Studying the scriptures and the statements of Church leaders will help you begin your recovery. This study will increase your understanding and help you learn. You can use the scriptures, statements, and questions that follow for prayerful personal study, for writing, and for group discussion. The thought of writing may frighten you, but writing is a powerful tool for recovery. It will give you time to reflect; it will help you focus your thinking; it will help you see and understand the issues, thoughts, and behaviors surrounding your addiction. When you write, you will also have a record of your thoughts. As you progress through the steps, you will be able to measure your progress. For now, just be honest and sincere as you write your thoughts, feelings, and impressions.
“I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me.
“And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.
“My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.
“He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh” (2 Nephi 4:18–21).
“It came to pass that it was for the space of many hours before Moses did again receive his natural strength like unto man; and he said unto himself:
Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed” (Moses 1:10).
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6).
“And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens” (Enos 1:4).
“Some may regard the quality of character known as honesty to be a most ordinary subject. But I believe it to be the very essence of the gospel. Without honesty, our lives…will degenerate into ugliness and chaos” (Gordon B. Hinckley, “We Believe in Being Honest,” Ensign, Oct. 1990, 2).
“Because ye are compelled to be humble blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance; and now surely, whosoever repenteth shall find mercy; and he that findeth mercy and endureth to the end the same shall be saved” (Alma 32:13).
“Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight” (Proverbs 12:22).