Christians and non-Christian alike battle with addictions and other behaviors that they find themselves struggling to leave behind.
This blog, produced by Certified Recovery Specialist Beth Livingston, is for people to exchange struggles and victories of breaking free from addictions and other hurtful behaviors.
Friday, May 04, 2012
Trust is hard. Trust means putting your full belief in something. “Like trusting in a parachute,” I heard someone say recently. It doesn't come easily, especially as an adult, once we understand how the world really works and become cynical. If you've been betrayed by a spouse, trusting anyone or anything ever again seems impossible.
Friday, April 20, 2012
“We have nothing left,” the woman told me. “Absolutely nothing.” She looked at the floor and shook her head. Her husband, Chip gambled at the horse races and bought countless lottery tickets. He blew his paycheck, their money in the checkbook, and their retirement fund. “My parents lent us money, but he gambled that away too.”
Thursday, April 12, 2012
When we struggle with addiction or any other challenge, we may say and do things we wouldn’t normally. We may choose to disobey God as Jonah did in the Old Testament. When we run from God, we have preferred our will instead of God’s.
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
The issue of control was pretty new to me. For the first time in our marriage I was forced to realize that I had absolutely no control over my husband's actions. I could cry, scream, bargain, manipulate, but in the end my husband's choices were his alone. At one point I did symbolically give my husband to God while praying with his parents and my Mom. I asked God to take hold of his life because I knew I was helpless to change him. - James 5:16
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Toxicology reports from Whitney Houston's autopsy confirm that chronic cocaine use contributed to her early death, because of its ill affects on her heart. Whether spoken aloud or simply pondered, some question how a faith-filled person could live a lifestyle of chronic cocaine use. As a former cocaine user and a blood-bought child of God, I think some confusion needs to be cleared up about cocaine.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Most of us want peace and freedom. A lack of forgiveness can become a stronghold in our lives and leave us in turmoil and shackled to the one we refuse to forgive. Forgiveness doesn’t mean the person we forget what happened. If we forget, we may place ourselves in a dangerous situation. Forgiveness means we don’t dwell on the offense day and night.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
When your life is shattered by your husband's infidelity or sexual addiction, it feels as if all strength has been knocked out of you like a death blow. But there are things you can do to restore your own strength, which can help your husband as well. Here are some I discovered.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Maybe you’ve done something awful. You asked God for forgiveness and He forgave you (1 John 1:9). However, you think you need to punish yourself anyway. God doesn’t need your help. Jesus paid the price in full for your forgiveness. That shame you feel comes from the devil himself. He is known as “the accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10).
Friday, February 10, 2012
When my husband's internet pornography addiction led to an affair, then acting out with prostitutes, I filed for divorce. But God used what seemed hopeless to bring us both into a real relationship with Jesus. These are just some of the things I wish I had known or done when I first found out my husband was being unfaithful.
Friday, February 03, 2012
As I think about this road to recovery, I think of refuge. I think of sanctuary. For a long time many of us looked for refuge. What we found was life in a bottle, a life full of drugs, full of food disorders, full of depression, full of struggles. I found sanctuary in a bottle. The problem is, when that bottle was empty, there was an emptiness, a loneliness, a feeling of despair.
Friday, January 20, 2012
We all need to become more educated concerning what is going on in our communities. As Forums are provided within the community, take advantage of the knowledge and education provided. And then pass it on to others in need. I think "naive no more" will be my motto as I strive to "get wisdom."
Sunday, January 15, 2012
How do we deal with death, betrayal, injustice, suffering, and other causes of sorrow? With an addiction, we usually turn to our drug of choice. Whether it’s something we drink, eat, smoke, or a behavior we like to get lost in (like Internet gaming, gambling, or pornography), we use it as the place we take our pain. When we trade our unhealthy patterns of dealing with sorrow by turning to Jesus instead, we receive joy.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
As I pondered the defeat I had just handed myself, I was reminded that what I lack is self-control. What most addicts lack is self-control. Unfortunately, it’s not something we can pick up at any store or order online. We have to figure out how to get some. Here’s a little recipe we can use.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
With Christmas teas, Christmas cookie exchanges and Christmas parties, the overeater or compulsive eater can go through the season on the roller coaster of a sugar high followed by a crash in glucose level. If you have a problem with overeating or compulsive eating, you may find it helpful to answer these questions.
Thursday, December 08, 2011
When my life broke down, I also thought I knew how to fix everything. I didn't need any help. When I was 11, I knew how to be cool, how to fix things, so I picked up my first cigarette. I was hooked. When my Mom got sick I was 13 (she died when I was 16), I thought I'd fix that by turning to drinking and to drugs. It worked until the alcohol and the drugs were gone.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Thanksgiving can be a tough time for those in recovery from substance abuse. You may visit family or friends who serve alcohol and insist that everyone have a drink. They don’t understand addiction. They think because they can have one drink and stop that everyone else can too. We know the truth. Perhaps family and friends don’t insist, but you drink to avoid feeling like the odd one there. In a desperate attempt to fit in, you take that drink and begin the vicious cycle of drinking or drugging
Monday, October 31, 2011
When we are in our groups, we have a great opportunity to actually listen to each other and not necessarily fix each other. We know that God will work in us and we are there as His tools to show each other love and compassion. We join with others each week so all can have a safe place to be heard and loved. No one has to be alone; we can always be there to listen to each other.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
As we walk this road of recovery together we must remember the power of words. Words can encourage and can help others on their road to healing. But words can also cut. They can drive people away. As we sit in our groups we must realize we are there to listen, to encourage and to love each other.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
What I got for leaning on those things were a lot of hangovers, lost time and lost relationships. Everything was a struggle as I let temptation take control of my life. As those struggles got worse, I was facing a second divorce and watching my children who I loved more than anything in this world be hurt because of me. I knew I had to change.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Sometimes as we face our own personal struggles it can get hard to stay alert and listen. It can be so much easier to skip our prayer that day, to give in to our temptations. It can be so hard to listen to what God is telling us, to be thankful for what we have. It can be tiring praying and expecting an instant answer but we have to keep faith. God is listening, He knows we are here and He knows we need His help.