Living Through Recovery

The Open Chair: An Open Heart and an Open Mind Recovery doesn’t begin when everything is under control. It often begins with a single open space—a place to sit, to breathe, and to be seen ... The support groups I facilitated always had an "open chair" policy. It wasn’t symbolic decoration. It  wasn’t theoretical compassion.  It was a real, empty seat—left open on purpose. That chair was for the person still suffering. The one still caught in substance misuse. The one who hadn’t “figured it out yet.” The one who might relapse. The one who might come in shaking, guarded, or not come at all—but needed to know they could . The open chair said what words often fail to say: **You are not disqualified from belonging here.**  An Open Chair Says: You Don’t Have to Be Ready . So often, recovery spaces—sometimes even faith spaces—unintentionally communicate, *“Come back when you’re clean. Come back when you’re stable. Come back when you’re serious.”* But addiction doesn’...

When Faith Communities Don’t Know What to Say: Navigating Silence, Judgment, and Spiritual Loneliness Sometimes the deepest hurt doesn’t come from the addiction itself. It comes from the places you thought would feel safest. Church. Small group. Prayer circles. Fellow believers . You walk in carrying exhaustion, fear, and hope that’s barely breathing—and instead of comfort, you’re met with silence. Or worse, spiritual clichés that feel like blame wrapped in Scripture. “Just pray harder.” “God is testing your faith.” “Claim victory.” “Have you checked for unconfessed sin?” Most of the time, these words aren’t spoken with malice. They come from discomfort. From not knowing what to do with pain that doesn’t resolve neatly. From a faith culture that celebrates victory but struggles to sit with suffering. But intent doesn’t erase impact. When Silence Speaks Louder Than Words Some families notice the shift slowly. Conversations get shorter. Invitations stop coming. People don’t...