Recovery from addiction or alcoholism is filled with pivotal conversations – whether it’s opening up to a sponsor, making amends with a loved one, or even just asserting your own needs. It’s really difficult to find the right words in those important moments. I often leave a conversation kicking myself over everything I should have … Read more
It means really leaving the problem in God’s hands and not reaching out and taking the problem back to ourselves. Second, having given our drink problem to God, we must cooperate with Him by doing something about it ourselves. Am I doing these two things? Twenty-Four Hours a Day by Hazelden Foundation Over the years … Read more
“For me, writing has become prayers that say, `Great Spirit, return to us our freedom, our land, and our lives. We are thankful for the present from which to learn how to be thankful for the past, and how to be hopeful for the future.” –Barney Bush When I began my recovery journey it was … Read more
“Always have time for another person.” Brother Jack Moylan, OSF I met Brother Jack in March of 1980 at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility. He visited me on the tier as the Catholic Chaplain. He was on the job less than a year, the first full-time Catholic Chaplain at the jail. That meeting was the … Read more
How do you know there is trouble in river city in a relationship? The first way is look at their social media pages. Clue #1 is changing the profile picture from a photo of a couple to solo shot. When is true trouble on the horizon? When the status changes from “in a relationship” to … Read more
When, therefore, we speak to you of God, we mean your own conception of God. —Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed., pg. 47 I attend a group on the History of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) on Saturdays. It is amazing how AA has grown and flourished over the years due to some simple concepts that were inclusive and … Read more
I will cooperate in supporting a potentially good idea even if I can see something wrong with it. — Dr. Robert Schuller On open mind is essential for human growth and potential. When attempting to overcome the grips of alcohol or drug addiction simply putting down the drink or drug is not enough. Changing the … Read more
I will design my plan to lessen the risk of failure. — Dr. Robert Schuller When I got sober the main mantra in the rooms was “don’t drink and go to meetings.” To be honest it was kind of frustrating at times to hear that. But today I can see how wise the advice was. … Read more
I will welcome a possibility even if I’ve never done it before or can’t imagine how it could be done. Dr. Robert Schuller Taking action in our recovery is essential. Working the steps takes faith. The Fifth Step where we share our deepest darkest secrets takes extreme faith, but when we get through it we … Read more