Step 9 - Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. The ninth step meant something quite different to me during my first attempt to work the steps. And as a result of my insane thinking and lack of...
Is your heart breaking and do you feel helpless from watching a family member or someone you love struggle with active addiction? Are you struggling to cope with the negative consequences that their addiction had brought into your life and theirs? If so, you are not...
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...
“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...
“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...
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...
Satan is a killer. Given the chance he will happily kill your marriage, your family, your relationships, your joy, and your faith: “He's the enemy...avoid him at all costs” (James 4:7). The world is experiencing a health pandemic. However, as Christians and Catholics,...
Recently, I was having dinner with a friend who was describing a close friend’s sudden collapse of character, which included behaviors and activities that weren’t congruent with this person’s normal character. As a layman, I can’t diagnose the situation but it...
I am not an addict. I married an unrecovered sex and porn addict but didn't know it. That's the simple truth. Since separating from my Catholic husband of over 26 years, many things have become clear to me. One thing is how differently he and I perceive suffering....
Having the “talk” with my significant other was the most terrifying conversation I’ve had: the “talk” where I revealed that I was a porn addict. The evil of my addiction was a contributing factor in the destruction of my first marriage. And though I had started my...