Is Addiction the Sin of Idolatry, or is it a disease?

[calibob]

Celebrate Recovery's Eight Recovery Principles
The Road to Recovery Based on the Beatitudes

Realize I’m not God; I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable. (Step 1)
“Happy are those who know that they are spiritually poor.” Matthew 5:3a TEV


Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him and that He has the power to help me recover. (Step 2)
“Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 TEV, NIV


Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control. (Step 3)
“Happy are the meek.” Matthew 5:5a TEV

This is not hyper grace but remember we are dealing with sick people.

Openly examine and confess my faults to myself, to God, and to someone I trust. (Steps 4 and 5)
“Happy are the pure in heart.” Matthew 5:8a TEV


Voluntarily submit to any and all changes God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects. (Steps 6 and 7)
“Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires” Matthew 5:6a TEV


Evaluate all my relationships. Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I’ve done to others when possible, except when to do so would harm them or others. (Steps 8 and 9)
“Happy are the merciful.” Matthew 5:7a TEV; “Happy are the peacemakers” Matthew 5:9 TEV


Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will. (Steps 10 and 11)


Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and my words. (Step 12)
“Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires.” Matthew 5:10 TEV

 

[Nat2019]

True it's up to each individual to find God on their own. But there are Christian 12 step Groups around all we have to do is look around; Note it is not a substitute for other ministries but an addition to them.

Celebrate Recovery 12 Steps and Biblical Comparisons


1. We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable.

I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.
For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. Romans 7:18 NIV



2. We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Philippians 2:13 NIV



3. We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:1 NIV



4. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord. Lamentations 3:40 NIV



5. We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. James 5:16a NIV



6. We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:10 NIV



7. We humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 NIV



8. We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.

Do to others as you would have them do to you. Luke 6:31 NIV



9. We made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5:23-24 NIV



10. We continue to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 1 Corinthians 10:12


11. We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us, and power to carry that out.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Colossians 3:16a NIV



12. Having had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we try to carry this message to others and practice these principles in all our affairs.

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore them gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Galatians 6:1 NIV

I'd rather scriptures be first and then descriptions after but this is my own personal view. I agree with the scriptures, but I think the whole program should be based on the entire new testament. Because it may miss out some other important scriptures. But that's my own opinion... because a renewal of our mind needs more than 12 scriptures to change our mindset.

 

[calibob]

The Evolution of the Twelve Steps

While trying to attract more followers to sobriety from 1935-1937, Smith and Wilson attended Oxford Group meetings in New York led by Samuel Moor Shoemaker, Jr.. "It was from Sam Shoemaker that we absorbed most of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, steps that express the heart of A.A.’s way of life." Wilson later recalled, "The early A.A. got its ideas of self-examination, acknowledgment of character defects, restitution for harm done, and working with others straight from the Oxford Group and directly from Sam Shoemaker, their former leader in America, and from nowhere else." (From: Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age (New York: A.A.W.S. Inc., 1957), p. 199)

In his 1937 book, Alcoholics Anonymous, Wilson set forth six steps of a spiritual recovery program, based on what he and other A.A. members agreed they had learned from Sam Shoemaker and the Oxford Group. The six steps were:

1. We admitted that we were licked, that we were powerless over alcohol.
2. We made an inventory of our defects or sins.
3. We confessed or shared our shortcomings with another person in confidence.
4. We made restitution to all those we had harmed by our drinking.
5. We tried to help other alcoholics, with no thought of reward in money or prestige.
6. We prayed to whatever God we thought there was for power to practice these precepts.

(From: Pass It On (New York: A.A.W.S. Inc., 1984), p. 197)

In 1938, Wilson revised and expanded these six steps, making them more explicit in order to eliminate any possible loopholes perceived by the rationalizing alcoholic. After review and fine-tuning by other A.A. members, Wilson’s revisions resulted in the Twelve Steps as we know them today. In the process, a preface was added to emphasize that the steps were intended as suggestions only. Also, in what Wilson called "concessions to those of little or no faith," God was described as a "power greater than ourselves" and "God as we understood Him."

"This was the great contribution of our atheists and agnostics," Wilson explained. "They had widened our gateway so that all who suffer might pass through, regardless of their belief or lack of belief."

