FAREWELL TO ADDICTION FEUD.

                                       

We have known great sorrow, but we have seen the power of the Savior turn our most devastating defeats into glorious spiritual victories.

                                   

We who once lived with daily depression, anxiety, fear and debilitating anger now experience joy and peace. We have witnessed miracles in our own lives and in the lives of others who were ensnared in addiction. We have paid an awful price in self-inflicted pain and suffering because of our addictions. But blessings have poured forth as we have taken each step to recovery. Having had a spiritual awakening,  we strive every day to improve our relationship with Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we are healed.

Some people consider addictions to be simply bad habits that can be conquered by willpower alone,

But many people become so dependent on a behavior or a substance that they no longer see how to abstain from it. They lose perspective and a sense of other priorities in their lives. Nothing matters more than satisfying their desperate need. When they try to abstain, they experience powerful physical, psychological, and emotional cravings. As they habitually make wrong choices, they find their ability to choose the right diminished or restricted “Addiction has the capacity to disconnect the human will and nullify moral agency, It can rob one of the power to decide” Addictions can include the use of substances such as tobacco, alcohol, coffee, tea, and drugs (both prescription and illegal), and behaviors such as gambling, codependency, viewing pornography, inappropriate sexual behavior, and disorders associated with eating(Yeah).These substances and behaviors diminish a person’s ability to feel the Spirit. They harm our physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being, If you suspect you are addicted and if you feel even the smallest desire to break free, we invite you to join us in studying and applying the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We assure you that if you follow this path with a sincere heart, you will find the power you need, to recover from addiction, The Savior will strengthen you and you will come to “KNOW THE TRUTH, AND THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE” (JOHN 8:32).

STEPS TO RECOVER THE NEW LIFE

                                      *Become willing to abstain

      Even though people’s addictions are different, some truths like this one, never vary—nothing begins without an individual’s will to make it begin. Freedom from addiction and cleanliness begin with a tiny flicker of will. People say individuals finally become willing to abstain when the pain of the problem becomes worse than the pain of the solution. Have you come to that point? If you have not and you continue in your addiction, you surely will reach that point because addiction is a progressive problem. Like a degenerative disease, it eats at your ability to function normally. The only requirement to begin recovery is the desire to stop participating in the addiction. If your desire is small and inconsistent today, don’t worry. It will grow! Some people recognize the need to be free from addiction but are not yet willing to begin. If you are in that situation, perhaps you can begin by acknowledging your unwillingness and considering the costs of your addiction. You can list what is important to you, Look at your family and social relationships, your relationship to God, your spiritual strength, your ability to help and bless others. Then look for contradictions between what you believe in and hope for and your behavior. Consider how your actions undermine what you value. You can pray that the Lord will help you see yourself and your life as He sees it—with all your divine potential—and what you risk by continuing in your addiction. A recognition of what you lose by indulging in your addiction can help you find the desire to stop. If you can find even the smallest desire, you will have room to begin step 1. And as you progress through the steps and see the changes that come into your life, your desire will grow.

                   *Let go of pride and seek humility

Pride and honesty cannot coexist. Pride is an illusion and is an essential element of all addiction. Pride distorts the truth about things as they are, as they have been, and as they will be. It is a major obstacle to your recovery. President Ezra Taft Benson defined pride: “Pride is a very misunderstood sin. .“Most of us think of pride as self centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart, or core, is still missing.“The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity towards God and enmity towards our fellowmen. Enmity means ‘hatred toward, hostility to or a state of opposition. It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us. “Pride is essentially competitive in nature. We pit our will against God’s. When we direct our pride toward God, it is in the spirit of ‘my will and not thine be done.’ . . .

                    *Be ready to confess

CONFESSION KEY PRINCIPLE: Admit to yourself, to your Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ, to proper priesthood authority, and to another person the exact nature of your wrongs.

Not until we realize that we are able to throw off the shackles of our isolating secrets and gain some perspective on ourselves and the past we aren't going anywhere. Confession begins a process of disclosure where we share expressions of remorse with friends, family, and others. It is part of an ongoing effort to repair and re-establish broken relationships. Confession also involved seeking forgiveness from the Lord through prayer.

                           *A change of heart

KEY PRINCIPLE: Become entirely ready to have God remove all your character weaknesses. “How?” you may cry. “How can I even begin to accomplish such a change?” Don’t be discouraged by these feelings. Step 4, like the steps before it, may feel like an overwhelming challenge. As painful as it may be, you may have to admit, as we did, that recognizing and confessing your character weaknesses in steps 3, did not necessarily mean you were ready to give them up. You may realize that you still cling to old ways of reacting to and coping with stresses in life—maybe even more so now that you have let go of your addictions. Probably the most humbling thing to acknowledge is that you still harbor a prideful desire to change without the help of God. Step 4 means surrendering to God all remnants of pride and self-will. Like steps 2 and 3, step 4 requires you to humble yourself and admit your need for the redeeming and transforming power of Christ. After all, His atoning sacrifice has enabled us to accomplish each step to this point. Through the testimonies of others, the Lord will help you learn the truth that you are not beyond his power to heal. The desire to blame others for the condition of your character or to rationalize your way out of a change of heart will be replaced by the desire to be accountable to Him and submissive to His will. Through the prophet Ezekiel, the Lord declared, “A new heart . . . will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).

Let’s not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord’s tender mercies. The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us

In the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live. When words cannot provide the solace we need or express the joy we feel, when it is simply futile to attempt to explain that which is unexplainable, when logic and reason cannot yield adequate understanding about the injustices and inequities of life, when mortal experience and evaluation are insufficient to produce a desired outcome, and when it seems that perhaps we are so totally alone, truly we are blessed by the tender mercies of the Lord and made mighty even unto the power of deliverance. . . We may falsely think that such blessings and gifts are reserved for other people who appear to be more righteous or who serve in visible Church callings.I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are available to all of us and that the Lord Jesus is eager to bestow such gifts upon us. You will see the tender mercies of the Lord in your life as you learn to watch for them and as you come to believe that the power of God can indeed help you. JESUS LOVES YOU EVEN MORE THAN YOU COULD IMAGINE.

*Therapyme’swayoutfromaddiction.

by Queeneth Agubamah