Dealing with Addiction

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Various Scriptures
INTRODUCTION:

Jesus came not only to die for your sins, but also to help you with your problems. God offers you new
life in Christ, and with his power you can change. Our message series is called, “Lord, I Have a
Problem,” and in this series we are looking at how God helps you with your problems.

So today we are talking about addiction. How does God help you with the problem of addiction? We
will look at a number of verses this morning, but let’s begin by reading Proverbs 14:12: “There is a
way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (Read and pray.)

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” Although that verse
applies to many situations in life, it is a perfect description of addiction. Addictions come in many
forms. We immediately think of alcohol and drugs when we hear the term but people can become
addicted to many things: food, gambling, shopping, work, cigarettes, pornography, the internet, video
games, smart phones, texting, pain meds and so on.
One person described her addiction this way: “It was the best thing until it became the worst thing.”
That could almost be a mantra for any addiction. It’s always that way. Whether it’s alcohol or
something else, it’s always the best thing until it becomes the worst thing. There is a way that seems
right to you – it’s the best thing, the very best thing, the only thing, nothing matters to me more than
this – but in the end it leads to death.
And it’s not even the thing itself that is really the problem, but it’s your addiction to the thing. Your
addiction itself is the real issue. You were meant to worship God and God alone, and you have allowed
something else to take his rightful place in your life. Sharon Hersh in her book The Last Addiction
points out that the word addiction is from the Latin word addictus, which means “to surrender to the
gods.” And so your habit becomes your worship. The Bible calls that idolatry, and unchecked it will
ultimately destroy you. We desperately need to deal with this problem of addiction.
I. The problem of addiction
So why is addiction such a problem? It is a huge problem because of the great costs involved.
A. The cost to society
First of all, there is the cost to society. When you type the words “social costs” into Google, the first
suggestion that comes up is “social costs of alcohol” with over 15 million results. According to the
CDC, excessive alcohol consumption costs the United States over $200 billion annually. According to
the Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol, and Addictive Behavior there are over 100,000 deaths per year in
the United States due to alcohol abuse. The Encyclopedia states: “Such statistics, compelling as they
are, tell only part of the story. In addition to causing early death, substance abuse makes for a variety
of consequences that reduce the quality of life, both for users and other people.” The annual cost of
drug abuse is over $100 billion, and the annual cost of gambling is almost half as much, topping $50
billion. Americans spend more on pornography in one year than the annual sales of Coca-Cola, and
almost two-thirds of all visits and commerce on the Internet involve a sexual purpose. (Sharon Hersh,
The Last Addiction, p. 92)
B. The cost to families
Next there is the cost to families. Most of us either know or are in a family that has been affected by
addiction. In fact Robert Perkinson in his 2004 report on drug and alcohol addiction concluded “that
there is not a family in America that has not been impacted by addiction.”
A family is a system, and when the system runs properly it is a beautiful thing. You have a safe place
to come home, the family members love and support each other, everyone does their part.
But addiction throws a horrible wrench into the system. Home is no longer a safe place. Children have
to pick up after their parents; we learn to live with deception and denial; we develop unhealthy coping
mechanisms that follow us into other areas of life. And forget a safe environment – we are just
working on survival.
The children usually suffer the most. They don’t understand why mom or dad isn’t there for them.
They don’t understand why their parents continue to do something so damaging to themselves and to
the home. Children in addicted households usually experience greater levels of anger or abuse than
those in other households. And then there are the many babies that are born already physically
dependent on one drug or another.
Most families struggling with addiction eventually come apart. So there is also the high cost of divorce
or separation, which is another one of the costs to society as well.
C. The cost to yourself (Proverbs 23:19-21; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
So there is the cost to society, there is the cost to families, and then there is the cost to yourself as an
individual. Proverbs 23 warns about alcohol abuse: “Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart
on the right path. Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for
drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.” (Proverbs 23:19-21)
When you are addicted, you are basically out of control. You can convince yourself that you are still
under control – “I can stop any time I want,” right? – but you are not in control anymore.
Addiction can also affect your eternal destiny. 1 Corinthians 6 says, “Do you not know that the wicked
will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters
nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor
drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
Remember, your addiction is your god. It is idolatry. And so if your addiction keeps you away from the
real God, it will also keep you out of the kingdom of God. This is the ultimate end-game to Proverbs
14:12: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”
So addiction is a huge problem. There is a high cost to society, families, and individuals. Now let’s dig
a little deeper into the Scriptures to see if we can better understand what addiction is all about.
