Something Has Happened to Me: Addictions (Part 2)
You may have heard the motto, “Once a soldier, always a soldier!” In a way, this is true of everyone who has served in the military. Even after military service ends, we still see familiar habits such as high and tight haircuts, hats that display our veteran status and unit affiliation, and coin collections in our houses or offices.
Why do we keep these things? The simple answer is that we find our identity in being soldiers, which is challenging to release. But as Christians, we have a particular identity. As Paul tells the church at Corinth, we have been united with Christ as a body of believers and sealed with the Holy Spirit. Our identity now lies with our being in Christ.
And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. --2 Corinthians 1:21-22
In part 1 of this series on addiction, I talked about four aspects of addiction: Spiritual, Emotional, Physical, and Social/Relational. By naming these different aspects, we can better notice when someone might be falling into the trap of addiction. In this post, I want to show the other side of addiction, the characteristics of addiction.
A characteristic is a feature or a quality that belongs to a specific person, place, or thing that helps to show itself to be true. In other words, a characteristic allows us to recognize something. In the addict, there are specific characteristics that may be displayed by the person. These characteristics may also be what defines the addict. Like the soldier, these characteristics are held onto, and are hard to release. We will look at this from the perspective of the Garden of Eden found in the book of Genesis in the Bible. We also want to look at how Adam and Eve responded when caught in the first sin.
1. Shame: The first characteristic we might notice in an addict is shame. Think back to the garden when Adam and Eve first ate the fruit. Once their eyes were open to sin, they saw each other's nakedness and at once tried to cover themselves (Gen. 3:7). There is a high probability that the addict is fully aware of their condition. The addict feels the shame from it, they try to cover up the problem, and they hide from others.
I remember a friend saying, “We are not as good of actors as we think we are.” But God is still looking for the addict, just as God was looking for Adam and Eve. They are not without hope.
2. Blame Shifting: A second characteristic is how a person tries to shift the blame when they get caught. The first thing Adam and Eve do in the garden after they get caught and hear God coming for them is to shift the blame and hide from God. Adam blames Eve, and Eve blames the serpent (Gen. 3:8-12).
If we are honest, we do the same thing. This is a way for us to identify with the addict, but it is also something we must be remember, as the addict will begin to do it increasingly.
3. Relationships: The third characteristic is found in the addict's relationships. While relationships may turn sour, there are other relationships that may appear to blossom. But beware; the new relationships may be toxic, like poison ivy. We see in Genesis 3:1-13 that each of the personal relationships that were at one time perfect and peaceful are now fractured. Once these good relationships begin to fracture because of the addiction taking over, new relationships begin to form in which the person might find acceptance in a new crowd. Thankfully, God has given us the body of Christ to be a part of, and we find our identity with them and in Him.
4. Death: A fourth thing we begin to see in any addict is death, whether spiritual, emotional, physical, or relational. They are slowly dying and in need of rescue. Genesis 3:19 reveals the very real presence of physical death. Genesis 3:23-24 reveals this spiritual aspect of death by God sending Adam and Eve away from His presence in the garden. In addicts, we see spiritual estrangement of God, as they are in habitual sinfulness and rebellion. We see emotional death, as signs of “self-will run riot.” Then, their physical bodies begin decaying and growing closer to physical death. Finally, we see the addict go inward more and more until they are completely cut off from any semblance of healthy social interactions.
This is where we want to bring them back to Christ, new life, and reconciliation with God.
With each of these characteristics, we can potentially become aware of addictive behavior and help the addict navigate the way out of it. By knowing both the causes and the characteristics, we may even be able to stop substance use before it becomes a problem. We need to understand how the gospel helps and reorients our identity away from the causes of addiction and into our new identity in Christ. There is hope for change, and the lasting change we want can only be found in Jesus Christ.
