Avoiding and Overcoming Addictions

Stephen H. Farra, PhD, LP, sfarra@ciu.edu

Whenever we address this topic, we need to realize: There are Addictions

(in quotation marks, that might better be called habits) and then there are
ADDICTIONS (all caps, no quotation marks, that are physiological states that will
absolutely drive a persons behavior until professional/medical intervention is
sought).
Recently I was asked to do a book review for a Theological Journal. I was asked
to do it on an Intervarsity book where a Christian Bible teacher / theologian and
author had unfortunately conflated (combined) the two Addictions and
ADDICTIONS. Addictions (in quotes) are like the bad habits of feeling the need
to gamble to reduce stress, or routinely eating something sweet before bed time,
or needing to read a juicy romance novel, or going onto erotic sites on the Internet
before bedtime. For some 5-8% of young people, their obsessive / compulsive
cell-phone checking and manipulation becomes an addiction; for some students
violent video games become an addiction (all in quotation marks).
But, ADDICTIONS (all caps, no quotation marks) are true medical conditions
produced by alcohol or drugs dependencies, in which the chemicals
/neurotransmitters in your brain are so far out of balance, that you will need
intensive and expert medical help re-balancing those neurotransmitters before
you can even begin again to behave in rational and righteous ways. Everyone who
has ever looked into the desperate eyes of a sweating and shaking drug addict
knows this.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/97852486/Addictions.pps
[ Powerpoint of ADDICTIONS where medical intervention must be sought ].

The authors book was good on showing that we do need to avoid overextending the medical model to many of the common events of life (there certainly
is NOT a medical answer to every human situation or problem there certainly is
NOT a medicine / pill answer to everything).

The authors best point was that we do NOT need to STOP looking for
satisfaction in life. In fact, we should look for MORE satisfaction, and realize that
the best and ultimate SOURCE of SATISFACTION is GOD HIMSELF.
We need to find our ultimate satisfaction in the Lord, and how (through
Scripture reading and prayer) we can go about developing some new and healthier
habits. He could have added a section on the cleansing, healing, fulfilling power of
true corporate worship, not just individual devotional exercises. But, at least, he
provided some concrete steps, so often missing in Sunday morning sermons that in
essence say this other source of satisfaction (alcoholic drink, addictive pills,
perverted sexuality, etc. is really, really wrong now just stop doing it! without interim steps, or a helping hand).
I recently felt I had to confront a young pastor who in his morning message
built a long, strong case on how wrong it is to allow destructive habits or drug
dependencies into your life, but when it came to actually overcoming the
problems, the answer was only to read Scripture, pray, and if an addiction had
already developed, just stop! ** I did not quote to him Matt 23:4 where Jesus
says in his condemnation of the Pharisees, you lay heavy burdens on the backs of
others, but you will not lift one finger to help them but I did think of the verse!
What I did tell the young pastor is that his sermon was rather incomplete without
the small, concrete steps that can effectively lead an addicted person to a better
place.
The writer of the Intervarsity book I reviewed simply over-stated his case,
presenting an overly theological thesis. Not every problem (certainly not
advanced physiological addictions) will routinely do go away with Bible reading,
prayer, and a determination to establish some better habits (alone). The writer
did not recognize that a true alcohol or cocaine or advanced opiate addiction will
normally need prior medical treatment, before any of the rest of what he says can
even apply.
Here are some sobering stats: Illegal street drugs are still filling up our
prisons. The U.S. incarcerates a higher percentage of its population than any other
nation on Earth 5X the rate of most other developed nations! According to the
Federal Bureau of Prisons, more than half of that incarceration/imprisonment is

