From High-Functioning Alcoholic to Ministry: One Man's Journey to Purpose

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Get ready for an inspiring journey with Steve Ward, a Birmingham, Alabama native who shares his powerful story of overcoming addiction and finding faith.

This episode dives into five key values—meaning, purpose, identity, contribution, and community—that shape a fulfilling life.

Hear how his struggles led to founding Steps Ministries, offering hope and healing to hurting people worldwide. Expect heartfelt insights on intentional living, serving others, and raising kids with love and perseverance. Don’t miss this chance to grow and connect!

"I'm still a high-functioning alcoholic and nobody knows it except my wife." With these powerful words, Steve opens a window into the compartmentalized life he once lived—excelling in his 38-year IBM career while hiding an addiction that was slowly consuming him. His story isn't just about addiction, though—it's about the universal struggle to find authentic purpose and identity in a world that often pushes us toward performance and perfectionism.

Through raw honesty, Steve walks us through his journey of discovering five core values that transformed his life: community, meaning, purpose, identity, and contribution. Each revelation came at pivotal moments—realizing his family mattered more than himself, experiencing God's reality at a stadium filled with 70,000 men seeking truth, witnessing divine orchestration when basketball legend Dr. J "coincidentally" sat next to him on a flight right when a ministry needed a celebrity speaker. These weren't just spiritual experiences but stepping stones toward his calling.

What makes this conversation truly exceptional is Steve's insight into addiction and recovery as metaphors for the human condition. "We're all addicted to something," he explains, whether it's alcohol, perfectionism, control, or validation. His ministry, Steps, emerged from a profound question: Why do we wait for people to crash and burn before teaching them the principles of living life effectively? Now based in Birmingham, Alabama, he distills wisdom from recovery, psychology, neuroscience, and biblical principles into practical resources for anyone seeking help.

Perhaps most moving is his reflection on parenting through his son's addiction struggles. Despite making "a lot of mistakes," Steve maintained two crucial elements: ensuring his son always knew he was loved, and persevering through the darkest times. Today, his son is thriving—evidence that our problems often become the very foundation of our purpose.

Ready to take your next step toward living with intention? Visit lifeimprovementsteps.com to access resources that can help you find your own path to meaning, purpose, and authentic living.

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