I’m two weeks into a series on spirituality that I’ve been teaching at our youth group. The umbrella title is ‘Everything Is Spiritual’ and each week we’ve been talking about the decisions we make physically and how there is also a spiritual implication to those decisions.
This last week we talked about addictions, how they happen, the chain they become, and the only lasting way to break them. As I sit and type this out I’m sipping on a cup of coffee of which I have a couple of every morning. The reality is that addictions are far more than just drugs and alcohol. Anything we let consume us, we crave incessantly, or become dependent on….like, um coffee. I periodically will not drink coffee for a week to see how it affects me. If I ever get a headache or start to really crave it then I’ll stay away from it for longer.
This last week was eye opening as we had those students who have formed addictions and want to turn from them respond. They did. It’s pretty huge when a 15 or 16 year old kid who depends on drugs, alcohol, pornography, etc. to enjoy life realizes that a change is needed. If they can make the choice to break these hidden addictions now it will literally change the course of their life. So instead of becoming a closet porn addict or alcoholic with a family and a white picket fence, these guys can break that chain now.
Big stuff.
Jesus talks about people who have swept their house clean and gotten rid of negative spiritual influences in their life - which are always allowed in because of physical decisions. He says it’s all good and well to clean house but if you don’t then fill that house up with something better to take it’s place than those same spiritual influences will come back - this time with friends. What he’s talking about is our lives. We can replace one habit with another one but unless we recognize that the real power to keep away the negative spiritual influences comes from God alone we’ll find ourselves right back where we started. Only this time it will be even harder to make the change.
Interesting timing for this to be an entry of yours, considering the place that I find myself with addiction. But you know about that already.
I’m glad you wrote this though.
I completely disagree with you on the theme and conclusion to this post, but only because my perspective and beliefs don’t line up with the spiritual lifestyle that you’re writing about.
This is how I would word the closing paragraph, for me personally:
Unless I recognize that the real power to keep away the negative influences comes directly from myself and the quality of life I choose to live, then I’ll find myself right back where I started. No amount of running/jogging will save me from it!
Comment by Sis — February 27, 2009 @ 2:52 pm
Yeah, it was interesting having talked to you after I had already put together my outline for this topic.
I definitely agree that you have to be the one that desires change for your life. But from what I have experienced, I also know that there is a very real spiritual aspect to everything in life. Every successful rehab program that I’m familiar with focuses in on some sort of ‘higher power’.
Comment by foosh — February 27, 2009 @ 8:14 pm
And for some the higher power is yourself.
Comment by momsy — February 28, 2009 @ 12:20 pm
In some recovery circles the “higher power” is user defined and can be thought of as the group is a higher power than myself alone, for an example. The traditional 12 step program - AA actually calls the higher power ‘the God of you understandind” NA is a bit more flexible. But the point is that we all have a spot whithin ourselves that we have using our addiction to fill. And without humbling ourselves and surrendering our will to that of the higher power (I have even met those who refer to it as ‘the force”) there is no permanent way to recover and fix those things within us that would keep us relapsing over and over again.
Scientifically the recividism odds (those who relapse after a recovery period) is about the same for all methods of recovery, whether you are part of AA,NA,OA
Comment by Merilyn — March 10, 2009 @ 10:36 pm