"God was certainly there in our Steps," Wilson continued, "but He was now expressed in terms that anybody—anybody at all—could accept and try. Countless A.A.s have since testified that without this great evidence of liberality they never could have set foot on any path of spiritual progress or even approached us in the first place. It was another one of those providential ten-strikes." (From: Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 167)

As the early members of A.A. established their program’s principles, they slowly began moving away from the Oxford Group. In doing so, however, they were not implying that the teachings of Jesus Christ were not appropriate for helping alcoholics achieve sobriety. They were, instead, attempting to make their program "available" to the largest audience possible.

In establishing the principles of A.A., Wilson borrowed material from many sources, including Christianity, and translated them into language easier for the alcoholic to accept. Consequently, A.A. members talk about spirituality, not religion; sobriety, not salvation; wrongdoing, not sin; admitting, not confessing; strength and hope, not resurrection; carrying the message, not sharing the faith. However, the absence of direct Christian references within A.A. does not take away from the program’s Christian basis.

The Twelve Steps and Related Scripture

In essence, the Twelve Steps embody the Bible’s core teachings concerning God’s redemptive relationship with humankind, from salvation to evangelism. They begin with an admission of human shortcomings and a profession of faith in God’s power, love and forgiveness—the essence of justification. The Twelve Steps go on to encourage continual confession of wrongdoing, submission to God’s control and proper conduct toward others—the principles of sanctification. Finally, they encourage habits of devotion, responsiveness to God’s will and sharing the message of recovery with others—the basics of biblical Christian living.

The Twelve Steps listed below have been adapted for Christians and are reprinted with permission from Alcoholics Anonymous. A corresponding scripture verse is included with each Step to illustrate the relationship between scripture and the Twelve Steps.
Step One We admitted we were powerless over our separation from God—that our lives had become unmanageable. "I know nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out." (ROMANS 7:18) Step Two Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. "For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." (PHILIPPIANS 2:13) Step Three Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, as we understood Him. "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—which is your spiritual worship." (ROMANS 12:1) Step Four Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. "Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord." (LAMENTATIONS 3:40) Step Five Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. "Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." (JAMES 5:16) Step Six Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." (JAMES 4:10) Step Seven Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 JOHN 1:9) Step Eight Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all. Do to others as you would have them do to you." (LUKE 6:31) Step Nine Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother, then come and offer your gift." (MATTHEW 5:23-24) Step Ten Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall." (1 CORINTHIANS 10:12) Step Eleven Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." (COLOSSIANS 3:16) Step Twelve Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted." (GALATIANS 6:1)
Charles Knippel, Ph.D., a noted scholar on Christianity’s influence on A.A., has this to say about the Twelve Steps and Christianity: "In making use of twelve-step programs and in encouraging others to use them, the Christian will view the Steps within the Christian context and give the Steps Christian meaning. In addressing himself to non-Christian members of twelve-step groups, the Christian will seek, by way of caring and sharing relationships, to bring such twelve-step practitioners to a Christian understanding of the Steps that will provide rich spiritual benefits and a more abundant experience of recovery."

"Like Sam Shoemaker, today’s church leader will view Alcoholics Anonymous as a `tutor’ to bring people to Christ and His church and thus respond with a winsome Christian witness and welcome. The examination of Sam Shoemaker’s theological influences on William Wilson’s formulation and interpretations of the twelve-step spiritual program of recovery yields rich and life-enhancing insights for the practice of Christianity." (From: Knippel, Charles, Samuel M. Shoemaker’s Theological Influence of William G. Wilson’s Twelve Steps Spiritual Program of Recovery, Ph.D. Dissertation (St. Louis University, 1987), pp. 303-304)
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[Nat2019]

Substance abuse and addiction are two different things. Substance abuse generally starts as a recreational, social and/or cultural. I can lead to habitual use and/or abuse however addiction is when it has gone beyond into a form of insanity. Sudden unmonitored withdrawl can lead to Withdrawal, nausea shakes or lethargy, psychotic episodes, depression. Hyper mania, seizures, stroke even death. Even after all that has past the uncontrol able phenomena of cravings still return with a vengeance. Protracted Acute Withdrawal Syndrome can last over a year after becoming clean and sober. Symptoms like blackouts, getting lost in familiar places like riding the local bus. Hearing voices depression and paranoia occasionally return also.

