THE HEART OF ADDICTION
INTRODUCTION
My primary purpose for writing this book is to glorify God by pointing you to His Word that you may see how it sufficiently addresses the problems of “addiction” and substance abuse. Frankly, I find it troubling that, although God’s Word lovingly tells us the truth about “the heart of addiction,” it is a neglected resource for those who suffer from a variety of “addictions.” Why would people disregard such a valuable resource as the Bible? Are some Christians limiting themselves by neglecting to consult God’s Word and His powerful wisdom on this subject? One of the reasons for failing to seek God’s Word is that it does not fit with the world’s ideas of addiction as a “disease.” What a shame that Christians do not start with the Word of God but rather choose to start with the theories and ideas of mankind! Nearly every common behavioral problem is “diseased” in American culture: gambling, overeating, excessive time spent on the internet, excessive shopping and spending, stealing, and rebellious behavior. It all started less than one hundred years ago with the popularization of alcohol and drug abuse as a “disease concept” that is now widely accepted as “truth” rather than hypothesis and conjecture. The originators of this “disease concept” believed that the symptoms of “addiction” looked like a “disease” so they developed an analogy to describe the similarities. The symptoms were so frequently observed that the originators of this concept concluded that the heart of the problem had to be a “disease” that attacked the “addict”. This of course would then relieve the addict of his guilt. The originators of this “disease concept” were not committed, evangelical, Bible-believers, therefore most of their ideas do not reflect foundational, biblical principles. Consistent with this reasoning, non-Christians have no power to truly overcome an “addiction” so they really are “powerless.” But can a Christian claim to be powerless if he or she has the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit to enable them to say “no” to a choice to excessively use a mood-altering substance? The answer is “no” since the power working in and through the Christian is the Holy Spirit. Because of the physical results of excessive consumption associated with “addiction,” it is true to say that a Christian can be overtaken by a drug physically speaking; however, a Christian must not allow a drug to enslave him. The Bible calls this a “sin” problem. Sin? Sin is a misunderstood concept even in Christianity today so there is no wonder that it is misunderstood by unbelievers. If you watch television or listen to the radio, let me challenge you to a contest. Take a pen and paper and record how many times you hear the word “sin” used in a serious manner in a twenty-four hour period on any secular program. Do not count Christian television or radio (though some programs in that medium would be deficient!). If you hear the word “sin” used correctly just one time, I will be pleasantly surprised and you will win the contest (no prizes, of course). Sadly, our culture has successfully removed this word from our everyday speech, and the concept of sin is nowhere to be found. So why did Jesus die? Did Jesus die for a “disease of addiction” that is not really our fault in the first place? No. Why would Jesus have to die for something that is not our fault? If God is fair, He would not unnecessarily punish His Son on the Cross. If one believes the “disease concept of addiction,” there is no need for a Savior since the disease is not the addict’s responsibility. So, what did Jesus die for? “Our sins” is the obvious answer, but if sin is rarely mentioned in the culture, the Cross becomes less important in the minds of people. We need a larger understanding of sin so we can obtain a larger understanding of the Gospel message of the Cross. We need a solution for our sin problem and God has graciously provided the answer for sin in the atoning sacrifice of His Son Jesus and in the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. You can overcome a sin problem but you will never overcome a “disease of addiction” problem. For this reason, I believe that purely biblical teachings provide hope for addicts. We must establish a foundational principle about the use of the term “sin” when dealing with addiction. Since the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3, man has rejected the truth of God’s Word, and the same rejection often holds true today in addiction counseling. I encourage you to embrace the idea of sin as the underlying cause for your addiction and you will gain more insights into how to overcome it. The Specific Name of the Sin Chemical addiction problems and excessive substance abuse really have two biblical names: one is a general name and the other is more specific. In general, “idolatry” is the proper biblical name for substance abuse problems whether you consider yourself a drunkard, binge drinker, drug addict, substance abuser, or whatever name you wish to call it. The problem is biblically labeled as the sin of idolatry and it is a heart problem from within one’s sinful nature. Webster’s Dictionary defines ‘idol’ as “a person or thing too much loved, admired or honored.” The substance abuser seeks to please himself with his “god of choice” above pleasing God. The excessive user of alcohol and drugs is his own god; he is actively serving and pleasing the god of self by using drugs and alcohol. Ask yourself: “Am I serving God right now or seeking to please myself?” In the Bible, God addresses addiction as a “sin nature” problem and everyone since Adam and Eve is born with a “sin nature” having the potential to become physically addicted to a chemical substance. Some mistakenly think that “drunkenness” only refers to alcohol, not drugs. The fact that many of us have been successfully indoctrinated into separating drugs and alcohol demonstrates the power of our culture upon our thinking. But, in fact, alcohol is a drug in liquid form! Have you ever taken cough syrup for a cold or persistent cough? If