II. Understanding addiction
There are many ways to describe the progression of addiction and how a person becomes addicted,
but let me outline for you a simple four-step process that seems to cover the main bases. Addiction
begins with hurt, which leads to escape, which leads to deception, which leads to slavery.
A. Hurt (Proverbs 18:14)
Let’s start at the beginning. Addiction begins with hurt. It may be loneliness, guilt or shame, but at
the heart of every addiction there is a deep and lingering hurt that has never been resolved. It may be
a pain from your childhood or some traumatic event in your life, but there is always an underlying
issue that you have never fully addressed.
That’s a scary thought for some people, which is why they continue in their addiction. In fact that’s
the whole point of their addiction. We don’t want to address the underlying issue, and that’s why we
try to cover it up with alcohol, drugs, work or food.
The Bible acknowledges the heart-breaking issues of life. Proverbs 18:14 says, “Proverbs 18:14 says,
“A man’s spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?” (Proverbs 18:14) God
knows a crushed spirit is more than we can bear, and that’s why he offers to bear it for us. But when
we go looking for God in all the wrong places, we often substitute a life-killing addiction for God’s
actual healing. Addiction begins with hurt.
B. Escape (James 1:13-14)
Next comes escape. In the children’s book The Little Prince, the Prince asks a character called the
Tippler, “Why do you drink?” The Tippler responds, “Because I feel guilty.” The Prince then asks, “Why
do you feel guilty?” The Tippler responds: “Because I drink.”
This is part of the cycle of addiction. We cannot bear the emotional pain, and so we seek escape in our
addiction. And we find escape in something that seems so wonderful, something that makes us feel
good for a change, something that soothes all the bad feelings and numbs the pain. It’s how we learn
to cope with our hurt. It’s the best thing in the world until it becomes the worst thing. And it becomes
the main desire in our life.
Addiction has to do with our desires. We make excuses, and we try to duck responsibility, but it all
comes back to our desires gone wrong. James 1 says, “But each one is tempted when, by his own evil
desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin,
when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:14-15)
When we are addicted we experience this cycle of temptation, desire and sin over and over and over
again. We eventually despair of ever breaking the cycle, but there is hope. Others have broken the
cycle, and you can too. But you must first understand what it is you are doing and why. Addiction
begins with hurt which then leads to escape.
C. Deception (Jeremiah 17:9)
Next comes deception. This is one of the most insidious parts of addiction: the lies we tell each other
and the lies we tell ourselves. We become experts at hiding our addiction. We hide it because we are
afraid it will be taken away from us if it is discovered. And we don’t know that we can live without it.
So we lie, we deceive, we manipulate, we blame, and in the process we lose all true sense of
self. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can
understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) And this is never more true than when we are talking about addiction.
The addict’s two main tools are deception and denial. The alcoholic hides bottles around the house.
The porn addict encrypts computer files on the hard drive and wipes the browsing history clean. The
shop-a-holic keeps separate stashes of money and hides the receipts. The food addict purges in
private, and the gambler lies about where all the money went.
And talk about denial? Addicts are master manipulators. Just try confronting me with my addiction,
and you will hear an unending stream of deflection and excuses expertly designed to prevent you from
touching my idol, my best thing. I might even make you feel guilty for asking.
Here are some of the common lies addicts say all the time. See if you recognize any of these:
“One drink isn’t going to hurt.”
“I just need a little something to relax me.”
“I’ve worked hard and I deserve this.”
“I can handle it.”
“It’s not that big a deal.”
“This will be the last time.” (Note: The only way it will ever be the last time is if the last time was the
last time, not this time.)
“I can stop anytime I want.” Or the flip side to this one:
“I can’t stop anyway, so why even try?”
Even chemical dependency is a lie. It is a physical lie. It is your body telling you that you will die if you
don’t continue with the addictive substance. It’s not true. You will go through withdrawal, and you will
need a doctor’s care, but you will not die.
And we don’t just lie to each other. We lie to ourselves. I had a friend Jeff who was a recovering
alcoholic. And Jeff shared with me how in the old days he would be at home and say to himself, “I
should go out and buy a newspaper.” And so he would get in his car and drive to the liquor store to
get a paper. He would pass several newspaper stands and convenience stores along the way, but he
would always end up at the liquor store to get the paper. And then while he was there, he would just
happen to buy something to drink. And then he would go home and drink and never even read the
paper. And he told me, “Every time I left the house to get the paper, I really thought I was going to
get a paper. I would fool myself every time.”
