Dear Sheriff,
I definitely do not count white, refined sugar, caffeine, or chocolate, for that matter

Drinking hazelnut coffee even as I type and contemplating an almond Hershey bar that keeps beckoning to me from the frig.

Thanks for your encouraging words and congratulations to you also on your long-term success in beating addictions! What a blessing

You are absolutely right about accountability, too, and I'm very thankful to have the solid support of my husband and our church family (Our pastor's last name is Sheriff, by the way

)
I must add here that I've only been remarried for just shy of 2 years, after a horrible go-round with an NPD ex-husband who knew absolutely no limits. I believe that the Lord knew I couldn't climb out of the pit that man dug for me without a special provision. He continued stalking me, even after our divorce (which HE filed for) and even though I had a protective order against him. But in the midst of all that mess, God sent me this wonderful man who is now my husband, with his gentle kindness and tender manner of speaking the truth in love. In my case, it simply struck me one day that I no longer had any reason to drink. I was free.
Not yet free from my own critical spirit or impatience or lack of
mercy toward those I find annoying, though. Still plenty of self-centeredness to purge out of my own system without going around judging others for their bad attitudes. You speak the truth and mercy is key. Many thanks for your gentle correction; it's gone a long way toward adjusting my attitude

Hi, Changin, I'm sorry if those racy thoughts are still haunting you. It can be very disconcerting, I know, when it seems as though your thoughts are not your own. But these voices of darkness and death cannot tolerate the light of truth... they need to get out of our heads! With me now, it's far less often anymore, and usually the "trigger" seems to be a word or phrase... something an abuser from my past used to say, for instance. Or if I'm in a situation where I've failed, let someone down, for instance... I'll hear in my head the degrading words of someone else, trying to tear me down, even though that person is long gone. I do believe that with practice, we can learn to rebuke those lying thoughts and "voices" and live only in the present. One thing that really sticks with me now is that I refuse to let someone else define me. What snaps me out of the old ruts is getting deeper into the assurance that God accepts me as I am, and HE loves me too much to leave me in the pits. He loves you too, Changin, and I trust that you will overcome this leftover rubbish and live free.
Hello, Brigid, It's my pleasure to "meet" you and thank you for the welcome

I was only married three years to the NPD husband, but it seemed more like 30

Before that ~ 15 years of marriage to a man who practiced various forms of abuse and without whom, I did not think I could survive. Almost didn't survive. Who'd have guessed it was possible to not only survive but to thrive??

Freedom from fear is sweet indeed! I thank God daily for rescuing me from that and for saving me from ... myself.
Hope