Origin of 3rd Step Counseling

 

Chris grew up in an upper middle class home in Houston, Texas, the oldest of two children.  His sister was 9 years younger.  His parents' marriage was "fair" until the time of their divorce when Chris was 15 years old and his sister was 6yrs old.  Within a year or less of the divorce, Chris' mother became a full-blown alcoholic.  Chris was very close to his mother, and when the alcoholism began, Chris describes the situation as follows - "My mom was like a water hose that flowed fresh waters of 'love'.  Anytime I wanted a drink, I would go to her and the love flowed out.  When she became an alcoholic, it was like someone turned the hose off and the water stopped flowing."  What ensued was many years of tears, sorrow, loss, and pain to Chris and his sister.  The alcoholism of his mom produced many terrifying life and death situations that Chris had to deal with thru out his high school and college years.  

Many different dysfunctional coping patterns developed in Chris as a result of the pain, frustration, sadness of seeing his mother disappear further and further into her alcoholism with each passing year.  Even though things did not change for Chris' mother, in July 1985 things change for Chris.  For Chris, a sudden and miraculous, supernatural conversion experience occurred which suddenly swept away Chris' own decline.  In the 12 steps of recovery, this would be called a "3rd Step" awakening in which a person "turns his life over to a power greater than themselves."  From that July day in 1985, dramatic changes occurred in Chris' life.  Within 16 months of that experience, Chris was "out" of the bar business that he had been in for 4 years, and then working for a 250-bed drug/alcohol rehab called the Shoulder.  He was also going to regular counseling in order to "gain more freedom" in his life.  His desires changed from wanting to build a business empire to wanting to help people and "live for his God."  He has been on a wild supernatural adventure ever since.

Today, what was a painful past of dealing with his mom's alcoholism and watching his mom slip further and further away each day, Chris now sees as a blessing from God that has molded him into the gifted counselor that he has become as well as given him much empathy for his clients and their own struggles.  3rd Step Counseling is an outgrowth of Chris' desire to help others overcome their past painful histories as well as help them to become all that "the Creator of the Universe" made them to be. 

With the death of Chris' mother in November 2010 due to alcoholism, and an inner-city ministry friend's experience of another child that he mentored dying from an overdose, Chris picked up the challenge to "destroy the tool of addiction" that has destroyed so many persons and their families.  This resulted in Chris writing his  book entitled "The Little Book - Alcoholism, Drug Addiction, & Recovery Made Simple!"  Pick up a copy, get armed, and let's unleash the truth that is needed to end and possibly prevent addiction on planet earth! 

Chris' Mom - The inspiration for the book.