Category Archives: About this blog

I will be on The Busted Halo Show with Father Dave Dwyer tonight on SiriusXM (UPDATED)

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(NOTE: Interview rescheduled for one hour later, at 9:20 PM, ET USA)

I will be on The Busted Halo Show with Father Dave Dwyer tonight at 8:20 PM (Eastern USA Time)! Apparently they have had a lot of discussions on the show recently about substance abuse (what to do if you have a friend that you think is in trouble or needs help, how to ask for help, etc.) and the show’s producer came across The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts and The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics online.

From what I gather the interview with me will last 15-20 minutes. This is my first live interview on air. (Although not my first one for a radio program. My interview on American Catholic Radio was taped in January 2011 for the March 2011 airing.)

An overview of the Busted Halo show is here:

The Busted Halo Show with Father Dave Dwyer

weekdays 7 pm – 10 pm ET on The Catholic Channel

SiriusXM Channel 129

Nobody’s perfect, but we’re all on a journey toward God—that’s the premise behind The Busted Halo Show. This is not your typical radio talk show hosted by a priest. Before entering seminary, Paulist Father Dave Dwyer had a successful career directing and producing television programs for MTV and Comedy Central, and was an on-air personality for a hit music radio station. In his years as a priest he has been popular with college students and young adults and because of his dynamic, relevant preaching, enthusiasm for the faith, and fun-loving personality. Father Dave believes the Church needs to meet young people where they are, so this show invites listeners to find the connection between spirituality (faith, prayer, service, church teaching) and everyday life (culture, news, entertainment, work, relationships). Rather than going for polemics, this show seeks to bridge gaps in a fun, open environment.”

(Via Busted Halo.)

So, tune in if you’re a SiriusXM subscriber. I think they archive shows for later free download, once I learn more about that, I’ll post that here, or on the SoberCatholic.com Facebook Page.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

SwagCatholic

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From time to time I have attempted to earn funds from this blog. Nothing much ever came of them, but I also didn’t put in tons of effort, either. I even tried a bleg (blog beg) after last American Thanksgiving. The silence was deafening. I became sad and almost quit blogging. Anyway, I’ve also tried affiliate linking (only ones left are those that link to my wife’s sites, the others didn’t pan out for one reason or another, mainly ease of use and such) and Google Adsense. Google Adsense I didn’t care for as there is no way to control what kind of ads are run: they are based on context of words in the posts and sidebar links, and since this is a Catholic blog about alcoholism, I had tons of ads, many inappropriate, on alcohol treatment and some uncertain Catholic ones.

Well, I’m trying again. I joined a site called “SwagBucks”. It is a place where you can earn points, a/k/a “SwagBucks” and redeem them for stuff. If you wish to check it out and decide to join, please go and use this referral link, or just click on the badge over on the right that says “Earn Swagbucks.” As a referral, I earn a percentage of whatever you earn. A good way to spread the joy.

Pelenaka, over at thirtyfivebyninety, a nice blog I found on homesteading and simple, frugal living, is a member of “SwagBucks”. Pelenaka writes about it here: Get Your Swag on a.k.a Swagbucks

(Via thirtyfivebyninety.)

OK, start Swaggin’. 😉

Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics — A SoberCatholic.com book

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Novena to St. Michael the Archangel, Day 8

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On this 8th day of the Novena, we pray for the strength of perseverance in Faith.

The main reason why I started this blog, and the failed social networks involving Catholic addiction, is that too often in 12 Step meeting rooms (and online gatherings) I’ve seen Catholics leave the Church.

I feel it is my duty to stem the tide. I doubt I’ve been very successful, being only one person, but I shall continue anyway.

Why do they leave? It is my conviction that there is excessive moral relativism in the rooms, as well as the sin of indifferentism. Moral relativism is subjective morality, in that morality is situational and based on feelings and not on objective truth. Objective truth means that morality is fixed in terms of things which are always right or always wrong. Indifferentism means that all religions are the same. “It doesn’t matter which one you belong to, as long as you believe.”

Nonsense, if you are a follower of Christ and believe in the accuracy of Divine Revelation.

The idea of a Higher Power may be fine for non-believers or non-Christians, but for Catholics and other Christians the only real Higher Power is Jesus, God Incarnate. If you make anything other than Jesus your Higher Power, you are engaging in idolatry.

Twelve step groups have increasingly led people astray in their Faith. They develop a watered-down Catholicism or depart for a non-denominational Church. The leave the Church that Jesus, the Divine Physician, established with all the healing Sacraments and Saints.

(((sigh)))

We take the Faith and live it. We don’t trade it in for something else, “as long as I don’t take a drink today, I’m OK. I’ve got my Higher Power!” We take the Faith, apply the Gospel to our daily lives, find healing in the Sacraments, and respond to the Gospel’s message by carrying it to others. In doing “good works” we spread the Gospel by our actions (service and volunteering, acts of charity) or by word (conversing or bearing witness to others).

Now, to the Novena:

Begin the prayer with: O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father…, etc.

