AFTER MY MARRIAGE ENDED about forty years ago, I developed a drinking habit that lasted more than two decades. I felt so guilty about the addiction and it got to the point where late one night I was having yet another drink, but still hadn't had dinner.
I hadn't called a Christian Science practitioner before about my drinking because I felt so embarrassed about the whole thing. But this time I decided I should and called a woman in the Christian Science branch church I was attending, who had helped me a lot in the past. I'm so grateful for the loving and selfless dedication of practitioners, who devote their lives to helping people find healing. The practitioner wasn't home, so I left a message saying that I needed her prayers.
The next morning I woke up and decided that I had been rather hasty to call the practitioner because, after all, I could stop drinking on my own (even though I had tried many times through human willpower to do so). In fact, I thought, "Maybe I don't want to quit." However, I felt obliged to call the practitioner back and explain my situation to her. She said she'd pray with and for me, and I proceeded to my job that morning, not really expecting any results. Honestly, by then I'd convinced myself that I didn't really want to quit.
