Overcome Addiction

1. What is addiction?
• Addiction has been defined as a compulsive, chronic, physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behavior, or activity having harmful physical, psychological, or social effects and typically causing well-defined symptoms (such as anxiety, irritability, tremors, or nausea) upon withdrawal or abstinence.
• That said, addiction is characterized by patterns and behaviors. Not all consistent behaviors are addictions, but something is typically labeled an addiction when it begins cause us harm – pulling us away from our priorities, bodily harm, etc.
• Those who battle with substance abuse are typically diagnosed with Substance Use Disorder (SUD) – a condition in which there is uncontrolled use of a substance despite harmful consequence.
• That said, we can safely differentiate between clinical addiction (doctor diagnosed & treated) and nominal addiction – developing patters and behaviors that are detrimental but probably not life-threatening.

2. Who is affected by addiction?
• Simply put, everyone is affected by addiction – parents, children, extended family, coworkers, employers, and even society as a whole. No demographic or age group is immune.
• Adolescents (aged 12-17) – In 2017, approximately 4% of the American adolescent population age 12 to 17 (about 1 million teens) suffered from a substance use disorder.
• About 443,000 adolescents age 12 to 17 had an alcohol use disorder in 2017, and an estimated 741,000 adolescents suffered from an illicit drug use disorder in 2017.
• Young Adults (ages 18-25) - About 5.1 million young adults age 18 to 25 battled a substance use disorder in 2017.
• About 3.4 million young adults age 18 to 25 had an alcohol use disorder, and about 2.5 million young adults had an illicit drug use disorder in 2017. Heroin use among this demographic has doubled in the last decade.
• Over Age 26 – Approximately 13.6 million adults age 26 or older struggled with a substance use disorder in 2017.
• 10.6 million adults age 26 and older had an alcohol use disorder, and 4.3 million adults age 26 or older had an illicit drug use disorder.
• Elderly – More than 1 million elderly adults age 65 or older had a substance use disorder in 2017. Two-thirds of the senior citizens over the age of 65 who struggle with alcohol use disorders developed the disorder before age 65.
• Between 21% and 66% of elderly individuals battling a substance use disorder also suffer from a co-occurring mental health disorder. Clearly many people are self-medicating.
• Men vs. Women – In 2017, about 9.4% of men and 5.2% of women age 12 and older had a substance use disorder. Men are more likely to abuse drugs than women, but women are just as prone to addiction when they do abuse drugs.

3. What causes addiction?
• Experts tell us that genetics, including the impact of one’s environment on gene expression, account for about 40% to 60% of a person’s risk of addiction.
• Environmental factors that may increase a person’s risk of addiction include a chaotic home environment and abuse, a parent’s drug use and attitude toward drugs, peer influences, community attitudes toward drugs, and poor academic achievement. Poverty and a lack of education are two huge factors.
• Teenagers and people with mental health disorders are more at risk for drug use and addiction than other populations. Addiction is a means of self-medication.
• Almost no one intends for their habits to become an addiction. Addiction typically begins when someone finds enjoyment or pleasure out of a certain activity or vice.
• The desire for pleasure (the high of drugs & alcohol, the rush of making a purchase, etc.) is what usually keeps an addict coming back. Addiction provides an escape from the pain of reality.
• Most addicts would tell you they thought they could control their habits, only to find out (typically after causing themselves and others much pain) that their “habit” began to control them.
• For example, human experience has taught us that marijuana is a “gateway drug” – it opens doors to other drug use. Many young people begin by experimenting with marijuana, only later to turn to heroin, LSD, and other illicit drugs.
• They thought they could control the marijuana use, but didn’t realize that weed would lead to harder substances that are much tougher to stop using.
• The main cause of addiction appears to be the pursuit of pleasure for the relief of pain – emotional, physical, mental, etc.

