Why Addictions Drag On and How to Stay Free
Don’t point your finger at those who battle addictions. We ALL have either small or life-controlling habits. How about that Hostess Twinkie you vowed to never touch again?
Freedom is wonderful and attainable. How do you get free and stay free?
Statistics show that 21.5 MILLION people over age 14 have a substance related addiction in America.
That’s staggering. But when you multiply all the different ways people become addicted (technology, substance, food, hyperactivity, sexual, etc.) it skyrockets astronomically.
Is there hope for a permanent solution?
Try these 6 things for a start:
1. Get serious.
I heard a story of a deadly Amazon snake that crawled into a man’s sleeping bag on a survey trip. The story ended well when the heads up team built a fire at the end of the bag and smoked it out.
Act like this habit is a deadly snake. It can destroy your reputation, family, finances, health and hope. Don’t play around with it, run away from it into the arms of loving believers.
2. Get open.
All freedom begins with TRUTH. “The truth will set you free.” If a patient never precisely informs the doctor of exactly where the pain is, the hope of a good prescription is almost impossible.
Write down your “symptoms.” Share them with a relative, a counselor, or a pastor. Leave nothing out. Any detail could be the secret to freedom.
3. Get help.
God has many delivery systems. He uses prayer, therapy, and small groups (or all of the above!). Get help by receiving God’s power to heal the root cause of what triggers your addiction.
“Freedom is a walk, not an event.”
4. Get connected.
Many life-giving churches have addiction recovery ministries. Check out THIS ONE. A weekly gathering where freedom is celebrated will change your cycle of addiction to freedom.
5. Get disciplined.
Addiction tends to “ride along” with a lazy, drifting mind. When your mind is focused and your body is in a routine, there is no room for addiction. Try some of these:
1. Do a simple daily Bible reading plan like THIS ONE.
2. Start a walking habit for just one mile a day.
3. Plan your day the night before to be sure you are spending time wisely. Any discipline you can sustain will keep you free for a lifetime.
6. Get accountable.
A friend of mine who had a porn addiction “relapsed” continually for years. Finally, he developed a one-on-one weekly meeting with a mentor. That was 25 years ago and he has been free since that one “small” step.
Who can be your accountability partner and religiously give you one hour a week to discuss the state of your soul? I believe it is critical.
Get free, stay free. Freedom is a walk, not an event. It is replacing old habits and triggers with new relationships and disciplines.
If you fail, get up again.
“A life lived in freedom is priceless.”