Life Recovery Today with Stephen Arterburn

In this episode of Life Recovery Today, Becky Brown and Corey Busk explore how the story of the prodigal son connects to addiction, recovery, family pain, shame, forgiveness, and the journey toward healing and freedom.If you’ve ever felt like…• Addiction or unhealthy choices have damaged your relationships• You feel isolated, ashamed, or stuck in destructive patterns• You struggle with guilt over the pain your addiction caused others• You’ve pushed away people who tried to help you• You wonder if healing and restoration are still possible• You are exhausted from loving someone trapped in addiction• You feel unworthy of forgiveness, grace, or a fresh start…this episode is for you.In this episode, you’ll learn:• How the story of the prodigal son reflects the reality of addiction and recovery• Why addiction impacts the entire family system• The connection between isolation, shame, and destructive behavior• How denial and defensiveness keep people trapped in addiction• What it means to “come to your senses” in recovery• Why asking for help takes courage and humility• The role of inventory, honesty, and amends in the recovery process• How self-worth affects healing and freedom• Why recovery is a process that takes time, support, and accountability• The importance of grace for both those in addiction and their families• How God’s Word and the 12 Steps work together to bring transformationAt the core of this message:• Recovery is possible no matter how far you’ve fallen• Addiction thrives in secrecy, shame, and isolation• Healing begins when honesty replaces denial• You are still worthy of love, grace, and restoration• God’s truth brings hope to both individuals and families• Recovery is not meant to be walked aloneNo matter how hopeless or stuck you feel, healing and freedom are possible.📖 Explore the Life Recovery Bible and recovery resources📚 Workbooks and devotionals available📞 Need help? Call 1-800-NEW-LIFE🌐 Visit: https://newlife.com/👥 Find a New Life Recovery Group near you: https://newlife.com/groups/✔️ You don’t have to stay trapped in shame or addiction✔️ You don’t have to carry the pain alone✔️ Healing begins with honesty, connection, and recovery

In this episode of Life Recovery Today, Life Recovery Steps 9-12, Steve Arterburn and Dr. Dave Stoop walk through Steps 9–12 of Life Recovery and explore how making amends, daily self-examination, prayer, gratitude, and helping others lead to lasting healing and freedom.If you’ve ever felt like…• You’re carrying shame or regret from the damage caused by past behaviors• You struggle to make things right with the people you’ve hurt• You find yourself repeating old coping patterns or unhealthy reactions• You want a closer relationship with God but don’t know where to begin• You feel stuck in resentment, blame, or spiritual disconnection• You want your recovery to become a lasting way of life…this episode is for you.In this episode, you’ll learn:• Why Step 9 focuses on making direct amends and repairing damaged relationships• How Step 10 helps us stay current through daily personal inventory• The role of prayer, gratitude, and meditation in Step 11• What it means to develop a deeper relationship with God through His Word• Why Step 12 calls us to carry the message of recovery to others• How the 12 Steps are rooted in biblical principles and spiritual transformationAt the core of this message:• Recovery is about transformation, not just behavior change• Healing requires honesty, humility, and accountability• Freedom grows when we stay current with our actions and relationships• God uses prayer, community, and service to strengthen recovery• Your pain can become part of someone else’s healing journeyNo matter how stuck or discouraged you feel, healing and freedom are possible.📖 Explore the Life Recovery Bible and recovery resources📚 Workbooks and devotionals available📞 Need help? Call 1-800-NEW-LIFE🌐 Visit: https://newlife.com/👥 Find a New Life Recovery Group near you: https://newlife.com/groups/✔️ You don’t have to walk through recovery alone✔️ You don’t have to stay trapped in shame, blame, or regret✔️ Healing begins one honest step at a time

In this episode of Life Recovery Today, Life Recovery Steps 5-8, Steve Arterburn and Dr. Dave Stoop walk through Steps 5–8 of Life Recovery and explore how confession, humility, willingness, and making amends lead to healing and freedom.If you’ve ever felt like…• You’re carrying guilt, shame, or regret from your past• You struggle to be honest about your pain or addiction• You want freedom, but feel stuck in denial or unhealthy patterns• You’re afraid to admit your struggles to another person• You know you’ve hurt people, but don’t know how to make it right• You want a deeper relationship with God and others…this episode is for you.In this episode, you’ll learn:• Why confession is essential for healing and recovery• How Step 5 breaks denial and reconnects us to others• The power of admitting our wrongs to God, ourselves, and another person• Why healing happens in community, not isolation• What it means to become “entirely ready” for God to change us• How humility prepares us for transformation• Why recovery is a lifelong process, not a quick fix• The difference between acknowledging problems and surrendering them to God• How Step 7 invites God to remove destructive patterns and shortcomings• Why pain is often part of the healing and growth process• How Step 8 helps us take responsibility for the impact of our behavior• Why making amends restores integrity, freedom, and characterAt the core of this message:• Healing begins with honesty and confession• Recovery requires humility, surrender, and willingness• God works through community, connection, and accountability• Freedom comes when we stop hiding and start taking responsibility• Your past does not have to define your futureNo matter how hopeless or stuck you feel, transformation is possible.📖 Explore the Life Recovery Bible and recovery resources📚 Workbooks and devotionals available📞 Need help? Call 1-800-NEW-LIFE🌐 Visit: https://newlife.com/👥 Find a New Life Recovery Group near you: https://newlife.com/groups/✔️ You don’t have to walk through recovery alone✔️ You don’t have to stay trapped in shame or denial✔️ Healing begins when you take the next honest step

