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Welcome to Recovery, Light, and Life...

I am Chris Epson and I'm in recovery from pornography and sex addiction.  I know there are people who believe that those are not addictions, but just choices.  And that's true...poor choice after poor choice after poor choice...will inevitably become that thing which robs us of our ability to choose.  So I can affirm that they are, in fact, addictions, as insidious and dark as any addiction to drugs, alcohol, gambling, or anything else.  At least they become so for me.  I struggled with this on and off for over fifty years, and at the rock bottom of my struggle I had lost my ability to choose...I was "past feeling".  But I was saved, literally.  And to go from darkness to light has been the greatest blessing of my life.

I am married to an amazing, very forgiving wife, Marilyn.  We have two grown children, Kristen and Adam, and six awesome grandchildren.  We are both from California, and have lived many years in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah.  We are Christians, and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Why is this important?  Because this journey of recovery we have been on for the past seven years has been a spiritual journey, and we've discovered that true recovery has come as we have opened ourselves to, and accepted, the atoning sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ, and the grace and love that comes with that.  We have discovered that above all else, He is the Healer.

So...it's my intention to share my, and our, story with you.  But most importantly, to share with you what I have learned and experienced in recovery.  Thus far it's been a fun, difficult, amazing, uneven, and sometimes treacherous journey...yes, it is a journey...and the path is sometimes wide open and smooth, and is sometimes narrow, winding, filled with rocks, boulders, and fallen branches.  The views from the top of the mountains are incredible, but so often I've had to go through the valleys, and make a difficult climb to get there.  But it has all been worth the effort!

We all have a story, and each and every person's story has power.  When our story leads us eventually to grace...that is where the power truly is.  My hope is all this may help you in some small way, because I know it helps me to share my story...

I'd like to include some links that may be helpful...Desert Solace and Desert Solace Outpatient program, as well as Addo Recovery and our amazing therapist, David Thompson.

https://desertsolace.com/
https://DesertSolaceOutpatient.com
https://www.addorecovery.com/therapists/david-thompson

Comments

  1. David Thompson LMFT, ASAT, EMDRApril 21, 2020 at 7:04 AM

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  2. David Thompson LMFT, ASAT, EMDRApril 21, 2020 at 7:05 AM

    Thank you for sharing your story and beginning your written journey that chronicles, at least in part, your suffering and the meaning and purpose you've found. This will no doubt inspire and encourage those who also know the depth of the feelings you describe, and I'm sure it will also offer hope that you can overcome, even when it's a lifetime of challenge and struggle. Keep these posts coming and thank you for your honesty and courage! You're a good man : ) And Marilyn is a good woman!

    ReplyDelete
  3. RonTenneyOctober 11, 2021 at 1:24 PM

    Chris, you are a great man. I just got around to reading this. We have much in common, besides being companieros back in the day.
    God Bless
    Ron

    ReplyDelete

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