The 12 step program is not easy. Reciting the steps are cursory. The real work starts in Step 4 & 5. Doing the personal inventory and comming to grips with recognizing ourselves as we really are and not the person we'd like to think we are. As well as uncovering old hurts and whatever our part in it was. Even holding a grudges against those who have done us wrong is counter productive. After it all gets itemized finding in writing, finding some one to tell it all to is the next requirement. If we ask the Lord to deliver us, the idea is to know exactly what from because the addicted parts of the brain loves to make excuses in order to return to the pig trough..

I think all humans need to apply the steps about forgiving others not just those with addictions. Some with addictions have done wrong by others and others have done wrong by them. We need to apply these steps anyway even if we dont have an addiction because-

Matthew 6:15 New International Version (NIV)
15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

So all people need to do this. So if a person is a Christian and applies this program a "condition" will be applied to forgiving others. If we dont forgive others, God wont forgive us.

 

[calibob]

I'd rather scriptures be first and then descriptions after but this is my own personal view. I agree with the scriptures, but I think the whole program should be based on the entire new testament. Because it may miss out some other important scriptures. But that's my own opinion... because a renewal of our mind needs more than 12 scriptures to change our mindset.

This is not an alternative to regular Bible study. This is targeted specifically to those with the insanity of addiction. It's a guide to study and does not replace regular bible study at all. Also remember we are dealing with reluctant people with short attention span many very firmly anti religious due to false yet transparent teachers and their teachings It would be nice to have them kneel down or go to an alter call and be delivered without relapse but a TV commercial, a bad day at work a broken heart will often trigger a relapse and most are very spiritually weak. Impatient and long for the quick relief a relapse will temporarily give.

If you never woke up sick from overindulgence but had another to get over being sick. than got depressed because you relapsed and did some more to ease your depression a few thousand times befor trying to start the day as if nobody else knows how you feel. And have lived like that daily for years maybe decades. How would you know?

Think of the 12 step program as a tune up guide. Not the full auto manual. So the first thing to do is get back running on all cylinders before we try to rebuild the whole car. That can come later. They may almost need to be spoon fed from the beginning.

 

[Nat2019]

The Evolution of the Twelve Steps

While trying to attract more followers to sobriety from 1935-1937, Smith and Wilson attended Oxford Group meetings in New York led by Samuel Moor Shoemaker, Jr.. "It was from Sam Shoemaker that we absorbed most of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, steps that express the heart of A.A.’s way of life." Wilson later recalled, "The early A.A. got its ideas of self-examination, acknowledgment of character defects, restitution for harm done, and working with others straight from the Oxford Group and directly from Sam Shoemaker, their former leader in America, and from nowhere else." (From: Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age (New York: A.A.W.S. Inc., 1957), p. 199)

In his 1937 book, Alcoholics Anonymous, Wilson set forth six steps of a spiritual recovery program, based on what he and other A.A. members agreed they had learned from Sam Shoemaker and the Oxford Group. The six steps were:

1. We admitted that we were licked, that we were powerless over alcohol.
2. We made an inventory of our defects or sins.
3. We confessed or shared our shortcomings with another person in confidence.
4. We made restitution to all those we had harmed by our drinking.
5. We tried to help other alcoholics, with no thought of reward in money or prestige.
6. We prayed to whatever God we thought there was for power to practice these precepts.

(From: Pass It On (New York: A.A.W.S. Inc., 1984), p. 197)

In 1938, Wilson revised and expanded these six steps, making them more explicit in order to eliminate any possible loopholes perceived by the rationalizing alcoholic. After review and fine-tuning by other A.A. members, Wilson’s revisions resulted in the Twelve Steps as we know them today. In the process, a preface was added to emphasize that the steps were intended as suggestions only. Also, in what Wilson called "concessions to those of little or no faith," God was described as a "power greater than ourselves" and "God as we understood Him."

"This was the great contribution of our atheists and agnostics," Wilson explained. "They had widened our gateway so that all who suffer might pass through, regardless of their belief or lack of belief."

