Back in the day when I typically attended AA meetings I loathed discussions on ‘“gratitude.” Primarily because a sharer would just run through a laundry list of what they are grateful for. That’s nice, at times, but often I’d be bored out of my gourd.

I have come to realize that gratitude is an essential tool in recovery, for it helps curtail “addictive thinking” elsewhere.

 It is not enough to just maintain sobriety, one also has to express gratitude for it, but for everything else one has in life. If you are truly grateful for what you have, and your needs are consistently supplied, then you will have little desire for the “wants,” as they are rarely what you “need.”

 Focusing on your “wants” is an addictive thought process: it means you are not satisfied with just your needs, and you want more. Just as “one drink” was never enough, whatever you have in life now may not be enough, even though it adequately supplies your needs.

Today is my 21st sober anniversary. Because of this post, I will be spending the day working on some Sober Catholic Book projects (yes, you heard that correctly. After all this time there will be a few new books to add to the Stations of the Cross and Rosary books!) as well as going through some old ‘to do’ lists.

Are you a creative Catholic? "The Catholicpunk Manifesto" is my new book exhorting Catholics to apply their faith to change the culture for the better!

Know someone, perhaps yourself, who might like Catholic devotionals for alcoholics? Please take a look at my books! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)