4. How is addiction treated?
• There are many ways to treat addiction, but I’ll list some of the main “clinical” forms:
o Detox - Medically-assisted detox allows you to rid your body of addictive substances in a safe environment. Because detox does not treat the underlying behavioral causes of the addiction, it is typically used in combination with other therapies.
o Cognitive Behavior Therapy – CBT is a form of psychological treatment/counseling that deals with faulty or unhelpful ways of thinking that cause a person to drift toward addiction.
o Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy – The goal of REBT is to help you realize that the power of rational thinking lies within yourself and is not related to external situations or stressors – looking at addiction from a rational perspective.
o Contingency Management – Contingency management therapy reinforces positive behavior (maintaining sobriety) by giving you tangible rewards. This type of treatment has proven successful in combating relapse.
o 12-Step Facilitation – This type of group therapy begins with acceptance, then moves on to surrender to a higher power, then eventually transitions to involvement in consistent group meetings.
o Treatment with Medication – Medications can be used to reduce cravings, improve mood, and decrease addictive behaviors.
• In addition to all the many therapies available for addiction, There are over 14,500 specialized substance abuse treatment facilities in the United States providing a variety of care options – a good number of them are residential.
• While there are many forms of treatment, many addicts are reluctant to receive treatment. In 2017, an estimated 20.7 million people 12 & up needed treatment for a substance use disorder, but sadly only 4 million people received treatment.
• While addiction is considered a highly treatable disease and recovery attainable, the relapse rate for substance use disorders is estimated to be between 40% and 60%.
• That’s probably explained by the fact that many addicts refuse to seek help for a variety of reasons – shame, denial, unwillingness to separate for family or take time off work for treatment, etc.

5. What does the Bible say about addiction?
• The Bible doesn’t say much about the “subject” of addiction, but it does detail many things about those who conduct themselves like addicts.
• For instance, Solomon gives us a good look into the life of an alcohol addict in Proverbs 23:29-35: “Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? 30 Those who linger long at the wine, those who go in search of mixed wine. 31 Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly; 32 At the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like a viper. 33 Your eyes will see strange things, And your heart will utter perverse things. 34 Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying: 35 “They have struck me, but I was not hurt; they have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?”
• We know that even the great man of God Noah made a serious mistake with alcohol – “And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. 21 Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent.” (Gen. 9:20-21)
• In regard to alcohol, the Scripture provides us a principle that should be applied to entire subject of addiction – “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,” (Eph. 5:18).
• It doesn’t matter what the addiction is – it could be substances such as tobacco, alcohol, or illicit drugs, or it could be shopping, gambling, eating or anything – we are not allow anything to exercise mastery over us.
• Jesus Christ is the King of glory. He is the only One who is to serve as our Lord and Master. When we permit addictions to govern our lives, we’re not being filled with the Holy Spirit – rather we’re operating in the flesh.
• Jesus reminds us of a very powerful truth – “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matt. 26:41) Knowing the weakness of our flesh, Jesus says that we need to overcome temptation by drawing nearer to God thru spiritual discipline.
• While not every addict is a lost person, addiction certainly can be evidence that someone does not know Christ as Savior. Paul said, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:19-21).
• Rather, Christians are known for their “self control” – one of the fruits of the Spirit. Through the indwelling presence of the Spirit, I can overcome every form of addiction

6. How can we overcome addiction?
• Addiction is a powerful stronghold, and the reason that so many people never break free or they relapse over and over is because they’re fighting the battle all by themselves. We can’t overcome the Devil operating in the flesh.
• Paul is very clear – we must put on the whole armor of God (Eph. 6)! Putting on the armor begins with taking up the helmet of salvation. Overcoming addiction begins with making certain that I’ve surrendered my life to Christ!
• Once I know I’ve put on the helmet of salvation, then I must commit myself each day to growing in my relationship with Christ. How? Through the shield of faith and the Sword of the Spirit – undergirding myself with God’s truth!
• Addiction is a habit – a very destructive habit.