"God was certainly there in our Steps," Wilson continued, "but He was now expressed in terms that anybody—anybody at all—could accept and try. Countless A.A.s have since testified that without this great evidence of liberality they never could have set foot on any path of spiritual progress or even approached us in the first place. It was another one of those providential ten-strikes." (From: Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 167)

As the early members of A.A. established their program’s principles, they slowly began moving away from the Oxford Group. In doing so, however, they were not implying that the teachings of Jesus Christ were not appropriate for helping alcoholics achieve sobriety. They were, instead, attempting to make their program "available" to the largest audience possible.

In establishing the principles of A.A., Wilson borrowed material from many sources, including Christianity, and translated them into language easier for the alcoholic to accept. Consequently, A.A. members talk about spirituality, not religion; sobriety, not salvation; wrongdoing, not sin; admitting, not confessing; strength and hope, not resurrection; carrying the message, not sharing the faith. However, the absence of direct Christian references within A.A. does not take away from the program’s Christian basis.

The Twelve Steps and Related Scripture

In essence, the Twelve Steps embody the Bible’s core teachings concerning God’s redemptive relationship with humankind, from salvation to evangelism. They begin with an admission of human shortcomings and a profession of faith in God’s power, love and forgiveness—the essence of justification. The Twelve Steps go on to encourage continual confession of wrongdoing, submission to God’s control and proper conduct toward others—the principles of sanctification. Finally, they encourage habits of devotion, responsiveness to God’s will and sharing the message of recovery with others—the basics of biblical Christian living.

The Twelve Steps listed below have been adapted for Christians and are reprinted with permission from Alcoholics Anonymous. A corresponding scripture verse is included with each Step to illustrate the relationship between scripture and the Twelve Steps.
Step One We admitted we were powerless over our separation from God—that our lives had become unmanageable. "I know nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out." (ROMANS 7:18) Step Two Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. "For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." (PHILIPPIANS 2:13) Step Three Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, as we understood Him. "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—which is your spiritual worship." (ROMANS 12:1) Step Four Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. "Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord." (LAMENTATIONS 3:40) Step Five Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. "Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." (JAMES 5:16) Step Six Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." (JAMES 4:10) Step Seven Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 JOHN 1:9) Step Eight Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all. Do to others as you would have them do to you." (LUKE 6:31) Step Nine Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother, then come and offer your gift." (MATTHEW 5:23-24) Step Ten Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall." (1 CORINTHIANS 10:12) Step Eleven Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." (COLOSSIANS 3:16) Step Twelve Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted." (GALATIANS 6:1)
Charles Knippel, Ph.D., a noted scholar on Christianity’s influence on A.A., has this to say about the Twelve Steps and Christianity: "In making use of twelve-step programs and in encouraging others to use them, the Christian will view the Steps within the Christian context and give the Steps Christian meaning. In addressing himself to non-Christian members of twelve-step groups, the Christian will seek, by way of caring and sharing relationships, to bring such twelve-step practitioners to a Christian understanding of the Steps that will provide rich spiritual benefits and a more abundant experience of recovery."

"Like Sam Shoemaker, today’s church leader will view Alcoholics Anonymous as a `tutor’ to bring people to Christ and His church and thus respond with a winsome Christian witness and welcome. The examination of Sam Shoemaker’s theological influences on William Wilson’s formulation and interpretations of the twelve-step spiritual program of recovery yields rich and life-enhancing insights for the practice of Christianity." (From: Knippel, Charles, Samuel M. Shoemaker’s Theological Influence of William G. Wilson’s Twelve Steps Spiritual Program of Recovery, Ph.D. Dissertation (St. Louis University, 1987), pp. 303-304)
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I just dont see the point of using a God in steps, for the ungodly. To me that doesnt make sense. I just think God should not be involved in a program for the unsaved. I think if we want to attract them to God we should only preach the gospel to them. And once would be enough. Because spirituality cannot bring someone to God. You could add scriptures from the Koran or Buddhist spiritual book. You could put verses from another persons God next to these verses as well. So to me it could be any God worshipped. It seems this program supports more of a "spirituality" than things of God. But that's my opinion.

