We live in a world where sin manifests itself in the heart of mankind, for man refuses to submit to God and enslaves himself to every form of idolatry. Addiction is a form of idola­try that takes complete control of a person's life. The goal of idolatry is enslavement. We will begin with a working definition of addic­tion. This definition deals with the behaviour of addiction, but does not take into account the moral aspect. The purpose of this article is to provide information about addiction that will better equip the office bearers for their work.

Definition⤒🔗

Addiction is any substance, activity or state of mind which takes a person captive so that it becomes the center of a person's life, affecting their relationships, their work and their faith life in a detrimental way. An addiction is progressive in nature as a person becomes more and more controlled by the addiction.

Areas of Addiction←⤒🔗

Addictions are generally divided into two categories:

Substance Addiction←↰⤒🔗

These are addictions to a chemical or drug. The best known are alcohol and drugs. They can also include caffeine and nicotine com­monly associated with coffee and tobacco.

Process Addiction←↰⤒🔗

A process addiction is not dependant on a foreign substance, but is the result of becoming hooked on a series of actions and interactions. They include areas such as eating disorders, gambling, sex, work, sports, physical exercise, romance and relationships, and religious activities. These activities are engaged in to excess in order to give a high that makes a person feel good. It affects the chemical balance of the brain to give a euphoric high, and therefore has a chemical component to it.

How Addictions Work←⤒🔗

All addictions seek satisfaction by mind altering or physical sensations. Alcohol and drugs are chemicals that affect the brain so that it gives the person a pleasant feeling that hides the misery and drudgery of life.

Addictions to sex, pornography, romance, gambling, eating, exercise etc. also affect the brain to give pleasant sensations. If something feels good it is very difficult to resist. When something feels good it sends the message that it must be good. Anything that feels good cannot be bad.

God has created us with physical needs and desires. When those needs and desires are kept in check by faith, it can lead to good and genuine pleasure. God has created us to enjoy the things of life. But addiction is an obsession for those pleasurable things of life. A person becomes enslaved to his desires so that lust takes over the heart. The sad reality is that the more a person pursues the lust of the heart, the more fleeting and elusive the pleasure they seek becomes. The pleasure lasts only as long as the high is maintained. For example, the sex addict only experiences pleasure for as long as he indulges in his perversion, while in a good marriage relationship the sexual relationship gives lasting satisfaction, for the intimacy that is experienced is not quickly forgotten.

The addict, over a period of time, falls into a vicious circle. In the early stages of addiction, the heart demands satisfaction and for a time some satisfaction is felt. But as a person becomes more and more enslaved to his addiction, his heart increasingly demands satisfaction but never experiences it. There is the constant demand for more, but satisfaction is never felt. The result is that on the one hand the addict wants out of his addiction, yet he is unable to get out because his heart demands more. There is both loathing of the self as well as a craving for more of the same. It is a cycle extremely difficult to overcome.

End Result of Addiction←⤒🔗

The heart becomes a slave to the physical demands of the body. The body rules the heart of the man. To illustrate this we can use the cravings that we all experience from time to time. Many have a craving for sweets. When you have this craving, either it must be resisted or it will be acted upon. When you see a tray of sweets, you may rationalize that this once you will have one; you deserve it; but tomorrow you will make up for it. Against your better judgment you take that chocolate. Another example are those who begin a diet. They start with resolve, but a few days later they stop for they are unable to discipline themselves. They will feel guilt and try again only to fail once more.

That is the way an addict feels. You are not able to rationally explain your desires, for you know that it is harmful to you, yet your body craves it. It is extremely difficult to deny the desires of the flesh.

We need to understand that control and self-discipline over our bodily desires is an exercise of faith that must be practiced for a life time. Everyone has experienced lapses in their own lives, but we do not become enslaved to those desires. For an addict, a lapse leads him back into a situation that he cannot control.

When our idols control us, they always entice us with the promise that the next time it will be better and it will gives us the satisfaction we desire. One more drink and I will be happy; one more affair and I will be satisfied; one more lottery ticket and I may get my money back or make it rich.

Living in faith means that we know the lies of the devil. Faith knows that the things of the world cannot give satisfaction, for our only comfort is found in Jesus Christ. Many addicts know this in their minds, but they do not experience it in their lives. They seek comfort in the gods of this world for they have become ensnared to her idols.

Addiction: Disease or Sin Model←⤒🔗

AAA and Modern Medical approach. Alcoholics Anonymous and modern medicine see addictions as a disease, for that seems the best way to explain the out of control factor of an addiction. Although they speak about addiction as a disease, yet they are inconsistent in their approach to addictions. A disease model means that a person is not responsible for their situation. Just as you cannot deter­mine whether you are a diabetic or not, so you are not responsible for your addiction. A medical approach would also mean that the addiction can be overcome with the proper medication.

