Tag Archives: mentalhealthmatters

One of the questions I’m asked from time to time is, “What’s the difference between coaching and therapy?” As someone who is a Certified Recovery Coach, you might expect me to argue that coaching is the better option. The truth is, I can’t honestly say that because therapy has been one of the most valuableContinue reading “Coaching and Therapy: Partners in Recovery, Not Competitors”

One of the greatest obstacles to recovery isn’t addiction itself. It’s denial. When we hear the word denial, we often picture someone refusing to admit they have a problem. Sometimes that’s true, but denial is usually much more subtle than that. It whispers things like: “It’s not that bad.” “I can stop whenever I want.” “I’mContinue reading “Denial Doesn’t Remove Consequences – It Just Hides Them”

Disappointment is an emotion we don’t talk about very often in recovery. We talk about shame. We talk about guilt. We talk about anger, fear, and loneliness. But disappointment often sits quietly in the background, shaping the way we think without us ever recognizing it. In many ways, disappointment is the gap between what weContinue reading “When Recovery Is Disappointing”

When I was released from prison, I was required to attend group therapy. I had to pay a weekly fee. I had to show up consistently. If I didn’t attend or didn’t pay, I could be violated and sent back to prison. To be honest, there were times I resented it. Sometimes money was tight.Continue reading “Because I Have To vs. Because I Want To”

Content Note: Today’s article discusses pornography and masturbation in the context of recovery. For years I have journaled using four simple questions: What am I feeling? What am I thinking? What am I doing? What am I thinking about doing? I have used a four question journaling outline for over a decade but I settled onContinue reading “What a Walmart Parking Lot Taught Me About Recovery”

If addiction is an attempt to solve a problem, then the next question becomes: What problem? Most people initially answer that at the surface level. Stress. Work. Marriage. Temptation. Opportunity. Those things matter—but they’re not the root. The real problem usually isn’t what’s happening around us. It’s what’s happening inside us. This is where I come backContinue reading “If Addiction Is a Solution… What’s the Problem?”

There’s a tension in recovery that a lot of people struggle to hold. On one side, we know the truth: Addiction costs us. It damages relationships. It takes us places we never intended to go. So we say, “This has to stop.” And that’s right. But on the other side, there’s another truth that often getsContinue reading “No Addiction is Justified… But It Is Understandable”

For years I lived in hiding. I was in ministry for more than 20 years, and somewhere along the way I learned a dangerous lesson: struggle, or admitting struggle was unsafe. I believed that if people truly knew what was happening inside me, I would lose everything. So I learned to manage appearances. I learnedContinue reading “The Freedom of Having Nothing Left to Hide”

Johan Hari became is known for a statement that resonated with many people in recovery: “The opposite of addiction is not sobriety. It’s connection.” Whether you agree with every detail of his work or not, there is a truth in that statement that many recovering people immediately recognize. Addiction thrives in isolation. Healing happens inContinue reading “The Opposite of Addiction is Connection”