The Addict in Us All

This past weekend a number of the pastors, and some of the other folks in the church, attended the annual conference sponsored by The Christian Counseling and Education Foundation (CCEF). This year the theme was “The Addict in Us All”. It was an outstanding time of instruction on a biblical understanding of addictions and how God works to free people from addictive behaviors. We learned that ‘addictions’ are complicated and life-controlling habits that root, not primarily in our genetic disposition or social environment, but in our idolatrous hearts.

As you can see from the conference title, we also learned that there is not as much difference between the normal Christian and the out-of-control addict. As David Powlison remarked, "Addiction and Religion are words that are defined in very similar ways. Both communicate devotion to something that shapes our lives and defines our pursuits and commitments."

I spent much of the time pondering my own idolatrous and addictive tendencies. Here are some things I heard that the Lord used to go after my self-sufficient and self-righteous heart, by reminding me that there is nothing ‘addiction-proof in me. See if you can identify with me:

Ed Welch, biblical counselor and neurobiologist: ‘Commitment to a lie becomes voluntary slavery.’

• What lies about me and God do I tolerate that in fact leads to me submitting myself to voluntary slavery to something that isn’t true?

Mark Driscoll, pastor of a church that ministers to an urban area where addictions are a basic reality of life: We not only seek after false gods, we set up false heavens, places where we can live in personal peace, untainted by the sin around us. When we are in our personal heaven, we are ok if everyone else is living in hell.

• What are the little ‘heaven cocoons’ I set up in life where I escape into myself away from others and their suffering in the reality of life?

Mark Driscoll: People who struggle with addiction are usually aware of the effects of their sin on others, but can have difficulty in seeing the effect of sin on God.

• When I sin, do I keep things on a horizontal level, clean up the mess and try to get past my ‘stumble’ as quick as possible? Or do I realize that I can’t presume that God will cover my sin if I never acknowledge it is against him?
  

Mike Emlet, Biblical Counselor and Medical Doctor: Physiological issues of addiction include pleasure achievement (something makes me feel good, or keeps me from feeling bad), dependence (need for the drug to avoid withdrawal), tolerance (need of greater quantities to achieve same effect), and withdrawal (bodily reaction to the absence of the drug.

• Isn’t this essentially what happens in my life? For example, when I’m driving in the car and get bored with the silence (usually by the time I get out of my driveway), do I crank on the radio by habit, so I can stop being bored (pleasure/pain avoidance drive)? Do I feel the need to have the radio on every time I’m in the car (dependence)? Am I willing to tolerate listening to things that might not be spiritually edifying because the stuff I used to listen to is boring to me now (tolerance)? If someone else is in the car and would rather talk, do I keep looking at the radio hoping they get tired of talking (withdrawal)? How many other areas would I show myself to be at least a minor league addict?

Jeff Black, Biblical Counselor, Psychologist and Pastor specializing in Addictions Counseling. All addictive behaviors work. They give us what we want or feel we need at the point of desire. The issue is ‘at what cost?’

• I think this helps me see one of the reasons ‘waiting on the Lord’ is not just something we have to do, but something that is essential to the life of faith. The immediate is the realm of sensual craving; the eventual is the realm of biblical thirst for God.