Recovery
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Not All Break-Ups Are Bad
“Resentment is the number one offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else.” ~ Alcoholics Anonymous, p.64 My first sponsor seemed to be a fun-loving guy, who surrounded himself with several other fun-loving guys. He chaired one of the meetings I attended early on in my recovery, and he’d recently celebrated a dozen or so… Continue reading
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We Will Not Regret the Past
Promise: a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or a particular thing will happen. There are 12 Steps in Alcoholics Anonymous. One who wants to get and stay sober in AA isn’t under any obligation whatsoever to work the AA program. There are no requirements, there are no musts in AA.… Continue reading
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Having Had a Spiritual Awakening…
“… as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs”. ~ Step 12, AA “Don’t leave before the miracle happens.” I heard this early on in recovery and pondered the meaning. What was this miracle that some people kept talking about?… Continue reading
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Better Than I Deserve
“How blessed is the man who made the Lord his trust.” ~ Psalm 40:4 One fall afternoon I was parked on the shoulder of a rural highway about 50 miles southwest of Ashland, Kentucky. As I sat there completely hopeless and numb, I considered what few options remained. Roughly 9 hours earlier I had been… Continue reading
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But For the Grace of God
“Our very lives, as ex-problem drinkers, depend upon our constant thought of others and how we may help meet their needs.” ~ Alcoholics Anonymous p.20 It was getting late in the evening and all I wanted was a few minutes of personal time to enjoy my favorite tv program. The day had been busy, but… Continue reading
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Encouraging Words in Difficult Times
“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” ~ Isaiah 41:13 My life was in shambles. Every single day for the past several years, I sat alone in my house and sought my escape through a bottle that… Continue reading
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A Double Life Leads to Death
“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” ~ Proverbs 11:3 “He was a quiet guy, but he always seemed friendly when we would see him out.” This is such a common description we hear by the neighbors of someone who has committed a heinous crime. He seemed… Continue reading
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Gracefully Unforgettable
“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” ~ Isaiah 43:25 I was at a recovery meeting years ago, and the guest speaker that evening wasn’t aware that he only had 30 minutes to narrate his personal story of recovery from alcoholism. I… Continue reading
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As We Understood Him
“Not being able to fully understand God is frustrating, but it is ridiculous for us to think we have the right to limit God to something we are capable of comprehending.” ~ Francis Chan Most of us enter into the rooms of recovery in our weakest, most desperate moment. It is there where we begin… Continue reading
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Keeping Promises
Not long after I returned home from rehab, my wife said to me one evening, “We need to talk.” Now I don’t know about you, but anytime someone says this to me – the panic button automatically gets pushed. My mind begins to race with the worst-case scenarios playing out and my heart pounds in… Continue reading
About Me
Welcome! I’m Scott (aka Former Blackout Artist), and I’m so happy you decided to drop in! I hope you find the content here spiritually enlightening and uplifting. Most of all, I hope that my love of Christ is revealed through my writing and that it encourages you in some way today. Thanks for stopping by!