The Bible and Mental Health: Dealing with Addictions (1 Thess. 5:1-8)

Dealing with Addictions
1 Thess. 5:1-8
INTRODUCTION
To what are you addicted? Reese’s Peanut Butter cups? Jelly Beans? Wendy’s french fries? Or something worse?

An addiction is a dependence. It is a dependence on a substance – like alcohol, illegal drugs or legal drugs. Or it is a dependence on an activity – like gambling or shopping. One is a physical addiction; the other is a psychological addiction. It is a dependence that helps someone get through everyday life. An alcoholic feels like she can’t function well without a little drink.

An addiction is a behavior that is difficult to control. It quickly becomes a habit and it dominates the person to the degree that he does what he can to engage in the behavior and even to cover it up from others – the housewife who hides bottles around the house; the drug addict who shoplifts to support his habit; the gambler who siphons funds to pay off debts.

Often the addict denies that he or she is an addict. Generally, they say they can control the behavior. Or, they blame someone else for causing the behavior in their lives – a boss, a spouse, a parent, the kids, friends. An addict rarely accepts responsibility for his or her own self-destructive behavior.

JESUS WARNS US:
In Matthew 25, Jesus gives several parables related to His second coming. In the first part of the chapter, He gives the “Parable of the Ten Virgins.” At the end of that parable, 25:13, Jesus tells His disciples: “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour” when the Son of Man will come.
Paul echoes those thoughts in 1 Corinthians 16:13, when he writes: “Be on the alert and stand firm in the faith.”
The danger with so many addictions, but especially drug addictions and alcohol addictions is that your mind is not prepared for the coming of Christ. The problem with drinking alcohol is that you don’t know if you are going to become addicted to it. The problem with drunkenness is that your mind is not prepared, and therefore you are not prepared, for the coming of Christ.
Also, notice the text we have for this morning, 1 Thess. 5:1-8.

CAUSES OF ADDICTION
As you might expect, there are numerous causes of addictions. Some addicts were emotionally wounded. One study I saw said that 81% of sex addicts were sexually abused, 74% were physically abused, 97% were emotionally abused.

Some addicts did not have strong, healthy relationships with their parents when they were growing up. A stress-filled home life can cause children, then teens, then adults to seek peace and solace in something else. Some addictions are used to avoid negative feelings like loneliness, anxiety, anger, and grief.

We all know that there is a degree of chemical dependency in addiction. Even non-drug related addictions like shopping or pornography or gambling stimulates the production of hormones like dopamine that simply makes you feel better. The behavior creates a stimulating affect on your body. Of course, once you start down this path, it takes increasingly more and more chemical to get the desired effect. Your body adjusts to the level of hormones you’ve been creating and it needs more and more.

For Christians, forgetting who we are and whose we are can lead us to seek dependence on something else besides Jesus Christ. Some Christians have unrealistic expectations of themselves and when they fail, as we all invariably do, they seek fulfillment in something that is easier to control than life itself. Sometimes, we become illogical and irrational.

Addiction, simply put, is rebellion against God. The addiction itself becomes an idol which consumes our thoughts, guides our behavior, drains our finances, and becomes something on which we based our trust and subsequently our lives.

The bottom line is that addiction has all negative repercussions. They affect your physical health, your mental health, your financial health, your self-image and your self-esteem, but mostly, it affects your relationship with God. It is for that reason that addictions have to be avoided first. But once we find ourselves trapped, we need to back out of it, stop it, and start avoiding those people, places, or atmospheres that contribute to the addiction.

STEPS TO RECOVERY
Confess your problem to someone you trust who can help you stay accountable to God – James 5:16. Talk to someone honestly to see if you do, in fact, have an addiction. Then pray together.
If it is an addiction to something that impairs your mental abilities, you need to take precautions to keep yourself safe and others around you. If you need to give up the keys to your car, do it. It is for the best interests of all those around you – Matthew 7:12.
If the addiction is a chemical addiction, get medical help. Get professional help from counselors or Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous.
If it is an addiction to some behavior like gambling or shopping or pornography – or even the internet in general like web-surfing or things like Facebook, do what has to be done to stop the behavior. Get rid of the internet or get filtering software and have someone else set the passwords. Get rid of credit cards; go to a cash-only basis. Matthew 18:8-9.
You have to change your behavior. If stress is a trigger to the addictive behavior, do something that keeps you out of such a stressful environment. Fill your life with better, more wholesome activities and friends – Luke 11:21-26.
As a Christian, recognize that Christ dwells in you and has put to death sins in your heart. Now, you have to life in the light of that crucifixion – Colossians 3:5-6.

Take home message: Don’t get addicted to this world; become addicted to Christ and let His life fill your life with joy and happiness.