My friend has me revisiting this great book Allen Carr's Quit Drinking Without Willpower: Be a happy nondrinker. It's practical help to "let your yes be yes and your no be no (Matthew 5:37)". It's not self-help but an "evidence-based alternative to self-help." - the first step is honesty. "I've lost control," "I'm doing things I don't want to do," "I want to change but feel stuck." As with all things "invisible" like addiction, the main issue is spiritual, a spirit of fear that needs to be removed and Bible instructs that God does this for us (2 Timothy 1:7), as a free gift in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:8-9).
Read: Matthew 5:37;2 Timothy 1:7;Eph 2:8-9
I've had serious addiction in my past: Overcoming addiction: In the name of the LORD I will cut them off (Psalm 118); the Serenity-Principle is a foundational resource that helped me.
A few "small" words from God in your heart can turn into a "huge" reality in your life. Person with a disabling spirit (bound by Satan) even after 18 years can be set free by Jesus (Luke 13:11-13,16).
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. (Luke 17:5-6)
Key: Combination lock to open the safe. #1) Have a humble open mind (James 4:6) and a positive attitude about freedom from addiction (James 4:7). Take the easy way. (Matt 11:30)
Read: James 4:6-7;Matt 11:29-30
Perception and preconception: Conditioned belief, brainwashing about pleasure
- False statement #1: quitting will be hard (proven failures, losing the will, social identity - James Bond, denial statements: taste, unwind)
- Truth: it controls you. You've fallen into a trap. Escaping the trap is neither painful nor difficult, and life immediately becomes more enjoyable without the addiction.
By his divine power, God has given us everything we need to live a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory (goodness, God's name Exodus 33:18-19) and excellence. 2 Peter 1:3
Happy non-addict: Health, control, honesty, self-respect, time, money.
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Eph 1:3
The dimensions of each table are exactly the same. This demonstrates how our minds can easily be tricked into accepting as true something that is false. (Jeremiah 17:9-10)
Brainwashed into believing we can't enjoy life without the addictive substance. Failing to quit by willpower reinforces the illusion that it must be difficult. Willpower is not what's needed to be free. Nothing attractive about having a problem. Addicts lie to themselves, covering up the real reasons. Think of all the wonderful gains you'll make by quitting. Keep an open mind. (Colossians 3:9, Romans 12:1-3)
Read: Jeremiah 17:9-10;Colossians 3:9, Romans 12:1-3
First Steps to Freedom: Inability in the past was not a weakness in character, nor the magical quality of substance. It's simply drug addiction and all addictions work the same way: a psychological feeling of dependency. (Romans 1:18-32)
- Addiction blinds you to reality: the illusion that the drug provides genuine pleasure or support keeps you trapped. When substance leaves the body we feel uptight, there are ways to effectively relieve stress but society has disadvantaged us to believe the substance does this for us. (1 John 2:11)
- What we interpret as pleasure from the drug is in fact relief from withdrawal
- Addicts consume substances in order to feel like non-addicts (Ephesians 5:18)
It's easy to stop when you've replaced lies with truth and instructions you understand (applied in order). (John 8:31-32)
A frame of mind: ever-present danger, a psychological trap. Illusion 5% chemical, 95% massive brainwashing. (1 Corinthians 2:16,14,15)
The crucial difference between addicts and non-addicts is that the latter have NO DESIRE for the substance. This was you at one point in your life. I was brainwashed by movies, music, and the society I grew up in. (1 Corinthians 5:11)
Read: Romans 1:18-32;1 John 2:11;Ephesians 5:18;John 8:31-32;1 Corinthians 2:14-16,5:11
#2) See addictive substance for what it is: Slavery, poverty, misery, degradation, death. (Galatians 5:21, 1 Corinthians 6:9,10)
Instead of feeling deprived, you will feel overjoyed because you no longer have to give in. If you can look at a heroin addict and see the mistake he's making thinking the next fix will make everything all right, you're on the way to solving your own problem. No need for misery, you can be a happy non-addict. (Philippians 4:4-7)
#3) Start with a feeling of elation: think about your liberation as a hostage.
Chap 4) Understand why: Illusion of pleasure, "getting wasted." Void: paradox caused by a psychological condition, emptiness, or disillusionment we try to fill up with movies, music, celebrities, and idols. Faced with bewilderment and instability, we look for support, instinctively looking at our role models and peer groups. We copy behaviors.
- we were warned about harmful things that actually are pleasurable - sowing doubt.
The monsters within. Addicts are deluded into believing the drug provides genuine pleasure or support when, in fact, it does the opposite. The first monster is withdrawal, unease, emptiness, niggling itch - it complains when you don't give it what it wants. The second monster is psychological, much bigger. It's created by the little monster, brainwashing that addiction provides genuine pleasure or support.
- addictive substance never makes you feel fulfilled. Why not show up for this one life you have?
- See an addict's side effects and know the truth. Drunkenness is no fun.
- Alcohol provides no genuine pleasure.
- People drink to reach an impossible goal of fulfillment. However, that is only achieved by a sober person. The reason for drinking never includes happiness. When we're happy we don't need a drink. People drink because they're caught in an ingenious trap. The illusion of pleasure.
Read: Galatians 5:19-21, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10;Philippians 4:4-7
Chap 5) the trap: fly trap, anesthetic covers pain. 0 is a non-drinker, withdrawal at -4 being satisfied with alcohol makes you -3 for a moment but then you go down to -10, only way to health is to leave the trap and never turn back.
- Alcohol debilitates you both physically and mentally and as you go through life your well-being is constantly declining, so the lows get lower and lower, and the highs also decline in proportion.
At what point has control been lost? Fly doesn't fly away when it can because it's not aware of the trap.
- Millions of people have escaped the trap and fully recovered. It's never too late to escape from the trap.
- The trap is entirely in your mind. You are your own jailer - the power to escape is understanding the nature of the trap and following simple instructions.
- Major illusions corrupt your judgment: the myth of pleasure and/or support, the myth that escaping will be hard and painful. Good memories come from being with people, not inebriation. Taking away the drinking and the situation would still have been enjoyable. Taking away the company and drinking would have been no fun.
6) Illusion: Nobody chooses to be a drinker for the rest of their life. They fall into it. Our intellect can override our instincts when we base decisions on misinformation.
- If you went two days without liquid, what would you rather have water or Beer? Remember beer is 95% water, and it quenches your thirst and relieves the craving for alcohol. Alcohol is a diuretic and dehydrates working against the thirst-quenching effects of water. That's why drinkers can quickly drink beer after beer but not glasses of water, as thirst would have been quenched. We want alcohol at places or times we've been programmed for it, not because of the taste.
7) I want a drink: like taste buds, fear has a good purpose. "Dutch courage" doesn't make you charming but makes you off-putting with your awareness. Better to be really courageous and present with people.
Keep reading: We prove discipline when we renounce the devil and trample his influence under our feet
Take a day of self-discipline, fasting from the addiction for a day, repenting of sin and consecrating yourself to God.
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