Do you or someone you love need help overcoming crazy addictions? You are not alone. God is with you. Lean into His strength.
Natalie* stared at mirror. “Ugh! I’m so fat. I hate myself,” she thought. She stepped on the scale. The numbers flashed 92. At five feet four inches tall, Natalie had all but stopped eating.
Her addiction? Control. (Starred names have been changed.)
Once her son hopped on the school bus, *Karrie felt an adrenaline rush. Shopping! She told herself she’d buy one and only one outfit for her seven-year-old. Three hours and many shopping bags later, she collapsed on her couch and cried.
Her addiction? Shopping.
*Suzanne picked up her kids’ toys in a flurry. Ben would be home any minute, usually in a sour mood, and she didn’t want to make it worse. Negative thoughts attacked: “I do everything I can to keep him happy. I wash his clothes. Make his dinner. Keep the kids quiet. Share his bed. But does he care about us? No! All he really wants is his remote and a twelve-pack of beer. Sometimes I wish he were dead.”
Her addiction? People-pleasing.
An addiction is a recurring compulsion to engage in a specific activity to the point of harm.
Among the addictions that mess up the lives of women, men and children are drug use, gambling, tobacco, work, sex, pornography, overeating, perfectionism, cutting, shopping, video games, exercise, and religion. Addiction hits every ethnic and socioeconomic group. It is in your church.
Where Experts Disagree
Folks who study addictions differ on its cause and the best way to treat it. Most scientists insist that addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that can be treated successfully with medication and behavioral therapy, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Neil T. Anderson and numerous other Christians in the field say addiction is a spiritual problem at its core.
Please continue reading this post at BasicsMatter.com, where Lucy posts on relationships every Monday.
You Are Blessed!
“As her mind is renewed and she realizes who she is in Christ, she begins to demolish strongholds with the truth of Scripture and experience freedom.”
In my studies and in my life I have learned that many treatment programs just want to teach people how to live with their addiction because actually getting to the truth of the issue is just way to hard and takes up way to much time. What many of these issues stem from are the thoughts we act upon. I love Romans and how Paul talks about renewing the mind. We have to take every thought captive and know that when the impulses come, we do not have to be a slave to them. God does not give us a spirit of addiction, he gives us a spirit of self control (2 Timothy 1:7). This is such a great reminder, thank you!!!
Darci, you are so right. What we think determines our emotions and our actions. As the Holy Spirit renews our mind and we take captive every thought — easier said than done! — God transforms us. Even when you and I are hit by life’s boulders, we can get over them. Thank you for sharing your comment. It encourages all who see it. 🙂