Steve Arterburn shares the steps to take if you want to be in a better place and offers the encouragement that even those who feel ill-equipped can be great heroes.

Steve Arterburn addresses the tough topic of suicide, encouraging those experiencing deep pain and overwhelming feelings that there is another option. He also explains the many forms of anxiety and offers hope to those who are struggling.

God miraculously delivered Darren Newton from a 30-year alcohol addiction. He found hope in Christian recovery, and he now produces a national radio show to inspire addicts to move from denial to "doing something" to create a new ending to their story.

After watching his two daughters overcome their heroin addiction, Rick Bosch learned what it takes to be free from addiction. He shares about five choices to true freedom in this episode.

Terry LaDow drank from age 7 to 45. Once sober, he discovered his identity in Christ and began serving in a restoration ministry that helps victims of sex trafficking find their true identity in Christ and begin the healing process.

Landon Porter discusses five choices that helped him find true freedom from a pornography addiction.

Anthony Acampora shares how incorporating faith into an inpatient treatment program takes the shame and isolation felt by the addict and replaces it with the truth of God’s love and forgiveness to aid in the Recovery process.

David Zailer’s addiction began at age 9 and grew worse with time. Finding a true relationship with God and recovery through the 12 Steps changed everything. Sober since 1999, David is now committed to helping others find freedom in recovery.

Joe Scalfani didn’t think his alcoholism was a problem until his wife declared that she didn’t want to live with a drunk anymore. They both began a recovery process, which helped Joe get sober and helped them process a devastating discovery.

Although sober for 20 years, Vince Galey counts his time as 7 years not using and 13 years living in recovery with a new identity and purpose fueled by the Holy Spirit. He helps others see the need to let Jesus fill the space an addiction once held.  

Jason Mueller shares how Ransom Church helps break down the barriers that prevent people from getting into recovery and finding freedom.

At age 12, Jason Mueller felt God’s calling on his life, but he resisted for 27 yrs. After finally surrendering his life to Jesus, he became an ordained minister. Today, he serves in care ministries, focusing on prisoners and those in recovery. 

Decades ago, Janelle Puff realized that 12 Step groups provide the perfect integration of counseling, psychological principles, and Biblical truth. Since then, she’s been helping others find freedom from addictions through 12 Step recovery groups.

Daniel Grossman shares the freedom he found in confessing his pornography addiction and working the 12 Step recovery process. His accountability group played a vital role in maintaining his sobriety, and now he helps other men find freedom from porn.

Brian Hoerning shares insights that he has gained during 3 decades in the Recovery community, including how Recovery is much more than just ending a behavior, and that the battle with addictions belongs to God.

After 1 year in an inpatient program for drug addiction, Daniel Cornide spent 1 year working the 12 Steps. This foundation, and a spiritual awakening in the process, led him to become a therapist devoted to helping other addicts experience freedom.

Laura Mangin-McDonald employed many tactics, including 12 Step Recovery work, to fight for her marriage. She outlines the path she took, sharing that her marriage was not just rescued, but totally transformed, by doing the hard work alongside her husband.

Steve Arterburn shares ways to get out of the shame of addiction and into the grace and mercy God has for us all, reminding us that working recovery provides the gift of hope. 

Therapist Stacey Smith was married to an addict. In the bleakest time in her marriage, she chose to take responsibility for her life through the recovery process. Now she helps others recover from complex trauma, codependency, and betrayal trauma.

Corey Busk's drinking problem cost him his job and landed him in rehab. After getting sober, he began working for the center that helped him find freedom and now devotes himself to helping others recover from their addictions.

Family law attorney and domestic violence survivor Charlene Quint shares the process she went through to recover from domestic abuse. Her hope-filled story attests that, despite abuse, you can be whole again and be used by God to help others.

