Addiction is one of the toughest problems facing our culture today. The growing problems within the family make addiction a national problem that is growing by leaps and bounds. In the U.S. we have promoted a “feel good right now” mentality that tends to feed the addictive process.
Contrary to some popular thought, people don’t become addicted to drugs, alcohol, or sex just for the fun of it. There are usually reasons why an addiction happens. And these same reasons make an addiction difficult to stop.
A person is drawn to an addictive behavior or substance because of the way it affects his or her emotions. It enhances some feelings and numbs out others. Emotional pain is reduced momentarily…and the hope is that it will not come back. Of course, it does.
Addiction has two elements that must be understood to grasp the true nature of it.
- Tolerance: this means that over time more and more of the behavior or substance is required to produce the desired effect.
- Withdrawal: this means that an individual has a very painful physical and/or emotional reaction when the substance or behavior is stopped.
As you can see, addiction is an ever-growing downward spiral which has NO pleasant ending. This is not a happy picture.
Recovery from any addiction is hard.
12-step programs have been shown to be very helpful for most addictions.
A good recovery program from addiction usually includes the following elements:
- Attendance at an appropriate 12-step meeting
- Working the 12 steps with the help of a sponsor and recovery friends
- An emphasis on learning how to meet one’s personal needs for intimacy and emotional health
(The above section has been adapted from Healthy Mind.com the Nature of Addiction. To see this article in its entirety see: http://www.healthymind.com/addictions.html )
Have an addiction? Don’t lose hope. You can overcome this with God’s help. The Ridge Fellowship can help provide the elements needed to overcome your addiction:
- You will find a 12 step type program called “Celebrate Recovery” For more information go to http://ridgefellowship.org/growth-group-catalogue/Recovery.html
- You can meet new friends and develop relationships in Celebrate Recovery and at The Ridge Fellowship to help you find hope, healing and encouragement.
- You can meet your personal needs for intimacy and emotional health by the relationships you make with God and others at The Ridge Fellowship.
We are a place you can find acceptance instead of guilt, love instead of shame and hope instead of despair. For more about The Ridge Fellowship see www.ridgefellowship.com
I pray you find recovery and hope to see you soon, Darrell
Upwards Church 