The inconsistency is apparent when AAA stresses that everyone is responsible for his or her own actions. AAA stresses personal responsibility, which explains why AAA can be very helpful even for a Christian addict who is recovering.

Genetic Predisposition←↰⤒🔗

There is no genetic or physiological predispo­sition that will irresistibly lead someone into alcohol addiction. Just as there is no gene that causes adultery, theft or lying, so no gene causes alcoholism. Yet it would be wrong to conclude that genetics does not play a role. There is no doubt that a person's genetic makeup will affect the way he or she processes alcohol in the body. Our bodies do not process alcohol in the same way. Japanese, Europeans and Indians process alcohol differently in their body.

While genetics can influence the way a person deals with alcohol, it is not the determining factor in addiction. That lies in the desire of one's heart. Those who have a physiological tendency toward alcohol need to be more vigilant with the use of alcohol. Everyone remains responsible for his or her actions.

Addiction a Moral Issue←↰⤒🔗

We need to maintain that addiction is a moral issue of the heart. An Addict worships the gods of his heart and is therefore breaking the first commandment. Using alcohol to fill a need is a moral issue for which everyone must be held responsible. While addiction is a moral issue, we need to be aware of what is happening in the life of an addict. The natural procession of sin is that when one follows a god of the world, that god always comes back to enslave the person. It is impossible to worship something other than the Almighty God and not become enslaved to it. A person can become so enslaved to alcohol that the addiction has taken control of his life. Sin masters man so that he loses control over his own actions.

Therefore alcoholism feels like a disease for it controls a person's whole life. For that reason the admonition, "Stop it" or "Just say no", generally has no effect on changing a person caught in addiction. They may stop for a period of time, but always return to their god.

Most Addicts do not like what they have become←⤒🔗

Although an addict has been mastered by alcohol, usually they do not like what the addiction is doing to their lives. They do not like what is happening to their marriage, to their children nor what is happening at work. Instead of taking the blame themselves, they deny their own responsibility and place the blame for their problems on others. They may want to change the situation, but find it impos­sible. They may have tried to stop the addic­tion for a time but always return. The great paradox for the addict is that he is hopelessly out of control and yet always shrewdly calcu­lating. While out of control; yet they are shrewd enough to keep feeding their idol until they finally crash.

Addicts are Out of Control←⤒🔗

E. Welch makes the following argument: if you deny the out of control nature of addictions; if you deny the power of sin to enslave (Rom. 7), then you have to take the stand that everyone has the power to change themselves. This makes counseling easy for all you need to say is, "Stop your drinking." Although there has been the occasional person who has simply decided to stop drinking and done so, generally it is impossible to free oneself of addiction by his own will power. To deal with an addiction a person must first be aware of his or her own helplessness and desper­ate need for help. When people believe that they can make the change away from sin by their own power, the result is failure. An awareness needs to arise for the need of Christ's redemption and His power to overcome the power of sin in our lives. The one master must be replaced with another master, Jesus Christ. That is the only way in which real change is possible.

There are three things that need to happen for an addict to begin to walk the road of recov­ery: He must confess his sin to the Lord, taking full responsibility for his actions. He must look to Jesus Christ in faith for his deliverance. He must believe that he cannot win the struggle in his own power but trust completely in the power of his Saviour.

He must through the power of the Holy Spirit dedicate himself to a lifetime of thankful service to the Lord.

For many recovering addicts it is liberating to live in the assurance that their life rests in the hands of the Lord. To know that the Lord watches over them and is ready to protect them gives great encouragement as they daily struggle with temptation.

Recognizing Addiction←⤒🔗

The Problem←↰⤒🔗

1. Since there are no medical tests that are able to diagnose an addiction, there is always a subjective element to it. You may determine that a person is addicted to alcohol while the alcoholic denies it.
    
2. The progressive nature of an addiction makes diagnoses very difficult. When it becomes clear to everyone that someone struggles with an addiction, he has already been in the addiction for a long time. It is impossible to determine when someone is in the beginning stages of an addiction.
    
3. Tolerance of the body to alcohol makes detection difficult. The human body adapts to the use of alcohol and other substances such as drugs. The body is able to tolerate more and more of the substance without showing out­ward signs of intoxication. What may kill one person is tolerated in the body of an addict.
    
