How should a Catholic Alcoholic approach one's spirituality?

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Mfaustina1

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As an alcoholic, I am aware that I should quit drinking and never pick up another drink again. However, unless you have been there, that thought seems overwhelming.

I am a fairly recent convert to Catholicism (2 1/2 years ago) and managed to drop drinking for just barely over six months and then I thought I could handle it again. I was wrong. I am now back OFF the wagon and not wanting to displease God, but drinking calms my nerves which merely praying the Rosary by itself does not do I am VERY sorry to say. I don’t want to be in mortal sin and have even been in counseling all to no avail as of yet. (I haven’t given up yet.) I don’t give up easily. My sins are stubborn, but so am I. Right now my sins (alhohol especially), seem to have the upper hand. I hope if I were to die right this very moment that God would have mercy on me, but I DO wonder since I have free will. But how does one deal with stress, anxiety? These are things I have never managed well. I love God at least in my heart, but I sure seem to fail at showing it in my actions! Please pray for me! - Mfaustina1
 
MFaustina, Know that I will pray for your sobriety as I do for mine every day. Praise God in His Son Jesus Christ, the Real Jesus has granted me sobriety for over ten years. Alcoholism is an affliction and I do not understand how free will and sin are connected with it. I do know that others with the problem can be of great help. Many priests and nuns have the same problem and have found help in AA. I know that many people gasp at that program because of the Higher Power name for “God as we understand Him.” I suffered and knew I needed help. Jesus helped me through AA. He went with me and I learned that He is real and with me every moment. I found Christians in AA who felt like I do, wondering why my religion did not work, feeling like I must have so offended God I was out of grace but I never let that thought stop me. I decided the Real Jesus was bigger than what I thought. I am not a Catholic. I was a convert, then quit for Protestant, and have been struggling trying to return this last year but having trouble reconciling all the confusion between various “Catholic” beliefs. I hope I can forget all that and just let Jesus Christ my Lord lead me to the right place. I miss the Catholic Church and would love to be able to fully return, even if my kids think I have lost my mind! But in the meantime, I stay sober one breath at a time and my life is much better. The misery does lessen after a while, believe me. I can’t believe how sick I was and how mellow I am now by comparison. I don’t go to AA anymore but I pray every day to be sober in thought word and deed and nothing is more important than that, nothing, because my mind belongs to the Lord and I want it there for Him. He lives within me and I am never alone. You are courageous to admit this problem and that is why I am posting my first post. People helped me get sober, and they talked about Jesus with me, the ones who believed in Him as their Higher Power. Others can help you get sober, just by keeping you company. But only Jesus can make it worth while. Love from a fellow “alkie.”
 
Sofia Press has a book about Matt Talbot, an Irish alcoholic who quit drinking and led a life of heroic virtue, I believe his cause for sainthood is being pursued. Investigate more on his life.
 
Prudence, Praise God for your ten years sober!!👍

Mfaustina, as a recent convert you are blessed to have the Sacraments. I cannot stress enough how precious is the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Christ did not die to leave you in bondage to anything! Sometimes we feel He doesn’t move quickly enough. Patience…allow yourself to be taught and we are taught more through our struggles than at any other time. Do not depend on your own strength, but on His. Trust that He IS helping you, even if it doesn’t seem so. Live your life as best as you can with the graces that have been given to you thus far. Think often on His Divine Mercy. His love for you is unchangable, it does not flow and ebb with your time off and on the wagon. He will use your falls and make them to your benefit. Your area of weakness, in Him will one day be your strength! Hope always. God bless you on your journey towards freedom from alcoholism.
 
As someone approaching his first year of sobriety I can tell you that the 3 things which have helped through all of this has been God, AA, and I recently began antidepressants. Through my sobriety I have felt much closer to God and feel like my relationship with Him has vastly improved. I definitely had a sense of sinfullnes when I was drinking to excess. In my sobriety at times the anxiety was overwhelming. I, thank God, never began drinking again. I have not experienced any significant anxiety episodes since beginning my antidepressants. Please know that you are in my prayers.

Chris
 
Hello Mfaustina1,

I have great compasion for you. Don’t get too hard on yourself. At least do be very careful not to drink and drive, this has to be a must.

