“It has been said that all addiction is search for God, though addicts unfortunately search in the wrong places - whether in alcohol, drugs, gambling, food, pornography, or work, or in another person, through codependency, sex, or love. In order to recover from addiction, addicts must learn that the need a relationship with their Creator in order to be whole again.

Many recovering alcoholics, however, have difficulties with prayer and traditional notions of God. For some, childhood experiences of religious communities and leaders have left them feeling alienated from organized religion. At the same time, they may have learned in a Twelve-Step program that in order to ground themselves and find the spiritual center from which their recovery can grow, they need to cultivate their spirituality. Others, who may have strong religious beliefs, presently often feel alienated from God. Feeling guilt about the harm they caused themselves and others during their active addiction, newly recovering addicts can all too easily shy away from contact with God at a time when it is crucial to reopen those channels of communication.

At the Beartooth Mt Ascent young adult residential substance abuse treatment recovery program we mentor the young men and help them to discover the importance of their spiritual life and an authentic relationship with God. We share the example of the venerable Matt Talbot a Catholic Saint who overcame many years of alcohol abuse through his relationship with the Trinity and a daily life of prayer and self sacrifice.

Matt Talbot is a relavant witness to the power of Grace to overcome substance abuse and other bad habits (an excerpt written about "To Slake a Thirst" by Philip Maynard, 2000):

“The ascetic approach to recovery from addiction attributed to the early 20th century Irish mystic, the venerable Matt Talbot (d. 1925), focuses on giving up the addiction "for the love of Jesus" (Maynard, 2000). This approach preceded modern 12-step approaches, and also possesses an underlying focus on spiritual surrender. Although in his commentary on TaIbot’s approach to the problem of addiction, Maynard (2000) reacts to the traditional twelve-step focus on powerlessness, and proposes that it is the recognition of the addict's strong will and an alternate motivation for that will that ultimately leads to sobriety, there does appear to be a necessary element of surrender to God involved in the process. In the "Matt Talbot Way," the love of liquor is given back to God as a gift because there is a greater love for Jesus. The seven steps of this way are predominantly centered on the development of a disciplined prayer life including: a morning offering, Christ-centered prayer (e.g., "breath prayers" using a traditional brief prayer such as the "Jesus Prayer" or another brief, often repeated, prayer), dedication of prayers of the day, spiritual reading, other short prayers during the day (e.g., grace at meals, the Angelus, prayer to the crucified Christ), evening prayer, and Christian living (an intention toward and infusion of the theological and cardinal virtues of faith, hope, charity, wisdom, temperance, fortitude, and justice). It is difficult to imagine how this approach could be lived out without a foundation of spiritual surrender."
"The Steps of the Matt Talbot Way to Sobriety"
Tim S. 02/08/2008

The seven steps are:

1. Daily Offering to give up drinking for love of Jesus Christ.

2. Christ-centered prayer to keep focused on Christ. Saying the Jesus Prayer multiple times throughout the day is one way to do this.

3. Dedication Prayer that dedicates your actions of the day to grow in love of Christ and imitation of Him.

4. Spiritual Reading which includes but not limited to the Bible.

5. Short Prayers during the day. Can be spontaneous prayers or formula prayers...again this keeps us focused on Christ.

6. Evening Prayer. Prayers of thanksgiving, praise, and contrition.

7. Christian Living. It is the height of hypocrisy to talk the talk but not walk the talk.

About The Venerable Matt Talbot - (1856 - 1925) From his early teens until age 28 Matt's only aim in life had been liquor. But from that point forward, his only aim was God. Matt Talbot was born May 2, 1856, the second of twelve children born to Charles and Elizabeth Talbot. In Matt's early years he knew little security or stability. Compulsory school attendance was not in force, and Matt never attended any school regularly.
At the age of twelve Matt ot his first job; it was in a wine bottling store and that is when his excessive drinking began. One evening when he was 28 he went out and found a priest, went to confession and "took the Pledge" for three months. Many times he felt he would not be able to hold out for three months, but within the year he renewed the pledge for life, never touching alcohol again (41 more years). His resolve was maintained by a new life of much prayer, daily Mass, hard work and much penance. Matt Talbot collapsed and died of heart failure on June 7, 1925.
After Matt's death his reputation for holiness became widespread, and by 1931 the first inquiry into his life had begun. The decree on his virtues was issued October 3, 1975.