Addiction/Recovery

Are You in the Right Group?

You probably have a friend or family member who struggled with addiction and went to a support group. Going to a group helped them overcome their addiction and change their entire life. So, you decided to go to a support group yourself.

Although you found a group and went to it for several weeks, you never built any real relationships with anyone in the group. You felt the leader wasn’t accepting of you, and the only thing anyone seemed to do in your group was complain.

Sound familiar? A support group should be a safe place—a place where you will connect and learn from others. However, not every group will be a good fit for you. Here are some signs you’re in the right group.

7 Signs Your Group is a Good Fit [Read more…]

5 Reasons Why Recovery is Selfish

“If we try to fix the world before fixing ourselves, we’ll do both badly.”—Steve Arterburn

When you were in the throes of addiction, was getting your next quick-fix more important than anything else—family, career, and even God? After all, your addiction came first no matter how much pain it caused you and your loved ones.

Now that you realize the damage your addiction has caused, you may think it’s your job to fix everyone and everything. But you can’t; you can only fix yourself. Therefore, your main goal is to get healthy and stay sober. In other words, to recover successfully, you must be selfish.

Here are five reasons that explain why recovery is selfish: [Read more…]

The Vicious Cycle of Addiction

An addiction is a lot like being on a merry-go-round, but with the exception that it’s not fun.

You turn to food, gambling, shopping, one-night stands, codependency, hoarding, or something else. The more you turn to your addiction, the more shame you feel and want to numb that feeling. So you go back to the very thing you don’t want to do. Now you’re stuck in the vicious cycle of addiction. And it’s going so fast that you don’t know how to stop.

The apostle Paul put it this way “And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t” (Romans 7:18). To interrupt this cycle of addiction, you must break free from pain, acting out, shame, and relapse that keeps you in bondage.

Here is a more in-depth look at each phase.

Pain — Before you even realize you are dealing with an addiction, you’re in pain. You feel emotional, physical, spiritual, and relational pain. These painful feelings create a longing for you to get rid of the pain. Pain and addiction go hand in hand—they feed off of each other. As your pain increases, your desire for relief increases. Recognizing you are in pain and in need of help can be the first step in recovery. [Read more…]

Why Admission Without Change is Meaningless

When it comes to making changes in our lives, some of us act as if we’ve got our heads buried in the sand. For example, after years of struggling with addiction, we finally admitted we had a problem. But that was several months ago. We probably even looked into going through treatment, seeing a counselor, and attending a Life Recovery group.

However, we still haven’t made any changes in our lives.

If this sounds like you and you’re struggling to make changes in your life, the truth is, admission without change is meaningless. While you needed to admit you have a problem with addiction, recovery doesn’t stop there. That’s just the first step on your journey! [Read more…]

10 Questions to Ask When You’re Feeling Stuck

When did I first realize I was stuck?
Understanding the timeline will help you determine how long this has been happening. Look for events that may have started this-could be loss, and also a time when a goal was accomplished, sickness, etc.
Where have you noticed the negative aspects of being stuck in your life?
Relationships, career, physical health can all exhibit the stuck place. You may experience inertia-not moving anywhere but you are in motion doing the same thing over and over. [Read more…]

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