NOTE: This is adapted from earlier posts.
On this day in 2002, I had my last drunk. I have conflicting memories of what happened (I may have to search through old blog posts of prior soberversaries, but even in those I recall not completely recalling events.) At any rate, it’s of no consequence any more. Twenty-three years and everyone involved in my life back then is either dead or disappeared. Sorrow for the former, good riddance (mostly) for the latter. We move on and consign the past to God’s mercy, the present to His grace and the future to His Providence.
Today is also the Feast day of St. Rita of Cascia, who I think picked me to be her client, talked to me once, and can be a great aid to those of us in recovery, and those who are lost. She and many other of my saintly friends have become increasingly important as I trudge my way to my (hopefully) happy destiny. I wrote about them in my book The Sober Catholic Way, which I discussed quite a lot in recent interviews with Anne Costa and Bear Woznick.
If you would like to help me celebrate, you can buy it. It has a page which I keep updated as to its availabiity.
“The Sober Catholic Way” helps Catholics by describing the many ways in which their faith can assist in maintaining sobriety. Drawn from nearly two decades of blogging at SoberCatholic.com, “The Sober Catholic Way” shows the importance of the sacraments, the Bible, the Catechism and other books. It continues on with the various ways one can “live” out Catholicism by nurturing devotions to the Sacred Heart, Blessed Virgin Mary, and other saints. All of these contribute to sobriety as well as one’s spiritual progression!
Discover the importance of the Real Presence, the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross, St. Joseph, St. Therese (the “Little Flower”) and Matt Talbot. You’ll get ideas on how to apply the Beatitudes, the Divine Mercy Message, as well as learning about the Apparitions of Our Lady at Guadalupe, Lourdes and Fatima and how they can guide one’s life.
“The Sober Catholic Way” is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life. This book does not guarantee anything, but doing these things have helped the author keep his sobriety intact since May 22, 2002. Will he ever drink again? Quite unlikely, but the tools to help recover from a relapse are in every chapter! The love and mercy of God is everlasting and endless!
It is currently available through Amazon on Amazon Kindle, as well as a paperback: click here to buy as a paperback.
It is also now available at numerous other ebook retailers like Apple Books and Barnes and Noble. For others, just go here and click on the logo of your fave online bookshop.
And there are my two classic Sober Catholic Books: The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics:
…is a book that is rooted in an ancient Catholic devotion. It is intended to assist Catholics and other Christians finddeeper meaning in their struggles with alcoholism, by connecting the oftentimes hard road of sobriety with Jesus’ suffering road to His Crucifixion. The reader sees that their old alcoholic ‘self’ is being led to the Cross and the joy of eventual resurrection of a new sober self can follow. Whether they are still drinking and struggling, or have been sober for many years and still have difficulties coping with sobriety, this book should help readers maintain that sobriety.
and “The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts” which:
helps people to reflect on their recovery and relationships with others, and ultimately with Jesus Himself.
Whether people are still struggling with their addictions, or have been clean and sober for a few weeks, months, or years, the reflections will lead them to meditate on the spiritual growth they have achieved so far.
It takes a time-honored prayer and brings it into a useful format for people to pause and reflect on their recovery, their relationships with others, and ultimately with Jesus Himself. Whether people are still struggling with their addictions, or have been clean and sober for a few weeks or months, or many years, the reflections for each Mystery of the Rosary will help them meditate on the spiritual growth they have achieved so far. Over the years, their thoughts on each meditation may change, depending on “where they’re at” in their recovery journey.
Click on those links (or the ones at the bottom of the post) to find out where you can get them.
If you have the books and would just like to contribute to help me defray the costs of this blog (hosting is not free, nor is the web address,) you can PayPal Me. (My real name IS Paul Sofranko, in case you get worried when you go to PayPal. Any amount is appreciated! My hosting and web address bill is due in a couople of weeks…
I have one last book, it isn’t intended for people in recovery, rather for Catholic creatives. However, and this thought ocurred to me, if you have been clean and sober for a while, and wonder what to do with yourself, then:
Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics may be the book for you! You’ve ‘fixed’ yourself, maybe you can help fix the culture!
“Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics” is my new book exhorting Catholics to apply their faith to change the culture for the better!
“”Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics” is a call to arms, or rather, a call to pens, paintbrushes, and video cameras, for creative Catholics to take up St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe’s call to infiltrate pop culture and help alleviate the ills that pervade contemporary society. St. Maximilian saw back in the 1920s how the use of cinema, radio, and mass-market books was corrupting society. He thought that those same tools could be used as a force to counter this corruption. “Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics” tells how the teachings of the Catholic Faith can be used to provide a road map out of our current morass and a blueprint to build a more just and fair society constructed according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy and other elements of traditional Catholic Social Teachings (CST).
Furthermore, it explains through the example of three critical apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Guadalupe, Lourdes, and Fatima how she herself suggested strategies and alternatives to the dehumanizing and increasingly pagan contemporary culture we have today.
“Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics “concludes by showing how the Catholic Faith can be used to provide a road map out of our current morass and a blueprint to build a more just and fair society constructed according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy and other elements of traditional Catholic Social Teachings.Interested? It’s available as an ebook through Amazon KDP! Don’t like ebooks? Here’s the paperback version link!
Once again you can also PayPal Me to support my work here. I really do appreciate any contribution!
I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)
