Here are a few questions to ask as you start to find freedom from drug addiction:
1) Do you know Jesus?
True change – heart change – will never happen unless Jesus is the Lord of your life. If you have never turned to him, then you are missing out on the assurance of heaven, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in your life, and God working in your life to turn you into a new person. I encourage you to take this first step now. The Bible says that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9-10). Stop right now and ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior.
2) Have you brought your addiction to the light?
Addictions thrive in darkness. One effective strategy in stemming the power of the addiction is to bring it to the light. Meet with a trusted Christian friend, pastor, or other church leader and tell him/her your struggles.
3) Have you gotten involved in a support group?
One of the most effective keys in overcoming addiction is to find other people who have similar struggles and can support you along your path to freedom. Someone who is a few steps beyond you will have a wealth of knowledge and wisdom they can share with you. Someone who is a few steps behind you needs your experience and wisdom. While any support group is better than nothing, consider joining one that has people with experience in your particular struggle. It would also be really good if the support group was based off of Christian principles, such as Celebrate Recovery.
4) Have you met with a good Christian counselor?
Christian counselors are able to combine biblical principles with addiction recovery expertise. They are invaluable in helping you work out the issues that were/are leading you to your addictive behaviors. Do they cost money? Sure. But how much is freedom from addiction worth to you?
5) Are you growing spiritually?
As you begin to make steps toward freedom, you also need to make steps to grow in your relationship with Jesus. Get involved in a good church, like Island Pond! Get into the Bible and read, study, and memorize it. Grow in other spiritual disciplines such as prayer, evangelism, and worship. The deeper your faith is rooted, the more equipped you will be for the spiritual warfare involved in addiction.
6) Are you helping others?
As you learn, grow, and find freedom, you need to use that experience to help someone else. This is not only beneficial to the other person, but it is also a powerful way to help you continue walking in freedom.
More resources:
Teen Challenge – A Christian, live-in recovery facility in Manchester.
Celebrate Recovery – A Christian-based 12-steps program with weekly groups. At last check, there were groups that met in Manchester, Nashua, Lawrence, and Amesbury. Group locator.