There is no shame here.
When addiction enters a home, recovery is necessary for the entire family.
I should know – I’m a mom whose family has been touched by addiction. And along the way, I learned how to combine my faith with recovery.
Above all, I want you to know – you are not alone and there is hope. There are no stigmas here. Let’s journey together.
Why The Twelve Steps + Ignatian Spirituality?
The big picture idea behind 12-step practices and Ignatian Spirituality is to work towards healing dis-ease, dis-order and disruption in our relationships to God, self and others.
STEPS 1-3: RECOVER FAITH
The first three steps require us to admit that “I can’t. God can. I’ll let Him.” Likewise, in Ignatian Spirituality, the First Principle and Foundation focuses on humanity being created to “praise, reverence, and serve God.” Recovering faith means we have to let go and radically trust God, which requires building a relationship with Him.
STEPS 4-7: RECOVER ME
The second set of steps focuses on our relationship with ourselves, which includes acknowledging that we are loved children of God made in His Image and Likeness. We cannot do this alone – walking this journey with a sponsor (AA) or spiritual director (Ignatian) allows us to heal this relationship with ourselves and replace our bad habits for good.
STEPS 8-12: RECOVER FAMILY
Now, we can recover our relationship with others. We start by making amends or reconnecting with family (disruption) by making amends and then learn how to maintain our relationships with God, ourselves, and others (Examen Prayer). We try to keep a healthy prayer life (which the spiritual exercises are all about prayer) and then we give it back to the world. (The Call of Christ the King).
Latest From the Blog
How Do I Recover Self?
I have come up with a personal thesis regarding addiction. I say it often and for good reason: I want you to remember it. Addiction is dis-ease, dis-order & disconnection in our relationships to God, self & others. I think the first set (1-3) of steps deal with our relationship to God. The second set […]
It’s National Recovery Month
September is National Recovery Month. While the stigma still creates plenty of obstacles for recovery, I’m beginning to see some encouraging shifts. For one thing, the fact that we have a national recovery month is huge in and of itself. Highlighting that recovery is possible while showcasing all of the positive programs out there awakens […]
Recovery Relationships Workshop
Last week the blogpost discussed one means of creating rich soil, taken from this scripture found in Matthew, that offers our family members or fellow parishioners an environment that promotes recovery. I shared a story about sitting on the porch, reading the day’s readings and noticing the words, ‘rich soil.’ It occurred to me that […]
What is Rich Soil?
I have a morning routine: Up early. Coffee on the back porch. Then my readings. My parish gives out a book every Christmas that contains each of the daily readings. That’s what I read first. Then I read a passage from Jim Manney’s What Matters Most & Why and finally I read 2024 A Book […]
No Advice. Just Experience, Hope & Strength
I’ve been 60 years old for an entire week. This one feels like a seismic shift. I can’t believe I’m looking down the barrel of my 70th decade, if I am so lucky… With this shift, I have a lot of feelings. Let’s face it, I always have a lot of feelings. I’ve spent the […]
You Don’t Have the Power.
You don’t have the power to stop someone from drinking… You don’t have the power to cause someone to drink. How many times have I heard that sentiment in a 12-step room? Too many to count. How many times has my unconscious mind tried to deceivingly grasp onto power by using the ‘for the good […]
Holding My Boundaries Tight
I’d finally finished a writing assignment. I plugged my computer in to charge it up and turned on the television to catch one episode of ‘In the Heat of the Night’ before it was time to go to the gym. I felt myself let out a deep breath to relax when the doorbell rang and […]
Careful, Your Boundaries Could be Slipping…
Do you ever think that you’re pretty solid in your recovery, only to wake up to an overwhelming feeling of frustration and dissatisfaction? That was my experience these last few weeks. Except this time, I knew that the problem was all me –cue Taylor Swift.. “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s meAt tea time, […]
What Does Family Recovery Look Like?
14 years ago, I didn’t think that I had a problem. It was my loved ones who needed help. Not me. Boy was I wrong. If you are new to recovery, this may come as a shock, but we all need recovery. But, what exactly does that look like? Let me share some thoughts, but […]
