by Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n
We’ve reached the end of another month since you decided you didn’t want help. It is a good time to think about how your life has gone.<\/p>\n
The things I hear are always a bit dated since you continue your silence, but I know that while you’ve made progress it has been hard won because you chose the harder route. I know that your dad is using again, whether it is what he’s always been doing (and the reason you decided to live with him) or whether your using was too much of a temptation, I have no idea. It is clear though that putting two drug users in one house isn’t good for either one.<\/p>\n
By this time of two months, if you had stayed, I would have expected you to still be bothered by mood swings and nightmares, though the episodes would be getting less frequent. You would have started having moments of clarity when you wondered how you could have been so dumb to go back to drugs. You would have made good progress on your physical training and looking forward to boot camp, which I’m guessing would have been scheduled early next year. While I would still be checking on you, the restrictions would be less as you developed safer habits. The cravings would still be strong, but you would start having periods where they fade. Even better, you, your family, and all your friends would know that you are improving. While all would be careful of your safety, all would be happy seeing you grow strong each day.<\/p>\n
Though you’ve chosen the harder, longer, and riskier way, I look for the day I can see that you’ve made this much progress. Remember that the reason you are struggling right now with resisting using and getting along with your friends is because of the route you chose. Don’t forget Wisdom’s words:<\/p>\n
“Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies. For the turning away of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil<\/em>” (Proverbs 1:31-33).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPrior Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSearching for My Friend\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNext Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Checkpoint by Jeffrey W. Hamilton We’ve reached the end of another month since you decided you didn’t want help. It is a good time to think about how your life has gone. Are you happier? Are you pleased with what you are doing with your life? Are you looking forward to the future? Are you…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":25976,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-65811","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":65683,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/searching-for-my-friend\/thinking-of-yourself\/","url_meta":{"origin":65811,"position":0},"title":"Thinking of Yourself","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 11, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Thinking of Yourself by Jeffrey W. Hamilton \"For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith\" (Romans\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":25976,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/searching-for-my-friend\/","url_meta":{"origin":65811,"position":1},"title":"Searching for My Friend","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 12, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Searching for My Friend by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Once again I lost a dear young friend to the seductive snare of drugs. It grieves me to the depth of my heart to see a life full of potential and capable of great joy being twisted toward ruin, sadness, and loneliness.\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Searching.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8458,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/preparation-for-a-lifetime\/when-the-excitement-dies\/","url_meta":{"origin":65811,"position":2},"title":"When the Excitement Dies","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 27, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"When the Excitement Dies The early years of marriage are filled with novelty. You get to learn all the little habits of your spouse. There is the enjoyment of sex and eventually the trials of being a parent. Yet after a while, you fall into habits. You tend to do\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/IMG_2505-300x193.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14411,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/why-did-god-create-man-a-study-of-ecclesiastes\/wealth\/","url_meta":{"origin":65811,"position":3},"title":"Wealth","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 28, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Wealth Reading Assignment:\u00a0Ecclesiastes 5:8-6:12 Did you understand what you read? Give two reasons why a person who wants wealth never has enough. Why is the desire for wealth harmful to a person's health? What is the attitude a person should have towards their current wealth, whether they are poor or\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8535,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/preparation-for-a-lifetime\/getting-to-know-each-other\/","url_meta":{"origin":65811,"position":4},"title":"Getting to Know Each Other","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 28, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Getting to Know Each Other You may have spent years looking for just the right person, or you might have discovered someone you believe you want to marry just last week. Regardless of the time involved, you really don't know the other person; at least, not as well as you\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":65821,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/searching-for-my-friend\/the-way-of-escape\/","url_meta":{"origin":65811,"position":5},"title":"The Way of Escape","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 12, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The Way of Escape by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I've always been certain that once you made up your mind to leave drugs, you would be able to do it. You did it before and stayed free for five years. But I've also seen your mule-headed determination. 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