Many of the men I meet ask the predictable question, “How do I know if I really have an addiction?” Let me suggest four criteria for any addiction. A need for more of the behavior to achieve the desired effect. Feelings of withdrawal when unable to engage in the addictive behavior. Repeated unsuccessful attempts to…
On this day in history, 1875, Senator Andrew Johnson died at the home of his daughter. Yes, you read that correctly – Senator Andrew Johnson. You see, the first president to be impeached also became the first (and only) president to serve in the United States Senate – after his presidency. On December 29, 1998,…
Guys, if you think your sexual betrayal isn’t hurting anybody, read on. Barbara Steffens reports, in “The Traumatic Nature of Disclosure for Wives of Sexual Addicts,” that a survey of 63 wives of self-identified sex addicts found that 70 percent of these women met most criteria for a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, and 71…
“My mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” (Forrest Gump, 1994) A good example of a “box of chocolates” occurred for me when I attended an SA meeting a couple of years ago. That night, a newcomer was present. I talked to him for a…
A man from Vermont wrote to circus owner P.T. Barnum, offering a cherry-colored cat for $100. Barnum, always on the lookout for rare attractions for his “Greatest Show on Earth,” replied that he would send the money if the man guaranteed the cat was genuine. When Barnum received a written guarantee, he sent the money.…
In our neighborhood, the mowing crew hired by the homeowners’ association took the easy way out. Rather than weed-eating around all the trees and mailboxes, they sprayed some kind of poison on the grass, killing the weeds. Not only did this look bad – dead grass around the trees and mailboxes – a dog in…
It only happened once a year. The high priest entered the Most Holy Place of the tenth day of the seventh month of Israel’s lunar calendar. It was the Day of Atonement. The priest would remove his ornate robe and put on simple linen garments, then sacrifice a bull for his own sins and the…
The key to failure is to try to please everybody. Pulitzer Prize winner Herbert Bayard Swope said it like this: “I can’t tell you the formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: try to please everyone.” Jesus was anything but a people-pleaser. Case in point: Jesus healed many people, but…
There is a simple reason many of us don’t reach our goal of recovery – we quit too soon. Thomas Edison was right: “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Scaling Mount Recovery will be the hardest climb of your life. There…
A pastor discovered a small box in the back of his closet, containing three rotten eggs and 100 $1 bills. He asked his wife about the box, and she admitted that she hid it there for the last 20 years. She reluctantly explained the contents. “I placed one egg in the box every time you…