Post by Deleted on May 4, 2022 20:26:03 GMT -5
I wrote this to a brother trying to quit drinking and he is on day 1.
I consider myself a Christian and recovering s*x addict, but I used to drink on weekends and I was addicted more mentally than chemically. I'm age 40, married, have three children. I would say that the first and foremost is not really about your recovery from alcohol addiction or physical feelings, although it's important and you did receive anti-anxiety meds. I also take 40mg Lexapro daily for my GED(gen anx disorder). I want to pray for you.
Dear Lord, please help this brother wants to quit drinking and please let him find all the help healing in You. In Jesus' name. Amen.
I used to attend AA, SAA, SA, and that was only helpful to a point, but their HP (higher power) is, according to Step 3, god as you understand him, which is different than what Jesus said in John 14:6. I say this to make a point. The point it. It's only one Step, Step 1, Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus said "Come to me all you who are heavy laden and burdened and I will give you rest".
It looks like you see your need to recovery from alcohol. It's take for your liver, and also bad for your Christian walk, because the scriptures tell us to not be drunk and not be in immorality (applies to you and me but substance is different).
I'm only able to say that God is able to help you. God uses people around you to talk to you, lead you back to God, and help you recover. For me, it was a drug addiction pastor, who the Lord used, to rebuke, counsel, and help me, it only took one day one meeting and didn't have to be this way, but God used it. Please dont' think I assume God works the same exact way. I mean, what worked for me, might not or might work for you. I used to taking God's grace as a license to sin, so therefore, I automatically think "there might be or might not be" others like me. Some need wrath of God to wake them up, others just a little, others, need to know they are unconditionally loved, but here is how it went for me.
The drug addiction counselor asked me "Do you want to jerk yourself off into hell?" and "Do you want your children to know you as the dad who could not stop and would not stop his addiction with porn, masturbation, etc, and left the family?" At this point, God reminded me of my children, and pictured them growing up, and dying and going to hell, weeping and gnashing of teeth. I was getting the point and the message was real now. I didn't take it as "Some Christains think they are better than me" no, but "I need to get it right, because my life, my soul and my family is at state".
At that point in my life, my wife left me, with our children. I was at my all time low. The drug addiction pastor, led me to the church, gave me a bible, opened to 2 corinthians, I read in the first few chapters who God was able to raise the dead and I knew I was dead and I needed to be raised. I got on the floor, face on the floor, and just cried out to God for real. I was angry at God, angry at my wife, I asked God for forgiveness. I had hope again that God was for me and God was for the sinner, I remembered how Jesus Christ had died on the cross for all of my sins, and my wifes sins and the whole world sins, and I just wanted to be with Jesus Christ, and feel forgiven and loved again. I cried for God to save me, not dounting He heard me, not counting all my past, just at that time, just thinking of God. I saw the Lord Jesus bleeding and suffering for me on the cross. I'm not trying to be dramatic. In my closed eyed, prayer, honest searching for God, I saw that. Jesus died and crying out and pain dying for my sins. It was real to me. I trust in Jesus now. I know Jesus is alive and real.
This is my focus for all repent, faith, recovery from sins. Because I can't do it right, because "without God, it's impossible" Jesus said that.
I hope you will think seriously about this issue and relate it to sin, and repenting from it. Not simply "not drinking" because the secular recovery can't lead you to the real living waters, but only external and you need more. It sounds like it.
Don't try to rationalize anything but submit to God, God's Word, read the Bible for yourself and what you read, ask God to get help and willingness to do it. Romans 12:1-2 says that we need to be renewed in our minds. I need this desperately. Not initially only at salvation, where the born-again experience and reality happens but all the day. Like Jesus washed the disciples feet, after they were already cleaned, so we do still need daily washing. This washing is reading the Word, understanding, God speaking to us, we receive it, we feel any wrongs and ask God for help and a new life and new changes happen to us. Then when we are able to do good things, unreal, not normal, godly things, we know this was God who was working in us, because without God's help, we could not have done it. I have some experience in that.
I many times thought "I'm going to sin" and watch porn and m********. The truth it, lusting after a women in my heart is already adultery and the porn and masturbation is only the external thing, so my point is, we have to go deeper than rather quit some external destructive behavior but try to find why we are doing what we are doing.
The principles I find are this.
1. we are trying to escape some pain
2. or we are tempted into doing it because Satan lies and tempts us to look, even the eyes of our mind, thinking, and then we are obsessed and do it. (mental intoxication / obsession /enslavery)
In counseling, we have to learn to distract. It's ok to have some healthy hobbies but if they take over, and they become your new addiction, then that is not changing one idol for another, and not going to do it. Our center must be God's sitting on our hearts throne and we must submit to God, all rage, all hurts, all bitterness, all self-righteousness that we have identified in our own self, we have to make a decision to let it go, by taking it to Jesus in prayer, telling it to Him, humbly asking for help to change, and then when we read God's desire in the Word, we follow it.
Lust is a poison, dopamine in the brain, chemical and spiritual bonds.
Jesus is able to take us away from these bonds and set us free. It's free, it's real, it's for you brother.