The only way to stop is just decide you are finished and that’s it. The problem is that you can’t decide you are finished. You know it’s a problem overall but you don’t want to give up the fun. You just need to realize that like all of Satan’s lies, drinking will actually not make you happier. What you think is fun, really isn’t fun - you have just come to convince yourself that the feeling you get when you drink is a good feeling. I can tell you that waking up knowing you didn’t drink is a better feeling. I can also tell you that finding other things to do is a better feeling. Find something else you really enjoy and do that. See a movie. Have an ice cream, paint, computer, anything.

You will stop drinking when you decide that you are finished drinking and it has no part in your life. It’s really very simple.

Ask God to help you and make the decision that you are finished.

I have sincere compassion because you are in some ways a slave.

If you slip here and there don’t catastrophize it by thinking you have failed and then drink even more. It’s our own sense of failure when we slip a little that opens the door. This is the anxiety game that Satan plays with you. Just be at peace and do not condemn yourself, because Jesus does not condemn you. Satan wants you to feel condemned so you will stay in his slavery but Jesus wants you to be at peace with youself so that you can see that you are not the bad person that Satan wants you to think you are.

Greg
 
Dearest Faustina

Peace and love to you. The very fact you have posted on this is your strength. You are able to look straight in the face what it is that you know puts a seperation between you and God. So few can do this, even on the smaller things in life. What you are facing is difficult but it doesn’t mean you don’t love God, of course you do, I see you love Him by your post and how you feel shame for your drinking. It is Faustina, the persistant trying that Our Lord sees and merits, not the lapses or the dry periods, but the persistant trying of your spirit to overcome this.

Our Lord is always with us, more so in our darkest hours than any other, when we feel we cannot see him or hear him, or even speak a word to him ourselves, it is this very hour he holds us by the hand and is most strongly with us. Your post IS the bravest step, the most magnificent realisation that you love God. Persist Faustina, persist in your heart and spirit, persist and hold in your heart that everyone struggles with something and everyone carries a splinter or more than one splinter from Our Lord’s cross. Trust Him in this and you will be in my prayers. Your suffering is glorifies God when you trust Him and hand it to Him.

Much peace and love to you xxxx
 
I notice your name is Faustina…

Do you have an image of the Divine Mercy in your home?

Do you pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy?..its a great prayer that can be said in 10 minutes time…AND Jesus has promised, that even if the MOST hardened sinner prays this JUST ONCE…he will give Grace in abundance!

God Bless…
 
Dear Friend,
I am an alcoholic Catholic also. I have been sober for sixteen years, thanks to God, Our Lord and Alcoholics Anonymous. I could not have done it without them. I still attend AA because it works: it has kept me sober all these years. It is the only thing that would work for me. I tried quitting through my faith, through making trips, by not taking trips, by going to church, by not going to church, by going only to bars, by never going to bars, by only drinking beer, by only drinking wine, by never drinking beer or wine and only drinking hard booze. Get the picture? Anything but actually stay sober for one day at a time. I always had an excuse. But thank God I found AA and have been able to stay sober through it all these years. The truth about alcoholism is it is a disease. It is a disease and there is a solution to this disease in AA. For most alcoholics, having faith is simply not enough to maintain sobriety. Remember, it is a *disease. *We don’t tell people ill with cancer to only trust in God and they will be healed, do we? No. We encourage them to continue seeking medical help through their physicians, because we know that doctors know more about healing cancer than lay people do. The same is true for alcoholics: alcoholics need help from other alcoholics who have managed to stay sober for long periods of time and where most of these alcoholics in recovery are are in AA! Go there! The AAs there will help you! God bless! and please let us know how it’s going, ok? Remember, keep it simple! You can stay sober one day at a time in AA!
 
hi. i posted a very lengthy, heartfelt reply to your posts the night before last, and when i posted, the server crashed (did anyone else notice it was down for several hours?) or was offline or something, and my post was lost.

what i said was that my heart hurts for you, and you have my prayers. i said alot more, too, but i’ve forgotten. may God richly bless you as you seek His face each day. He has the strength you need - and will help you overcome your difficulties (like He is helping me with mine), one step at a time.

