Breaking off the addiction

[Heb 13:8]

So in your opinion, what is the best way to break off the addiction.

1. Counseling
2. Exercising
3. Holy Spirit
4. Journaling
5. Therapy

Is addiction different for believers and nonbelievers.

How many believers do you know of that are doing hardcore drugs with the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Thank you for response.

[Behold]

9 minutes ago, Heb 13:8 said:

So in your opinion, what is the best way to break off the addiction.

 

An addiction as you are describing, is something that occupies a large part of a person's life, time, ect.

So, what you have to do is replace it with something helpful, good, holy, and fulfilling.

The reason people return to their addiction, sin, unholy lifestyle, is because once they stopped their addiction, they replaced it with NOTHING, and this is a void that will have to be filled, and the easiest and most obvious thing that will fill it, is to return to what was filling it, before.   So, an addict, has to 1.) Stop.....and 2.) Fill this void.....with what is able to replace the addiction.

This is the hard part, but it is the most important, also.

You have to fill that void of addiction with a replacement that is good for you, and you have to maintain this for a time until the replacement becomes the habit.

The best thing to use, to  fill the void of addiction, is Jesus.

Edited August 26, 2018 by Behold

[Not me]

The test of whether a way works is if it works for all peoples/sins/addiction, at all times and all occasions. There is but one way, and that is the way given in Scripture; 

“reckon yourself dead unto sin but alive unto God”

this is the one and only way given to man to overcome the “old man and his deeds”. Try as you might with other means or methods, they will only end up with the believer caught up in more works of self, whether they be outward sin or inward self righteousness. Death to self is the only way given to man to overcome self, (i.e. sins)

Much love in Christ, Not me  

[john1]

4 hours ago, Heb 13:8 said:

So in your opinion, what is the best way to break off the addiction.

I was addicted to pot, when I was under age, it was easier to get than beer, when I was of age I switched to beer, and got tired of being addicted, so I went to AA, I started in 85, I went back and forth, until 95 when I got sober with an enlarged liver, I've been studying the bible 36 years, and also quit smoking through prayer, always pray, but you might want to try AA if it's drugs or booze.

But never give up on prayer, and most people die from addiction, so use everything you can.

 

 

James chapter 5 verse 17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.

Luke chapter 18 verse 1  Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 

 

 

Isaiah chapter 62 verse 6 I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, 

 

1 Chronicles chapter 4

 

10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.

 

Daniel chapter 9 verse 18

Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.

 

 

 

 

2 Kings chapter 20 verse 5 "Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of My people, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. I will surely heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the house of the LORD.

[dr3032]

2, 3, and a slight variation of 4.

Perhaps i'm biased, as I do not support psychology as anything other than loose conjecture. Too many therapists and doctors out there merely looking for return customers, not cured people. 

2. A healthy body can lend to a healthy mind, but yeah, excercise should only be used as a support, not a curative. This also includes dietary changes.

3. Very much so. Not that I have/had a substance addiction, but i'm quite certain that if I hadn't ever picked up a Bible, i'd either be in prison or dead. I specify have/had, as there is no getting rid of such things, merely just keeping them at bay (near as I can tell). 

4. Not so much journalism, and i'd like to say a bit more... Introspection. I think a person needs to be able to take a step back and access themselves. If you messed up, ask yourself why. Take note of any and all details and come up with possible solutions to avoid any further slips. If you find that doing something or being someplace has that urge arise, then maybe avoid that activity or place, things like that.

Edited August 26, 2018 by dr3032
Missed a few words somehow

[Sower]

1 hour ago, Heb 13:8 said:

So in your opinion, what is the best way to break off the addiction.

1. Counseling
2. Exercising
3. Holy Spirit
4. Journaling
5. Therapy

Is addiction different for believers and nonbelievers.

How many believers do you know of that are doing hardcore drugs with the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Thank you for response.

6. Prayer
I smoked cigarettes for fifty one years, the last thirty years as a believer. Never thought it was a sin, till I learned about being a good steward of what God has blessed us with, especially health. I won't bore everybody with all the methods I tried to quit, and I tried them all, save hypnotism. I threw away my last pack a hundred times. I went to drug addiction classes in a larger church, with the twelve step program. I sat in a large room filled with at least a hundred people addicted to drugs, listening to  a DR.Palmer who started the Palmer drug addiction program, PDAP. He had told this class of addicts, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, etc, hard core drugs, that hands down, nicotine was the all time hardest drug to get off of. I was completely baffled.
(I) continued trying, praying, others praying for me and more praying. Was very humbled, having judged all those other weak sister Christians who couldn't even lose a little weight. Little did I know. I think it was when I gave up using my own understanding. My son knew I was going to meet my pastor one day, to have him pray over me, but he couldn't as something came up.  So my son ask if he could pray for me, instead. Yes... He laid his hands upon my shoulders, and plead with God, and God heard. Five years ago. Smoke free. Thank You Father. (and son)
God is on the throne. Prayer (God) changes things. (and people)

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16

[Heb 13:8]

6 hours ago, dr3032 said:

Perhaps i'm biased, as I do not support psychology as anything other than loose conjecture. Too many therapists and doctors out there merely looking for return customers, not cured people. 

