Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all. All of the steps from four onward are concerned with interpersonal relations – how we interact in the wider world, including the pain we cause, the resentments we form, etc. The process, essentially, is:To look back on […]
We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. The Alcoholics Anonymous authored book, The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, famously calls step six “the step that separates the men from the boys.” What the AA folks mean by this is that compiling a list of one’s character defects and then
Food addiction is an unofficial term used to describe a relationship to food and eating that essentially mirrors the drug- or alcohol-related behaviors found in people affected by substance addictions. While the condition is not recognized by the highly influential American Psychiatric Association, significant evidence support its existence. According to the results of a new
Women Abused as Children Twice as Likely to Suffer From Food Addiction Read More »
An estimated eight million Americans are dealing with an eating disorder. Although it is a problem which affects boys, girls, men and women, for young women the condition can be deadly. Anorexia, for example, claims more women’s lives (12 times more) than any other cause of death between the ages of 15 and 24. Anorexia
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over the care of God as we understood him. Recovering addicts who’ve achieved lasting sobriety, no matter their addiction – alcohol, drugs, shopping, gambling, eating, sex, or anything else – will nearly always state unequivocally that the key to their recovery has been working the
After completing rehab treatment, a major challenge for many is the return to work or the search for employment. It is true that this can be a difficult and stressful period, but difficult does not equal impossible. Everyone has to deal with challenges in this life, even people who have tackled something as big as
Getting a Job or Re-Entering Your Career After Rehab Read More »
Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. Most addicts, no matter their addiction (alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, shopping, etc.) find that they key to lasting sobriety is working the twelve steps of recovery. As discussed in this space a few weeks ago, step one explores the depth and
“Resentment is the Number One offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else. From it stem all forms of spiritual disease, for we have been not only mentally and physically ill, we have also been spiritually ill. When our spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 64)
Living in sobriety is more than subtracting “getting drunk” from your daily schedule. You are beginning to rebuild your life, overhauling it even, so it’s time to start looking at how to revamp your old routines. Following the same life patterns sans alcohol will not guarantee a fulfilling sober life. You may be able to
Staring Down the Void: What to Do With Yourself After Quitting the Bottle Read More »
Feeling alone and discouraged? Are your recovery efforts not going as well as you’d like? Do you feel as if you could really use some kind and supportive words for encouragement and motivation? If so, you’re not alone. Every person in recovery could use a few encouraging words from time to time – some, more