4. The most we can do is to look for signs that a person may be in danger of falling into addiction and warn them that they are heading in a dangerous direction. E. Welch suggests the following rule of thumb for Christians who live in a community where moderate use of alcohol is permitted. Anyone who takes more than 2 drinks every 24 hours and uses alcohol more than 4 days a week needs to be aware that they are heading in a dangerous direction.

Indications of Addiction←⤒🔗

Work:←↰⤒🔗

• Have work habits changed?
• Are they late?
• Bring home less money?
• Are student's grades suffering, attendance down, or concentration poor.
• Substance abuse cannot leave work and school unaffected.

Relationships:←↰⤒🔗

• Has their peer group changed; are they more secretive?
• Do they begin to have drinking buddies?
• Do moods change, become depressed, talk about suicide?
• Have you caught them telling lies and break­ing commitments?
• Have they had recent problems with the law?

Spiritual Life:←↰⤒🔗

• The difficulty with addicts in the Christian community is that they will maintain the outward forms of religion. They conform to community standards.
• Change must be observed more in whether their inner attitude is changing and is there is hardening against the Lord? This can only be seen by taking the time to speak about what lives in the heart.

Health:←↰⤒🔗

• Are they losing weight; prone to colds and sinus problems?
• Are they restless at times; pupils either very small or large and blood shot?
• Have they become bloated because of a build up of fluids in the body?
• Have they become malnourished for alcohol contains few nutrients

Underage use of Legal Drugs:←↰⤒🔗

• Underage smoking or drinking often indi­cates use of illegal drugs. They are the gate­way to illegal drugs.

Drugs and Drug Paraphernalia:←↰⤒🔗

• If drugs and drug paraphernalia are found on a person or in their room, it is a sure indication of drug use, although usually the person will have an explanation for its presence.

Confronting the Addict←⤒🔗

When an addict is confronted with the suspi­cion of having an addiction, they will deny any problem. Rather than come with accusations, the most effective way is to question a person about his or her alcohol (or any other addic­tion) use, making them think about their actions. A door should always be left open for that person to come and talk about their problems. To come immediately with a judgmental attitude will close any possibility of getting through to the person and gaining their confidence.

Office bearers should use opportunities that present themselves to deal with addictions in people's lives. Situations can arise in which it becomes very difficult for a person to deny they have a problem. A person may be ar­rested or fined for drunk driving or drug use, or sexual offenses. Such situations present opportunities to help a person.

Intervention←⤒🔗

Interventions are another method that has been used with varying degrees of effective­ness. Many experts argue that interventions are ineffective tools while others enthusiasti­cally encourage the use of this method. From experience I have seen interventions work effectively, although they may have worked for different reasons.

What is an Intervention?←↰⤒🔗

In an intervention, family and friends come to­gether to confront the person with his addic­tion. In a coordinated effort they confront the addict with the many situations in which the addiction has affected his relationship with family and friends and demand that he get help for his addiction.

Such an intervention needs the support of the family including the spouse, older children, friends or respected acquaintances as well as the office bearers. The group comes together to plan the confrontation. The group will piece together the many incidences in which alcohol played a negative role in his life. These events clearly indicate he has a problem and will not allow him to sidestep the issue nor make excuses.

The group must convey very clearly to the addict that they are concerned for his physical as well as his spiritual well-being. They also have concerns for his marriage and his chil­dren. It is clearly conveyed that they have come not to hurt him but to care for him and are willing to stand beside him as he struggles with his addiction.

Goal of the Intervention←↰⤒🔗

The goal is that the addict gets help. Before the intervention takes place, proper arrangements should be made. If the person is still drinking, you need to have a place ready in a detox center. If he has not been drinking recently, an opening will be sought in a treatment facility.

Consequences←↰⤒🔗

If the addict refuses to go along with the intervention, the consequences must be clear to everyone beforehand. The addict will be placed before a choice. He will have to make a choice either for his wife and family or for his alcohol. If he refuses to seek help, that will have consequences for his marriage and family.

The addict also needs to realize that his choice will affect his spiritual life. If he refuses to seek help and be reconciled with his wife and family, discipline will be brought to bear by the Church. It is here that the office bearers have an impor­tant role to play in the intervention.

Prevention of a Relapse←⤒🔗

The brain does not forget what it has learned. After a person has conquered his addiction, the brain does not forget the release that alcohol gave; the high from drugs; the adrenaline rush from pornography or a sexual affair. For that reason addicts often find it difficult to stay away from the addiction or easily fall into another addiction.

Not only does the addiction beckon when stress and difficulties arise, but also when they find themselves in situations that remind them of their addiction. The temptation is a power­ful force difficult to resist when the mind reminds a person of the sensations that the addiction gave them.