Deception is a tragic part of every addiction. “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)
D. Slavery (Genesis 4:7; Proverbs 23:29-35; Romans 6:16)
Addiction begins with hurt, which leads to escape, which leads to deception, which leads to slavery.
And this is really the main problem with addiction. It is bondage; it is dependency; it is slavery. Mark
Shaw writes: “Physical addiction occurs when you repeatedly satisfy a natural appetite and desire with
a temporary pleasure until you become the servant of the temporary object of pleasure rather than its
master.” (Mark Shaw, The Heart of Addiction) God told Cain back in Genesis 4:7: “Sin is crouching at
your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” (Genesis 4:7) Addiction works the other
way. Addiction desires to have you, and it becomes your master.
Proverbs 23 describes the person struggling with alcohol:
Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who
has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. Do not gaze
at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites
like a snake and poisons like a viper. Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine
confusing things. You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. “They hit
me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt! They beat me, but I don’t feel it! When will I wake up so I can
find another drink?” (Proverbs 23:29-35)
The passage shows all the negative effects the alcohol is having on this person’s life, and yet it is still
the driving force in their lives. What is their final cry? “When will I wake up so I can find another
drink?” This is the cry of every addict. No matter how negative or destructive the effects, our addiction
is the driving force in our lives and everything is oriented around when can I get the next drink or the
next fix or whatever it is that is controlling me.
Romans 6:16 says, “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as
slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey – whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to
death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” (Romans 6:16) Addiction is slavery, but it is a
voluntary slavery. We offer ourselves to our addictions instead of to God, and when you offer yourself
to someone to obey him as a slave, you are slaves to the one whom you obey. Addiction begins with
hurt, which then leads to escape, which then leads to deception, which then leads to slavery.
III. Dealing with addiction
So how do you deal with addiction? Let me close out this message by sharing with you eight principles
from God’s word that will help you deal with the problem of addiction in your life.
A. God knows and loves you (Hebrews 4:13; Romans 5:8)
Number one, God knows you and loves you. Hebrews 4:13 says, “Nothing in all creation is hidden
from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give
account.” (Hebrews 4:13) God knows your secret, and he loves you anyways.
He has always loved you. He has always wanted to be there for you and to heal that hurt or pain in
your life. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) In other words, you don’t have to clean yourself up before
you come to God. Come to God as you are, and let him do the cleaning up. Jesus died for you when
you were still a sinner. God knows you and loves you.
B. It is a spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:12; 1 Peter 5:8)
Number two, it is a spiritual battle. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and
against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12) There is a whole spiritual
world out there that is aligned against you. No wonder you feel overwhelmed.
1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) There is a spiritual battle going on for your soul, and
Satan wants to use your addiction against you to destroy you. Do not be deceived. It is a spiritual
battle.
C. There is hope in God (Psalm 25:3; John 10:10; 1 Corinthians 6:11)
Number three, there is hope in God. A lot of addicts have lost hope. They have tried and failed to kick
the habit so many times, they think there is no way out. But there is always hope in God.
Psalm 25:3 says, “No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame.” (Psalm 25:3) A lot of us
feel a burning shame over our addictions. It is one of the reasons we keep it hidden, why we are
scared to death of getting caught or found out. The private shame is bad enough, but the public
shame would be unbearable. If that’s you this morning, will you take comfort in Psalm 25:3? No one
who puts their hope in God will ever be put to shame.
There is hope in God. You do not need to be an addict forever. That is not what God wants for you.
Jesus said in John 10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that you may
have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) Satan wants to destroy you; Jesus came to free you
from your addictions and to give you abundant life, life to the full.
Remember the verses we read earlier from 1 Corinthians that spoke about people with various sins or
addictions and how they would never enter the kingdom of God? That sounded pretty hopeless, didn’t
it? But that’s because I didn’t read you the next verse where Paul writes: “And that is what some of
you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11) In other words there were people in Corinth
who were excluded from God’s kingdom because they worshiped their addiction instead of God. But
Paul says “that is what you were.” That was their past, but God changed them. They were washed
clean and sanctified in the name of Jesus and by the Spirit of God. You can always change. There is
hope in God.
