In his book Change or Die, Alan Deutschman details the three phases required to undergo lasting change in our lives: relate, repeat, and reframe. This is also what we do to find healing and freedom in recovery. We relate to others by joining a recovery community that...
Each week, I drive by a beautiful park on my way to a recovery meeting. During my drive, I always notice a particular bench and remind myself that that’s where “it” happened—the Lord’s miraculous healing of my alcoholism. I came into the rooms of Recovery in 2013. I...
When we are caught in our active addictions or unhealthy attachments, we seek short-lived fulfillment, pleasure, and temporary reprieve from the realities and suffering of life. Yet, when we are reawakened to the Lord’s crucifix and begin working our recovery, we...
In today’s culture, the world tells us that each of us is supposed to have what it takes to satisfy our interior sense of emptiness—this hunger for more that we all feel. Those of us who have been blessed with what we call “addiction” (and yes, it is a blessing for...
The world would be uninteresting without uncertainty. There would be no fear, yes, but also no surprise. There would be no pain but there would be no joy or wonder, either. That’s why people enjoy scary movies in which the monster isn’t revealed until Act III or never...
As a faithful member of Catholic in Recovery and Alcoholics Anonymous, I’m abundantly blessed to have so many avenues at my disposal to remain sober and grateful to be able to share my experience, strength, and hope with others. But what if I told you that even with a...
Step Five: “Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.” My journey into a lasting and more abundant sober life coincided with my diving deeper into my Catholic faith. I had been in, out of, and around AA for 14 years. But...
During my own recovery, I have found C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters to be particularly useful in navigating the emotional fallout from a relapse as well as an aid during periods of temptation. The Screwtape Letters is a fictional work detailing a collection of...
I’ve written about how going it alone in recovery without support, guidance, and direction from a sponsor for a ninth-step amends process led to my relapse and the demoralization of myself and those around me. This humiliating experience was necessary for me to let go...
Within recovery, we rely on various metaphors, idioms, and analogies as helpful tools. For example, there is the “ladder” that one must “climb” toward sobriety. Likewise, there are “battles” that must be “fought.” And then there is the “circle plan,” which is popular...