4.

The ideas that stood out to me were the power from within an individual to change and overcome
difficult times. I saw the power from within that could not be influenced by anything or anyone except
oneself. I believed that the will to accomplish a change would always come from within, and no external
forces would affect the change. I believed in the power of personal choice, which could overcome any
difficulty facing a person.

The idea of personal will to change situations is not new to my current view of the topic. The current
view of taking your life back still requires the power of individual will to do so. Overcoming unhealthy
relationships causing addiction to drugs and substances requires you to take your life back to navigate
and make the most challenging decisions. I am aware that addiction is a health problem, and taking
drugs is strongly discouraged, especially when not done for medical purposes. I gained knowledge from
my junior school, where I learned about alcohol and substance use causing addiction. I have seen people
suffer a lot from addiction with some contracting mental problems thus cannot do without the drugs.

I agree with the author's argument in the chapter that the victim must surrender, just like the
prodigal son who walked out of his father's house but later came back to recover himself (Arterburn &
Stoop 2016). This chapter challenges my existing assumptions that the process of recovery might need
others to help out. This chapter helps me to have a better understanding as a Christian that every
behavior can be recovered only if we walk back to God to source the true healing from him.

5.4

The healing journey from addiction is not an easy task, and I think it requires the power for the will to
change. I believe that the healing journey is not for the faint-hearted and requires a lot of strength. The
ideas that stood from me were how those close to the victim would do to rejuvenate the person to
continue pressing on in the journey. This is because I believe in the work of God using others to see a
change or overcome a problem.

It is new for me to note that the journey of healing from addiction increases the victim's chances to
rediscover a relationship with God (Arterburn & Stoop 2016). The healing journey can achieve more
than what we intended. I am already aware that the healing journey cannot be completed if one is weak
from within. I have gained the existing knowledge from literature and film sources where I have seen
people trying to change, but a slight mistake put them back to their problems. I agree with the author's
argument that the healing process is complex and has steps that should all be achieved (Arterburn &
Stoop 2016). This chapter challenges my assumption that change only requires willpower, and I have
learned that it requires more than that. It has multiple steps that involve hard and painful work and
need to be worked for each step, and we develop more humility to God.

This chapter has helped me understand that the recovery journey from addiction can be a tool for
walking close to God and acting as a source of salvation. The process requires faith in God that he will
act upon you to see a new person you wish to get from yourself. I have understood that addiction
psychology is just a tool that God uses to see a change in a drug addict by using his nature.
6.6

The recovery process is necessary for taking our lives back to normal and the intended purpose why
God created us. The process is challenging, but it is worth the effort (Arterburn & Stoop 2016).
Recovery enables one to rediscover and rejuvenate their strengths towards their duties in life. The
moment one gets addicted to drugs and substances, they tend to fail to perform their roles. In
opposition to what I thought that God would take a significant part in helping one to change, I have
learned that the toughness of the steps increases the humility level and openness towards God.

My existing knowledge came from the challenging life experiences that I have encountered, which
made me feel the presence of God and the love I felt in him after recovery. I have seen people recover
from issues such as addiction through psychological support, and I have observed the change in them,
especially in their humility. They portray respect to the process, and most of them never dream of
getting back to the behavior.

I agree with the author's argument that recovery is necessary for providing hope for the future.
People might lose hope in life, thinking they have lost all after getting into depression, but through
recovery, hope for a better future is gained. The chapter challenges my existing ideas that healing is
necessary to get our life and loss back. Moreover, the chapter helps me to understand a Christian
application of addiction psychology as a tool for refilling humility and openness to God. Addiction
psychology helps the victims to rediscover themselves out of a challenging choice of addiction.

References

Arterburn S and Stoop D (2016) Take Your Life Back: How to Stop Letting the Past and Other
People Control You