Dr. Steven Stosny, noted author and addiction expert, offers five steps to staying sober. Let’s jump right in.
Step 1 – Practice a regimen to change old habits. Create new patterns of living that alter the behaviors that lead to acting out.
Step 2 – Recondition your emotional system. Focus on regulating your emotions in healthier ways.
Step 3 – Develop skills that reduce urges. This takes time, as unconditional responses are only changed through hundreds of repeated acts.
Step 4 – Define your core value. Develop a set of principles that is consistent and stick to them.
Step 5 – Embrace a support group. You can’t do this on your own.
Recovery Step: “Let us not be like others, but let us be awake and sober” (1 Thessalonians 5:6-8).
Author: Mark Denison
Mark and Beth Denison, married for 36 years, launched There’s Still Hope as a national movement to call men and women into lives of sexual integrity. Their ministry offers 90-day recovery plans for addicts and one-on-one and group coaching for addicts and their spouses. TSH also produces resources for pastors and churches to confront the porn epidemic that is destroying so many lives.
Dr. Denison was a senior pastor for over 30 years, NBA chaplain, and board chairman at Houston Baptist University three times. With a Master’s Degree in Addiction Recovery, Mark is a certified PSAP and active member of the American Association of Christian Counselors.
Mark has written four books on recovery: Porn in the Pew, 365 Days to Sexual Integrity, A 90-Day Recovery Guide, and 40 Days to Porn-Free Living. His latest book, Jesus on the 12 Steps, will be released later this year.
