Religious solutions to alcoholism

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Many 12 Steppers usually scoff at “religious” solutions to addiction, and
perhaps rightly so due to the low success rate (forgetting that AA has a very
low success rate, too.) Maybe they also think that religious observance is pointless
and is also an “easier, softer, way.” HA!

I think the main reason that religious solutions do not work is that they fail
to directly address the root cause of the addiction: that within each alcoholic
and addict there is something wrong with how the world and environment is perceived
or related to and how to properly react or cope with that. Alcohol addressees that,
although in a bad way.

In AA’s Big Book there is a line towards the end about how AA taught the writer
how to “handle sobriety.” In AA meetings I have heard quite often how the Steps
teach us how to alter or change they way we react to things. I believe that is the
same thing as “handling sobriety.”

I don’t think all the Masses and Rosaries and Divine Mercy Chaplets in the world
will work for anyone UNLESS they also believe in the healing power of Jesus and the
sacraments AND also believe that prayer is a union with God. This also pretty much
mandates Scripture reading. Pondering the Gospels, the NT Letters, the
Psalms and the Wisdom Books (Psalms, Wisdom, Proverbs, Sirach, Song of Songs and
Ecclesiastes) can help in changing how we react to things.

Scripture contains lessons for life and living. AA has their slogans, but the
Bible has more potent “sayings” in Wisdom, Proverbs, Sirach and the rest.

Add in reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and you have another powerful
tool in conversion (for that is what “handling sobriety” and “changing how you think”
amounts to).

This post was inspired by a recent discussion on the Matt Talbot Way of Recovery.

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!!)

St. Maximilian Kolbe Novena for Alcoholics and Addicts

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August 6th also marks the start of a Novena to St. Maximilian Kolbe . It ends August 14th, his feast day.

Here is a Novena prayer you can use,

“O Lord Jesus Christ, who said, “greater love than this no man has that a man lay down his life for his friends,” through the intercession of St. Maximilian Kolbe whose life illustrated such love, we beseech You to grant us out petitions. . . (mention your petitions).

Through the Militia of the Immaculata movement, which Maximilian founded, he spread a fervent devotion to Our Lady throughout the world. He gave up his life for a total stranger and loved his persecutors, giving us an example of unselfish love for all men, a love which was inspired by true devotion to Mary.
Grant O Lord Jesus, that we too may give ourselves entirely without reserve to the love and service of our Heavenly Queen in order to better love and serve our fellowman in imitation of your humble servant, Maximilian. Amen.”

Courtesy: Consecration.

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!!)

August: A Month for TWO Lenten disciplines

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Today is August 6th, the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord. It also marks the beginning of what I call “Second Chance Lent.” The Transfiguration is when Jesus went up Mt. Tabor with three of His disciples and revealed Himself in His Glorified Body and also conferred with Moses and Elijah concerning His upcoming Passion. Forty days after today is the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross (or Exaltation of the Cross). Jesus’ “Triumph” was the original Good Friday, the Exaltation is another reminder by the Church of the central importance the Cross has. Without the Cross, there is no Resurrection.

For us alcoholics, there’s no recovery without the painful path of learning not to drink and how to handle sobriety.

I wrote about “Second Chance Lent” right here:

“Second Chance Lent” is Coming Up!

In the middle of the month, a Franciscan tradition starts, known as “St. Michael’s Lent.” More about that here:

St. Michael’s Lent

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!!)

Prisoner to Prisoner Daily Devotional

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Matthew 25:36: “I was in prison, and you came to me.”

(Via Catholic Public Domain Version of the Sacred Bible.)

A very good friend of mine is working with the following project. Please help if you can.

Below is a copy-and-paste of a post from his blog: Prisoner to Prisoner® Daily Devotional « Bro Jer’s Blog

“Prisoner to Prisoner (P2P®)is a 12 year-old ministry that was started in the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. In 2002 Kairos Prison Ministry of Ohio took over the operation of P2P® with a vision that Kairos state chapters, churches, individuals and other organizations would help expand the distribution of the devotionals to all states and to other countries”.

I would ask you all to please consider helping to spread the word about the P2P® Devotional.

Below is a copy of a recent appeal letter we sent out. Feel free to copy, print, re post, and share with anyone who may have an interest in this unique outreach to prisoners.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

IT! IS! HOT! It was hot in July of 2003 when two strangers walked in the door of the print shop, handed me a ragged looking booklet and asked if I could do anything with it. Before I knew it, I was sitting out in the yard at Marion Correctional having a meeting, in which we came up with the current format of the P2P® Devotional. I have had the honor of printing the P2P® since that time and have been a member of the Managing Committee since 2004. My life has never been the same.

