12 Steps

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been learning so much about addiction and recovery. Although I had certainly heard about the 12 Step program, I realized I'd never actually read through the steps...which got me to thinking that there are probably others who haven't read them either...so here they are:
Step 1 - We admitted we were powerless over our addiction - that our lives had become unmanageable
Step 2 - Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity
Step 3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God
Step 4 - Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves
Step 5 - Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs
Step 6 - Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character
Step 7 - Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings
Step 8 - Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all
Step 9 - Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others
Step 10 - Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it
Step 11 - Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God's will for us and the power to carry that out
Step 12 - Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs

For even more information, visit the following websites:
www.12step.org
www.aa.org

Contact Information

It's hard to imagine going a full day without a cell phone, television, or the internet...but that's exactly what it's like for the 77 days students spend at Christian Love Ministries. All 15 of the guys in the program share one land line & getting a letter in the mail is the highlight of their day. If ever there was a time in Rich's life for words of encouragement, this is definitely it! So if you'd like to revisit the lost art of sending a handwritten card or letter, here is the mailing address:
Richard Becker
c/o Christian Love Ministries
P.O. Box 376
Murphy, NC
28906

Happy Birthday Rich!

Today is Rich's 38th birthday...Happy Birthday my love! Gage & I had the opportunity to go visit Rich this past weekend for the first time since he entered CLM. Here is a little bit about the program:
Christian Love Ministries is a non-profit drug/alcohol treatment facility at the top of a (steep!) hill overlooking the Hiawasse River in Murphy, NC. It has provided treatment for over 1,400 individuals since their doors opened in August 1996. The success rate of the program at CLM stays consistent at 50% (or above)-most secular programs have only a 3-10% success rate. During a student's 11 week stay at CLM, they are given individual counseling, group therapy, classroom instruction & daily AA or NA meetings. Funding is provided through donations and money raised at the 2 Market Place thrift stores run by CLM. Every day, the students spend a few hours working at one of the Market Place stores sorting donations, filling shelves, or bailing clothing into giant bales that are shipped to Africa. It is quite an operation...next time I visit I'll take some pictures to show just how amazing it is!
For even more info, you can visit CLM's website: http://christianloveministries.net
Here is a picture of us down by the Hiawasse River yesterday...

Penny Lane

On Monday, February 2, 2009, my husband Rich and I begin our 2 hour drive to Murphy, NC...our destination is a place on Penny Lane called Christian Love Ministries. For the next 11 weeks, this is where Rich will call home as he begins his recovery from alcoholism.
My goal with this blog is to share our journey, answer questions, find hope, & record this experience that will forever change us...