 

[Nat2019]

This is not an alternative to regular Bible study. This is targeted specifically to those with the insanity of addiction. It's a guide to study and does not replace regular bible study at all. Also remember we are dealing with reluctant people with short attention span many very firmly anti religious due to false yet transparent teachers and their teachings It would be nice to have them kneel down or go to an alter call and be delivered without relapse but a TV commercial, a bad day at work a broken heart will often trigger a relapse and most are very spiritually weak. Impatient and long for the quick relief a relapse will temporarily give.

If you never woke up sick from overindulgence but had another to get over being sick. than got depressed because you relapsed and did some more to ease your depression a few thousand times befor trying to start the day as if nobody else knows how you feel. And have lived like that daily for years maybe decades. How would you know?

Think of the 12 step program as a tune up guide. Not the full auto manual. So the first thing to do is get back running on all cylinders before we try to rebuild the whole car. That can come later. They may almost need to be spoon fed from the beginning.

Calibob when you are saying how would you know?. Are you talking directly to me?

 

[calibob]

I think all humans need to apply the steps about forgiving others not just those with addictions. Some with addictions have done wrong by others and others have done wrong by them. We need to apply these steps anyway even if we dont have an addiction because-

Matthew 6:15 New International Version (NIV)
15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

So all people need to do this. So if a person is a Christian and applies this program a "condition" will be applied to forgiving others. If we dont forgive others, God wont forgive us.

The Lords forgiveness is unconditional but we receive a blessing when we bless those that have cursed us. That is a stumbling block in our own recovery. And it is quite difficult for normies to understand. The carnal mind wants to rant, "They did this to me. It's not fair. It's not my fault." "If you had my; Parents, wife, job. Medical and financial issues or lived where it's too hot to go outside (like Las Vegas.) and you were Hungry, Angry, Lonely or tired as me you'd... too!" We call that 'Stinkin' thinkin.'

 

[Nat2019]

The Lords forgiveness is unconditional but we receive a blessing when we bless those that have cursed us. That is a stumbling block in our own recovery. And it is quite difficult for normies to understand. The carnal mind wants to rant, "They did this to me. It's not fair. It's not my fault." "If you had my; Parents, wife, job. Medical and financial issues or lived where it's too hot to go outside (like Las Vegas.) and you were Hungry, Angry, Lonely or tired as me you'd... too!" We call that 'Stinkin' thinkin.'

Why is an (IF) Involved in that scripture then?

 

[calibob]

Calibob when you are saying how would you know?. Are you talking directly to me?

Only to anyone reading this thread that has never hit bottom.

 

[calibob]

Why is an (IF) Involved in that scripture then?

Where? it's almost 4am here now i'm about to wrap it up. you may send me a pm or got to Christians in Recovery Anon on the misc. forum.

 

[Nat2019]

Only to anyone reading this thread that has never hit bottom.

I have hit rock bottom through out my life. I have dealt with my problems in my life including mental Illnesses, which I still struggle with, bullying throughout my life due to a jaw deformity I had that was now fixed after 27 years, homelessness in a refuge a few years ago. A parent and sister with drug addictions and mental illnesses. My dad was addicted to ice for a few years before he died of cancer not long ago, seeing your parent slowly dying from brain cancer and seeing them starve in hospital care. I dealt with my parents relationship breakdown and my fathers drug addiction last year. Having my parent stay with me for a short time-who was addicted to ice and the turmoil i suffered when my parent tried to commit suicide more than once. First with ice and then with pills and alcohol. Dealing with my father having brain damage after he was assaulted in a drug house. Seeing him in hospital. Seeing my family be destroyed by drugs. I grew up seeing the affects of drug addiction and the relationship issues my parents had. Having your family house feeling like a rehab facility of unstable behavior. When a person withdraws from drugs. Seeing your sister In hospital after she has cut her wrists for the 4th time and hearing her lose her children. Thinking your sister was going to die after your dad just died after she cut her vain so deeply while drinking. Dealing with depression and other severe social anxiety that your struggling to find employment for over 6 years and haven't been able to keep a job. Having an alcohol abusing problem over the years of abusing alcohol for self medication-basically Skulling alcohol to you pass out.
I was also addicted to cigarettes for 5 years and tried to quit 8 times. Eventually I quit, but then I was smoking off and on with alcohol. I got arrested by the police years ago years ago when I was drinking at work and fell in a bush after i left work. I was drinking heavily, had so many family problems, mental health problems and a drinking problem that I used to cope with the mess around me and inside me.