By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Archangels may the Lord give us perseverance in faith and in all good works in order that we may attain the glory of Heaven. Amen.

[Say one Our Father and three Hail Marys after your intentions for fidelity to the Faith.]

To say the entire Chaplet, click here:
Chaplet of St. Michael

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Blog appearance

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This blog may look “off” for a day or so, I am in the midst of redesigning the layout.

I plan to re-introduce advertising to the blog, in the form of “affiliate links” to good online Catholic stores and services. They will appear in the left sidebar, where all the Catholic links are now situated. Those links will be moved to link-dedicated Pages, probably on the right sidebar.

I hope to earn a modest income from this blog, so when my account with the publisher is approved and I can start placing links there, I hope you all patronize the advertisers.

I have not decided as to whether or not I will run Google AdSense. Probably not as as far as I know, you cannot control what is run.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Trudging My Road of Happy Destiny

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As part of the “personalization” of this blog, I figured I’d “reboot” and reintroduce myself.

Hi, I’m Paul, and I’m an alcoholic. (Well, no kidding.)

I am also a faithful Catholic Christian and blogger and in 2007 I combined them all. I write this and another blog: The Four Last Things. Both of them are on maintaining your sobriety by the use of the Catholic Christian faith. This one is more broad in the Faith and its importance in your sobriety, and now will also be exploring my own personal use of the Faith when I get all “discretely personal and confessional”. I tried that before and discontinued it because I found that writing about myself to be dull. I still think I’m uninteresting, but what may be dull to me may not be so to others. Maybe that is a false humility?

The Four Last Things focuses on death and dying, topics infrequently mentioned in Twelve Steps meetings.

I basically started them because when I had sobered up in 2001 and 2002 I spent some time looking online for interactive Catholic resources on sobriety and found none. So I started a blog that had what I was looking for.

I decided to reboot this blog at the suggestion of a friend (and the support of the notion by others) because it has been said that expanding and expounding upon one’s own “experience, strength and hope” may draw readers closer to the blog and be more useful and helpful. This blog may begin to resemble other personal blogs on alcoholism and addiction in that its focus will include my own path.

Early on I did introduce myself a bit, here are links to those blogposts:

Hi, I’m Paul, and I’m an alcoholic!

Reversion story

Drunkalogue

Well, that’s it for now. Later!

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Turning the page on this blog

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The 9th anniversary of my sobriety date seems like a good opportunity to announce some changes to this blog.

Over on Plurk I asked someone for advice on changes to this blog. Along with some design suggestions, some of which I had already considered and am planning on doing, she suggested that I get more personal. As in I talk more about my personal daily struggles and such things. I had discounted that as I had tried that before and found myself to be rather boring. But she said that a lot of people also do (find writing about themselves boring, that is), but making it personal helps readers connect more with the blog and the person behind it. And I have to admit that people who do that sort of thing seem to have a more active comments section. :-O

So, there will be an expansion in the scope of this blog, more personal, a lot more postings then (which may be a good thing.)

I shall be careful in what I babble about. I still think I’m rather dull and uninteresting, but if how I personally use my Catholic faith is a help, hey, that’s cool. 😉

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

My contribution to “Catholic Media Promotion Day!”

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As I posted earlier: Today is Catholic Media Promotion Day!

Therefore, here are my picks:

For my 3 blogs:

I will place a dear, sweet, lady first:

Dymphna’s Well, described as “Celebrating beauty in art, music, poetry and scripture.”

I discovered Dymphna’s blog years ago. Long before I had my own computer I had made it a point that whenever I was online her blog would be on the list of sites to review.

Next up:

Stumbling Back Home: “A posterous to document my spiritual journey. – A spiritual seeker’s diary of returning to the Catholic church, after a long time in the desert.”

Anything about “spiritual seeking” involving Catholicism or returning to it draws my attention. Laymonk does a great job.

Then:

Roger’s posterous: “A blog, an eclectic collection of things, an experiment.”

Roger is an online friend of mine, and is helpful and supportive of some of my online doings, namely Recovery for Christ.

I picked Dymphna’s, Laymonk’s and Roger’s blogs as although I read a bunch of blogs and probably communicate on Facebook, Twitter and Plurk with other bloggers more often, these are really the only 3 that I go to without bothering to see their feed in my RSS feed reader first. No disrespecting any other bloggers, it is just how things resonate.

For my 3 podcasts:

First, the “Home Office”: Radio Vaticana. Vatican Radio has some great podcast resources, from the Pope’s weekly audiences and Angelus broadcasts, to English language news and such.

Then:

Where I learn stuff:
Catholic Roundup

Sean’s a wonderful guy, and Canadian!!!!! How kewl is that!

Last up:
Catholic Weekend — An SQPN Featured Show

For my 3 Media picks:

Rob Williams, is the Tupelo Geek: “Using Technology for Personal and Professional Growth!”

And um, Oh My God… It’s Full Of Stars. Just because Chris is cool, too.