The recovered addict must be on constant guard. For that he needs support. The church community must be a support surrounding the recovered addict. The diffi­culty that recovered addicts face in the church is that fellow Christians do not understand them nor their thought processes. Rather than getting support they often feel that others approach them with a judgmental attitude.

Office bearers and close friends need to form a close knit support group. Those involved in an intervention would form a natural base of support. If the recovered addict is held ac­countable to the elder and the members of the support group, that can be very beneficial.

Many recovered addicts will find support in AA. Recovered addicts understand each other very well and know all the lies and excuses that are used to cover up. While we should question the disease model of AA, the support that is found here can be crucial for many who fight the addiction.

The Church community also needs to take into account the temptations that recovered addicts face. Therefore the church also needs to ask, how does alcohol function in our social gather­ings?

There is controversy over the question whether alcoholics should ever drink again. AA has a slogan, "One drink is too many, and all the drinks in the world are not enough." Absti­nence from all alcohol is advocated in North America. Others argue that a recovered alcoholic should learn to drink responsibly. I do not believe that you can argue from scrip­ture that a recovered alcoholic must learn to drink responsibly. Abstinence is a biblically responsible way of keeping from temptation. (Prov. 23:30, 31)

In the case of sexual addiction, recovery means that there cannot be any tolerance for pornography in a person's life, both as an ethical consideration, but also as a means to keep one from temptation.

Spiritual renewal is a continual process. The recovered addict must daily live out of God's grace.

Spouse and Family←⤒🔗

The spouse and children need much support for they are directly affected by the addiction as well. It may be beneficial for wives of husbands who struggle with an addiction to meet together as a support group, learning to better understand what is happening in the home and how best to confront certain situa­tions that develop in the home.

Office bearers often do not feel competent to deal with these kind of situations with the result that often much is not done to support the family. The office bearers might make a visit or two and that tends to be the end of their involvement. Office bearers need to inform themselves about the issues around addiction as well as organizing the support that a family needs. They can make good use of the gifts that are present in the communion of saints.

Prevention in the Church←⤒🔗

Office bearers often feel like firemen who are called to put out the fires in the church and have little time to prevent fires. One of the most important tools for the prevention of fires is an effective use of the pulpit. Since the preaching is the tool used by the Holy Spirit to work change in the hearts of God's people, we may trust that it has an effect in the lives of God's people. The preaching can also touch the hearts of those who struggle with sin in their lives. Therefore the preaching should also address the wickedness that tempts so many of God's people. God's people need to hear how sin has the power to enslave them for eternity.

The necessity of the preaching does not take away the need for hard work in the trenches of the congregation. The preaching is the foun­dation on which the office bearers can do the work in the congregation. The reality is that the preaching alone will, in most cases, not liberate someone caught in an addiction. In the church the spiritual battles must also be fought in the trenches of daily life. Addictions can be overcome if brothers and sisters are willing to reach out and help those in need.

Collins suggests the following areas where we need to work at preventing addictions.

Stimulate a Healthy Home Life←⤒🔗

Children need to have a home where they are respected, loved, disciplined and raised by sensitive, concerned, stable parents. As office bearers, through the preaching and visits we need to encourage the congregation to create home environments in which the children receive a healthy spiritual upbringing. Provid­ing seminars and speeches or workshops on family life can be beneficial, especially in the kind of society in which we are living today.

Parents also need to give an example of the proper and careful use of alcohol in the home. Parents need to show by example that they respect the power of alcohol. The same is true for every area of life.

Instill a Healthy Religious Faith←⤒🔗

Parents need to take the time to speak to their children about their faith. Speaking and teaching the children about the faith needs to be as natural as breathing air.

Provide Education on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse←⤒🔗

Education is not the Holy Grail that the world thinks it is to prevent abuse. Children today have more knowledge than ever and yet the use of alcohol, drugs and cigarettes continue to be used in high numbers by young people. Education must always come in the context of our faith. It is the heart that needs to be right with the Lord.

Teach People how to Confront the Struggles of Life←⤒🔗

Many people have real struggles dealing with the stress and problems of life. Many do not know how to deal with their struggles in the light of their relationship with the Lord. Therefore many still opt for the short term solutions of filling their needs and desires with alcohol, drugs, pornography etc., rather than submitting themselves in faith to the care of their Father in heaven.

An office bearer will notice in his pastoral work how God's people begin to relax and feel comforted in the midst of their struggles when they speak to them about the promises of God and pray with them for the Father's care. God's children need to be encouraged to go to the Lord in their time of stress and need, knowing that the Father hears their cry. Healthy spiritual life makes it easier to deal with the daily stresses of life. Living out of faith gives real and lasting comfort to all Gods children.