Family law attorney and domestic violence survivor Charlene Quint shares her story, unpacking the idea that the abused must remain married. She provides guidance on how to remove yourself from an abusive situation in preparation for recovery.

Guest Lori Burns knows first-hand that having an alcoholic parent impacts the entire family. She shares the effect of her upbringing and how counseling and the recovery process led her to a place of peace. She now helps others experience freedom.

Steve Arterburn talks with Becky Brown about how every person can benefit from a Life Recovery experience. At the core, the 12 Steps are a character-building, discipleship program that leads to a full and free life for anyone.

For years, guest Mary Lou Caskey used food to numb out her feelings. Her journey began 18 years ago, when she was 8 sizes larger than today. Now she helps others find freedom from overeating and helps them learn to be at peace with food.

After personally experiencing the freedom of overcoming betrayal trauma, guest Sandy Jocoy now devotes herself to helping partners of sex addicts recover from their own betrayal trauma.

Phil Dvorak found freedom from his addiction once he dropped the belief that he wasn't one of "those people" and sought help from a 12 Step program. Today, he's President of the Recovery Church Movement and knows that freedom begins with acceptance.

Steve Arterburn and Amanda Anderson discuss what codependency is, how to recognize it, and the motives that drive it. They offer hope by sharing what can be done to recover from codependent behavior and how the 12 Steps of Life Recovery can help.

When certain books, music, and online interactions with old flames provided an unhealthy source of fulfillment for Dr. Alice Benton, she knew she had to make some changes. Today Alice shares what she did to gain full sexual integrity in her marriage.

Stephen Arterburn interviews Ron Archer, who shares how he uses the 5 pillars of recovery as a guide to help absentee fathers who are looking to recover a sense of fatherhood and restore relationships with their kids.

Stephen Arterburn explains the law of connection and the gift of security. Dr. John Townsend shares wisdom on two important topics for those in recovery: how to have difficult conversations, and how to restore broken trust.

In the final installment of the series, Stephen Arterburn shares the freedom that is waiting when you move beyond your struggle – and what it takes to do so. 

 In part 2 of the 3 part series “Getting Through, Getting Over, and Getting Beyond Life’s Struggles”, Stephen Arterburn shares wisdom about how to not just through the struggles of life, but how to get over them.

In part 1 of the 3 part series “Getting Through, Getting Over, and Getting Beyond Life’s Struggles”, Stephen Arterburn shares wisdom about how to get through life’s struggles.

After 19 yrs. in recovery for sex addiction, a group of men helped Bob Sklar see that intimacy and connection – not sex - were his real issues. That discovery changed his recovery, and now Bob helps other men find the same freedom that he enjoys. 

Stephen Arterburn interviews former professional singer Cozette Meyers. Cozette’s singing voice was strong, but her personal voice was non-existent. A Recovery group helped her overcome codependency, and now she helps others find their voice too.  

Stephen Arterburn interviews Kristin Cary. As a Recovery group leader for women who have been sexually betrayed, Kristin shares about the life-change that a recovery group experience can provide. 

Steve Arterburn interviews Derek Irvin, who explains how attending Al-Anon meetings helped him contend with his son’s addiction and ultimately led him to birth a thriving recovery ministry.

Stephen Arterburn interviews Ron Archer who shares how the Beatitudes were the basis of the step process that led him to recovery from an abusive childhood. 

Stephen Arterburn interviews Aaron Hansz who shares how he finally found peace and lasting sobriety after 3 stints in rehab. 

Interventionist Rob Lohman explains why boundaries and interventions are truly loving acts toward an addict, but fear holds many back from doing what is needed. He also shares about the “trifecta of recovery” – coaching, counseling, and community.

Referencing the reaction of the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son, Corey Buck relates the impact addiction has on those close to a person in recovery. He explains the mixed feelings others often have before amends are made.

Corey Buck relates the parable of the prodigal son to those in addiction. Addicts may be ashamed of where their addiction led them, but nothing can disqualify one from God’s forgiveness. God rejoices like prodigal’s father at repentance

In the first of a 3-part series, Corey Busk draws parallels between what is happening in the story of the prodigal son and those in addiction, focusing today on what it took for the son to finally come to his senses.

Stephen Arterburn and the late Dr. David Stoop, co-editors of the Life Recovery Bible, close out their series by discussing Steps 9 – 12 of the recovery process.

Stephen Arterburn and the late Dr. David Stoop, co-editors of the Life Recovery Bible, discuss Steps 5 – 8 of the recovery process.

Stephen Arterburn and the late Dr. David Stoop, co-editors of the Life Recovery Bible, discuss the Biblical roots of the first four steps in the recovery process.