Families need help!He may think he is a great dad but he is one of the worst dads in America! This is the shirt he wore after police picked him up for being drunk and disorderly.
Pastor Rich Femia and I recently spoke with a woman whom he met a few weeks ago. Back then she had been through a terrible ordeal. Her husband is an alcoholic whose drunken binges regularly ended in chaos and physical abuse.
This woman, like far too many people in similar situations, thought it was important for her to "be there for him". This meant that she would take the beatings and allow him to terrorize her and the children. That is wrong!
Rich had urged her to see that she was not helping her husband nor her kids. It damaged her and the children when she allowed him to act out his drunken rage on them. He said, "Jesus does not want you to accept this kind of treatment."
As a result of Rich's encouragement and the Spirit of God she called the police and had him arrested and thrown in jail. That sobered him up and the judge took the opportunity to give this man a stiff and therapeutic sentence.
1. Time in jail gave him a chance to reconsider his drunken and violent ways.
2. He was banned from bars, taverns or social clubs for one year.
3. He must attend Alcoholics Anonymous for a year.
Hurrah for the judge! Thank God we are getting judges who better understand addictions.
Hurrah for Pastor Rich who understands God and addictions.
I asked the woman if she was going to attend Al Anon. Unfortunately, no one had helped her figure out how to interact in a healthy manner with this chronic alcoholic. What can she do if and when he relapses? How does she handle his anger? How does she deal with her kids and her own grief?
Every family member who has or ever had an addict in the family needs to attend Al Anon. Go to this link for information.
http://www.cincinnatiafg.org/Al-Anon_Links_Worldwide.php
AA and its sister organizations are powerful sources for growth and healing. Other than the Bible, it has the most spiritually insightful materials ever written.
Gary Sweeten
http://www.sweetenlife.com/
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