Genuine Life Blog - Jodie Stevens

What is Codependency and is it an Addiction?

by Jodie Stevens | September 14, 2021 | Choices, Emotional Difficulties & Addiction, Psychology and Personal Growth | 0 Comments

“When a codependent dies, someone else’s life flashes before their eyes.” I know, it’s funny and not funny at the same time. When I first heard that ‘joke’ I didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. Before I describe codependency, I want to point out that we are all...

What Does Forgiveness have to do with Recovery Anyway?

by Jodie Stevens | August 23, 2021 | Emotional Difficulties & Addiction, Forgiveness, Psychology and Personal Growth | 0 Comments

We all know what it’s like to be hurt or betrayed. When it happened to me, I saw no possible hope of ever returning to normal. The pain was unbearable. It wasn’t physical pain, not in the normal sense. It was an ache deep in my inner being. It took my breath away and...

What is Emotional Sobriety and Why Do I Need It?

by Jodie Stevens | August 8, 2021 | Emotional Difficulties & Addiction, Psychology and Personal Growth | 0 Comments

If you are sober from drugs or alcohol you may wonder what emotional sobriety is and why you need it, especially since you quit your addiction? Any good recovery program helps clients move toward emotional sobriety through the 12 Steps, counseling, or the...

Three Things You Must do to Get and Stay Sober from any Addiction or Life Controlling Issue

by Jodie Stevens | June 6, 2021 | Choices, Emotional Difficulties & Addiction, Hope, Psychology and Personal Growth | 0 Comments

There are three things you absolutely must do if you want to get and stay sober from drugs, alcohol, or any other life controlling substance or destructive life pattern: Admit You Have a ProblemAsk for HelpPractice Rigorous Honesty Admit You Have a Problem In my...

3 Things Sobriety Taught me about a Healthy Marriage

by Jodie Stevens | May 1, 2021 | Bible and Theology, Emotional Difficulties & Addiction, Happiness, Love, Psychology and Personal Growth | 0 Comments

Have you ever known someone who refused to accept responsibility for their part in anything? When you tried to point out a mistake, they always blamed someone else or some circumstance outside of themselves. They were always the victim and never to blame. If we look...

Where do The Twelve Steps Come From and Do they Work?

by Jodie Stevens | April 4, 2021 | Emotional Difficulties & Addiction | 0 Comments

For decades The Twelve Steps have helped people recover from addiction to alcohol, drugs, pornography, gambling, food and more. The Twelve Steps were written by Bill W., author of the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book, with input from the Oxford Group. The Oxford Group...

Two Reasons we Attract Unhealthy People

by Jodie Stevens | March 11, 2021 | Emotional Difficulties & Addiction, Happiness, Psychology and Personal Growth | 0 Comments

If you are reading this, it's probably safe to assume you have been in at least one unhealthy relationship in your life. Maybe it is a pattern and you have asked yourself why you keep attracting harmful individuals. Of course there are many different reasons. I will...

Lessons in Pruning, Pain and Perseverance

by Jodie Stevens | February 10, 2021 | Bible and Theology, Emotional Difficulties & Addiction, Hope | 0 Comments

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish it's work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:2-4). I'd like to...

What is a Cult?

by Jodie Stevens | February 4, 2021 | Bible and Theology | 0 Comments

I've heard there are 3,000 times more cults in the world today. I do not know who calculated those stats, but it's safe to say there's a lot more cults now than ever before. So, what are some signs of a cult? First of all, cults almost always distort the Gospel to...

Unveiling your True Self

by Jodie Stevens | January 28, 2021 | Emotional Difficulties & Addiction, Fear and Anxiety, Psychology and Personal Growth | 0 Comments

In the co-dependent family system, feeling are uncomfortable to talk about and they are usually disregarded or minimized. I often heard things like “we don’t know why you feel that way," or "you shouldn’t feel that way.” So pretty soon, you don’t. Or you try not to....