Addiction
A Step Forward After Relapse
The chicken fat dripped onto the charcoals and sizzled and flared and smoked. And the baseball game was loud on the radio. The announcer between play by play activity talked about a frosty cold bottle of beer. Those simple words ended months of sobriety. It must be admitted that that first beer tasted so good.…
Read MoreHow My Family’s “Disease” of Addiction Became My Family’s Path to Sanctity
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 else’s behavior make ME diseased?! At the same time,…
Read MoreHow Scripture and Prayer Helped Me Overcome My Sexual Addictions
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 three…
Read MoreA Simple Breathing Exercise for Becoming More Like Mary with Our Eyes Fixed on God
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 pornography, when feelings of frustration, anger, loneliness, and boredom turn my thoughts to fantasy and masturbation tempts…
Read MoreLust and Love: Two Sides of the Same Coin
Recently, I have been reflecting on how my addiction to pornography began in the first place. This took me back to a dark place in my life during college, when I had broken up with who I thought was the love of my life, which left me directionless and unstable. I had no passion for…
Read MoreTheology of the Body and Recovering from the Harm of Pornography
“Every man who enters a brothel is looking for God.” This quote, attributed to G.K. Chesterton, is one of the foundational concepts of Saint John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body,” which is a collection of talks the pope gave on human sexuality. Theology of the Body (TOB) teaches that in the Garden of Eden…
Read MoreMercy and Glorification in the Wounds of Christ
As I write this, the thought that comes to mind is: “How do you put something so vast, infinite, and truly marvelous as God’s mercy and love into words?” For those of you reading this who may not know me or my story, I am a revert to the Catholic faith. I attended Catholic school…
Read MoreThe Value of a Catholic Approach to Recovery
Michael Murphy, Ed.D., writes as a Catholic psychologist with more than three decades of experience combining clinical psychology and the Catholic faith. He writes regularly for CIR on topics related to addiction recovery, mental health, and Catholicism. As we witness the emergence of Catholic in Recovery, I find myself excited again at the thought of…
Read MoreA Step One Reflection: Relinquishing Our Self-Appointed Kingship
Step One: We admitted that we were powerless over [ ] – that our lives had become unmanageable. I like to say I walked into overeaters anonymous looking for help with my “diet” problems and walked away with something else entirely. Step One was a jarring experience for me. I found it much…
Read MoreAllowing God—Not Us!—To Order Our Steps Out of Addiction
As I started looking back on my grace-filled release from the bondage of porn, I tried to understand and explain to others my escape route. Many have asked me over the last two years what the “secret” is. After almost 40 years of being trapped, now being at the point of no longer fearing my…
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