From Shame To Victory

Feature 1 – March 2022 – Grace & Truth Magazine

From Shame To Victory

Steve Dotson, an American man in his 30s, was addicted to pain medication. On one occasion his cravings became so intense that he told his wife to drive their car over his leg. To him, the pain of the injury would be worth it if he could have a few more days of medicated relief from his addiction. That relief, though, had a price tag attached. “Soon,” according to a news article, “he lost his house, the state took his children away, and he was spending nights under a bridge, where he hoped to die.” 1

This report shows the depths of despair that can be caused by addiction. Addictions are complex, often developing through a web of spiritual, mental, emotional and physical factors. They are always serious! As Christians we should not be afraid to speak about them. Answers are available, so we can avoid potential addictions and find help for ourselves or others who experience the grip of addictive behavior.

Identifying Addictions
People can become addicted to many things. Perhaps drug and alcohol addictions come to mind first, but researchers also identify addictions to food, physical fitness, pornography, working, gambling, stealing and other substances or behaviors. Even everyday activities like shopping or playing video games can become addictive.

There are several key features of addictive behaviors. They are compulsive, meaning addicted people feel an intense need to engage in that particular behavior in order to obtain some feeling of relief or satisfaction, no matter how temporary. That rewarding sense of relief can be both physical and psychological. Yet addictive behaviors are also destructive, leading addicted people to make decisions that harm their health and relationships and interfere with normal activities. Further, even if addicted people realize the harm caused by their addiction, they feel unable to stop.

These features of addiction are illustrated in Proverbs 23 by the experience of an alcoholic. There is the promise of pleasure as the wine “sparkles in the cup” – but then it “bites like a serpent” (vv.31-32 NKJV). When drunk, the addict says and does shameful things, and afterward he experiences the pain of a hangover, as if he were physically beaten (vv.33-35). Nevertheless, his alcohol abuse has become a way of life, for he says, “When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again” (v.35 KJV).

These addictions are powerful because they always work. People who want to feel pleasure, escape life’s problems or control their circumstances are consistently able to achieve those goals through addictive substances or compulsive behaviors. An injectable, inhalable or consumable drug brings predictable physical and mental sensations. Those who use pornography are guaranteed a sense of pleasure every time they turn to it. Kleptomaniacs are addicted to the excitement of stealing something and getting away with it, regardless of whether they actually need what they stole.

Yet the short-term pleasures of addiction always have long-term costs attached. Addicts spend more and more money on their addictions. They are likely to lose their jobs, ruin their relationships and become detached from the typical activities of life. As an addiction deepens, new experiences are required in order to feel the same physical or emotional reactions – more alcohol, stronger drugs, riskier behavior. As time passes, addictions lead not to a sense of satisfaction but of despair.

Scripture bears this out. If we yield to sin, we become its slaves (Jn. 8:34; Rom. 6:16); and as slaves of sin we never really obtain the outcomes we desire. Instead, as Romans 6:20-21 says, we experience shame and, ultimately, death. Sometimes that death is literal and physical, but it is certainly preceded by a sense of emotional and spiritual deadness as well. In fact, 1 Timothy 5:6 says that if pleasure or satisfaction of any kind becomes our sole goal, we are really dead while we live.

It may be helpful here to make a distinction between things we enjoy or depend on and things which are truly addictions. Caffeine is a good example. Perhaps many readers enjoy a good cup of coffee in the morning. Is that an addiction? Strictly speaking, no. Although your body does begin to expect that daily dose of caffeine, this is different from an addiction.

A genuine addiction literally interferes with normal life and causes significant harm to the addict. As physicians have noted, actual addictions do more to the addict than they do for the addict 2 – in other words, they make life more difficult, not more bearable. In principle, then, a cup of coffee is no more an addiction than a daily insulin injection would be for a diabetic or a series of cortisone shots for someone with a knee injury.

However, it’s spiritually healthy to remain very sensitive to anything that has become a habit. In 1 Corinthians 6:12 (NKJV) the apostle Paul observed that even things which may otherwise be permissible are not always “helpful.” He added, “All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” If a believer is personally convicted by the Holy Spirit that some activity, once innocent, has now gained undue influence in his or her life, it is time to change that behavior even if it is not technically an addiction.

The Power Of Addictions
If we realize an addiction has ensnared us or someone we know, we may feel very helpless. Addictions are not merely physical actions but also habits of the mind. They can be considered as some of the “strongholds” of 2 Corinthians 10:4, which exalt themselves in our thoughts as if they were even more powerful than God (see v.5). If we have developed an addiction to a substance or some kind of compulsive behavior, our thoughts begin to focus on the attractions of pleasure or relief it offers. Often there are specific situations or certain times of the day when we are more vulnerable to those thoughts; and then our flesh, the self-willed part of us which always seeks pleasure, begins to demand satisfaction.

We have already seen, though, that giving in to an addiction makes us feel ashamed afterward (Rom. 6:21). Rather than leading us toward deliverance, that sense of shame often causes us to retreat even further into the addictive behavior. Our unhealthy thought patterns tell us that we cannot overcome the addiction, so we might as well stay in it since at least we get some temporary feeling of satisfaction from it. Yet this repeated cycle of addiction only deepens our sense of shame and despair, driving us further from God.

But God intends to deliver us from addiction! Immediately after the Lord Jesus spoke about the slavery of sin (Jn. 8:34), He declared, “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (v.36). As we deepen our relationship with Him, our old thought patterns can be replaced by healthy, spiritually accurate thoughts about who we are and who God is.

