Freedom Articles Just For You
In my last blog post, we discussed the topic of honesty and how it helps us to become sober (and also how sobriety helps us with our honesty!). And while honesty is part of all 12 steps, the fifth step is all about honesty. When we admit the exact nature of our wrongs to God, […]
I don’t know what the reverse of a “catch-22” is officially called, but when it comes to honesty and sobriety, their relationship is a “reverse catch-22”. Being honest helps me to stay sober, and staying sober helps me to be honest. There’s a saying, “All addicts are liars,” and while this certainly holds some truth, […]
One of the tasks that is generally a part of any recovery program is identifying people, institutions, and situations that often move us in the direction of acting out. As we recover and begin to recognize these triggers, we will be more equipped to prepare and respond to them without acting out. So, how do […]
This post is about The Roots Retreat, Awaken’s therapeutic intensive weekend for men seeking recovery from addictive or unwanted sexual behavior. Our next men’s Roots Retreat is scheduled for June 4-7, 2020. We also offer a Roots Retreat for women who have been sexually betrayed by their husbands/male partners. We’ll offer a post on the […]
Step Four: “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves” Steps 1 through 3 of the Twelve Steps are things that mostly happened in our heads and with our words. We “admitted we were powerless”, we “came to believe”, and we “made a decision”. These are critical tasks and it would be nearly impossible […]
In our last two posts we began looking at three important daily recovery disciplines that anyone in recovery can implement. The first post was on making CALLS. The second was on PRAYER. Today we’ll talk about the third part of CPR: READING. Of the three daily disciplines that make up CPR, this is one that […]
In our last post we began looking at three important daily recovery disciplines that anyone in recovery can implement. The first post was on making calls. You can read that post by clicking HERE. [This is from our guest author.] The second part of the CPR acronym is “Pray.” Although there are many different ideas and […]
At the time of this post, we are in the midst of a season unlike anything we’ve experienced in our lifetime. Because of COVID-19, we are all being urged to practice social distancing, and many people are using the extra time to recalibrate some daily disciplines – physical, emotional, and spiritual. People are exercising more, […]
Last week, I wrote that steps 1 through 3 of the Twelve Steps are the “Made a Decision” steps and the rest of the steps are the “Take Action” steps. (See the entire post here.) Let’s dig a little deeper into the last of these “Made a Decision” steps and see what we find. Step […]
Question: There were once three frogs sitting on a log. One of them made a decision to jump in the water. How many frogs were left on the log? Answer: Three – the frog made a decision, but he took no action! Working a program of recovery is a lot like the story of the […]
This morning I went for a run, starting and finishing in the parking lot of a local coffee shop, just like I do almost every Monday morning. This morning was different, though. The parking lot, usually packed, was empty. The only two cars there were those of the employees inside, serving zero customers. Over the […]
I mentioned in my last post that early in my recovery from sexual addiction I realized I needed to consider a shift in my thinking about self-care. Every message I’d been taught or had held reinforced a consistent message. Self-care is selfish. Don’t think about yourself. Think about others. Teaching from trusted authority figures doubled […]