About

Hello.  My name is John and I am an addict.  I would like to welcome you to a place where we can talk about addiction in a faithful LDS context.  I am not a counselling professional, nor am I an ecclesiastical leader.  I am an addict, who is struggling to become one with his higher power (in my case, Christ).

You do not have to be LDS to post or comment here, nor do you have to be an addict.  Due to the subject matter, I welcome anonymous posting/commenting and commit to maintaining the confidentiality of anyone who cares to comment/post.  That said, I am particularly concerned for those who are affected by spam comments and so I will do my best to police the place as often as possible.

In commenting, it would be helpful if you refrain from offering advice unless it is specifically asked for.  I envision this as a place where people can come for support in their struggles.  You don’t have to refrain from telling others hard truths, but you must be polite.  Personal attacks and trolling will not be tolerated.  I maintain the right to delete anything that I feel crosses the line.  As for the line, it is subjective and dependent on my mood at the moment, so please don’t be mean.

I am providing this place because, although I believe that the church does an excellent job of teaching repentance in an abstract, theological sense, it doesn’t always do it in a practical manner.  This is a site for sinners.  It’s purpose is to help them recover from their sins, to show the light at the end of the tunnel, to offer encouragement for success and consolation for failure.  I believe that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is infinite in its application and that, therefore, we all can be redeemed.  But that is dependent on our repentance.  To that end, I want this site to be a user’s manual on repentance (with your input/feedback, of course).

As I said before, I am currently in recovery.  I have been attending meetings for a couple of years now and (at the moment I write this) have about 15 hours of sobriety.  So, yes, I am doing this for me.  The more people I get involved in my recovery, the better it will go (so they say).  So, I am looking to involve all interested parties.  That said, I believe that I have made some progress over the past couple of years and I think it might be helpful to share that with you.  So, I’ll be talking like I know a lot here, even when I don’t (please don’t let it offend you).  I promise to be polite and, when snarky, to apologize soon thereafter as the guilt will kick in quickly.

I am eternally grateful for an understanding, patient, demanding, and resourceful Heavenly Father and for his Son, Jesus Christ.  I believe.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.