I have suggested over the years that we tell people just what it would take for this Ministry to operate, for us to be self supporting, without special fund raising. It really is very simple, yet, is a difficult goal to achieve. Many of those that receive the book are obviously not able to donate. We are currently printing and distributing 14,000 devotionals, six times a year. If we received one buck, what amounts to a can of soda or a burger off the dollar menu, for each book that goes out, we would be able to meet all the financial needs, have funds for promotion, and seek ways of further distribution. One book…one buck…one life changed. A buck will feed a prisoner spiritually for two months! Now tell me that is not a better deal… than a happy meal! Can I get an Amen??

So, PLEASE SEND MONEY! OK, we have that out-of-the-way. Heck, you know that is why you received this letter to begin with. What I would like to see happen is for each one who receives this letter to take a little extra time and get the P2P® into the hands of others. Help spread the word about this Ministry. Just as much as we need a really, REALLY, BIG CHECK…we need to have your help in promoting the P2P® Ministry. Could you help do that, please?

There were a few years that I personally took the delivery to Marion Correctional, where the books are repacked, then sent out to all the Ohio prisons. Each time, I tried to do the delivery when there was a “Prayer and Share” being held in the Chapel. There was one time that I walked out of Marion, sat in my truck…and cried, I mean bawled! I left the prison with a sense of how free some of the brothers there, were! The Holy Spirit was really present that day as we praised and worshiped our Lord. The P2P® is helping some of our brothers and sisters “behind the walls” experience freedom and peace which goes beyond alllllllllll understanding, a peace that can only come through the person of Jesus Christ.

What a privilege to be a small part of that!

I pray that you all have a very blessed summer

Your brother in Christ,

Jerry Kohlbrand

P2P Ministry Managing Committee

brojer4jc@gmail.com

PS. PLEASE SEND MONEY! oh, wait…I already said that

Cover

To request a subscription, make a donation, or for more information, please contact us at;

Prisoner to Prisoner®

Kairos Prison Ministry of Ohio

PO Box 750354

Dayton, Ohio 45475-0354

Phone: 937-765-6111

Email: prisoner2prisoner@gmail.com

+++BroJer

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!!)

Mental Health App for people in alcohol or addiction recovery

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I discovered an interesting piece of software that might be very useful for anyone currently suffering or recovering from alcoholism and other addictions, or who have been sober and clean for a long time. It is developed for people with mental health concerns, or who are just interested in tracking their overall mental well-being. But I poked around the various functions, and feel that people in recovery can make good use of this, too.

It is called “Optimism”, and it is free for Macs, PCs, the iPhone (I guess no Android, yet) and can also be used just on the web.

(Via Optimism Apps.)

The following screenshots show some of the software’s usefulness (more screenshots and even a user manual can be found on the project’s website).

This first one depicts the Main page (what you should see when opening the app):

OptimismMainPageMainEntries

Along the left hand side you can see a panel entitled “Core Data.” This can be customized, like so:

MainPageCoreDataCustomize

Back to the Main page: there is a “Notes” button you can click on, and open up a window to write notes for the day, perhaps something like journal entries or random thoughts. The option to do this is just next to the “Main Entries” button along the right hand side of the app, this is what the “Notes” function looks like after clicking on that tab:

OptimismMainPageMainEntriesNotes

It is free. If you download the software, there are references to a trial version if you use the syncing functions. However, the website makes note that as of April 2012, it is free, for all versions. The developers intend to earn money through marketing it to clinicians and other medical personnel. For “ordinary” people, it is free. I guess not all of the software’s documentation has been updated.

I like this! I wish I was able to make use of this, or something like it, when I sobered up in 2002. According to the site, they’ve been making software since 2007. I wish I knew about it then!!

So, go ahead and download it and see how you can make use of it on your recovery path. Perhaps comment on this post what you think.

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!!)

Sober Catholic Books on Google+

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Fresh off of creating a Page for them on Facebook, my books, The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics and The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts now also share a Page on Google+, also entitled “Sober Catholic Books”:

Sober Catholic Books

They have not been promoted much on Google+, outside of blogposts shared there. This blog has a Page on the Plus: Sober Catholic on Google+ as does its sister blog, The Four Last Things on Google+ .

Just a reminder, Sober Catholic is also on Facebook as is The Four Last Things.

“Plus” them and “Like” them!

I am working on a 10 Commandments book. I do not know when the completion date is yet.

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 books have a Page on Facebook

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My books, The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics and The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts now share a Page on Facebook entitled “Sober Catholic Books”:

SoberCatholicBooks

I have decided that it would be easier to promote and market them if they shared a page, rather than each having their own as they have up until this point.

As there will be other books, I figure that it is best to consolidate them now.