Can you give us more insight on this, thank u.

48 minutes ago, Gary Lee said:

I smoked cigarettes for fifty one years, the last thirty years as a believer.

Yeah, I smoked cigs for the first five years in Christ, eleven years total. I've been smoke free for eight years now. Amen to U brother!

[GandalfTheWise]

19 hours ago, Heb 13:8 said:

So in your opinion, what is the best way to break off the addiction.

1. Counseling
2. Exercising
3. Holy Spirit
4. Journaling
5. Therapy

Is addiction different for believers and nonbelievers.

How many believers do you know of that are doing hardcore drugs with the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Thank you for response.

A good friend's son is a heroin addict and a Christian.  He got sucked into it in middle school before he had any clue what was really going on.  At one point he ended up homeless in another state.  Some law enforcement office managed to track down his parents and let them know which ER room he was in after an overdose.  At that point, they didn't even know where he was at.  The last I've heard, he's at home, and my friend mentioned that he is like two different people.  When he's away from it, he does well and you'd never know it was an issue.  When the old friends and wrong crowd (which my friend things are largely a couple dealers who want to continue to make money off of him) show up (which was becoming less frequent), he'll fall back into it.

There are some things in our lives that we can simply choose to not do and can easily change our behavior.  There are other things that we are deeply in bondage to in some manner that require God to do something for freedom from it.  I'd include not only addictions but compulsive behaviors and feelings.  Some of these may not be considered sins per se, but are destructive and unhealthy.   Many who've experienced deep spiritual or emotional trauma (perhaps from incidents of abuse or long term exposure to abuse) carry around feelings and behaviors that are deeply ingrained, affect them in their day to day lives, and have struggled with these things for much of their lives.  Sometimes the addictions and compulsive behaviors are the main problem; other times they are a symptom of a deeper problem.

From what I can tell, there are two main parts to dealing with addictions, 1. mitigating the damage, and 2. becoming free of it.   Some methods help reduce the damage being done by reducing the behavior to some extent (and this is a good thing).   Then there is the issue of being delivered from the bondage of it so that it is no longer something that draws one in.  Most of the testimonies I've heard from people for whom the bondage is no longer there mention a strong spiritual element to it where God did something that changed them.  The common theme I've heard in these testimonies is that God just did something.  Sometimes it was in response to a specific prayer for this, sometimes it just seemed to come out of the blue, sometimes it was part of a longer process of Christian counseling where some spiritual or emotional healing occurred first.

I think the most important thing is to seek God's priority for growth our lives.  Sometimes those things that most concern us are not what most concerns God.  We often consider a particular sin or behavior in our life as the worst possible thing that must change immediately; sometimes God might not see it that way and that there is something else He wants us to work on first.  Ultimately, righteousness and lack of sin in our lives comes from growing spiritually and being transformed, not from successfully applying methods and willpower in a manner that any Christian or nonChristian could do and achieve similar results.

For a Christian fighting an addiction that can have serious consequences (alcohol, drugs, gambling, etc.), I think it is wise to adopt methods that will help reduce the damage but realize that it is probably following God's guidance for our individual spiritual growth is what will eventually bring freedom from it.

[dr3032]

12 hours ago, Heb 13:8 said:

Can you give us more insight on this, thank u.

Much of psychology is based on a few guys who believed that boys are attracted to their mothers (and vice versa) and that every person has both a male and female inner conscience. I'm not quite certain how to put it into words, but basically, psychology is a bunch of guys claiming to be experts gathering around to try and understand the human mind and failing terribly. Take for example, Hitler... We could all gather around to try and make an assessment of his mental state, why he did this or believed that, but we'd be sitting around for eons never agreeing. We can offer conjecture (an opinion), but nothing solid.

Not only that, but I believe every individual case is different, and having precise definitions and placing people under said definitions is fundamentally detrimental. Say you have a recipe for chicken potpie. This is a very specific recipe and it is yours. Then you go out and discover that, unsurprisingly, there are different recipes for chicken potpie. Even a chicken potpie made using the same recipe can taste different from cook to cook or between different equipment. If you try to hold your chicken potpie recipe against these other potpies, it won't add up. This is how I view the definitions of mental issues; psychology goes by what it calls "depression," but the issue varies from person to person and it's more complex than that definition. 

As for the return customers... How many people go into therapy and either stay there or eventually find themselves back in therapy? Either the therapy truly can't help anyone, or the therapist purposefully leaves the issue unresolved. Perhaps I shouldn't blame the therapist if it simply doesn't work, but I know people well enough to not be surprised when all they care about is money. I think the only real way an issue can be resolved is with the individual's decision to become better and through prayer. Otherwise, it simply avoids or masks the issue, it never cures it.

Edited August 27, 2018 by dr3032

[Heb 13:8]

1 hour ago, dr3032 said:

but the issue varies from person to person and it's more complex than that definition. 

because everything is spiritual, especially in reference to human behavior. to understand the depth of the mind and heart is to understand God himself, and on this side of heaven we can't know it all. like why God created the ingredients for drugs in the first place.