Introductions

[Dalton]

I didn’t see centralized thread for dropping introductions so I figured I would start one.

Provide a short introduction about yourself and get to know others.

How much or how little you post is up to you but here are some ideas to help you get started:

Who are you?
Where are you from?
What’s your background?
Where do you live?
What do you do for work?
What are your interests?
What do you hope to gain?
What are you struggling with?
What are your concerns?

and any other things that you would like to share.

God Bless!

• This topic was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by Dalton.

[Dalton]

I am originally from a small town in Illinois. Cradle Catholic, Catholic schools from grade school through high school but fell away from The Faith during the New Atheist days. I dabbled in different worldviews and practices for about a decade until God called me back home (via rock bottom) to His one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. Currently residing in Virgina, serving in the Navy and studying Information Technology. I spend a lot of time learning about theology and philosophy. I am particularly interested in the Meaning Crisis and the work of John Vervaeke. I hope to grow in my faith alongside a fellowship of faithful Catholics, to be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. My faith life at the moment is growing in the direction of Marian devotion. I will be enrolling in the Brown Scapular Confraternity soon, and plan to make the Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary on Dev 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. I see addiction as being deeper than any one particular substance or behavior, and more as a manifestation of misplaced worship or idolatry. My concern at the moment is that I am pretty isolated and disconnected from any real substantive in person friendship and fellowship, but trying to see this as an opportunity. I know that I am not the only one feeling this way. I would love to help get Catholic in Recovery started in my local area. I look forward to getting to know others here.

God Bless,

Dalton

[Celeste Robichaux]

Hello, I’m Celeste. I live in Cajun Country in South Louisiana. I’ve been married for 41 years and I have three adult sons and three amazing grandchildren.

I came to CIR seeking help with food addiction. I am pleased this forum is not hosted on Facebook, as I find I don’t spend time on Facebook anymore.

I have been on the outskirts of CIR for a while. I wrote a couple of blog articles for the website. I was hoping to start a group at my parish, but COVID got in the way, and last year we were hit hard by Hurricane Ida. I am finally settled in my new to me home.

I have never worked the 12 steps before, so I need guidance. I hope to find that here.

For work, I create courses for an online school three days a week. I enjoy knitting, reading, and making things with my hands (and power tools!).

I am a cradle Catholic with 12 years of Catholic school. I fell away from the Church during college, but I was drawn back by the Real Presence. I’ve completed and renewed several times my Marian Consecration and also consecration to St Joseph. The Marian consecration was life changing for me.

Dalton, I feel isolated too. I hope to find fellowship here.

Blessings,
Celeste

[Martha Zepeda]

Hello-
My name is Martha. I am in Lakewood, California. That is a city close to Long Beach in Southern California. I’ve been here my entire life except for a short time in Sacramento when I was 7. I loved reading the other posts and can identify with those thoughts and feelings. I am a nurse and have been for 43 years. I recently semi-retired and hope to be out of the hospital setting by the end of the year. I also teach online, which keeps me involved in healthcare. I am also a cradle Catholic, but went to all public schools so I grew up in the CCD world of religious education and the strong faith of my grandmother. I have also played the violin since childhood and play in a community orchestra. I have been in 12 step programs for 21 years but never really felt comfortable in meetings. The Catholic bashing really bothers me, as well as the profanity. I left meetings a couple months ago and found CIR. I’m glad I did. I have been to a couple of meetings and plan to attend regularly. I’m glad to see there is a workbook coming and will be getting that. I hope to be able to really find a way to use the 12 steps in true alignment with my Catholic faith. I feel drawn to finding a deeper faith. I love my parish and am involved with ministries there. My struggle has been with addictions of family members and my own struggles with food. I would really like to work the 12 steps within my faith with others who feel the same way. To me, that is fellowship. I hope to find that here. I too feel isolated and alone, but I feel more hopeful now.
God Bless,
Martha

[Kimberly LeDoux]

Hi, my name is Kim. I’m from Massachusetts. I’m here because my significant other and father of my one year old son is an addict. By the grace of God, he has been sober since August of this year. I also have a nine year old daughter. I work full time and have been struggling a great deal internally with feeling overwhelmed. My boyfriend is living in a sober house about an hour away, but we have just recently begun being able to have visits with him. I have been holding our household together by what feels like the skin of my teeth, but I know it is actually also by God’s Grace that I make it through each day. I, too, am struggling with feeling isolated. I began attending CIR meetings about a year ago by zoom, and the community changed my life for the better. but I haven’t been able to attend in recent months as my schedule with the children and holding everything together takes up every moment I can spare in my waking hours. I miss the community, and I have signed up here hoping to reconnect. I hope to gain some insights from anyone out here who is willing to share, and I hope to reciprocally share something hopeful or helpful to you as well.
In terms of my relationship right now, I feel very disconnected to A, he is newly in recovery, has very little or very foggy memory of what transpired prior to becoming sober, and I feel I am carrying a great deal of the burden and fallout. We seem to be in two very different places, but I know that we are both trying to be understanding and supportive of one another. If anyone has any perspective on this particular topic, I would welcome the feedback. Thank you for listening, and I will be praying for you all. -Kim

[Dolores]

“I see addiction as being deeper than any one particular substance or behavior, and more as a manifestation of misplaced worship or idolatry.”

I am right there with you, Dalton! It has gotten to the point that I no longer resonate with identifying with a particular addiction/unhealthy attachment. Thank you for helping me to articulate that. Blessings!

[Jenny Teeters]

So great to meet everyone!