I am working on a 10 Commandments book. I do not know when the completion date is yet.

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!!)

Long absence, but I’m still here; I have a writing gig, sort of!

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I noticed that it has been over a month since I last blogged. No reason for it except that I found a new job, a work-at-home gig writing for an online auction startup. Per my new boss’ rules, I can’t divulge the name of the site as he is fearful or concerned that doing so will cause a deluge of spam emails and other such unsolicited offers from people who pounce on online employees. I can’t even link to it on my Facebook or other social accounts. Not a big deal, nor am I bothered. It is NOT what the Good Lord gave me whatever writing talent I possess to use it for, but it is a nice job, and it pays the bills.

It has been a month since I started, it is OK, it keeps me home and saves tons of money on gas. Not completely satisfying as it isn’t Catholic, recovery-based, or spiritual. Not even fiction or poetry. But, it is a job and for that I am deeply grateful.

I have more-or-less settled it, and the habits should bear fruit in my other writing and blogging endeavors.

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!!)

Heavenly Skid Row

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A priest told a funny story during his homily at Daily Mass this morning:

A rich person died and went to Heaven. St. Peter was going to take him to the Heavenly mansion that had been prepared for him and while going there he was seeing all of the other mansions. The first one he saw was a large, expansive palace that would have dwarfed the Taj Mahal on Earth.

“This is surely mine!” exclaimed the rich guy.

“No,” replied St. Peter, “this is not it.”

And so they continued down the boulevard adorned with grand palaces and the like. As they were traveling down the street, the palaces were gradually getting smaller. Still, outshining anything back on Earth. The rich man was still excited, nevertheless, and kept pointing hopefully to each wondrous place. “This one? Is this mine?”

After a while and after St. Peter kept telling him “No, not this one, yet. Yours is coming up,” they entered what seemed to be a different neighborhood. The mansions, if they can be called that, were more like ordinary homes in Europe and North America. Nice, but not palatial.

The rich guy was subdued a little and was silent. He kept glancing back towards the rich neighborhood, now further and further behind.

And then they entered a seemingly “poor” area. The dwellings here were like huts and ramshackle houses. The rich man was concerned, but didn’t speak.

The dwellings kept getting more rundown.

Suddenly St. Peter stopped at the last place on the street. He pointed to it. “Your Heavenly mansion!”

The rich man was dismayed. “This place?!?!”

The “mansion” was a rickety shanty. The unpainted, weatherworn boards were just slapped together, nails missing and so some of the “walls” just barely hung on. The door just hung off to one side and seemed to be on the verge of falling off: it lacked a hinge and the remaining one was all rusty and had only one nail to hold the door to it. The roof was missing shingles.

The rich man repeated his cry. “This place?!?!”

“Yes,” replied St. Peter, “this is your Heavenly mansion where you will dwell for all Eternity.”

The rich man exclaimed, “This is a Heavenly mansion? You’ve got to be joking!”

“No, no joke,” St. Peter assured him. “This is it.”

The rich man retorted, “But I was worth billions on Earth!”

“Yes, we know. But this is the best we can do with the material you sent up to us.”

John 14:2-3: “In my Father’s house, there are many dwelling places. If there were not, I would have told you. For I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will return again, and then I will take you to myself, so that where I am, you also may be.”

Matthew 6:19-20: “Do not choose to store up for yourselves treasures on earth: where rust and moth consume, and where thieves break in and steal. Instead, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…”

Matthew 16:26: “For how does it benefit a man, if he gains the whole world, yet truly suffers damage to his soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

(Via Sacred Bible: Catholic Public Domain Version.)

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!!)

Daily Disconnect

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I have long been attracted to Carmelite spirituality. The Carmelites are a Catholic religious order nearly 800 years old, although they trace their spiritual roots all they way back to the Old Testament Prophet Elijah. Carmel means “Garden of God” in Hebrew, and for a recovering alcoholic who strives to “cultivate” spiritual progression by “growing” closer to Him and “rooting” oneself in Scripture and prayer, it is an attractive Catholic spirituality. Many Carmelite saints, like St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and St. Therese of Lisieux have written about the soul’s union with God (a union of a mystical love). Very beautiful imagery, and beyond the scope of this post. 😉

I ran across this on a major Carmelite website:

Daily Disconnect

(Via Order of Carmelites.)

It is the “Daily Disconnect”, a special section on their site where you can stop, pray and meditate. The link above takes you to the “About” section of the DD, and from there you can just go to the daily meditation.

While I generally do not regularly use online prayer and meditation aids, aside from this Adoration site and the Daily Mass Readings I will try this during my morning review of things. It should help keep me from going bonkers over current events.

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!!)