So I have had struggles In my life and families lives.
*But I am glad i have God to help me🙄

 

[calibob]

I have hit rock bottom through out my life. I have dealt with my problems in my life including mental Illnesses, which I still struggle with, bullying throughout my life due to a jaw deformity I had that was now fixed after 27 years, homelessness in a refuge a few years ago. A parent and sister with drug addictions and mental illnesses. My dad was addicted to ice for a few years before he died of cancer not long ago, seeing your parent slowly dying from brain cancer and seeing them starve in hospital care. I dealt with my parents relationship breakdown and my fathers drug addiction last year. Having my parent stay with me for a short time-who was addicted to ice and the turmoil i suffered when my parent tried to commit suicide more than once. First with ice and then with pills and alcohol. Dealing with my father having brain damage after he was assaulted in a drug house. Seeing him in hospital. Seeing my family be destroyed by drugs. I grew up seeing the affects of drug addiction and the relationship issues my parents had. Having your family house feeling like a rehab facility of unstable behavior. When a person withdraws from drugs. Seeing your sister In hospital after she has cut her wrists for the 4th time and hearing her lose her children. Thinking your sister was going to die after your dad just died after she cut her vain so deeply while drinking. Dealing with depression and other severe social anxiety that your struggling to find employment for over 6 years and haven't been able to keep a job. Having an alcohol abusing problem over the years of abusing alcohol for self medication-basically Skulling alcohol to you pass out.
I was also addicted to cigarettes for 5 years and tried to quit 8 times. Eventually I quit, but then I was smoking off and on with alcohol. I got arrested by the police years ago years ago when I was drinking at work and fell in a bush after i left work. I was drinking heavily, had so many family problems, mental health problems and a drinking problem that I used to cope with the mess around me and inside me.

So I have had struggles In my life and families lives.
*But I am glad i have God to help me🙄

My recovery testimony is on the testimonies forum. I fully admit to having Co-occurring disorders also. Major depressive disorder, attachment disorder form being left by my biological mother for 7 months and PTSD from child abuse by a schizophrenic step mother plus. 35 years of active addiction including alcohol & drugs including LSD & PCP, gambling and I've been homeless and or hospitalized several times so I decide to set my sights on step 12. Helping others as my ministry to a very kind and generous God. I could have died and wanted to several times. I tried it. He had a better idea.

 

[Nat2019]

My recovery testimony is on the testimonies forum. I fully admit to having Co-occurring disorders also. Major depressive disorder, attachment disorder form being left by my biological mother for 7 months and PTSD from child abuse by a schizophrenic step mother plus. 35 years of active addiction including alcohol & drugs including LSD & PCP, gambling and I've been homeless and or hospitalized several times so I decide to set my sights on step 12. Helping others as my ministry to a very kind and generous God. I could have died and wanted to several times. I tried it. He had a better idea.

Ok thanks😊. Sorry to hear about all your struggles 😔

 

[calibob]

Ok thanks😊. Sorry to hear about all your struggles 😔

PS; both of my step parents died at home of cancer in 1996. 6 weeks apart. and having no siblings I was the only care giver.

 

[Nat2019]

Ok thanks😊. Sorry to hear about all your struggles 😔

I am so glad you survived all these struggles😉Its difficult to deal with mental illnesses, they are a struggle on a daily basis. But we have to go to God for strength to help us continue fighting in this life. Many people have already been destroyed by these things and are no longer with us😭While we are alive we still have HOPE.

 

[Nat2019]

PS; both of my step parents died at home of cancer in 1996. 6 weeks apart. and having no siblings I was the only care giver.

Wow. I am so sorry for your loss. That's very hard. But we can sympathize with each other and have compassion to others in the same position.

 

[Nat2019]

PS; both of my step parents died at home of cancer in 1996. 6 weeks apart. and having no siblings I was the only care giver.

