Christian Drug Rehab
Christian Drug Rehab What is that “Power greater than ourselves” or who is “God, as we understood him” or what assurance do we have that any religious treatment or recovery program will work? Depending on where you go so seek information, or to whom you go for counsel, the answers to these questions can be very different.I am not trying to be politically correct, but I do understand that a variety of world views are out there, and so depending on that world view, one may accept or reject any claim of effectiveness made by a religious treatment center for drug addiction or alcoholism.
Christian Drug Rehab Our spiritual beliefs are interesting because they can be founded on fact, or complete superstition. People may cling to religious texts, or religious ritual. Their views and opinions may be based on intellectual ascent, or complete emotional turbulence.People arrive at a place in their spiritual journey where they, for whatever reason, decided this is the place they want to be, or have to be. And who are we to challenge that? They guard their spiritual position, as if any chink in the armor may send them into existential chaos.What is at issue are a couple of definitions. First, the “power” (Step 2) and secondly “God” (Step 3) are key in the 12-Step recovery process. What is interesting about the 12-Step, is that they allow for “wiggle room” in making these important definitions. Alcoholics Anonymous, in its 1952 book “Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,” addresses this issue head-on, and gives you that space you need to navigate the steps.For example, it states, “First, Alcoholics Anonymous does not demand that you believe in anything. All of its Twelve Steps are but suggestions. Second, to get sober and to stay sober, you don’t have to swallow all of Step Two right now. Looking back, I find that I took it piecemeal myself. Third, all you need is a truly open mind. Just resign from the debating society and quit bothering yourself with such deep questions as whether it was the hen or the egg that came first.”Coming at this discussion from a Judeo-Christian world view, I accept the Biblical viewpoint in Psalms 14:1, which states, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.” That statement is repeated in Psalms 53:1.Moreover, I often challenge people to explain what they believe and why they believe it and another Biblical admonition rings in clearly from Proverbs 18:2, “A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.”The wisdom of AA and other Christian Drug Rehab is that one can go through the steps just by being willing to believe in something. My Christian belief is based on my reading of the Bible. I hold that God will meet you where you are and work with you where you are, with no demand for anything other than your willingness to allow Him to help. Here is a daily devotional that can help you get in touch with your self and your higher power: Here are the 12-Steps, with a Biblical basis from the Old and New Testaments. Even if one were to reject the Biblical underpinnings suggested with each step, it is difficult to argue with the logic of them.1. We admitted we were powerless over (addiction) … that our lives had become unmanageable. “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” (Romans 7:18) 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. “… my grace is sufficient for you, for my POWER is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) ..for it is God Who works in you to will and act according to His good purpose.. (Phil. 2:13)3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of GOD as we understood Him. “… If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:40)5. Admitted to GOD, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” (James 5:16) 6. Were entirely ready to have GOD remove all these defects of character. “If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land.” (Isaiah 1:19)7. Humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” (James 4:10)8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23, 24)9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. Give and it shall be given you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38)10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it. “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith GOD has given you.” (Romans 12:3)11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with GOD as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will, and the power to carry that out. “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14) “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…” (Col. 3:16)12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and practice these principles in all our affairs. “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:1-2)Christian 12-Step, and other religious 12-Step programs, put each step on a faith tradition footing, bringing additional meaning and purpose to each one. Political correctness dictates that any religion is equal to the other. But what if two or more religions are mutually exclusive in their teachings and practices?The 12-Step does not address that issue, nor do organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous have the desire to re-write the steps to point the addict to a particular religious world view. The purpose is for the addict to be open to new possibilities. Honesty, openness and willingness are what drive this process.Here’s something to think about. Addiction can be thought of as a problem of identity. The drug takes over to the point where nothing else matters, and as the process unfolds, the person becomes lost, sometimes to the point where they are hardly recognizable. The addict’s identity becomes the drug. The Bible states that man is made in the image of God and man was created with a free will to make his own decisions. When addiction sets in, who is making the decisions? When the addict admits that his life is out of control (Step One) he is beginning to realize that his identity is lost. He may not put it in exactly those terms, but the truth is the drug is in charge. For more about God and addiction please click here:
Made in God’s image
“I’m not religious, but I am spiritual.” We hear people say, “I am not religious, but I am spiritual.” We can accept that statement because we are spiritual beings. Religion carries a variety of connotations, and many of them are negative. Our definition of religion is as follows: Religion is about what I can do to be acceptable to God. We prefer to avoid the use of the word religion and instead use the word “relationship.” To us, relationship centers on what God did to make us acceptable. Without getting into too much detail, suffice it to say that the “power greater than ourselves,” as stated in Step Two, is a loving creator God, who is interested in having a relationship with us, sees our suffering and stretches His hand out to us to help. This isn’t religion but your treatment and recovery may be based on knowing that God loves you and wants to help you recover. Just as medical books are the basis for educating doctors, the Bible is our “owner’s manual” for gaining insight into the human condition.
