Michael's testimony is from New Life in partnership with The Life Recovery Bible by Stephen Arterburn, M.Ed., and David Stoop, Ph.D. 

When I was around 13 years old, I had my first alcoholic drink. It lit my world up, because before that I was introverted and shy, and when I took this drink it was like, “Wow, freedom.”

Between the ages of 13 and 20, because of drinking and what I did when I was drinking, I ended up in different detention centers and junior prisons in the UK. I didn’t always get into trouble when I drank, but when I was in trouble, I had been drinking. I’d tried relationships, money, drinking, jokes. I was out of this world and didn’t want to be in this world anymore.

I went back to Alcoholics Anonymous. I started to learn about the 12 steps, my faith started to grow, and I got a deeper understanding through the spiritual side of the 12-Step Program. I ended up going to a church in Wood Green, in North London. I met somebody who was part of OA (Overeaters Anonymous), and she gave me the Life Recovery Bible.

When I opened it and saw the Serenity Prayer, and I saw the 12 Steps, and I saw the Daily Reflections, and I saw that it broke it down into recovery language and commentaries, it just really lit up my world.

Before that I was reading Bibles and stuff, and I couldn’t process it, because it wasn’t speaking to me. But the Life Recovery Bible did. It started speaking to me, and over the next 20 years, I was just reading it and understanding that the characters in the Bible were all messed up as well, and they were all in recovery, and they were not perfect and made mistakes. It just made it a lot clearer for someone in recovery to understand spirituality, to understand the Bible and get to know Jesus on a deeper level.

I then moved back to Manchester and started a Life Recovery Group in my home. I later moved over to Burnley, and a large church agreed that I could hold the meeting there. We have a lot of men and women attending the meeting with different issues, including alcohol, drugs, food, sex, and dependency in relationships. We use the Life Recovery Bible and The Life Recovery Workbook, and we watch the 12-Step videos by Stephen Arterburn and David Stoop. It’s been a real success. People have had some pretty great results. Today, I’m in my 31st year of recovery, but I will add . . . I’m still learning.

Do you or your loved ones struggle with addiction?  The Life Recovery line, created by Stephen Arterburn, M.Ed., and David Stoop, Ph.D., offers life-changing resources for the Twelve Step journey. The Life Recovery Bible is today’s #1-selling recovery Bible with several companion products, including The Life Recovery Journey, Workbook, and  Devotional. Filled with inspiring stories and Biblical wisdom, they give hope to anyone wanting to walk closer with God through recovery, as well as for their counselors, pastors, and loved ones.

Browse all Life Recovery products here.

NLT Life Recovery Bible, Second Edition

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Discover freedom and hope in God’s Word with Tyndale’s Life Recovery Bible, the #1–selling recovery Bible with over 4 million copies in print. This powerful Bible for addiction emphasizes God as the ultimate source of recovery and offers essential tools and features to break people free from the grip of addiction. It is widely embraced in 12 Step recovery programs like Alcoholics Anonymous, correctional facilities, and by individuals seeking help taking their life back from destructive behaviors and substances.

In this Second Edition of The Life Recovery Bible, you’ll find updated articles on addiction recovery, along with a step-by-step life recovery meeting guide for leaders. This NLT Bible is a must-have resource for anyone starting or leading recovery groups in churches or communities. Seamlessly compatible with the original version, users of both editions can easily communicate and access shared notes and features.

Special features of this addiction recovery Bible include:

• 12-step devotionals
• Life Recovery Facilitator’s Guide
• Step-by-Step Life Recovery Meeting Guide
• Article: Thriving in a Secular Recovery Group
• Article: Life-Giving Recovery Groups in the Church
• Resources page, directing readers to helpful books and online resources
• The 12 Christian Foundations of Life Recovery
• The 12 Self-Evident Truths of Life Recovery
• Article: A Word about Addictions
• Article: An Early History of Life Recovery
• Portable trim size measures 6.5 x 9.188 inches
• Easy-to-read 9-point font

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