I had to help my mum,sometimes when I visited to help change my father's nappies. He came home for 2 weeks and died after that. I went to the hospital everyday to help feed him and I was stressed when i saw him starving in hospital. The nurses told us we shouldn't give him food and we were all arguing about this. My mum couldn't watch him in hospital anymore so we brought him home in the ambulance. My mother cared for him because he couldn't talk anymore, walk anymore and was suffering from delusions and seizures. It was sad in the end I didnt want to go in the room because it was too hard to see someone so strong and invincible to end up like that. One night he died, my mother found him dead in the room. Then he was cremated. So a strong human being became ashes in the end. It helps me to see life differently now.

 

[Absolutely]

Meetings, fellowships and study groups are a great way to fill the abundance of time we receive as we become clean, sober and sane.

I noticed twice you addressed my posts concerning the power of the Holy Spirit in deliverance and you introduced other dynamics.

 

[Pisteuo]

The question is simple.

Is addiction the sin of idolatry, or is it a disease?

I worked in a parachurch ministry dealing with addicts, particularly substance abuse.

I have never had a recognized substance abuse problem, although in principle, I believe that I have been addicted to one substance: food. But, it is not the type of substance abuse problem one would ordinarily recognize.

As I worked with individuals who had issues with drugs or alcohol, though, one of them acquainted me with the thought that addiction is really idolatry.

The person is filling the void in his life with some substance, and he is viewing that substance as the satisfaction of the needs for fulfillment, pleasure, and purpose in life. All other things are subject to this substance.

Additionally, the ordinary believer is basically facing the same situation. The deeper sins of our lives are actually idols. We have not replaced them with a passionate love for God, or we wouldn't continue to be involved with them.

And, no one has killed all the idols in their lives yet. I think every sin we commit displays that we are not really trusting in God to supply our deepest needs, so we are reaching out to that sin for satisfaction, whether it is a substance or not.

Anyways, here's a few books on addiction that might help if you are struggling with something. I think all Christians should read these types of books anyways, because I believe we are all idolaters at heart:

Redemption: Freed by Jesus From the Idols We Worship and the Wounds We Carry, Mike Wilkerson
Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters, Timothy Keller
The Heart of Addictions, Mark Shaw
Recovering Redemption: A Gospel Saturated Perspective on How to Change, Matt Chandler
Addictions: A Banquet In the Grave: Finding Hope in the Power of the Gospel, Ed Welch

Personally, I think it is important for the person to know that his identity is in Christ, and he shouldn't label himself by his addiction. He has been redeemed and is a new creation. He may still struggle in this area, but he is not a drug addict, alcoholic, or homosexual anymore.

I think it is harmful to claim that alcoholism, drug addiction, and sexual immorality is a disease, though. And, the believer is not helpless over it in the ultimate sense. If he has been joined to Christ, then he is no longer under the slavery of sin. That is what Romans 6:1-14 teaches. So, we need to take personal responsibility for our sins, and claiming our sins are diseases is a false teaching.

I have faced a lot of criticism for saying this on another thread, but it is a biblical truth that I believe we see evidenced in Paul's writings. When he corrects believers who are involved in particular sins, he tells them that they are in Christ, and they need to behave according to this identity.

Attached are two articles by Jeff Durbin, who worked in a hospital dealing with addiction. It will give you a more articulate explanation than mine.

Anyways, let me know what you think by voting.

It's definitely a disease, but not a physical one. It's a disease that all humans have, it's the spiritual disease called selfishness. Being addicted to drugs or alcohol is just the one of the heights of the spiritual disease of selfishness. Addicts harm everyone they love around them with no thought about anyone but themselves. My sponsor coined the phrase," I'm a recovered addict, ad a recovering selfish pig!" Being selfish is the real problem that Leeds to things like drug and alcohol addiction.

But there's another aspect to all of this that most of us would never think about.

My sponsor told me that the closest people to God were the Indians. They used certain drugs to go into the spiritual world and communicate with the spirit world. Now I'm not sure I'll go as far as to say they were the closest people to God, but I do think they were in a closer place to God than the physical world. With that said, could drugs addicts be subconsciously using drugs to be closer to our natural state of being,close to God? Something to think about!

And if that's true, that is yet another act of selfishness! We're not supposed to be in the spiritual world yet!