Three Reasons Why People Drink and Drug: Part 3

There are millions of reasons why people do what they do. However, most of the reasons why people drink and take drugs can be traced back to one of these three general reasons.

1. People Pleasing: Trying to fit in and gain the acceptance of others.

2. Reality Releasing: Trying to escape the pressure and reality of life.

3. Hurt Halting: Trying to stop the pain in our life and heart.

The third reason why people drink or drug is simply to stop the pain.  The first pain is physical pain.  Have you have ever had a toothache?  All you can think about is getting the pain to stop.  The same is true with many types of pain people have.  It can be pain from an accident, surgery, or injury.  Many people become addicted to prescription medications because their physical pain is unbearable.  Some will also combine the prescription painkillers with alcohol. 

Another type of pain that leads to drug and alcohol addiction is emotional pain.  This pain is caused by life events.  It can be the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, divorce, or a disabling accident.  It can pain of failure or rejection or loss as well.  This emotional pain is as real and sometimes more disabling than physical pain.   

...to be continued.

Three Reasons Why People Drink and Drug: Part 2

Three Reasons Why People Drink and Drug: Part II.

 

There are millions of reasons why people do what they do. However, most of the reasons why people drink and take drugs can be traced back to one of these three general reasons.

1. People Pleasing: Trying to fit in and gain the acceptance of others.

2. Reality Releasing: Trying to escape the pressure and reality of life.

3. Hurt Halting: Trying to stop the pain in our life and heart.
One of the basic reasons for alcohol consumption or drug usage is to escape the pressure or reality of life. Our lives are filled with stress and disappointments.  Perhaps an overbearing boss or co-worker, a bad marriage, trouble with the kids, or financial problems weigh us down. We simply desire to relax, to escape from our problems, and to blow off some steam.  Once again the answer found in our flesh and in this old world are insufficient.  They do not work long term.  Sure, for a brief moment your stress is gone, but when the alcohol, drug, or other coping mechanism ends, the reality returns. Running from one's responsibility doesn't solve the problem, and in most instances makes it worse.  The reality of our life isn't changed by running to alcohol, drugs, or some other man-made solution.

As difficult as it may be to understand, God allows struggles into our lives.  He uses these struggles to improve our character.  It is improved character that improves our circumstances or helps us to daily cope with them.
 
Romans 5:3-5 (KJV) ³ And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; ⁴ And patience, experience; and experience, hope: ⁵ And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
What is God promising?  God is promising that our tribulation (problems) produces the following characteristics in our life.  First is patience.  Patience is an ability to endure.  Not running from our problems, but facing them allows God to use the problem to produce stronger character in our lives.  It gives God the opportunity to be God in our lives. 

Secondly, God is promising that our patience (endurance, tackling our problems) produces endurance.  What is endurance?  Endurance is the process of learning to trust God to see us through the problems and circumstances in our lives.  How often do we try to tackle our problems in our own strength and our own intellect?  Endurance is trusting God in the circumstances of our lives.

Thirdly, God is promising that our patience produces endurance, and our endurance produces hope.  Hope is to anticipate with pleasure, to have faith.  We can have faith that God is going to work everything out for our good and His glory.

Romans 8:28 (KJV) ²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Please note that God is not promising that all problems will disappear if we face, trust, and have faith.  He is promising that He will work them together for your good. 

Let me illustrate. There was an old preacher that bowed his knee in prayer and prayed.  Father, you know I hate flour, oh I hate the taste of flour.  I hate baking soda, Lord you know I hate baking soda.  Lord, I don't like the taste of baking powder or salt or even buttermilk.  Lord, but when You mix them all together, and bake them in the oven; out comes homemade buttermilk biscuits.  Thank you Lord that you are mixing all the ingredients of my life together to make delicious homemade buttermilk biscuits.

Face your problems, trust God that He is working, and have faith that God will work it all out for your good.  If you notice in Romans 5:5, God speaks of the Holy Spirit of God filling our hearts with the love of God.  This the end result of facing, trusting, and having faith in God is improved character.   Our character is improved and our hearts are filled with God's love.

Each of us have a choice when the pressures and circumstances of live are unpleasant.  Do we seek our own solution or God's? 

Three Reasons Why People Drink and Drug: Part 1

Three Reasons Why People Drink and Drug: Part I.

There are millions of reasons why people do what they do.  However, most of the reasons why people drink and take drugs can be traced back to one of these three general reasons.

                                1.  People Pleasing:  Trying to fit in and gain the acceptance of others.

                                2.  Reality Releasing:  Trying to escape the pressure and reality of life.

                                3.  Hurt Halting:  Trying to stop the pain in our life and heart.

Many people a life of addiction started with simply having a need to be loved and accepted.  This need was exposed when someone invited them to participate in a social event where a substance or alcohol was introduced to them.  Their need of friendship, acceptance, and love led them to do something they perhaps did not want to do or even something they knew was wrong.  The psychological basis for temptation is legitimate needs.  These needs seem to be met by the drug or drink.  Many people believe taking drugs or drinking helps them socially.  They believe it enables them to thrive with their peers, to be accepted by them.    

