Middletown Band of Brothers COMMON OPENING

Open in prayer

Confidentiality: this group’s discussions are to be held in the strictest confidence, and are to be treated like any other recovery experience. What is said here stays here.

Do not reveal too much until trust is established: Too much detail could be used against you if your trust is misplaced. Honesty is important in the group for the sake of discussion, but some of the secrets should be shared only with an accountability partner or with God.

As a way of introduction: I have to say that, while the book is complete in many ways, it has not adequately addressed the issue of male sexuality in the context of drug addiction and substance abuse.

The use of drugs and alcohol:

The only way a guy can get a handle on the issues of his sexual interests, and his male yearning, is to cease the use of all mind altering substances prior to attempting to deal with the subject. Until this is accomplished the ability to address “every man’s battle” will be a failure. So many mental and physical boundaries are violated when a man is under the influence, that the subject of purity is irrelevant until he is sober. Even then, for the strongest among us, it is a challenge that will require a lifetime to process. A clear connection to God is not a suggestion; it is a requirement for success (healing).

What is success? It is doing better today than yesterday, and building on that even if we fall short of our goals along the way. Having said that, we will all fail along the way, but we do not make excuses. Victory is the result of deciding to persevere even after failing a hundred times.