Free Recovery

28/08/2026

Sometimes retreat can look remarkably like progress.

We tell ourselves, “I’m doing better now. I don’t need the group quite so much. I don’t need people checking in. It’s time to move on.”

And perhaps sometimes it is.

But there is another possibility worth considering:

Am I really moving forward — or am I simply moving away from the people who might ask me difficult questions?

In our new blog, The Lie of Retreating, we look at Christian community, accountability, isolation, hidden compromise, and why being truly known by our brothers and sisters can be one of God’s great protections in recovery.

Perhaps the question is not simply, “Am I going to church?”

Perhaps the harder question is:

Who really knows me?

Read the latest Free! Recovery blog.

www.free-recovery.org/blog/

20/08/2026

Women’s Course

Sometimes the bravest words are simply: “I need help.”

Women can struggle with many different life-controlling behaviours — alcohol, food, po*******hy, relationships, fantasy, shopping, substances, screens, self-gratification and many other ways of escaping difficult thoughts and feelings.

Not every addiction looks the same.

But underneath them, many of us recognise the same longing:
I want something to make me feel better. I want relief. I want escape.

Our women-only Free! Recovery course begins:

📅 Thursday 17 September
🕦 11:30am UK time
💻 Online
⏳ Ten weeks

A confidential place to learn, reflect, talk, pray and discover afresh the freedom Christ offers. www.free-recovery.org/events/

20/08/2026

September is Coming

September is coming — and so are our new Free! Recovery courses.

For some people, September means new beginnings: a new school year, a new routine, perhaps a fresh resolve to change.

But when you are caught in an addiction or another life-controlling habit, starting again can feel much harder.

At Free! Recovery, we believe change is possible — not because we can simply try harder, but because there is real hope and freedom in Jesus Christ.

This September we are offering two online 10-week Free! Recovery courses:

💙 Women’s Daytime Course
Thursday 17 September | 11:30am UK time

💙 Men & Women’s Evening Course
Friday 18 September | 7:00pm UK time
11:00am Pacific Time

Come as you are. You do not have to have everything sorted out before you join us.

Find out more and register through our Events page.

20/08/2026

The past has a way of coming back.

A smell. A place. A sound. A piece of music.

And suddenly we can find ourselves back in a moment we thought we had left behind.

For many who struggle with addictive or life-controlling behaviours, the past matters. Pain, grief and loss can become closely connected with the things we reach for to numb what feels unbearable.

But numbness is not healing.

In our latest Free! Recovery blog, When the Past Comes Flooding Back, we look at what it means to bring those memories, thoughts and struggles to Christ — sometimes over and over again — and to begin pressing forward towards what lies ahead.

This feels particularly appropriate as we approach a new Free! Recovery term.

Our 10-week online courses begin in September, providing a place to explore addictive and life-controlling behaviours honestly, biblically and alongside others who understand something of the struggle.

Later in the term, our Battleground of the Mind webinar will look more closely at temptation, our thought lives, and what it means practically to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Perhaps this term is the time to stop simply trying to outrun the past and begin learning how to bring it into the light.

“Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal.” — Philippians 3:13–14

Read the blog and find details of our forthcoming courses and events at Free! Recovery.

12/08/2026

here is a phrase those struggling with addiction know only too well:

“I can handle this.”

I can control it this time.
I will stop tomorrow.
I just need more willpower.

But recovery often begins when we finally acknowledge:

I cannot do this on my own.

That is why the difference between positive thinking and biblical hope matters.

Scripture does not simply tell us to think better thoughts about ourselves. It teaches us where our help comes from:

“My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” — Psalm 121:2

Our latest blog explores positive thinking, self-help, AI and the movement from self-reliance to God-reliance.

www.free-recovery.org/blog

31/07/2026

John's new post!!!

We often hear the word “trigger” used to describe a circumstance, feeling or image that awakens an addictive desire. But could many of these triggers also be understood biblically as temptations?

Temptation can feel overpowering. At times, giving in may even seem inevitable. Yet Scripture tells us that God is faithful and will provide a way of escape.

Our latest blog explores the journey from trigger to temptation, the battle for our imagination, and how we can learn to take our thoughts captive in obedience to Christ.

Triggers are real. Temptation is powerful. But through Christ, sin is not inevitable.

www.free-recovery.org

31/07/2026

We often hear the word “trigger” used to describe a circumstance, feeling or image that awakens an addictive desire. But could many of these triggers also be understood biblically as temptations?

Temptation can feel overpowering. At times, giving in may even seem inevitable. Yet Scripture tells us that God is faithful and will provide a way of escape.

Our latest blog explores the journey from trigger to temptation, the battle for our imagination, and how we can learn to take our thoughts captive in obedience to Christ.

Triggers are real. Temptation is powerful. But through Christ, sin is not inevitable.

www.free-recovery.org

21/07/2026

Consequences.

None of us enjoys them.

Most of us spend our lives trying to avoid them, minimise them or explain them away.

Yet what if God is using the very consequences we'd rather escape to change our hearts?

In this honest personal reflection, John shares how a counsellor's unexpected words—"You're a good actor"—became the beginning of God exposing not only addiction, but the masks he had spent years wearing.

If you've ever found yourself saying, "I'm fine," when you're anything but, this blog is for you.

God doesn't expose us to shame us.

He exposes us so He can heal us.

👉 Read the full blog and discover how consequences can become God's classroom.

www.free-recovery.org/blog/

18/07/2026

We're looking for compassionate men and women to join our team of Volunteer Facilitators for our Free! Recovery courses beginning this autumn.

You don't need to have all the answers. You simply need a heart for people, a love for Jesus, and a willingness to walk alongside others as they discover the freedom found in Him.

As a facilitator, you'll:
💙 Help create a welcoming and safe environment.
💙 Encourage discussion and prayer.
💙 Walk with people through our Christ-centred recovery programme.
💙 Receive training, resources, and ongoing support from our team.

Whether you've experienced recovery yourself, supported a loved one, or simply have a desire to care for others, we'd love to hear from you.

www.free-recovery.org

14/07/2026

When someone you love is caught in addiction, it's easy to feel torn between helping and hurting, hope and exhaustion. How do you come alongside them without enabling them? How do you speak truth without losing compassion? This week's blog explores biblical wisdom from CCEF, insights from Lysa TerKeurst, and the example of Christ to help families walk this difficult road with grace, truth, and lasting hope.