Battling Addiction Through Christ

I am the daughter of an alcoholic who is almost 4 years sober; the sister of a struggling alcoholic; and the granddaughter of multiple alcoholics. My grandmother on my mom’s side lived the unfortunate experience of undiagnosed mental health disorders, being admitted to the state mental hospitals more than once and undergoing shock therapy. After that ineffective and inhumane treatment, she chose to self-medicate with alcohol and died at the tender age of 50. Although she only saw me once as an infant, she is one of the reasons I speak at recovery centers today. People who battle addiction deserve better. I believe that addiction is a disease . . .

dis-ease of the body.

I have watched too many family members and clients suffer in the silence of guilt and shame while freedom in Jesus is just an arm’s reach away. If someone develops cancer, we start a GoFundMe account. If someone breaks their arm, we gather around them and ask to sign their cast. We support them and even leave “our mark”. Every time they look down at that cast, they see our name—reminding them how much we love them, support them and desire for them to get well. When someone battles alcoholism or drug addiction, we often yell at them to “stop the insanity”.

When you look at addiction, TRAUMA is usually right there in the midst of it. The link between childhood trauma and addiction is huge. As many as two-thirds of all individuals battling addiction experienced some form of trauma during their childhood. Others had pristine childhoods, only to be attacked by a traumatic event later on in life.

One of the statements I hear most often from people in the throes of addiction is, “I feel so alone. Nobody could possibly understand the battle I am going through.” Let me address this “aloneness”:

·         It is said that more than 6% of the population admits to being dependent on alcohol. This number is actually much higher because not everyone that is dependent upon alcohol actually admits it.

·         In 2023, 12.8 million people received treatment for the use of drugs and/or alcohol.

·         As many as 20% of the population may meet the criteria for food addiction.

·         3-6% of adults admit to struggling with compulsive sexual behavior disorder, including online porn addiction (again, the actual number is much higher).

There is no reason to feel alone when addiction affects millions of people. But more importantly, there is a God in Heaven who knows you—inside and out. He created you. He designed you. He loves and adores you. He gave His one and only Son for you so that you could be saved.

People battling addiction need to remember who they are and whose they are. They are sons and daughters of the most-high God. They are righteous heirs to the Kingdom, and people Jesus gave His life for. This is their true identity!

There is infinite power in our Supernatural God. He designed you in the Heavenly Realm before you were ever conceived. Psalm 139 says he wove you together in your mother’s womb. 

·         2 Peter 1: 3-4 tells us “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness . . . He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” 

·         Colossians 1:22 says “Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are Holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault.” 

If you battle an addiction, it is time to stand up and claim your victory through Christ’s death on the cross. He died for your salvation. But He also died so that YOU could be healed from dis-ease, sickness, addiction, shame, guilt, and trauma. He took all those things upon himself while he was on that cross. He became unrecognizable because he became sin for us. 

Isaiah 53:5 tells us that we are healed by His stripes, by every single lash he endured.

I want you to close your eyes and imagine you are standing at the foot of the cross. It is a hot, dry day and there is sand all around you. You can hear the snickering and the jeers of the men as they pick through Jesus’ items there on the ground. His blood has pooled and dried on the scorched ground in front of you. His breathing has slowed and labored as he struggles and gasps for air. The scourging, beating, and nailing to the cross have left his body in a profound state of shock. He is nearing cardiovascular collapse. His mother’s moans can be heard. He is barely unrecognizable. He lifts his gaze, and his tear-stained eyes lock eyes with you. He sees you. He knows you. He whispers, “This is for YOU. I love you.”

And you say, “Well, Jesus, . . . that’s just not enough for me.”

Now open your eyes. Aren’t you tired of doing this? You have been holding hands with the enemy for so long now. Aren’t you tired of choosing a substance over Jesus? A worthless idol . . .  

You feel so unlovable that you turn away from His gift, time and time again. Don’t turn away this time. Allow Jesus to love you. Let today be different. Let your response to Jesus be different today. Let Him be enough. Jesus loves you--scars and all. He wants you just the way you are.

In Matthew 11:28 He says, “Come to me, all you who are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” Could you use some rest?

2 Corinthians 5:17-18 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself.”

Jesus Christ provides a better way. And He is waiting for you.