For Joe, alcoholism had always been a part of his life since both of his parents were alcoholics. “I grew up with an alcoholic family,” Joe said. “Growing up was chaotic and as a kid, it gave me a predisposition to the disease of alcoholism.” Joe grew up a Catholic,...
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Recovering from the Private Killer of Porn Addiction
| Alcohol & Drug Addiction, Personal Testimonies, Pornography & Sexual Addiction, Spiritual Tools, The Twelve Steps | 1 Comment
It was a catastrophic personal event that plunged me into three years of intense habitual and addictive behavior that needed to be addressed. It was then that I finally recognized my addiction needed to be stopped. Downloading porn videos and images as well as...
Ben Goes from Being the “Strongest” Drinker to Spreading the Mission of Catholic in Recovery
| Personal Testimonies | 0 Comments
Ever since Ben was young, he always wanted to be the best at what he did. And so it’s not surprising that when he started to drink in high school, he applied that very same mindset. “I wanted to be the best drinker and drink only the strongest drinks, to drink faster...
Ann Marie Seeks Recovery for Her Anorexia and “Under-eating” and Finds Healing through Christ
| Personal Testimonies | 0 Comments
Ann Marie’s eating disorder of anorexia first reared its head when she was in high school. This unhealthy relationship with food caused her to lose so much weight before her senior year that she ended up at an outpatient treatment center. However, since this was back...
Why Being Sober Wasn’t Enough to Keep Me From Being Miserable
| Alcohol & Drug Addiction, Personal Testimonies, Prayer & Scripture Reflections, The Sacraments, The Twelve Steps | 5 Comments
After I first became sober I thought that I’m better now. I can handle it. I had been in AA for years and attended hundreds, maybe thousands, of meetings. I had volunteered, read the Big Book, and the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, and worked through the Twelve...
Healing from Betrayal Trauma: My Story of Uncovering My Husband’s Sex Addiction
| Alcohol & Drug Addiction, Personal Testimonies, Pornography & Sexual Addiction, The Twelve Steps | 3 Comments
I had the privilege of being born and raised as Catholic, where the Irish nuns during my schooling emphasized that Jesus is our very best friend. That has made all the difference in my life. After discerning my vocation, I married my college sweetheart. We shared...
Christ, the Sacraments, and Catholic in Recovery Lead to Frank’s Recovery from Pornography and Masturbation
| Personal Testimonies | 0 Comments
When Frank was 13 years old, he began secretly watching sexually explicit videos. But growing up in a religious family in Southeast Asia, he hid this growing addiction. Instead, he would watch, rewind, and rewatch “sexy” scenes in secret—successfully keeping his...
Codependency, A Toxic Marriage, and Al-Anon: A Secular Carmelite Finds Recovery and Healing
| Personal Testimonies | 0 Comments
In 1999, Tina was sitting in an Al-anon meeting because of a brother struggling with an addiction to drugs and alcohol. It was during that first meeting when, reading over indicators for co-dependency behavior, she initially realized she might have an issue herself...
An Alcoholic from a Family of Drinkers Takes a Bad Fall and Unexpectedly Finds Sobriety
| Personal Testimonies | 0 Comments
Patrick’s drinking started in the late 1960s and continued for nearly fifty years. He was part of a family of drinkers: his father, both grandfathers, and all of his siblings drank. Patrick often drank during social outings, where one or two drinks would turn into ten...
Marcia Finds Healing in Catholic in Recovery Despite a History of Child Abuse and Addiction
| Personal Testimonies | 0 Comments
The most vivid childhood memory for me is traumatic. I was four, my sister was three. My sister Rita and I went to Marion, Ohio, to stay with my mother’s only sibling, her older brother, and his wife. While there, my uncle raped me. At the time, I didn’t know what was...