Lastly: Catholic Web Solutions:”Bringing the Expertise and Gifts of Catholic Organizations to the Internet”

For random Catholic stuff:

My wife Rose’s site, which feature her photography and other work, including links to her online store. These store are places where you can purchase her work. Yes, as in BUYING MY WIFE’S excellent photography and other artistic endeavors (HINT-HINT-HINT)

ARTIST4GOD: Rose Santuci-Sofranko

Then, a great idea for a browser startup page: myCatholic.com : “Customizable Catholic Homepage”. It has been my home page for years. It is customizable!

Finally, the premier Catholic radio station in the world, after Vatican Radio:
Station of the Cross

For my projects:

There’s my primary blog: Sober Catholic: “Conversion, Penance, Recovery, Sobriety, Scripture, Prayer, Catholicism.” Also The Four Last Things: “Death, Judgment, Heaven, Hell.”

I also run a small social network: Recovery for Christ

I’ll cheat and mention a fourth project: CatholicPreachy.com : “Preachin’ da WORD to da HERD :-)”

CP is a joint project I share with Bro Jer, one of my bestest online buddies, and to whom I owe a lot.

Well, that’s all for that. I Tweeted an idea to Sean that maybe this CMPD should be held on March 25th, the Feast of the Annunciation. Just a thought!

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

40 Days of Catholic Media Lent

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Sean, over at Catholic Roundup, a blog and website that is a directory and one stop shop for all things Catholic New Media (blogs, podcasts and such) has a new project for the Lenten season. It is the 40 Days of Catholic Media 2011.

Sean’s purpose is three-fold: to use the 40 Days of Lent as a means for Catholic bloggers, podcasters and other community media creators to build community, increase their faith formation, and to get or offer whatever technical assistance that is needed for Catholic media people to improve their projects.

A lot of us who do this are isolated from one another. We blog or podcast from our own little offices or wherever and get little feedback from each other. “Is anybody out there? Is this thing on??? Hello?” So, there is an element of community support and creation in this project.

While many of us know our Catholic Faith pretty well, we are also not Pope Benedict XVI, individually or collectively. And so we always seek to increase our knowledge of the Faith. We have to know it in order to effectively transmit it though our online projects. In this manner we can help each other.

Many of us don’t necessarily have a good grasp as to how to go about all of this (I was clueless about getting domain names, and in using a paid host and not a free account on Blogger- and why it is better. I am still clueless about transferring files from my hard drive to the host -this is called “FTP”-, I still have to use scripts supplied by the host to accomplish things. If you don’t know what I am talking about, then maybe head over to Catholic Roundup this Lent. FTP tutorials are what I’m looking for!). So, there will be technical discussions for anyone in need of learning. Remember, there are no stupid questions, only unanswered ones.

In “More Details about 40 Days of Catholic Media” Sean outlines a weekly plan to cover these three areas. And in “Pardon Me, you seem to have a spot on your forehead” he starts the seasonal project off with something related to what a lot of Catholics are fearful of doing, walking around outside with dirt on their forehead during Ash Wednesday.

Why am I posting this? Well, as I’ve said many times in the past here, and most recently in my interview, I started this blog because there wasn’t anything else out there like it for recovering Catholic alcoholics an addicts. And there basically still isn’t. For some reason, Catholics who get clean and sober do not turn to interactive media like blogs and community sites to spread their Faith and how it impacts their recovery. There is the occasional blog, but their Catholicism seems peripheral to their recovery. They are 12 Steppers who happen to be Catholic, and they might mention their Faith now and then. Several have started, but have gone silent. Not too helpful to other recovering Catholics seeking online community.

So I am announcing Sean’s project and am participating in it so maybe I can see who else is out there. Maybe someone will get inspired and start another Catholic-focused recovery project. I think Sean’s intent is directed to existing members of the Catholic online blogosphere and podcasting community. Mine, too, but I’m also looking to see who else might be interested in jumping in. If they see that there is a vibrant, online community willing to band and bond together and help out with affirmation, Faith formation and technical information, then who knows…

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

My interview on American Catholic Radio

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Well, it’s out! Judy Zarick’s interview with me, scheduled for this week, is available here:

American Catholic Radio looks at Ash Wednesday, conversion and social justice

The program is called “Living Faith with Judy Zarick.”

(Via Franciscan Media.)

All in all, the editing was great. It is a 5 minute distillation of a 20-25 minute-long interview.

(The only issue is that although the physical link to my blog is correct, at the end she spoke the old Blogger link. No matter, it just gives me a greater reason to edit the old site so that it is clear it is the defunct version.)

Anyway, click on the link above and give a listen!

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Listen for me on the radio during the week of March 7th

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I will be on Catholic radio! A few months ago, I was interviewed by Judy Zarick of St. Anthony Messenger Press for the “American Catholic Radio” show. My interview will be aired the week of March 7th. During that week you all can find it at FranciscanMedia. Look for American Catholic Radio over to the right, and click on “Current Program”. I will be featured in the “Living Faith” segment of program identified as #11-11. The segment only last about 5 minutes. ACR is heard on Catholic radio stations all over, if it isn’t in your area, you can listen online.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)