September is National Recovery Month.
The focus of my blogs throughout the month of September will be on addiction and its life-destroying tendencies. The writings derive from my own experiences of battling addiction and living a life of recovery.
These specific writings are focused on the ACTÂ acronym.
ACT leads to sobriety…
A – Acknowledge you have a problem, are powerless over it, and need help.
CÂ – Connect with a power greater than you and people with solutions to help you conquer your problem.
T – Take positive, recovery-oriented action every day.
Today’s post is a continuation of September 11th.
The opening quote is so accurate. And in retrospect, I have to believe my wife had hit her breaking point with me. She wanted to help but realized there wasn’t anything she could do.
An addict and alcoholic will only get help if they want to get help.
At this point in my disease, I knew I was sick and needed help. But my pride kept getting in the way of receiving the help I needed. No matter what the experts told me, I was in total denial. The only way I would whip this thing was by beating it myself…or so I thought.
Then a little voice inside me (today, I know that voice is God) told me to talk with my brother and share my problem with him.
It’s important to note I had started praying again, albeit they were prayers of negotiation; “God, if you get me out of this mess, I will never do drugs again.”
Up to this point, I had given up on God. I was very angry with Him. I couldn’t believe He had allowed my life to become such a mess. When our special needs son, Jordan, was born, I truly thought God was punishing me by disabling my son. Today, I know that is hogwash, but it was the warped reality I was living in then.
Anyway, my brother Jim was a psychologist and someone with excellent decision-making and discernment skills.
When I shared my problem with him, he was devastated. I recall his face turning a shade of pale as I’d never seen before. He and I were close and knew each other very well, but I had exposed him to a side of me that he didn’t want to believe existed.
We talked for over an hour, and at the end of our conversation, Jim told me he had no clue what to do for me but would find someone who did. He said, “Jay, we need to find someone in recovery for you to talk to. If I find someone, will you promise me that you will meet with him?” I told him yes and for me this was a huge turning point in my road to recovery.
More to come tomorrow.
A couple of thoughts:
- God doesn’t punish us for our sins, we punish ourselves.
- God will meet us right where we are regardless of the magnitude of our sins and whether or not our prayers are negotiations or complete surrender
What bondage is holding you back? What are you afraid to give to God?
Prayer is powerful…I write from experience.
1 John 5:14, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”
P.E.A.C.E.
Jay@EagleLaunch.com
