Saints that fought addiction

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HailMary90

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Are there any Saints that in there early life before finding holiness were drug addicts or alcoholics or any other kind of addict and defeated there addiction?

-Thanks
 
He is not a recognized saint, but Matt Talbot is officially recognized as “venerable”, the first step towards canonization.
 
St. Augustine was a VERY promiscuous youth, as was St. Ignatius of Loyola (who seems in some ways a later Augustine). I always recommend one pray to St. Augustine whenever one is struggling with any kind of sin. With St. Augustine and St. Michael, you can’t go wrong.

Additionally, if you have sore eyes, St. Augustine is apparently a good intercessor for that as well… go figure.
 
Yes, Augustine is fought strong sexual addiction and led a very hedonistic lifestyle. He is the patron saint of brewers. Yet he became a bishop and one of the greatest Doctors of the Church.

Without getting too specific, I’ll just say that I took Augustine for my confirmation saint and that I ask his intercession daily. 😉

-Tim-
 
TimothyH said:
Yes, Augustine is fought strong sexual addiction and led a very hedonistic lifestyle. He is the patron saint of brewers. Yet he became a bishop and one of the greatest Doctors of the Church.

Without getting too specific, I’ll just say that I took Augustine for my confirmation saint and that I ask his intercession daily. 😉

-Tim-
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St. Augustine is my confirmation saint (for more reasons than one: I got to looking, and, instead of diverging from St. Augustine’s path, I seem to have solidified myself into it over time) as well! He definitely has been a good friend. It makes me wonder if there is a rosary or chaplet to St. Augustine… That would be nice.
 
St. Augustine is my Confirmation Saint as well. I know a fair bit about him, including the promiscuity. I never heard it claimed he was a sexual addict though, do you have a source for that info? Thanks!!
 
smad0142 said:
St. Augustine is my Confirmation Saint as well. I know a fair bit about him, including the promiscuity. I never heard it claimed he was a sexual addict though, do you have a source for that info? Thanks!!
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Pick up the book Confessions, written by St. Augustine. I’m not sure if he specifically refers to his lustful former life as an addiction per se, but he is very clear in his condemnation of his past sins, and gives hope to all who struggle with his beautiful language and utterly honest writing style.
 
I’ve read the Confessions. People can engage in those sins a lot and still not be addicts.
 
St Monica is the Patron Saint of Alcoholics, and was, herself, a reformed alcoholic.
 
St. Augustine certainly did engage in a lot of sexual sin, I don’t think his Confessions ever speak of it as an addiction. He certainly does say that the idea of celibacy was hard to swallow at first, and he certainly felt a strong temptation towards sexual sin that kept him from converting, but I don’t think it was an addiction. Still, St. Augustine was triumphant over great temptations and lived out the rest of his life as a great celibate priest and bishop. His intercession is powerful when it comes to these matters. Whenever I start thinking that celibacy is too hard his intercession is of great help.
 
St. Hilarion a pre-congregate saint. St. Jerome describes his temptation as,
'So many were his temptations and so various the snares of demons night and day, that if I wished to relate them, a volume would not suffice. How often when he lay down did naked women appear to him, how often sumptuous feasts when he was hungry! (Jerome, Life of St Hilarion, 7) ’
More info on en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilarion
 
mlakshan said:
St. Hilarion a pre-congregate saint. St. Jerome describes his temptation as,
'So many were his temptations and so various the snares of demons night and day, that if I wished to relate them, a volume would not suffice. How often when he lay down did naked women appear to him, how often sumptuous feasts when he was hungry! (Jerome, Life of St Hilarion, 7) ’
More info on en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilarion
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We are not supposed to resurrect old threads. This one is well over 2 years old.
 
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