D. You need God’s help (Romans 7:15-25; 1 Corinthians 10:13)
Which leads us to the next point. You need God’s help. You have been escaping your hurt for so long,
and you are so deep in deception and slavery that you cannot beat this on your own. It is a spiritual
battle and you need God’s help. Perhaps you can relate to what the apostle Paul said about himself in
Romans 7:
“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do … 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 … What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks
be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:15-25)
Paul was talking about indwelling sin in his life, but the words are easily applied to addiction. Perhaps
you have even spoken those same words. “What a wretched person I am! Who will rescue me from
this body of death?” The answer is no one, except God. God sent his Son Jesus to die on the cross to
rescue you from your sins. Only Jesus can help you overcome temptation and sin.
1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is
faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will
also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13) You are not the only
person experiencing this addiction. God has helped others, and he will help you. But you will never
beat it without him. You need God’s help.
E. You need good people (1 Corinthians 15:33; Hebrews 3:13)
Number five you need good people around you. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad
company corrupts good character.’” (1 Corinthians 15:33) If there are people or relationships in your
life that are a negative influence in your life, you need to make a break with them, at least until God
has brought your life under control. You need to surround yourself with good people who will
encourage you, and hold you accountable, and help you make good decisions. That is why we have
the body of Christ. As Hebrews 3:13 says, “Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today,
so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (Hebrews 3:13)
F. Truth is your friend (John 8:31-36; 1 John 1:8-9)
Number six, truth is your friend. You may have been lying to others and yourself so long you don’t
even know what the truth looks like anymore, but you need to get reacquainted. Jesus said, “If you
hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set
you free … So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:31-36) Lies bring slavery, the
truth brings freedom. You need to commit yourself to the truth in all areas of your life if you truly
want to break free.
Truth begins with confession. 1 John 1 says: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and
the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and
purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8-9) Forgiveness for all your sins and cleansing from all
your past is only a confession away. You have been lying too long. Truth is your friend.
G. Count yourself dead to sin but alive to God (Romans 6:11-13)
Number seven, count yourself dead to sin but alive to God. That’s what Paul says in Romans 6:11-13:
“Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus … Do not offer the parts of your body to
sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been
brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.”
(Romans 6:11-13)
You need to make a complete break with the past, and count yourself dead to your sin and your old
way of life. In other words, there is no going back. Don’t comfort it, don’t coddle it, don’t entertain
notions that you and your addiction can somehow co-exist in the future. Break it off. Count yourself
dead to sin but alive to God.
And that second part is key. If you only count yourself dead to sin, you will always be missing your
addiction, always longing for it, always wanting to back to it. But when you count yourself alive to
God, offering yourself to him, you will find life and healing and hope for the future.
H. Grow in the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)
– especially self-control (Ephesians 5:18)
And then finally grow in the fruit of the Holy Spirit, especially self-control. Ephesians 5:18 says, “Do
not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18)
The idea is this: Do not be controlled by wine, but be controlled by the Spirit of God as he works in
you and changes you from within to be more like Jesus.
CONCLUSION: Addiction is a serious problem that affects society, families and individuals. If you are
struggling with an addiction this morning, you need help. There’s no quick fix to your problem. It will
take time and determination, but with God’s help and by applying these principles from God’s Word to
your situation, you can have victory. Will you give your addiction to God this morning?
—————————————————————–
Some helpful resources for dealing with addiction:
Addictions – A Banquet in the Grave: Finding Hope in the Power of the Gospel, by Edward T. Welch
Every Man’s Battle: Winning the War on Sexual Temptation One Victory at a Time, by Stephen
Arterburn
Freedom from Addiction: Breaking the Bondage of Addiction and Finding Freedom in Christ, by Neil T.
Anderson
Getting to No: How to Break a Stubborn Habit, by Erwin W. Lutzer
The Heart of Addiction: A Biblical Perspective, by Mark E. Shaw
Inside a Cutter’s Mind: Understanding and Helping Those Who Self-Injure, by Jerusha Clark, Dr. Earl
Henslin
The Last Addiction: Why Self-Help Is Not Enough, by Sharon Hersh
Life’s Healing Choices: Freedom from Your Hurts, Hang-ups, and Habits, by John F. Baker Jr.
Mom, everyone else does!: Becoming Your Daughter’s Ally in Responding to Peer Pressure to Drink,
Smoke, and Use Drugs, by Sharon Hersh
No Stones: Women Redeemed from Sexual Addiction, by Marnie C. Ferree
Playstation Nation: Protect Your Child from Video Game Addiction, by Olivia Bruner, Kurt Bruner
Surfing for God: Discovering the Divine Desire Beneath Sexual Struggle, by Michael Cusick
When Good Men Are Tempted, by William Perkins
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© Ray Fowler
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