CIR KBs

Christians in Recovery Knowledge Base article

Married to an Alcoholic? 7 Steps to Helping Them Get Sober

Are you married to an alcoholic? Is your husband/wife a different person when they drink? Are you tired of the Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde Behavior? Are you at your wits end and just can’t take it anymore? What can you do?

1. Stop trying to get your spouse to stop drinking.
No matter how much you nag and complain at them to stop drinking, it is not going to do a bit of good. What will is taking care of you. I know, it sounds backwards, but when you’re emotionally stressed out, it will be more difficult to help your loved one. You have no verbal power over the alcoholic. What you do have control over is your actions. What you do and say to the alcoholic will have a direct affect on whether or not they will continue drinking or not.

2. Detach with love.

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Asking The Right Questions

The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” But… the good Samaritan reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?” Martin Luther King, Jr.

In my introductory Sunday school class I always begin with this premise: God welcomes our sincere questions.

I find that many people are surprised by the notion that faith and uncertainty can coexist. I think we sometimes imply that people of true faith don’t have questions. This false message squelches the expression of honest questions and creates significant guilt.

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GAD: Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Do you worry all of the time?

Do you worry about what may happen in the future? about bills? your health? your loved ones? what could happen?

Does worry consume your thoughts and life?

If this describes you, it is possible that you have generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD — a condition marked by a perpetual state of worry about most aspects of life. According to David Barlow, professor of psychology at Boston University, “the key psychological feature of GAD is a state of chronic, uncontrollable worry.” A little anxiety is normal, but constant worry is not.

Generalized anxiety disorder involves excessive anxiety and unrelenting worry. GAD makes it impossible to relax or lead a normal life.

Signs of GAD:

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Relapse Warning Signs and a Prevention Plan

Jeremiah 6:10
To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.

Relapse is a very scary word for men and woman in recovery. Relapse is not a condition that only addicts and alcoholics have to deal with. Some people relapse to overeating, gambling, unnecessary spending, inappropriate social behavior and other conditions that can be life threatening.

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We Can’t Just Wait Around

2 Peter 1:2 NRSV
May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Grace is a very elusive term. We often hear grace defined unmerited favor. But Strong’s goes further. The Greek word for grace is charis. Strong’s 5485 defines it as “especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life.” It seems to me that grace is rather interactive.

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How Are You Treating Your Gift?

2 Peter 1:1 NRSV
Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith as precious as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Do I think that my faith is precious? That word just jumped out at me on the page when I read it. Did you know that the English word precious comes from the Latin word that means price. And that’s what our faith is: it was paid with a price, with the blood of our Savior. I think that sometimes, in the midst of the frenetic pace of our lives, we tend to take our salvation for granted. It’s been a part of us so long that we forget that there was a time when we didn’t have the hope of heaven.

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Books on Early History of AA

Alcoholics Anonymous had its beginnings in Christianity, specifically the Oxford group. Here is a list of books that detail the history of AA and its evolution.

By the Power of God: A Guide to Early A.A. Groups and Forming Similar Groups Today
http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1885803303/christiansinreco

The Good Book and the Big Book: A.A.’s Roots in the Bible
http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1885803168/christiansinreco

The Good Book-Big Book Guidebook
http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1885803915/christiansinreco

The Oxford Group & Alcoholics Anonymous: A Design for Living that Works
http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1885803192/christiansinreco

Why Early A.A. Succeeded: The Good Book in Alcoholics Anonymous Yesterday and Today

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