directly related to illegal, street drugs. So, illegal, street drugs are an enormous
problem in this nation. ** Yet (and this is the really scary statistic), currently
more people across the United States are getting addicted to and over-dosing and
dying from prescription drugs than from illegal street drugs!!
Big Pharma has had its way with us. We are a drug crazed, drug obsessed
culture. And, we primarily look to alcoholic drinks as a physical means of relaxing.
Many abuse alcohol, at least 10-15 million of us are truly addicted. And, our
modern brain scans reveal that the altered dopamine receptors/propensity
(likelihood) to become addicted is passed onto the third and fourth generation
(This phrase appears multiple times in the Old Testament). Once a person has
become physically addicted to an opiate or alcohol, they will sweat and shake
(sometimes violently in life-threatening convulsions) until they get their fix.
Perhaps NPR should not talk about getting your news fix before your coffee
fix in the mornings. True physiological ADDICTIONS (all caps, no quotation
marks) are not a matter of comfort or convenience alone, they are not a laughing
matter, certainly NOT good fodder for advertisements or jokes. They produce
desperate conditions and situations, and are often deadly. Just ask the family
members of Amy Winehouse, Whitney Huston, Heath Ledger, or Phillip Seymour
Hoffman. Those suffering not from bad habits, but true physiological ADDICTIONS
need true immediate medical attention and intervention.
Yet, for any addicted person to be helped substantially, he or she must be sick
and tired - of being sick and tired. Addicted persons will often complain usually
about the natural consequences of their own actions. They will tell you they are
sick and tired, but their actions reveal they are not ready for a big change in their
experience Life without the destructive substance or habit in their lives. We
used to say to them, when youre sick and tired of being sick and tired and
ready for big change in your life, come back and see us until then, please dont
take up our time whining about the natural consequences of doing what youre
doing.
But then, for a person to stay free of the addiction or potentially destructive
habit, they will need family support, Christian fellowship, accountability, regular

Scripture reading, prayer, and worship and yes, we do finally need to look to the
Lord for are ultimate satisfaction in life.
Even secular researchers often acknowledge that faith-based recovery
programs are much more effective than non-faith-based programs. Further, they
acknowledge that only what they call religious programming (which is mostly
Bible Studies, Worship Services, and voluntary Accountability Groups) makes much
of a dent in prison recidivism. The habitual life of crime is its own destructive cycle
apart from Divine Intervention re-arrest for serious crimes is nearly 70%,
according to the U.S. Justice Dept.
St. Augustine was right in the 400s AD when he wrote in his Confessions, our
hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee. Blaise Pascal was correct
when in 1600s he wrote in his Pensees, each of us has within him a God-shaped
vacuum that only the Creator can fill. Charles Wesley was correct when in 1740
he wrote, Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to Thy bosom fly Thou, O Christ, art all
I want, more than all in Thee I find . Jesus has to be the lover of our souls,
because only He can fully understand us, and fill all those secret places within us.
** Like you, I went through 4 years of required chapels at the Kings College and
Wheaton. Not many of those chapels have stuck with me in a positive and
spiritually enlightening way, but a few did and have. I want to tell you about one,
because it has helped me in life, and I believe it will help you.
The speaker that morning in Wheaton College chapel was the President of
Asbury Seminar in KY. I forget his name, but I vividly remember his story. He
talked about his pursuit in his college years of what he believed was his ONE TRUE
LOVE. The girl was lovely, seemed intelligent, talented, understanding, and Godly,
and he wanted her to be his wife. He pursued her for 2 years before shed go out
with him. Then it was another year before she agreed to be his wife. On his
wedding day, he was euphoric, to be finally be united with who he thought was his
one true love.
The speaker made it clear that over the years she had proved to be an
excellent wife, and that he still loved her passionately, but he said he was
surprised within weeks of living with her, to not feel completely understood and
emotionally fulfilled. He was very puzzled, and somewhat disappointed, until he

realized that NO human being could do what he wanted his wife to do for him, and
be to him.
It was then that he discovered that Jesus is, and is meant to be, the Lover of
my Soul for each of us, our final source of acceptance, comfort, and fulfillment.
Once he got tight with Jesus, then everything went better in his life, including his
marriage.
We are all very vulnerable to destructive addictions (both types with and
without the quotation marks) until we have that primary spiritual connection to
our Maker our ultimate Source of comfort and satisfaction.

** We spend so much time talking about God in a place like this, I think we often
forget to really LOVE and WORSHIP God, and to let God fully LOVE us. I would
encourage you to check out the depth and dynamics of real WORSHIP as you
proceed through your time here at CIU. Long term, this is the final and best way
to avoid and overcome addictions.

Let us pray: Oh Lord, God of all comfort, fulfillment, and strength, give us the
wisdom to seek from You what we need in life, and not turn to the cheap
substitutes offered up by our culture that will only hollow out our souls and
destroy our lives. Help us instead to find the eternal joy that comes from walking
arm in arm with You. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.
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https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/97852486/Addiction%20%26%20Virtue_Dunngtn.docx
[ Link to critique of Intervarsity book, Addiction and Virtue: Beyond the Models of Disease and Choice,
by Kent Dunnington ]