BREAK THE ADDICTION CYCLE WITH THE ZEN OF RECOVERY

There is a voice inside your head.  Yes, there is.  It’s the one arguing with you right now.  Is it saying, “No there isn’t?”  
THAT’s the voice! That voice inside your head; that’s not you.  You are who notices that voice.*

Try shutting it up.  

It talks incessantly. It may be telling you this is stupid, you have better things to do.  It’s probably asking what the heck this has to to with addiction, maybe it’s even taking both sides: “Does this make sense? No this isn’t making sense, I think i see where he is going, I’m hungry, let’s eat. I should call Jean, she left a message yesterday, oh that’s right I’ll see her this afternoon. What was this about?  Oh the voice. I definitely don’t think I have a voice inside my head.” 

Notice something - It’s never even saying anything worthwhile. It has about zero chance of getting anything about the future right, and its frankly annoying.  

THIS IS NOT WHO YOU ARE 
You are not the voices in your head. YOU are who is noticing them. 
Your running narrative, your rants and complaints, everything you are describing to yourself internally are thoughts based on experiences you've collected your whole life, and how you perceived them.  
They are generally frenetic, mostly negative, unkind, and stressful.  “Why’d I say that? Ugh I should have got here earlier;  I wish I didn’t wear this belt, I’m so stupid; I hope she isn’t there, I don’t want to see anybody.”  

Addicts get the record/CD/MP3 in their head stuck on ever smaller things. We all do it. It’s called Ruminating. Our life-long habit is to ruminate and fear.  Noticing it is the key to managing it, and is especially important to breaking the cycle of addiction.   
RUMINATION is a word originally used to describe a cow chewing its cud!  It is the act of turning over thoughts or thought patterns about the past or future; and Fear is almost always a worry about something future.   Whether the future is in five minutes, five hours, five months or five years, the fact is that in any given moment, you are fine.  

Think about that.   
Learning to stay in the awareness of that truth is the key to recovery, the key to happiness and the key to inner peace.  
Nothing more or less.  

FINDING ZEN
Nearly all recovery programs recognize the importance of quieting the mind, and teaching the importance of experiencing being in the moment. Mindfulness meditation is now a part of most recovery programs worldwide. 
We in the West are only a few thousand years late. 

Christian Grace Recovery Homes 

Recovery is a process of change through which people improve their health and wellness, live self-directed lives, and strive to reach their full potential.    Being in recovery is when those positive changes and values become part of a voluntarily adopted lifestyle. 

Borrowing from Narcotics Anonymous: “What is our message? The message is that an addict, any addict, can stop using drugs, lose the desire to use, and find a new way to live. Our message is hope and the promise of freedom.” — Narcotics Anonymous

Our approach is rooted in the idea that the war for our own freedom is completely internal, and lies just ahead by the smallest imaginable increment of change; requiring only the energy it takes for a single instance of will to create a new thought.  To get there effectively, you must quiet the mind.

ZEN MEDITATION 
ZEN is an approach to a subject that emphasizes simplicity and intuition.  MEDITATION is an ancient practice that helps a person develop intentional focus while minimizing random thoughts about the past or future.     Zen before a word is an adjective.  Therefore, Zen Meditation is merely a description of the practice of quiet contemplation and reflection with a calm mind.   

It is not a religion and there is no deity involved.  However, those who practice quiet meditation have a deeper prayer life and spiritual growth.   

"Let the words of our mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you O lord.”  
Psalm 19:14; "By the Rivers of Babylon,” Boney M, Bob Marley, et al.
Whether you recognize these lyrics from Psalm 19:14 by King David, or Bob Marley, meditation is clearly biblical. 

In fact:  Isaac was meditating (suach) in a field when the Lord brought his wife, Rebekah, to him. “He went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching.” (Genesis 24:63); Joshua 1:8 commands "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night.”  "Meditate [meletaō] on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all." (1Timothy 4:15); et al. Old and New Testament

We encourage those in recovery to find this quiet peace.

TAKE A BREAK FROM YOUR EGO
Those voices in your head are part of your ego.  The ego puts up a big fight against change; the bigger the change the more the ego fights to retain its identity. The only problem is that change is constant.
Peace is available in the here and now; it is not something that comes later because of some task you need to complete.   

Jesus said, the kingdom of Heaven is here.  Eternity doesn’t begin when time stops. Eternity is here now!

We believe:

 - Guilt does not help your patterns of addiction and wrong living, it perpetuates it

-  Ego uses time as a tactic to delay the experience of oneness and peace

-  Wherever you place your attention becomes your reality. 

-  Ego has a Deadline.  Spirit is a life line 

Christian Grace Supportive Homes’ have as their main goal Relapse and Recidivism prevention.  We exist to extend, “Christian Grace.” Our properties provide a safe space to transition to a life of individual freedom and choice! We maintain a safe, clean and sober living environment, with common sense rules enforced democratically.

APPLICANTS MUST BE ACTIVE IN RECOVERY and ATTEND MEETINGS OR PHP.  

(Sorry no S/O’s).  PLEASE APPLY ONLINE AT www.Christian-Grace.com

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* Concepts of Observer Awareness and Consciousness borrowed from “The Untethered Soul,” by Michael Singer