Married to a non-member.

[poohthebear]

Hi everyone. I need some advice. I am getting ready to rejoin the church.

As I prepare for my baptism, I am faced with an issue. My husband has

Alcohol and coffee and tea in the house. Living the Word of Wisdom is going

To be rough. Is there any suggestions on how to handle this? It's the

Coffee that is the most distracting. Thanks

[NightSG]

Don't drink it.

Seriously. I had an alcoholic roommate for the first seven months after my baptism, and the presence of the alcohol didn't bother me. The presence of the drunk did, but that certainly wasn't addictive.

I will admit that the cold weather sometimes drives me to coffee in restaurants, since hot chocolate is usually 1.5-2x the price with no free refills.

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

Hello Poohthebear,

Congrats on returning. :)

I feel for you that will be tough! My suggestion is fast and pray for the craving to be taken away from you. This is not a situation where you can just "flee" so, it is reasonable to ask for some extra help.

One of my closest friends, had a period of time when she was inactive in the church. She did a lot of crazy things during that period...from alcohol and smoking to sampling some hard core drugs. When she decided to return to the church, she prayed that the desire for these things would be taken away from her...particularly the craving for marijina, if I remember correctly. She said the cravings went away instantly. Quite miraculous actually.

I don't think that Father always heals us that quickly. Some people who are just as "good and faithful" may find that they have to struggle a lot more. We are each given what we need for our own growth. I think though in your situation....that you might qualify in the "economy of Heaven" for a little extra assistance like my friend received.

[Backroads]

Heck, I've never drank coffee, never grew up with it in a house, never had it in the house (except for random samples I would receive that I used for fun hair treatments), and I STILL love the smell of coffee. In fact, the other day, I was waiting for Co-worker to heat up her mug of coffee in the microwave so I could heat up my hot chocolate water and I mentioned to her how good her coffee smelled and how I could be so into coffee if I weren't Mormon.

Anywho, I'm guessing you really really like coffee and tea. Good for you and your determination to obey the Word of Wisdom. You will be blessed. But you still like coffee and tea. Is there an option where you could be somewhere else for a while whenever your husband prepares his? That could help with the initial temptation.

[M_T_E]

Thankfully for me I never enjoyed coffee, I have tried it a few times throughout my years and each time it tastes just as bad as before. Although the aroma can be somewhat enticing...

Prayer as others have said to reduce and remove you cravings for such would be obviously a wise course to take. Perhaps a simple discussion is in order as well to help ease your suffering? Your husband could help by not making any of those around you.

[poohthebear]

I will give that a try. Thanks.

[skalenfehl]

There comes a time in a person's life no matter how devoted one my be to faith where a mighty change of heart takes place (Alma 5). Once this happens, you never have the desire to return to your old ways. This does't mean, however, that the tempter won't try to entice you. And if you are truly changed, you will be repulsed by what tempted you before.

[brycematheson]

All I can recommend is prayer. Serving as a Missionary and helping others overcome their addiction, the singleost important thing that helped people was to get down on their knees whenever they were tempted. Through this method, I've seen miracles. People who had been smokers of 60+ years stopped in two weeks. You can do it!