so, then you drank a drug in liquid form. Likewise, alcohol contains mind-altering drugs in liquid form. Therefore, alcohol is a drug and “drunkenness” refers to the effect that a drug has on the one who consumes it. Whether someone drinks, snorts, shoots, inhales, smokes, dissolves, or imbibes a drug, the effects of the substance will be “drunkenness” which is what God has called the problem all along. The Bible is more relevant in addressing this “addiction” problem than you may have first imagined, but you will see God’s wisdom magnificently displayed in His Word, and how it is relevant to your life. God’s Word provides real hope and practical help to the problem of drunkenness when one is willing to redefine the problem God’s way rather than mankind’s way. Who Should Read this Book? In this book, a distinction is made between two words commonly used regarding this problem of drunkenness: “abuse” and “addiction.” Addiction is best defined as the “persistent habitual use of a substance known by the user to be harmful” and often, but not always produces a physical dependency. Dependency depends upon the substance used. The other term used is “abuse” of an intoxicating substance which is defined as the “improper or excessive use, or misuse”1 of that substance. Do not fool yourself. Abuse, addiction, occasional excessive use of a substance, and drunkenness might have consequences with varying degrees of severity, but they are all the result of the same inward problem of the sinful heart: idolatry. In the case of drunkenness, idolatry is manifested by the excessive consumption of alcohol or drugs to please self or escape the problems of life and avoid responsibilities; in essence, to feel pleasure and avoid pain or difficulty. You may belong to either of the following two groups of people who qualify as “idolaters” and “drunkards” under this terminology: •Those Christians who occasionally yet excessively abuse alcohol and drugs but do not consider themselves to be addicted to alcohol and drugs, or •Those Christians who are physically addicted to alcohol and drugs. Both groups are encouraged to read this book and apply the practical instruction to their lives. Regardless of the extent of the devastation in your life due to your substance abuse behaviors and sin, abuse and addiction both have the same root issues - the same sinful motives of the heart. Excessive use of a substance is not just a simple sin problem. It is a life-dominating and life-devastating sin nature problem. This sin nature problem requires the Savior’s forgiveness and the Holy Spirit’s power to overcome it; not just an individual’s “will power.” It is the “will of God power” that overcomes addiction. The “perishing” mentality fueled by pride, selfishness, and self-pity must be put-off. The mind must be renewed by the Holy Spirit who works in conjunction with God’s Word under the authority of the local church. A “joyful” and optimistic mentality fueled by serving and pleasing God (and others) must be ‘put-on’ to replace old attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors. It will require a change in thinking and acting called “repentance” to overcome your substance abuse problems. If you are reading this book for a loved one who abuses drugs or alcohol, you must apply these principles to yourself first because you may have a desire for something in your life that would qualify as “idolatry.” Ask the Lord to change your heart and enable you to grow in the grace of God in this area of your life. A great theologian once said that each human being is an “idol factory” because we are all capable of producing new idols in mass quantities.2 If you are struggling right now with what the world calls an “addiction” to food, sex, gambling, video games, shopping, or anything else pleasurable, then this book should be a great source of hope and help to you. You will find biblical tools to help you examine your heart’s motives at the root of the addiction. It is true that in some ways an “addiction” to food is different than an “addiction” to alcohol. Likewise, an “addiction” to sex manifests differently than an “addiction” to gambling and so on. The consequences of these various “addiction” categories can be vastly different, too. Nevertheless, these differences do not change at the heart level of the problem: a focus upon pleasing and worshiping oneself (idolatry) rather than pleasing and worshiping the Lord Jesus Christ. “Addiction” is a “worship disorder” and not a man-made, theoretical “disease.” The principles found in God’s Word are simple yet profound, and have a variety of applications for a variety of “addiction categories” and sin patterns. What You Will Be Learning This book is divided into four sections that follow the pattern described in II Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (Emphasis mine). •Section One will provide biblical “teaching” and insights about addictive thinking. •Section Two will provide a “reproof,” or a “rebuke.” A ”reproof” is defined as a “criticism for a fault.”3 The Lord wants to turn you from walking down the wrong path of serving yourself to serving Him. •Section Three will provide “correction” so you will learn how to renew your mind to think more biblically about addiction. •Section Four will provide “training for righteousness” so that you can successfully practice doing what is right to overcome addiction permanently. Prayer of Heart Change and Application My Father in Heaven, you alone are holy. Thank you for sending Your Son, Jesus, to save your children from their sins. Please save me from my sins and place Jesus’ righteousness upon me. I do not deserve your forgiveness nor have I earned it. Empower me to begin living for you, Lord. Enable me to overcome my addictions and idolatrous heart desires by replacing them with righteous desires. Help me to be teachable, intentional, and open-minded to your Word of Truth. Give me a hunger to read, study, and memorize the Bible so that I can know you more, Father God. I ask that you would send someone to disciple me to help me better understand biblical truths. Amen.