Addiction - Faith and Values.com

Breaking free: a spiritual approach to addiction
Whether you are trying to quit smoking or drinking, get off drugs, or want to help a friend or family member struggling with a form of addiction, or if you are a health care provider in the field, we will be exploring spiritual solutions to the problem of addiction, together.

Is Addiction Sin
We define addiction as a state of being and a way of life in which our desires become "attached" and our energies enslaved to certain specific behaviors, things, or people. These objects of attachments are our idols, substitutes for the God we have rejected. But they are nothing like God.

Breaking addiction to legal drugs
When I first started smoking, I thought it represented freedom. Freedom to do whatever I wanted, freedom to be me. But I became a slave to cigarettes. I tried so many times to stop over the years with no success. I got up to three packs a day.

What You Really, Really Want
I was young. I'd made the scene. I was signed on by Elite, the best agency in the business. I was modeling in shows for the likes of Giorgio Armani. My image was being plastered on billboards. Things were certainly going great for a guy who not long before had been a class-A Aussie beach bum.

Descent into DarknessI remember the feeling of the vinyl mattress under my fingertips. I could hear muffled voices coming from beyond the thin wall. The tile floor was cold to my feet. The smell of cigarette smoke was strong. Was this reality or a nightmare? The past 48 hours seemed like something out of a bad movie.

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Addiction and Grace
by Gerald G. May
Gerald May's brilliant and now classic exploration of the psychology and physiology of addiction. It offers an inspiring and hope-filled vision for those who desire to explore the mystery of who and what they really are. May examines the "processes of attachment" that lead to addiction and describes the relationship between addiction and spiritual awareness. Buy it

Tear-stained pews
My co-workers remark about my supposed strength. But those close to me know I have only His strength. Still, my prayers have been answered and I am able to do my job. Yet in church, surrounded by the family of God, I lose control.

Substance Abuse Treatment Mothers and Children
In 1996, an estimated 13 million Americans had used an illicit drug in the past month. There are many children affected by this substance abuse. There are estimates that more than 8 million children live in households where at least one parent is an alcoholic or needs substance abuse treatment.

Substance Abuse and Women
An estimated 40 to 80 percent of the children in the child welfare system today have families with alcohol and drug problems. To ensure safety and a permanent home for these children as well as appropriate alcohol and drug treatment and prevention services for their families, new partnerships are needed.

Freedom and Substance Abuse
. It is time to talk and learn from one another about substance use and abuse and about drug dependency. It is time for congregations, especially youthful members of congregations, to begin the discussion.

Alcohol Use and Abuse: The Social and Health Effects
Alcohol use is deeply embedded in the customs and practices of our society and, consequently, the dangers of this drug are frequently overlooked or underestimated. Yet the adverse effects of alcohol abuse are universal, touching the lives of all.

Alcohol and Other Addictions
Even if we have made clear, healthy choices for ourselves, we are still called to be a voice for reason among our peers and to explore the effects of substance dependency in our homes and in our home towns.

Presbyterians for Addiction Action
The impact of addiction on individuals, society and culture continues to grow�alcohol, drugs, nicotine, and caffeine. Physical and emotional health, health care and insurance rates, productivity and the strength and viability of cultural institutions are all adversely affected.

Under Wraps
One parishioner, a frequent critic, thanks him. "We need more sermons like that," [a parishoner] tells the pastor while pumping his hand. After greeting the rest of the departing worshipers, the pastor slips into his study, locks the door, pulls the blinds, and, while removing his stole and alb, begins to surf the Internet, searching for pornography.