Spiritual Sobriety: The Promise of Healthy Faith When Good Religion Goes Bad

Blogger and children's rights advocate Esther (Girl at the End of the World), raised in a strict and controlling Christian fundamentalist church cult, explains how growing up in a spiritually abusive church created a "pattern of behavior that closely mirrored alcoholism or addiction%E2%80%94except I wasn't consuming drugs to alter my moods, I was consuming God." After identifying her problem, Esther struggled to overcome depression but discovered that her religious addiction blocked her from understanding a purer truth: "Spiritually sober relationships spring from unconditional love and trust." Esther includes the stories of others who suffer from the same addiction, focusing on how they overcame their personal issues to find love, acceptance, and a deeper faith in God without hiding behind compulsions. Those afflicted with similar behaviors and obsessions will find hope in Esther's journey%E2%80%94whether their addictions revolve around alcohol, drugs, food, or faith. (Apr.)