It starts with a dream. So ask yourself the following questions: Where do I want to be in five years? What would I do if I could? What big, hairy, audacious goals are worthy of my time? What can I do that no one has done before? What can I do that will leave a…
Wife: “There’s a problem with the car. It has water in the carburetor.” Husband: “Water in the carburetor? That’s crazy!” Wife: “I’m telling you, the car has water in the carburetor.” Husband: “You don’t even know what a carburetor is. “I’ll check it out. Where is the car?” Wife: “In the pool.” Sometimes, life takes…
Many addicts have a complicated relationship with their Higher Power. If you have never struggled in your prayer life as (a) an addict, or (b) an addict’s partner, you are the first. Prayer is not always easy. But it is still necessary. Let me offer a few suggestions on what to do when you don’t…
Here’s some recovery advice you won’t hear every day – get some exercise! But you may have to work out on your own, because most others aren’t doing it. The U.S. ranks 46th on the list of most active nations in the world, and 27 percent of us get zero physical activity most days. As…
Many addicts suffer with depression. They aren’t alone. Major depressive disorder affects 17.3 million American adults (National Institute of Mental Health, 2017). If you struggle with depression, repeat this at least 20 times every day: “Depression lies. It tells you you’ve always felt this way, and you always will. But you haven’t, and you won’t”…
A woman accompanied her husband to the doctor’s office. After the check-up, the doctor pulled the wife aside and told her, “Unless you do the following four things, your husband will die: (a) bring him breakfast in bed every morning, (b) give him a neck massage after work every day, (c) let him control the…
I recently came across this line: “Men were given a brain and reproductive machinery, but only enough blood to run one at a time.” Maintaining sexual integrity is a battle that men have struggled with as long as there have been men. The man who was said to pursue God’s own heart reflected, “How can…
In his classic book, The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, “Not all who wander are lost.” Let’s talk about purpose. Sometimes, we must wander until we find it. And finding that purpose is critical for addiction recovery. In his best-selling book Unwanted, Jay Stringer concludes, “In the research I completed for my book,…
Israel’s first king died a tragic death. When David heard about it, he responded in a way many of us would not understand. “Then David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore them. They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for…
Acting out is to delve into one’s pleasures at all costs. With no regard for the consequences, we return to the thrill – over and over. Recovery, on the other hand, is about self-denial. And self-denial is counterintuitive 100 percent of the time. For many, there is no greater pleasure than sex. Perhaps you can…