Mormon Life - Addiction tag

Addiction Recovery Program Calls for Stories of Recovery and Healing

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 09:50:00 -0700

source: news.lds.org

In preparation for an Addiction Recovery Program (ARP) website scheduled to debut later this year, the Church is seeking personal stories of addiction recovery.

The website will give people everywhere access to an ARP experience—particularly those whose remote location or busy schedules prevent them from attending ARP meetings. Recovery stories are a crucial element of that experience, said Dr. Ben Erwin, LDS Family Services counseling program manager for the ARP.

Vai's View: No one is immune from the dangers of drug addiction

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:25:00 -0700

source: MormonTimes.com

My wife and I were at a girls camp fundraiser dinner for the young women in our LDS ward Saturday night when one of my daughter's friends blurted out, "Oh my gosh, Whitney Houston died!" She got the news on her smartphone.

Houston's passing over the weekend, with bottles of prescription drugs allegedly found in her hotel room, was followed by news Wednesday of a drug bust at Texas Christian University that involved 17 students, including four members of the football team.

For most of my life, I've been around addiction.

Podcast: Spiritual secrets of addiction recovery

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:06:00 -0700

source: mormonmatters.org

As the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous discovered, something profound can happen when addicts invite God or a power higher than themselves into their lives and efforts at recovery. Through understanding addiction as a symptom of spiritual “dis-ease” and addressing recovery as an attempt to restore a healthy balance between one’s own ego and desires to run things versus the will and wisdom of God or the universe, AA and its Big Book and Twelve-Step offspring programs have saved countless lives. What are the spiritual principles at work in addiction recovery? Do addicts at their wits’ and wills’ ends discover secrets that are also at work in others’ vital spiritual lives? Can non-addicts increase their own spirituality from interacting with recovering addicts and applying Big Book insights in their own spiritual journeys? However one ends up viewing the answers to these question, it’s undeniable that powerful things happen in addiction recovery work that are worth close examination (along, of course, with proper celebration of the returns to joy in recovering addicts’ lives).

In this podcast, Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon and recovering addicts “Keith,” “John,” and “Bill” discuss addiction and recovery, AA’s Twelve Steps, and the spiritual powers that seem to be unleashed in the interaction of addicts sharing and teaching another. They also introduce and discuss the LDS Church’s Addition and Recovery Program (ARP) that is modeled after AA’s Twelve Steps but which has also adapted–in some ways successfully but still needing additional development–its approach to better match Mormon gospel teachings and to handle special concerns that arise when recovery programs become affiliated with institutions. The panel also discusses the special challenges Latter-day Saints often face in recovery, but also how the unprecedented levels of honesty and disclosure that operate in recovery work can help build even stronger LDS communities.

Dave Says: No Sure Thing

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:04:00 -0700

by Dave Ramsey
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: My brother has started gambling in order to make money. How can I make him see this is a disaster waiting to happen?

Dear Dave,

My brother is 30-years old, and he just lost his job. He doesn’t have any debt, but he’s started gambling in order to make money. He’s won a few times, and when he does he’s very generous with the winnings. Still, how can I make him see this is a disaster waiting to happen?

Emily

Dear Emily,

You say he’s “started” gambling. Is this new behavior? Is he an addict, or just desperate? That will affect how willing he’s going to be to listen to you.

Either way, what he’s doing is really dumb. Sure, you can have a loving, heart-to-heart, sit-down conversation with him and let him know how much you’re worried. This is something you should do very soon. But the question remains, is he mature enough that it will make a difference?

The movies and cable networks have glamorized poker and the world of gambling. But there’s one sure way to tell whether the house will win or you will win in the long run. Look at your place, and then look at theirs. You may pick up a few dollars here and there by sheer luck, but they throw down millions just to re-decorate a lobby.

And where do you think they got that money? From dummies who thought they could beat the system!

—Dave

For more financial help, please visit daveramsey.com.

FHE: Seeking Forgiveness

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:12:00 -0700

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "When we sin, Satan tells us we are lost. In contrast, our Redeemer offers redemption to all—no matter what we have done wrong—even to you and to me." -C. Scott Grow

Conference Talk:
For more information on this topic read “The Miracle of the Atonement,” by C. Scott Grow, Ensign, May 2011, 108.

Thought:
When we sin, Satan tells us we are lost. In contrast, our Redeemer offers redemption to all—no matter what we have done wrong—even to you and to me.

(C. Scott Grow, “The Miracle of the Atonement,” Ensign, May 2011, 108.)

Song:
“Help Me, Dear Father,” Children’s Songbook, p. 99.

Scripture:
Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more. By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them. (Doctrine and Covenants 58:42-43)

Object Lesson:
Materials Needed: A doormat.

Procedure: Display the doormat. Point out that it is put in front of the door to let those who enter wipe the dirt and debris from their feet so they will not soil the inside of the home.

Liken the doormat to repentance. Repentance enables us to remove the things from our lives that are not clean. Explain further that unless we cleanse our lives of such debris, we will not be allowed into our Father’s house.

(Beth Lefgren and Jennifer Jackson, Object Lessons Made Easy, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2010], p. 75.)

Story:
While preparing my talk for this conference, I received a shocking phone call from my father. He said that my younger brother had died that morning in his sleep. I was heartbroken. He was only 51 years old. As I thought about him, I felt impressed to share with you some events from his life. I do so with permission.

As a youth my brother was handsome, friendly, and outgoing―totally dedicated to the gospel. After serving an honorable mission, he married his sweetheart in the temple. They were blessed with a son and a daughter. His future was full of promise.

