Volume 27, Issue 1
WisconsinChristianNews.com
Page 27
Finding Help & Hope For Addiction Recovery
By Lee Keith Wayne April 2026
usually meant that at least the substance use has stopped. Not just stopped or dis-
Maybe they woke up in a jail cell. Maybe who they saw looking back at them in the
be discouraged; recovery history has shown that “quality recovery” is more than possible. Quality recovery, you
severe and progressive way. Why? “God knows and He won’t tell,” to use the words of the late Fr. Joseph Martin, Catholic Priest and former alcoholism counseling professional. I simply describe all this to illustrate the fact that if the substance use is removed, at least that part of the problem has been addressed. So, although the substance use has been discontinued, there remains the issue of “staying sober” and the job of living life on life’s terms to attend to. This is where the value of working the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous comes in. If you examine the twelve steps, you’ll no- tice step one is the only step that men- tions alcohol. The rest of the steps deal with the alcoholic as a person and their approach to life and living in their own skin. So, to conclude this article, I suggest you explore the history of AA, its founders Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith and their shared experiences as AA grew starting in 1935. There is another saying about recovery. “You gotta wanna.” My prayer for anyone struggling with an addictive disorder is that, sooner rather than later, you will find yourself wanting to recover, for yourself.
In my recently published book titled, “I Just Said My Prayers and Showed Up — Former Alcoholism/Addictions Coun- selor’s Experiences, Reflections and Opinions,” I offered some of my insights based on my twenty-five-year career as a Certified Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Counselor and a Certified AODA Clinical Supervisor. I wish to share a few addi- tional thoughts in this article on the topic of “recovery” as it relates to a substance use disorder. “Recovery” can mean different things to different people and circumstances. My focus in this article will be on alcohol or other drug abuse concerns and not di- rected to other potentially addictive behav- iors. So, alcoholics and addicts talk about re- covery. So, what does recovery mean? It can mean different things. Not all sub- stance abusing people have crossed the line to addiction or dependency and not all dependencies involve a physical addic- tion. Furthermore, it is usually understood that there are different levels or stages of dependency — usually described as early stage, middle stage and late-stage de- pendency. “Recovery” historically has
continued using but also that the substance abusing person has hope- fully entered into a frame of mind, body and life of ac- cepting there was a problem, stop- ping the substance abuse and moving forward with a pro- ductive and satis- fying healthy life. We hope people in recovery find
might ask; what does that mean? Quality recovery may look like a cure, but it is not. Some people may describe alco- holism, for exam- ple, as an allergy to alcohol com- bined with an ob- session. Alcoholic people, for exam- ple, are those
themselves in a place where they are not fighting desires to intoxicate and are not needing or having to do it. It is not really being “cured” so to speak, but the issue has been eliminated in a manner of speaking. So, how can this change come about? The answer to this question? One answer is that the person has perhaps “surren- dered.” They have stopped fighting and trying to control the substance abuse. Per- haps it was a profound moment when the affected person said enough was enough.
mirror looked like an ugly monster or the most pitiful human being on earth. Or maybe it took place when the person got down on their knees and begged God to help them. The moment of truth. Sadly, some people never experience this. It has been said “recovery is a process, not an event.” In terms of the fact there is not really a known “cure” for addictions, this would suggest abstaining from mood altering substances – or even addictive behaviors – takes place over time. Some will say it is a lifelong process. But do not
who, in essence, have developed an al- lergy to alcohol. So, if they ingest some ethanol — ethyl alcohol — it seems to trig- ger a form of an allergic reaction in some people that can cause a phenomenon re- ferred to as “loss of control” and “craving” for more alcohol. Alcohol is simply a po- tentially physically addicting sedative drug. Some people develop this allergy slowly over time. Some people never tol- erate alcohol well or never develop the al- lergy and some develop this “allergy” in a
Do You or Someone You Care About Have Addictions ?
National Day of Prayer: To Whom Are You Truly Pledged? By Jane Isley April 2026
This book shares one man’s journey from addiction to alcohol to becoming an Addictions Counselor. When he opened his eyes, God began opening doors, from addiction to recovery to a life of helping others overcome their own addictive strongholds. On Sale Now at:
to mobilize public prayer and repentance for America, rooted in a Judeo-Christian understanding that leaders and families need divine intercession. Over the decades, however, the emphasis on repentance has faded. Why Repentance Matters 2 Chronicles 7:14 commands: “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways...” And Psalm 66:18 warns: “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” And Jesus’ first proclamation in the Gospel was a call to repent: “Repent, for
“Stop bringing meaningless offerings!...I cannot bear your worthless assemblies...Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed.” (Isaiah 1:13–17). Throughout Scripture, God abhors empty religion that sounds good but lacks spiritual depth. He hates superficial piety and superficial repentance. Prayer that is divorced from justice and truth is not only ineffective but also offends Him.
And yet, in the public square, we hear a call for the National Day of Prayer on May 7th as though it were a grand act of
righteousness, we should be proud it is happening once a year, as if the an- nouncement itself confers spiritual credibility on our leaders and the ones who decide to participate in their finest attire. The official theme for the National Day of Prayer this year is: “Glorify God Among the Nations — Seeking Him in All Gener- ations.”
the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17).
Repentance is not some soft add-on and re- pentance is not optional. It is central to Biblical teachings. It is absolutely necessary for our salva- tion and effective prayer. Invoking Scripture without genuine repentance un- dermines the Biblical pat- tern of national humility we are to have and be-
comes hypocrisy, or what I call a “PR stunt.”
This sounds poetically beautiful, like the nation is coming together in unity for our children; it sounds humble, and more importantly, it sounds hopeful to the people whose world just got ripped to shreds when that veil lifted on what has really been going on behind the scenes. But what’s missing? If you don’t really pay attention to these themes or history, you probably missed this one. Repentance is missing. National Prayer Historically Included Repentance If you trace the history of national prayer in America, even before the formal National Day of Prayer, the emphasis was on public confession, humility, fasting, and turning from sin. Early proclamations often called for days of fasting and prayer with confession, penitential observances in times of crisis. Acknowledging that the nation had strayed from righteous- ness. Notable examples include New Hampshire in 1786, which called for a day to “penitently confess ... sins and transgres- sions,” President James Madison’s 1814 proclamation linking public humility to divine pardon, and George Washington recording in June 1774: “Went to church, fasted all day,” mod- eling personal fasting and national repentance.
When Ritual Becomes Empty Scripture repeatedly warns against religious performance that ignores justice and righteousness. Isaiah 1:13–17 is blunt: God rejects meaningless offerings and assemblies when the oppressed are ignored, and injustice continues. Similarly, Amos 5:21–24 declares that God despises feasts and songs if justice does not flow like a river. Prayer without repentance or accountability from anyone who participates appears righteous outwardly, but masks the reality of hearts unconverted to Christ. Such displays can mislead observers, giving the impression that participants are true believers when, in fact, their actions, or lack thereof, reveal otherwise. This not only causes confusion to the public about what genuine faith is, but it grieves God, who detests empty wor- ship. As Psalm 24:4–5 reminds us, “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.”
Those whose hands are unclean, yet present a facade of piety, will not claim His favor.
Continued on Page 30
The National Day of Prayer, created in 1952, was intended
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