The question we need to ask ourselves is why?  Why do we proceed in doing something our own bodies and natural taste rejected?  Why do we do something that our own parents may have taught us was wrong?  Why do we do something that we know may have dire consequences? Why do we feel this overwhelming need to be love and accepted by our peers?  Why do we believe it is necessary to drink or drug to fit in?  Why do we believe the only way to have fun is to participate in drinking or drugging? Perhaps the question that should be asked is:  Where do we turn to have our needs met?  I believe the answer is found not in the world, our flesh, or the devil, but in our relationship to Jesus Christ.

This is what Jesus promised in Scripture.  He promised to meet our need.  Philippians 4:19 (KJV) 19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Please notice the promise of God, my God shall supply all your need.  Would this include psychological needs such as love and acceptance?  Yes! The Word of God provides the answer to the need of love and acceptance and that provision is Jesus Christ.   
Colossians 1:19-23 (KJV) ¹⁹ For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; ²⁰ And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. ²¹ And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled ²² In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: ²³ If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

Notice in the above passage that we were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works.  Our sins separated us from the love of God.  Isaiah 59:2 (KJV) ² But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.  It is this void or emptiness in our lives that we seek to fill.  This need is internal.  It is in our hearts.  It cannot be filled externally.  All of the love and acceptance of friends in the world cannot fill this void.  The only way this void and emptiness can be filled is through Jesus Christ.  Know Jesus, know love and acceptance; no Jesus, no love and acceptance!  Please note in Colossians that it is Jesus blood, His death that can reconcile (fully restore) our relationship to our God.  Once our relationship to God is restored internally we are whole, complete.  The love of God fills our hearts.  Romans 5:5 (KJV) 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Not only does God fill and overflow the heart of the Christian, but He also promises that nothing can separate us from His love.  Romans 8:37-39 (KJV) ³⁷ Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹ Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The question you must answer is: Are you going to allow Jesus Christ to meet these needs or are you going to succumb to the temptation to turn to the world, the flesh, and the devil to meet your need?

HOPE!

Hope

A Quality of those Living the Victorious Christian Life.

There is a definite contrast in the thinking and attitude of those living a victorious Christian life and those living in bondage, and addiction.  People living in victory have hope, and optimism. They know their identity in Jesus Christ.  People in bondage, on the other hand, feel a sense of hopelessness.  They operate under the assumption there is no escape from their addiction. They believe: I am a helpless, incurable addict who is never going to change.  It is this lie of Satan that keeps people in bondage.  If one continues to believe their situation is without hope, they will not change. Victory begins with a change in your thinking and attitude from hopelessness to hope.

This hope begins with our salvation.

At RU, we call this the first step. You can learn more about this first step by visiting our website: http://www.reformude.com/first-step.html  It is at the time of salvation when a person changes. 

This hope is based on God’s promise of victory eternally.

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 (KJV) ⁵⁵ O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? ⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

This victory is eternal.  This victory is in Jesus Christ.  This victory is a promise of God.

John 3:16 (KJV) ¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
1 John 5:13 (KJV) ¹³ These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Most Christians rejoice, understand, and praise God for their salvation.  They realize their righteousness was insufficient and their salvation was by God’s grace.  They know when this life ends, victory is won and that the victory was won when Jesus Christ, God’s Son, died, was buried and rose again.  They know they have eternal life in Heaven with their Lord and Savior.

This hope is based on God’s promise of victory now.

1 Corinthians 15:57 (KJV) ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:37 (KJV) ³⁷ Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
2 Corinthians 2:14 (KJV) ¹⁴ Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

The Bible is promising victory here and now through Jesus Christ.  Regardless of our present condition or circumstance, Jesus Christ provides victory.  It is already won!  Our beliefs determine the difference between victory and defeat.  Choose today to start believing that victory is won. 

Many times people see God giving victory to others, but erroneously believe God will not do it for them.  Yes He will!  God is not a respecter of persons.  What God promises for one, He promises for all.

Acts 10:34 (KJV) ³⁴ Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

If a person believes the Christian life will not work, freedom is not possible.  As long as they believe this false teaching, it will not work for them. 

Our society has been sold a bill of goods that the problems of the alcoholic, drug addict, anorexic, bulimic, or sexual addict are so different from each other that each needs some specialist to understand the problem.   Granted, each of these addictions involves many different factors, but because the behavior is different we wrongly believe each problem is unique and requires a different answer.  All addiction and destructive behavior have a root cause.  All can be traced to the human sin nature and a work of the flesh.  But, regardless of what is keeping you in bondage, only the truth can make you free.    Our RU slogan is: Only the Truth makes Free.  It is based on John 8:32.

John 8:32 (KJV) ³² And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Learning the truth and learning to implement the truth into our lives will set us free.  Does the truth work?  It is promised in God’s Word.  It is this faith in the promises of God that gives each Christian hope. 

                We are more than conquerors.

                We have been given the victory.

                We should be full of hope.

Romans 15:13 (KJV) ¹³ Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
John 14:20 (KJV) ²⁰ At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.