by Colleen Harrison | May 13, 2013 | abstinence, Recovery, Step 3
Abstinence is not always recovery. What?!? Many people want to believe that abstinence is the end-all of a Twelve Step program. While it’s extremely important, abstinence is the result, not the goal. Recovery is not born of abstinence. Abstinence grows from recovery....
by Colleen Harrison | Apr 24, 2013 | Addiction, Recovery
I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance. (1 Nephi 1:20; emphasis added) Abstinence is not a result of anything I do. It is...
by Colleen Harrison | Mar 1, 2013 | abstinence, Addiction, Change of Heart, Recovery
Doing abstinence with God—putting Him in charge of defining it, letting Him guide us in applying it, relying on His strength to live it—elevates abstinence to a holy sacrament. With God, the spirit of abstinence becomes one of joyful surrender, as our willingness to...
by Colleen Harrison | Feb 25, 2013 | abstinence, Change of Heart, Led by Spirit, Recovery
And thus mercy . . . encircles them in the arms of safety. (Alma 34:16) Learning how to be abstinent is like learning how to walk on a balance beam. At first, you are very, very clumsy. You gain your balance for a moment, take a couple of shuffling steps, and then...
by Colleen Harrison | Jan 1, 2013 | Addiction, Keep Coming Back, Led by Spirit, Recovery
I stayed up pretty late, last night—well, this morning. Only then did I remember that this morning was a Tuesday mornin—my morning to serve as facilitator for the Heart t’ Heart online meeting at 6:30 a.m. (Mountain Time). I am so grateful that I had the chance...