God bless.
 
Please find AA in your area - and give it a real chance. They know what they’re doing when it comes to tackling this disease and it won’t be opposed to your religious views. They are an extremely compassionate and generous bunch of people who have all been there. They’ll share with you how it was for them - what happened as a result - and what their lives are like now. No strings attached - and they will welcome you with open arms.

Trust me, it can be the best thing you’ve ever done for yourself. God Bless!
 
Pray, pray, pray.:gopray2: It may take weeks, months or even years, but don’t let up on the prayers. God will deliver in his own time… I will be happy to tell you my story if you’d like to PM me. And remember that God loves you no matter what.

Puppy
 
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puppylove:
Pray, pray, pray.:gopray2: It may take weeks, months or even years, but don’t let up on the prayers. God will deliver in his own time…
Puppy
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Yes, asked to be freed from it and ask multiple times if needed. Ask in weakness with an open heart.
 
I have never seen a Catholic Church that doesn’t have at least one AA group, most have many, if not in yours look in another, that way you will get Catholic “higher power”
 
i would add ‘ask multiple times’ and you WILL need it…

🙂

i know that sometimes it pleases God to instantly take away the things with which we struggle mightily. but it seems to me that, most often, He sees fit to take it away bit by bit, gradually. it is, i think, related to the way He heals us of wounds or sickness. sometimes He just ‘pow!’ takes it away or heals us instantly. but usually, in most cases, He heals us bit by bit, a little at a time, until we’re tempted to think it wasn’t Him doing it all along…
 
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Leo44:
that way you will get Catholic “higher power”
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Not so, Leo. AA groups that meet at Catholic facilities are not affiliated with the Church and do not differ from any other AA meetings. They merely rent a space from the church.
 
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jeffreedy789:
ibut usually, in most cases, He heals us bit by bit, a little at a time
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I absolutely agree with jeffreedy789. Slowly, but surely God works within us. When you think you can’t go on, good things begin happening and God does come through. Bottom line, we have to bear our crosses first!
 
I just want to thank everyone here from the bottom of my heart for your spiritual works of mercy. Everyone of you have been exceedingly kind and very supportive to me with your prayers and advice. To tell the truth, I’m not very fond of AA because I hate the introductions followed by the …“and I’m an alcoholic”…“Hi, _________!” This tends to drive me nuts and sounds somewhat mechanical. I know why its done, but I can’t seem to get past that irritating pebble in my shoe so to speak. Maybe its a pride issue for me, I’m not sure. But I do want to thank you all, and maybe I’ll give AA another try. I ask you to please continue your prayers for me if you don’t mind. - Very gratefully your, Mfaustina1

ps. Yes, I do have a Divine Mercy image in my house as St. Faustina is my patron saint. I took her name for Confirmation. I also should go back to re-reading her diary since I’ve been sadly quite neglectful regarding her.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!! :love:
 
It is a shame that the greeting that is meant to help level the playing field, so to speak, is what is keeping you away.

I am knurd – I love drunks and fortunate that God gave me a sober one to marry. We met when he was struggling to get sober and I was struggling to overcome my drug abuse and messed up life. We were a real match made in heaven. We are still together and happily so 24 years later.

AA is a wonderful method to help one achieve sobriety. It isn’t the only way, but it does help. What Bill W. and Dr. Bob discovered is that the group dynamic of helping each other to be sober is the essence of why it works. It is the going beyiond self that allows one to begin redeeming one’s sense of worth.

I can say that I am drug free, happily converted to Catholicism and married a member of the CIA – Catholic Irish Alcoholic. He just passed his 24th anniversary of sobriety. He never had a legal drink. He started on the path to sobriety when he was 20.

May God be with you. May you accept the humility of being able to say you are an alcoholic. You will be in good company.
 
Mamamull-

Thanks for sharing your story AND your perspective on my opinion of the greetings. I will keep this in mind and start seeking a meeting again in my area that suits my schedule. Just pray for me and again- Thanks!

sometimes all one needs is a “bucket of cold water” over the head to wake one up! I am grateful to you. - Mfaustina1
 
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