But then he gave in to a weakness. He chose to live a hedonistic lifestyle, which cost him his health, his marriage, and his membership in the Church.

He moved far from home. He continued his self-destructive behavior for more than a decade, but the Savior had not forgotten or abandoned him. Eventually the pain of his despair allowed a spirit of humility to enter his soul. His feelings of anger, rebellion, and militancy began to dissipate. Like the prodigal son, “he came to himself.”1 He began to reach out to the Savior and to make his way back home and to faithful parents who never gave up on him.

He walked the path of repentance. It wasn’t easy. After being out of the Church for 12 years, he was rebaptized and received again the gift of the Holy Ghost. His priesthood and temple blessings were eventually restored.

He was blessed to find a woman who was willing to overlook the ongoing health challenges from his prior lifestyle, and they were sealed in the temple. Together they had two children. He served faithfully in the bishopric for several years.

My brother died on Monday morning, March 7. The previous Friday evening he and his wife attended the temple. On Sunday morning, the day before he died, he taught the priesthood lesson in his high priests group. He went to bed that evening, never to awaken again in this life―but to come forth in the resurrection of the just.

I am grateful for the miracle of the Atonement in the life of my brother. The Savior’s Atonement is available to each of us—always.

(C. Scott Grow, “The Miracle of the Atonement,” Ensign, May 2011, 108.)

Activity:
One of the group leaves the room. While he is out, the other members of the group choose an object in the room which is in plain sight. The person returns to the room and guesses what the object is. For instance, he might say, “I guess that it is the piano.” The group does not tell him whether his guess is right or wrong at this point. He must go on and ask a question to try to verify his guess. He may ask any question about size, position in the room, color, texture, etc. For example if he wishes to check whether or not it is the piano, he would ask, “Is it more than four feet long?” If the answer is “No,” he knows it is not the piano and says, “I’ve made a mistake.” When he says this the family tries to help him by giving him a clue to guide him. He then makes another guess but is not told whether he is right or wrong until he asks a question to check his guess. If he is wrong again he says, “I’ve made a mistake,” and he gets another clue. Again he must ask a question. If he is wrong at the end of three guesses, the group will tell him what the object is.

The purpose of the game is to emphasize the idea that saying “I’ve made a mistake” brings benefits; for instance in this case the benefits are the clues given by the group to help him. If he fails to say, “I’ve made a mistake” when he has guessed wrong, his turn is over. If his guess is right, he should be told so at the end of his question. Allow each member to have a turn going out of the room and coming back to guess an object.

(Alma Heaton, The LDS Game Book, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1968], p. 46.)

Refreshment
Fruit and Yogurt Parfait

1 quart blueberry yogurt
1 quart peach yogurt
1 quart raspberry yogurt
1 16-ounce box muselix cereal
4 cups raspberries
4 cups strawberries, quartered
4 cups blueberries
Raspberries, for garnish
Mint sprigs, for garnish

In tall parfait- style glasses alternate yogurt, muselix cereal, and berries to fill each glass. Garnish top with whole raspberries and a sprig of mint. Makes 20 parfaits.

(Lion House Weddings, [Salt Lake City: Eagle Gate, 2003], p. 63.)

To get to PDF version of this lesson, click here.

LDS recovery program points addicts to the Savior

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:36:00 -0600

source: deseretnews.com

He was a good Mormon, Rod said as he studied his cheesy quesadilla and poked his fork around the rice and beans. He was a returned missionary with a temple recommend, a devoted husband and father with a thriving dental practice.

He was also addicted to painkillers.

"I was a bum. What else do you call a person who totally abandons his family for personal reasons?" he said. "I was taking 40 to 50 Lortab, four or five Xanax and one or two Soma per day. I should be dead."

Internet addiction harming marriage

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 10:30:00 -0600

source: deseretnews.com

SALT LAKE CITY — At first Ashley Yates just thought her husband of three weeks was excited about a new video game. Six hours a day in front of the computer, completely oblivious to the outside world as the flashing lights of simulated battle washed over his face, was excessive, perhaps, but he'd get bored of World of Warcraft soon enough. With each new argument, though, he sunk deeper and deeper into the game. Six hours stretched to 12, stretched to 36.

Mental health professionals report too much computer time is becoming a common thread in marriage and family counseling sessions. To address the issue, the past decade has seen the birth of a quickly growing industry, ranging from software to regulate the use of sites like Facebook and Twitter to full-blown residential treatment programs.

"Nothing mattered but the computer," said Yates, who asked not to be identified by her real name. "All he cared about was the game."

Recovering from an Internet Addiction (and How to Avoid One)

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 09:40:00 -0700

source: mormonwoman.org

Mormon Life says: This is a sad story of one woman's addiction to virtual reality. I am one of those women who long before it was popular to be addicted to the internet, fell into its gaping jaws of faux solace and seemingly innocence. I was married, I am no longer. I was financially sound, educated, reasonably intelligent and reasonably happy. My life had some problems of course, but nothing (looking back) like physical abuse, poverty, or mental illness.

I was lonely. I was unfulfilled. I was longing for a connection that I didn’t feel in my marriage or my world. I was introduced to the internet. Day by day my curiosity grew. Week by week I dropped more and more of the boundaries and cautions I had always upheld in the physical world. It was after all, “only pretend.” Soon instead of just chatting with random strangers, I was making “Friends.” Before I knew it, I was crying with them, laughing with them, and they were giving me the validation, support, and stimulation that was lacking in my role as “merely” a housewife. They thought I was intelligent. They thought I was funny and wise. When I was “online” I was. I liked that person better.