Category Archives: Christianity

Day 2470 – “Can You Go Into Bars?” “Can You Hang Out With People Drinking?” And Other Common Questions About My Sobriety

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I’ve shared my story about struggling with alcoholism before. It’s common knowledge that I don’t drink. I want to say at the start that everyone has a different experience with sobriety, alcoholism, etc. This is just MY experience and what it’s like for me. Don’t take this post as a “oh my friend doesn’t drink, so this will apply to them!”

I, thankfully, experience almost zero temptation and struggle with drinking. The only reason for this is God’s work in my life. This is not a will power thing. It’s all God.

Ok, let’s jump right in!

“Can you go into bars?”
Yes! I love hanging out with my friends and bars are a great place to do it. Happy hour specials can be fantastic! It’s a cheaper bill for me either way! 🙂 I will say, there are some times, especially when I went to Padonia Station/Ale House a few weeks ago, that I think about memories (ha ha, or non-memories) of my drinking experiences. I joked with one of my friends there, oh yea, I remember throwing up in that bathroom and that one. Fun fact, I was driving home from Padonia Station the night I was arrested for a DUI. So, I will say, there are SOME times that I think about these things. But it doesn’t make me sad or make me want to not go to a bar. It makes me SO thankful that God did not leave me where I was. Thankful that God had mercy on me during those times and kept me safe.

“Can you hang out with people drinking?”
Yep! If anything, I may be a bad influence to those who are drinking….I get drinks when they need them…this is especially true if I’m driving. Again, not everyone has the same experience with drinking. Some people can actually control themselves and not make a mess of things. I am not one of those people! So, I’ll just drive the ones that can! 🙂

“Are you tempted to drink?”
I would say, there might be a little temptation here and there. Bret has a box of wine in the fridge right now and I’ve had the passing thought – “I’m an adult, I can decide to drink a glass, I’d be fine.” But since I’m sober when I’m thinking this, I realized, um, no, I’d not be fine. My biggest weakness was after that first glass, I’d HAVE to have as much as possible. So, any time I feel a slight temptation, God very graciously reminds me of what I gave up.

“Will you ever drink again?”
No. I have no intention of drinking again. There is absolutely no reason for me to do so. I can celebrate with friends with a can of coke just as much as a shot or glass of wine. I can go to Ireland and tour the Guinness factory and not have a drink (one day soon, I’ll share about my first brewery tour – which was actually the brewer of the last beer I drank). It was making this decision that finally sealed my sobriety. Every time I would “quit” before, I would find an excuse to drink down the road. So, no, no more alcohol for me.

Are there any questions I didn’t answer, let me know in the comments and I’ll do another post!

And for lack of a photo that really fits, here’s a “shine” that I do drink. 🙂 (oh my, I crack myself up)

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Day 2413 – Excerpt From My Book

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Writing a book has been quite a journey. Some days…er….weeks…er…months…I barely do anything. I’m in a bit of a holding pattern right now with the book for a number of reasons. Since I’m asked pretty regularly how the book is going, I figured I’d share an excerpt with my current concept. I’d love to know your thoughts. Please be super honest. 🙂

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“In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.” Proverbs 14:23

In All Toil
Toil is a very active work word. It’s not one of those “fluffy” work words like “brainstorming” or “consulting.” It gives us a sense of someone dripping sweat, dirty, gritty and certainly not wasting time.

There is profit
I love that promise. Even if my work feels fruitless, there is profit. Even if I’m just learning from my mistakes. There is a reward for following the rules – such as a great promise.

Mere talk tends only to poverty
This one hits so close to home for me. I am a big dreamer. I can come up with dozens of new dreams and ideas. But when it comes to the implementing, I feel like a lot doesn’t get done. God is telling us that not working will lead to poverty. How’s that for motivation?

Reflection
Are there areas where you ARE toiling? Are you doing well with this? In what areas are you not taking action? In what areas are you just talking?

Day 2408 – Should A Christian Watch A Show/Movie With Nudity? (i.e. Game Of Thrones, Deadpool, etc)

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One thing I pride myself on this blog is that I put EVERYTHING out there. I haven’t hidden my drinking problem. I haven’t hidden our financial struggles. I also share all the good things too. At the end of the day, I want this blog to be an honest record of our marriage and what we’ve gone through. I’m not here to tell you what to do. Your mind is your mind, not mine. All I want to do is share MY journey through this topic. It is all out of love.

I briefly shared that we stopped watching nudity back in October of 2014. We were both convicted after reading 12 Questions to Ask Before You Watch ‘Game of Thrones’ by John Piper. And this post popped up in my search for a sermon this morning – Seven Questions to Ask Before You Watch ‘Deadpool’.

So this post is a “how is it going?” and a plea for other Christians to consider this. We continue to not watch movies with nudity. This has had profound impact on our lives, particularly, our thoughts. Before, I found myself replaying scenes with nudity in my mind. It’s crazy how stuck they can get there! Now, if I accidentally see nudity, it almost makes me sick to my stomach. I think of it like removing/decreasing sugar from your diet. If you rarely have sugar, you feel sick when you have it. I can also see how much it was filling my mind and how much it doesn’t now.

A few months back, when the Deadpool red band trailer was released, I excitedly started to watch it. Not even thinking….hmmmm, this is a red band trailer, why is it red? Before I knew it, there was the nudity. I still have those images in my head and I wish I didn’t.

How is this practically and emotionally? Well, I have to say, sometimes it really really stinks. I was excited to see Deadpool. I’m a HUGE fan of comic book movies. This one looked fantastic. There is a part of me that’s sad when I see the posts and media pop up about Deadpool. I get bummed out when I hear about a great show or movie someone saw, but after looking it up online, see that it has nudity. There is a part of me that is sad at these things. But on the flip side, there is so much more room in my mind now.

In my testimony, I said this – “Now that alcohol is not in my life, there’s room for God to be the most important thing. I now love to be near God, I have such a desire for him and his word. Because I’m not hungover, I can listen to sermons nearly every day and have clarity as I listen. Do you remember how I missed out on evening devotions with Bret? Well, now he’s listening to most of those sermons with me. Our faith is the number one thing we talk about now.”

I feel the same way about cutting out nudity.

Again, I’m not here to tell you what to do. Your mind is your mind, not mine. All I want to do is share MY journey through this topic. It is all out of love.

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