which involves a number of exercises an...
![Dante and Recovery Part 2: Vice, Virtue, and Character Defects](https://catholicinrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/221219_ambrose-1.jpg)
Dante and Recovery Part 2: Vice, Virtue, and Character Defects
Jan 11, 2023 | General, Getting Sober, God, Pornography & Sexual Addiction, Sex/Pornography
In my previous article, I discussed how Dante made his descent into the depths of Hell to not only witness the torments of unrepentant sinners but also face down his own sin and personal hell. At the end of Dante’s Inferno, at the very bottom of the ninth circle,...
![15 Ways to Celebrate without Food or Alcohol (Plus 1 Bonus)](https://catholicinrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CIR-Blog-Q4-2022-7.jpeg)
15 Ways to Celebrate without Food or Alcohol (Plus 1 Bonus)
Dec 19, 2022 | Community, General, Service, Spiritual Tools
I recently discovered that the word “celebration” comes from the Latin root celebrare, which implies groups of people assembling together for the purpose of honor and praise. This is why we as Catholics say that we “celebrate the sacraments.” Celebration by its very...
![Recovery and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit](https://catholicinrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/CIR-Blog-Q4-2022-5.jpeg)
Recovery and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Nov 30, 2022 | Pornography & Sexual Addiction, Sex/Pornography, Spiritual Tools
How can each gift of the Holy Spirit help us stay sober in our recovery as well as grow closer to the Lord? As Saint Thomas Aquinas illuminated, God helps humanity in its process of perfection with particular habits. These habits or instincts enable us to transcend...
![The Gift of the Inner “Loving Parent” for Adult Children of Alcoholics](https://catholicinrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/CIR-Blog-Q4-2022-4.jpeg)
The Gift of the Inner “Loving Parent” for Adult Children of Alcoholics
Nov 23, 2022 | Adult Children of an Alcoholic, Family, Loved One of an Addict, Therapy
For members of Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA), part of our solution for healing is to become our own loving parents. We do this through 12-step work and by taking a blameless inventory of our caregivers to recognize the wounds that we received from them so that we...
![All Things Unholy: From Sexual Addiction to Merciful Liberation](https://catholicinrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/CIR-Blog-Q4-2022-3.jpeg)
All Things Unholy: From Sexual Addiction to Merciful Liberation
Nov 16, 2022 | 12-Step Meetings, Addiction, Codependence, Getting Sober, Loved One of an Addict, Personal Testimonies, Personal Testimony, Pornography & Sexual Addiction, Sex/Pornography
I remember the moment I came to terms with my addiction: the moment I stepped out of denial and into God’s healing light. I had no idea what would happen. I was scared and overwhelmed with guilt and shame. I had gone almost twenty years without openly acknowledging...
![Three “Catholic” Myths About Self-care (and How to Debunk Them)](https://catholicinrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/CIR-Blog-Q4-2022-1.jpeg)
Three “Catholic” Myths About Self-care (and How to Debunk Them)
Nov 1, 2022 | Addiction, Compulsive Eating Behaviors, Other Addictions
Everybody in any kind of recovery knows how cunning and patient those old thought patterns are, just waiting to sneak back up on us in the middle of a stressful day. So it really wasn’t any surprise to me when, on one of those recent stressful days, I was passing by...