There is a new addition to the Sober on Purpose Podcast interviews. As we were wrapping up this first segment on codependency, I contacted another podcaster, Tres Adames, Director of Arizona Christian Counseling and host of Ask a Christian Counselor. While many families struggling with addiction seek counseling, it is often hard to know what…
Recovery
Feeling Stressed About the Addict in Your Family?
Al-Anon describes alcoholism as a family disease. In fact, each alcoholic is said to affect five other people. Most of the time these are family members. Our lives are so busy, sometimes it can feel hard to breathe. Add a person(s) recovering from addiction in the mix and we feel like we are drowning. Reverse…
Codependent Families: What does not Help!
Stuck! For years, I felt that the Joyous Family was stuck. Just stuck in the same rotating issues over and over again. Crisis after crisis just kept banging on our door. Why, even after sobriety, did family life still feel, well, yucky? What keeps codependent families stuck? Then I walked into a Christian seminar by…
Are You a Codependent Parent?
Holding that first baby in my arms I felt my heart enlarged ten sizes. I was in love. A deep “I will die for you right now”, kind of love. I still feel that way about my children. Maybe too much? Hovering Codependent Parent There is the caricature of the stay-at-home mom who lives…
Why Codependency Turns You Away From God
Could you hear me, if I told you codependency is only a symptom? The way you choose to respond to a relationship or depend on a relationship is learned. Learned really? Yes! You learned it really early in your life with your primary caregivers. Now as with all learned behaviors you can blame, shame and…
Who Needs a Sponsor?
Why can’t you just sponsor yourself? Let’s think about driving a car. You could teach yourself to drive. It is possible, people have done it; but it took time and lots of hard work. Plus, there are blind spots. Most cars are designed to give us the maximum view of our surroundings based on the…
Setting Boundaries You Will Keep
You’ll know that an Apple phone is just a computer between 2 pieces of glass right? The minute it slips from your pocket under the car in the parking lot it shatters…unless you have a case. It is frustrating to have to buy one more thing for that crazy expensive iPhone. But a case is…
Tools to Face the Challenges of New Sobriety
This week’s podcast is all about facing sobriety challenges. As we step into a new year we often challenge ourselves. A new year is “clean slate time” as Gretchen Rubin from the Happier Podcast labels it. A “clean slate” creates room to make changes, redirections or just dumping out the old coffee and making a…
Are Resentments Hijacking Your Life?
Holding on to resentment means that I give someone else power over me. It does not mean the act did not happen; it does not mean that the action was not hurtful or harmful, but holding on to the resentment after the action only keeps me stuck. Missed the first podcast on resentments find it…
Thanksgiving Emotional Sobriety Challenge: Win The Moment
Hey! it is exactly one week before Thanksgiving here in the United States. Plus today is exactly 40 days until Christmas, yikes! Ever heard the phrase “Failing to plan is planning to fail?” While we know this holds true for budgeting money, food, time, and work projects what about our emotions? Family gatherings around the…
