DESCRIPTION
If, when you honestly
want to, you find you cannot quit drinking or using entirely,
or if
you have little control
over the amount you consume, you are probably an alcoholic and/or
an addict. If that is the case, you may be suffering from a problem
which only a spiritual solution will conquer.
If you are as seriously
alcoholic or addicted as we were, we believe there is no middle-of-the-road
solution. We were in a position where life was becoming impossible,
and we had passed into the region from which there is no return
through human resources. We had but two alternatives: one was
to go on to the bitter end, blotting out the consciousness of
our intolerable situation as best as we could; and the other was
to accept Jesus Christ as our Higher Power.
Jesus
answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water
will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that
I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I
shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing
up into everlasting life." The woman said to Him, "Sir,
give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here
to draw."
John
4:13-15 |
Romans 7:15-25 points out -
"I do not understand
what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate
I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law
is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it
is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that
is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good,
but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want
to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-- this I keep on doing.
Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do
it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law
at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another
law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the
law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work
within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me
from this body of death? Thanks be to God-- through Jesus Christ
our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law,
but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin." (NIV)
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THE
SOLUTION
By working through the
Eight Recovery Principles found in the Beatitudes with Jesus Christ
as your Higher Power, you can and will change! You will begin
to experience the true peace and serenity you have been seeking,
and you will no longer have to rely on your dysfunctional, compulsive,
and addictive behaviours as a temporary "fix" for your pain.
By applying the biblical principles of conviction, conversion,
surrender, confession, restitution, prayer, quiet time, witnessing,
and helping one another, which are found within the Eight Principles
and the Christ-centred 12 Steps, you will restore and develop
stronger relationships with others and with God. Return
to top
SELF-EVALUATION
Identify how many of
the statements apply to you:
- Have you ever decided to stop drinking and/or using for a
week or so, but only lasted for a couple of days?
- Do you wish people would mind their own business about your
drinking and/or using – stop telling you what to do?
- Have you ever switched from one kind of drink or drug to another
in the hope that this would keep you from losing control?
- Have you had to have an "eye-opener" upon awakening during
the past year? Do you need a drink or drug to get started, or
stop shaking?
- Do you envy people who can drink or use drugs without getting
into trouble?
- Have you had problems connected with drinking or using during
the past year?
- Has your drinking or using caused trouble at home?
- Do you ever try to get "extra" drinks or drugs at a party
because you did not get enough?
- Do you tell yourself you can stop drinking or using any time
you want to, even though you keep getting inebriated when you
don't mean to?
- Have you missed days of work or school because of drinking
or using?
- Do you have "blackouts"?
- Have you ever felt that your life would be better if you did
not drink or use?
What is your score?
Did you answer YES two
(2) or more times? If so, you are probably in trouble with alcohol
or drugs.
But again, only you can decide whether you think Celebrate Recovery
is for you. Try to keep an open mind on the subject. If the answer
is YES, we will be glad to show you how we stopped drinking and
using drugs ourselves.
Celebrate Recovery
does not promise to solve your life's problems. But we can show
you how we are learning to live without drinking or using one
day at a time with the help of our Higher Power, Jesus Christ.
We stay away from that first drink. If there is no first one,
there cannot be a tenth one. And when we are free of alcohol,
we found that life became much more manageable, with Christ's
power. Return to top
TESTIMONIES
If you have a testimony
you would like to share on how God has helped you to deal with
your chemical dependency, we would love you to contact
us and share your story. Return to top
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