If you want an in-depth description of the addiction cycle, read the works of men who are much smarter than me – such as Milton Magness and Patrick Carnes. If you are a simple man like me, the following description may make sense. As I look back over the decades in which I lived in…
Preparation is everything. Think of anything you’d like to accomplish: running a marathon, saving some money, losing 15 pounds, securing long-term sobriety. In each case, preparation is everything. Abraham Lincoln is quoted as saying, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four hours sharpening the axe.” If…
You can believe anything you want, but that doesn’t make it true. I can believe I’m an NBA superstar, but that belief will not get me a great jump shot. I can believe I’m a millionaire, but that won’t pay the bills. Believing something and being something are two different things. Did you know there…
Worry. It’s something we are all really good at. We all know how to worry and we all worry more than we should. The great Charlie Brown said it like this: “Sometimes you lie in bed at night and you don’t have a single thing to worry about. That always worries me!” As an addict,…
Bestselling author Harvey Mackay has identified seven reasons that people fail in any endeavor. These hold true for recovery. I suggest you identify just one item from this list, which applies to your life and struggles. Correct this shortcoming, and you will see your recovery rise to an unprecedented level. Make the following passage of…
Before there was Bruce Jenner, Caitlyn Jenner, Kendall Jenner, or Kylie Jenner, there was a man named Edward Jenner. While Edward never made the cover of People magazine, never changed sexes, or did any of the other things that make today’s headlines, he did have one thing on his resume that is pretty impressive. In…
“Don’t be surprised if the world hates you” (1 John 3:13). Why did that verse have to be there? I mean, if we do everything right, we will be loved and celebrated by everyone in our path, right? Wrong. If you base your confidence, let alone your recovery, on the opinions of others, get ready…
Some things just don’t make sense. Let’s consider just a few examples. There is no egg in eggplant, no ham in hamburgers, and no pine or apple in pineapples. English muffins were not invented in England, and French fries were not invented in France. Quicksand takes you down slowly, and boxing rings are square. Vegetarians…
The biggest reason we get into trouble is that we don’t get into anything else first. In recovery, it is critical that we replace unhealthy passions with passions that are worthwhile. In his book, Facing the Shadows, Dr. Patrick Carnes writes, “Practice hobbies, sports, and activities you enjoy. Cultivate these parts of your life so…
Jabez was barely mentioned in the Bible. His story, along with his famous prayer, is found in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10. “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, ‘I gave birth to him in pain.’ Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, ‘Oh, that you would bless me…