My name is Jenny and I’m originally from Sacramento, CA and now live in South Carolina. I work in high tech as my day job and am growing my Catholic life coaching practice. I was raised in a large Catholic family who was raised by an even larger Catholic family. I love Catholic in Recovery as it was my first exposure to recovery, the 12 steps and seeing people who suffered as I was suffering. I experienced hope! There are many things I am powerless over, but I began my recovery journey healing as an alcoholic / codependent. I love to read and walk in the beautiful wooded south. I love that recovery healed my marriage and our Lord has made me and everything in my life new.

Love,
Jenny

[Whit Smith]

Who are you?

– Thomas Whitfield Smith II (Whit)

Where are you from?

– Nashville, Tennessee

What’s your background?

– 36 years old, 5th generation Tennessean, proud WASP convert, oldest of three boys. Married for 10 years, three children (8f, 7f, 4m)
– Sober 14 years (2/25/2008) from drugs and alcohol
– Sober 6 years from pornography and attendant onanism
– Nicotine free 11 months
– Caffeine free (mostly) for two years
– Smartphone and social-media free* for four months
– Hardcore left-wing Marxist atheist turned drug addict turned paleoconservative Catholic : )

*I still have a twitter that I check sporadically when there’s a major news event for live updates.

Where do you live?

– Nashville, TN

What do you do for work?

– Real estate development is my day job

What are your interests?

– Bicycle commuting, reading, converting people to the faith, catechesis, playing pinball, making music, writing poetry, being with my family, politics, philosophy, psychology, history, theology, boating, ping pong, vintage cars, southern culture, calisthenics, Latin mass (I’m a half-trad), being with friends…

What do you hope to gain?

– Fuller recovery through a Catholic lens

What are you struggling with?

– Quick-tempered wrath is my predominant fault/character defect. My wife and I are extremely similar per our DISC assessment (both very high D and I), birth order (first born), and temperaments (both sanguine). Thus, we have a high-conflict marriage, but we are very committed to each other and are deeply in love. We’re great at parties : )
– ADHD diagnosis, with intermittent major depressive episodes
– Childhood trauma and resultant attachment issues

What are your concerns?

– That I won’t find a good sponsor who can walk me through CIR steps

[Adele]

Hi, I’m Adele. I’m a wife of 34 years and my husband and I have 8 children who are grown and off in various parts of the US beginning their own lives. We have 2 grandchildren and 2 on the way. They are a joy!

A cradle catholic, I grew up in Roanoke, VA and now live in Fredericksburg, VA. Before having children I was a speech and language pathologist for the public school system. That work definitely prepared me to homeschool our kids, which I loved.

I have become reacquainted with garment sewing and am enjoying making my own clothes as well as gifts for family. I, like you Celeste (above), am an avid knitter.

Along with all of this, I also have suffered with disordered eating most of my life. I have tried so many diets, programs, self-control methods only to eventually fail and fail again.

What I really want is to be at peace with food. I’ve prayed for years about this but have found little relief. My concern is that I never will.

Being an optimist, however, I’m pleased to have found Catholics in Recovery and look forward to what God has to show me.

[Adele]

Celeste, I love knitting too. It’s a very relaxing hobby.

[Leroy Montoya]

Hello, my name is leroy montoya, cradal Catholic but never really participated im the Faith. I am an Army Vet with service in Somalia 1993, still dealing with issues from that, still working on the alcohol addiction. Explored most other religions and atheism for most of my life. been recieving treatment through the VA for almost 5 years(sucide attempt)due to depression, anixety, daily physical pain, divorce. after ending a bad relationship my mother took me in. this is where i discovered Explaining the Faith on Youtube..the message of Divine Mercy drew me back to my Faith. in this last year i have read books about Catholic History, bought a Study Bible. i was born and raised in Denver Colorado but now live in Tijuana Mexico with my new wife and her children. i like to read, play with our dogs and help around the house.

[Luke]

Hi all I’m Luke,I’m 42 and I’m from Massachusetts. I am catholic and have been catholic my whole life. I have been struggling with lust and ses/porn addiction for 32 years and all this time I have never had the courage to seek treatment due to the shame and embarrassment I felt for having this addiction. It has ruined most of my relationships and almost my marriage. I have never had the strength to combat this addiction until now since I found this website that uses my catholic faith to combat the addiction and not bash my catholic faith as a religion that fosters this type of addiction. I love being catholic. I am looking forward to starting this terrifying journey with God and with others like me who have been suffering from this type of addiction as well.

If anyone would be so kind as to be my accountability partner that would also help me a great deal I need someone else who is battling the same addiction as me to help keep me on the right path. I am married with two children and never want them to be exposed to pornography and become addicted like me. May God grant me the strength to free myself from this plague of an addiction forever.

God bless all of you and may God bless you all and help you conquer your addictions as well.

Thanks for listening!
-Luke.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by Luke.

[Regina Messa]

Celeste and Adele, I am a knitter as well!
Regina

[Celeste Robichaux]

Hi, Regina. Nice to “meet” you here.

Celeste

[Daniel Richard]

My name is Daniel. I am 65, live in Houston, TX. and was born and raised Catholic, I grew up in New Orleans and I even considered joining the priesthood in High School. I am working with databases and information in the Oil and Gas Industry, but I hope to retire in the next few years.

I enjoy gardening, woodworking, and nature (hiking, learning about plants/animals). I have been married for 40 years and have two grown sons.

I have been addicted to porn for about 40 years and a compulsive sex addict for closer to 50. I also suffer from manic-depression, anger issues, and anti-social tendencies. I have tried, on my own, to become free of my sex/porn addiction for more than 20 years, with some success, but always falling back. I have my depression under reasonable control through medications, but the sex addition lapses often lead to depression.

My goals are relief from my addictions and to free myself by turning my life and my will over to God and to follow where he directs me. My “fear” is that my shame will cause me to give up, that my resolve and self-discipline will leave me even more depressed and addicted.

[Author]

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