If you've been reading this newsletter for a while, you've heard this before: your environment matters. A lot. If you're newer, or if that idea seems a little vague, let me explain what I mean.

Your personal environment includes everything you surround yourself with. It's your home. Your friendships. The media you take in. The conversations you have. The place where you work. Where you go to church. The noise, the pace, the clutter — or peace — of your life. Some of this is outside your control. But a surprising amount is within your control.

In fact, this is such a big deal that it's the second of the Twelve Keys for overcoming addiction and compulsive behavior. In the Renewed Man program, we put it this way:

KEY #2: ENVIRONMENT -- We take deliberate steps to design a personal environment that supports our commitment to self-mastery and vitality.

That’s not just a vague intention. It’s a principle and practice we return to over and over.

The Renewed Man Boot Camp gives people an introduction to these twelve keys over the course of twelve weeks. But when guys decide to continue into the full deployment, we cycle through these same keys every 90 days. That means we revisit this issue of environment four times a year.

Why so often? Because things slip. Life gets busy. We get distracted. And slowly, without realizing it, we start letting little things into our lives that quietly make sobriety harder. The good news? It’s not complicated to get back on track. It just takes some intention.

We encourage men in the program to pause during Environment Week and do a personal inventory. Ask: 

What’s in my life right now that’s making recovery harder?

This could be physical stuff — like junk food in the pantry, old stashes hidden in the house, or apps that need deleting. But it can also be more subtle. Maybe it's the news you watch every night that leaves you agitated. Or that one friend you still hang out with who jokes about things you're trying to leave behind.

And here's the truth: your struggle may not even be about the addictive behavior directly. Your biggest danger might be the stress, frustration, or isolation that makes you want to escape in the first place.

So ask yourself:

• Is my home a place of peace, or chaos?
• Are my relationships helping me heal, or keeping me stuck?
• Is there a steady drip of negativity, shame, or temptation in my daily routines?

When you identify something that doesn’t belong — don’t overthink it. Get rid of it. Talk it through with a trusted friend. Make a plan to replace it with something better.

Jesus said, “If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away.” Maybe he wasn’t being literal, but He was being serious. Sometimes, staying free means getting ruthless with our surroundings.

Your environment should fight for your recovery — not against it.

NEXT ACTION:

Today’s action is to spend some time looking at your personal environment. Take 20 minutes. If you can't get to it today, then schedule it on your calendar at some point in the next couple days. Do a scan of your life. Prune what needs pruning. And remember, you're not doing this to be perfect — you're doing it to be free.