Overcoming Addictions
Several aspects of biblical truth will help us overcome addictions. First, we should realize that addictions always lie to us. They tell us we will enjoy a sense of pleasure or satisfaction if we engage in a certain behavior. There is a kernel of truth in that enticement – after all, even the Scriptures acknowledge that there is a short-lived pleasure in sin (Heb. 11:25) – yet that promise of pleasure is far from the whole truth. Like the seductive woman in Proverbs 7, an addiction never reveals the personal cost it will later impose. “She has cast down many wounded, and all who were slain by her were strong men” (v.26). It is startling to realize how many strong believers, once spiritually healthy, have been overcome by addictions! The voice of folly promises secret pleasures, but all her guests end up dead (Prov. 9:13-18).

Therefore, it is spiritually appropriate to talk back to these addictive thoughts with biblical truth. This is described in 2 Corinthians 10:5 as “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” We can say, “Yes, this behavior may provide a moment of satisfaction – but it will be followed by shame, guilt and spiritual harm!” We should tell ourselves that we cannot pick up coals of fire without being burned (Prov. 6:27-28); that planting in the flesh will only lead to a harvest of corruption (Gal. 6:8); that playing games with the wind will only bring a hurricane upon us (Hos. 8:7). Sin always costs us more than we intended to pay, and it is good to train our minds to remember this.

We should also recognize that certain situations increase our vulnerability to the lure of addiction. The acronym HALTS reminds us that we may be particularly susceptible when we feel Hurt, Angry, Lonely, Tired or Sad. Because addictions always work for the moment, they offer an appealing sense of control and a way to combat those difficult emotions. Whenever we realize that some type of addictive behavior seems attractive at a given moment, we can consider whether we might actually be feeling something in the HALTS category.

If we are, there are some wonderful biblical truths to appreciate instead. If pornography seems appealing because we feel hurt or lonely, we can meditate on the promises of the Lord Jesus who never forsakes us and has brought us into the family of God. If the short-term relief through alcohol seems appealing because we feel sad, we can meditate on the unending love of God, which brings true joy.

Further, we need to look for the escape route God provides. We are assured by 1 Corinthians 10:13 that He always opens a “way of escape” when we are tempted. Although the Bible instructs us to take our thoughts captive, it also instructs us to “flee” the attractions of the flesh (2 Tim. 2:22). Those fleshly desires actually wage “war” against our souls (1 Pet. 2:11). They are powerful even under normal circumstances, but they are even stronger if an addictive habit has developed.

Thus, the way of escape from addiction will often involve a specific change to our daily routines. Those who desire to stop smoking during the workday may have to eat lunch with different people or at different times. Individuals who want to stop gambling may have to change what they do with their wallets. In 1 Corinthians 9:27 the apostle Paul spoke about subduing his own body (a literal translation would be something like “hitting himself under the eye”) in order that he would not become disqualified from future service for the Lord. Are we willing to starve our addictions at any given moment in time in order to obtain the heavenly prize that comes at the end of a self-controlled race (vv.24-25)?

In many cases, addictive behaviors need to be replaced by something else. Willpower alone is not sufficient, as the struggle of Romans 7:15-23 reveals. The desire to do what is right does not empower us to do it! In Luke 11:24-26, the Lord described a man who had been freed from the influence of a demon. However, the man simply tried to “clean up his act,” as we say. When the demon made a return visit, the man’s clean but empty heart was ripe for renewed influence. This time, though, the demon invited seven companions to come along, so the man ended up in a worse condition than before. We need God’s Spirit, God’s Word and godly activities to fill our hearts and lives if we want to overcome addictive behaviors of the past.

The Long Road To Victory
All these scriptural principles can be helpful for overcoming addictions, but they are not intended to sound simple or dismissive, as if the road to recovery were an easy one. Addictions can be very tenacious. Often they have strengthened their hold on a person over the course of many years, and most of the time we will not be freed from their grip in a day. The physical effects of withdrawal from an addiction can be very difficult, even painful. Also, many addictions literally affect the way our brains work, and in a neurological sense those pathways of addictive behavior may never really disappear. Therefore, a former addict might never really be “cured” in a medical or clinical sense.

As a result, when striving to overcome addictive behavior, the wise Christian recognizes the ongoing potential to return to those addictions and the need for continual reliance on the Lord. “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). Further, the benefits of receiving regular guidance from wise spiritual counselors and mentors, remaining accountable to them, should not be overlooked.

This article began with the story of Steve Dotson, whose addiction to painkillers eventually led him to homelessness and despair, living under a bridge and wishing for death. But Steve Dotson came to faith in Jesus Christ! Later he was baptized in the river next to that very same bridge. A reporter quoted him as saying, “You’ve got three choices. You either die, go to prison or get saved.” Today, he “fills notebooks with Bible commentaries” and helps other addicts.1

Since biblical times there have been many such examples of victorious lives through the overcoming power of the Savior. If you are striving to conquer a personal addiction or seeking to help someone who is, take heart! Addiction may be a complicated web of factors, but “the Lord who made you and who formed you from the womb” has promised to help those who trust in Him (Isa. 44:2).

ENDNOTES
1. Breen, Tom. “Painkiller abuse reveals itself in damaged lives.”. Accessed May 19, 2021.
2. Heit, Howard A., and Gourlay, Douglas L. “DSM-V and the definitions: Time to get it right.” Accessed May 19, 2021.

By Stephen Campbell