How is discipleship like recovery? Read more…
Only a spiritual experience will conquer your addiction The Alcoholics Anonymous book states on page 44, that: “You may be suffering from and illness which only a spiritual experience will conquer.” This leads us down a slightly different path. If my treatment requires a medical intervention, such as the prescribed use of Methadone, then what is this spiritual experience and what does it got to do with me? Why do I need to have a spiritual experience? We have already talked about the sense of self and our relationships with others, to some kind of higher power as we define it, and or relationship to the world. Try this experiment. Remove all of the distractions like the radio, TV and try to remove any external noises and stimuli. Stand in front of the mirror, relax and look at yourself. Look deep into your eyes. Let your mind wander. Open yourself up to your higher power. What do you see? What are you feeling? Be honest. The Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) book shares a conclusion on page 570 that might be helpful to you in your self-examination before the mirror. “We find that no one need have difficulty with the spirituality of the program. Willingness, honesty and open mindedness are the essentials of recovery. But these are indispensable.” God will meet you where you are at From a Christian perspective, we are told time and again in the New Testament that God will meet us where we are and that we are already loved and accepted. You are probably already familiar with the popular verse John 3:16, mainly because you always see somebody holding up a sign at a baseball game or some other event. The verse is actually a quote from Jesus of Nazareth, who said: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not parish but have eternal life.” But many people have never taken a look at the rest of the quote, which is just as important to those in recovery, as it separates religion from relationship. John 3:17 states: “For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” The help that you require, the power you need and the relationship that can guide you through treatment and recovery is not going to judge you. You have a true friend, who has not changed and will not change. You have a friend who knew you long before you were born and made the personal decision to lay down his life for you for no other reason than he loved you. That sounds like hope to me. What does it sound like to you?10 Ways We deny the Truth About Addiction The Truth vs. Denial please go to this link to understand the many ways you and deny addiction.There does not have to be a void between a Christian Drug Rehab program approach to addiction and a medical or scientific approach to addiction recovery. A medical approach to addiction follows the science that God created, and therefore, it’s a viable pathway to recovery. The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous is an exceptional tool for treating the spirit, while the medical team treats the body and mind. Even if your life experiences does not include addiction, following the Twelve Steps links us to the creator, to make His presence in our lives a vital, life-giving pathway to fulfillment. A Christian Drug Rehab program approach is a holistic approach to treat the entire person; body, mind and spirit. Christian Drug Rehab centers consider the medical needs of patients, but they also recognize the spiritual element of recovery. It is one thing to get over the immediate physical affects of addiction, that is to go through detoxification, but is quite another to continue to work at the difficult task of living without the crutch. It is one thing to not use drugs, but is quite another to not need or crave drugs. 10 ways to deny addiction and more on Christian Drug Rehab This site contains five MAIN pages that EVERYONE should read:
ABOUT…
Read these five pages and learn what you need to know to spot drug addiction in: Yourself… Your Family… Your Friends… Your Community…The rest of the pages are there for your reference to explain important topics in more detail.
Finally don’t miss the Spiritual and 12-step sections to fully explore how understanding THE SPIRIT can lead to recovery!
