So Intimate

 “The worst part about anything that’s self destructive is that it’s so intimate. You become so close with your addictions and illnesses that leaving them behind [are] like killing the part of yourself that taught you how to survive.” (LaceyL)

If there were a positive side to addictions, it might be that it helps human beings quickly realize that they need someone more powerful than themselves (God) to help break this painful cycle.  I believe all addictions (like overeating, hoarding, extreme shopping, pornography, or self mutilation) have the same commonalities.

Though the addict may not know it, the addiction is used as an “emotional bandage” to deal with some kind of emotional (or physical) discomfort. This is brought on by a trigger (something that brings on the addiction). This could be a person, event, thought, or anything else that puts the trigger into action (as the addict engages in the addiction).

Even though the addict may wish to fight the addiction, they are powerless to do so without the intervention of some kind of professional. If the addict is able to fight the addiction off, the desire for it is intensified the next time the trigger is activated. The more the addict engages in the addiction the stronger it becomes in their life.

 This person is angry that they can’t get control of this area of their life. It makes them feel like a hypocrite before God (as they do their best to live like a “perfect” Christian). The addict has pleaded to their heavenly Father many times, but God continues to remain silent on the subject. In the never-ending cycle of the addict’s addiction, friends and family members eventually get hurt emotionally as they try to help the addict. No one else can make this solution magically happen for addict. They have to want it (for the right reasons). A psychologist told me that when addictive thoughts occur  that the addict needs to stop them immediately (cut them off) as they think about and view something more positive.

The Bible sums up the ultimate goal of addiction in I John 2; 16 (VOICE) as the addict accumulates more things to cover up the real issue of their need for God: All the things the world can offer to you—the allure of pleasure, the passion to have things, and the pompous sense of superiority—do not come from the Father. These are the rotten fruits of this world. If you are an addict, God wants you to be free of your addiction. How can you (and your heavenly Father) make that happen?