Orange County Recovery – Christian Option

Addiction is Bondage – Orange County Recovery

Jesus said “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

Get Set Free Orange County Recovery

Long term sobriety starts with a level of brokenness, a sincere surrender and a willingness to put forth the necessary effort suggested by those that are living examples of true freedom. There are no shortcuts along this journey. It is said that “half measures avail us nothing” but it’s only natural for the typical addict or alcoholic to seek an easier, softer way. When a true level of brokenness becomes obvious to the afflicted one, the path to freedom becomes more attractive. Reason being, denial is very real and no one seeks a solution for a problem they can’t see or don’t believe exists. Orange County Recovery works

Moving Beyond Clean & Sober – Orange County Recovery

There is a significant difference between being getting clean and actually participating in the process called recovery. A transition begins to take place once the substance is removed from the body, and only then can recovery effectively begin. Being clean is a term too often misunderstood. It is merely the condition of a person after detox, before actual recovery begins. The term clean relates to the physical body, and the term recovery for the most part, focuses on the soul and spirit, encouraging spiritual maturity while addressing issues that include the mind, will and emotions. Try Orange County Recovery

Understanding the Underlying Causes of Addiction

Once clean, if the process of recovery doesn’t immediately follow, there is a fatal risk present. Without the comfort of alcohol or drugs, the problems that initially led to substance use are now magnified and blatantly staring them in the face. Here resides a literal fork in the road, and if recovery doesn’t quickly begin, gravitating back into bondage is almost definite. There are reasons why people exhibit such self destructive behaviors and there is a absolute guaranteed solution. The manifestation of addiction will never fully leave unless the deeply rooted initial cause is uncovered and properly processed.

Tools Necessary to Maintain Long-term Freedom

There is a wide variety of options available to help maintain a life free from substance abuse. The Christian approach has mush more to offer than your typical secular programs. Choose a Christian program and see how Jesus will forever change your life. Give Jesus a chance and see how He will forever change your life. He will break the chains, set you free and transform you into the person you were created you to be. – Orange County Recovery works

Our clinical directors are well known published authors whose materials are used throughout the country and even the world. New Life Spirit Recovery was established in 2005 and has been recognized by many credible ministries such a Focus on the Family and Calvary Chapel. – Orange County Recovery works

The Best Christian Program

A true Christian program is one that addresses the whole person; body, soul, and spirit. At New Life Spirit Recovery after completion of detox we focus on emotion healing, spiritual growth and maturity, and relationship with God, self, and others.

Since we are currently facing an opioid/opiate epidemic crisis in the United States, I’ll use heroin and Oxycontin as examples. Let me start by saying that all detox facilities, and approaches are not created equal. Any addict will tell you it’s all about the meds in detox. A typical medical opiate detox will use medications to alleviate the symptoms associated with opiate withdrawal. The most widely used medication for this type of detox is Suboxone. This medication will prevent the addict from experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms because of the way it works on receptors affected by opiate abuse. That’s the simple explanation. Here is where we come to a fork in the road. Some believe maintaining the addict on Suboxone is effective because it prevents cravings. Others believe it’s best to use Suboxone as a short-term detox medication. The problem with maintaining a patient on Suboxone is that all that’s happened is the patient goes from being addicted to Heroin to having a Suboxone dependence which has similar withdrawal factors.

We believe the best course of action for an opiate detox is to use Suboxone as it was intended, as a short-term titrate protocol to get the patient through the initial detox symptoms. Once the detox protocol is complete Suboxone is discontinued. Now we enter the post-acute withdrawal phase. This is time when the addict is both physically and emotionally sensitive. It’s critical the client begin phase two of treatment, which is when counseling, groups and classes begin.

Once the detox phase of treatment is complete, it’s time to go to work in the area of soul. This can be a dangerous place if additional treatment is not implemented right away. At this point in the recovery process, the soul is emotionally sensitive and the body is physically sensitive. If the treatment process is discontinued at this stage the client will most likely begin to seek comfort by returning to old habits. If the true comforter, Jesus, is not introduced into the equation, the addict will eventually gravitate back to what they used in the past to help deal with life’s challenges.

The soul is comprised of at least three parts that we are aware of; the mind, emotion, and our God given- free will. The mind is where our thoughts live, our emotions are an expression of our feelings, and our free-will is evidenced in our behaviors by the choices we make. All three parts were designed to function in sync and are driven by our belief systems. Without a doubt, what we choose to believe will eventually affect the way we think, feel, and act.

At New Life Spirit Recovery, we approach addiction and chemical dependency as symptoms, not the problem. They are manifestations of something much deeper going on than what can be physically seen. The manifestation is not the problem but becomes part of the problem when the roots are left undealt with. Our Biblically-based counseling process is designed to deal with the rooted issues underlying substance abuse. Using Biblically-based principles we guide our clients through a process of exploring what they believe to be true about God, themselves, the world they live in, and how to function in relationships in a healthy way. In treatment, clients also revisit and properly process through the events in their life that were painful, negative, and traumatic. These are the things that were done to them by others, and the things they did to themselves and others. With the Bible as the authority, we explore, with the client which of their beliefs are rooted in God’s Word, and which are flaming arrows, lies (fiery darts) shot straight from the pits of hell. With the counselor as the guide and Jesus Christ in the center as the true comforter, the client goes on a journey of self-discovery and soul-searching, dispelling the lies and replacing them with the truth of God’s Word.

The third component of treatment at New Life Spirit Recovery includes not just the counseling process but also intensive Christ-centered curriculum, Bible studies, workshops, and church services. The curriculum is closely linked to the therapeutic process as this is where the clients learn the principles that are applied in the counseling room. Through a variety of classes and workshops the client learns about God’s perspective on subjects like anger, forgiveness, denial, strongholds, and codependency. Coming into a relationship with Christ in an intimate way where He becomes the True Counselor and Comforter is the goal. Confessing sin to Christ results is instant forgiveness, but the effects of sinful behavior still need to be dealt with, and that requires a healing process. James 5:16 makes it clear that we need each other for prayer and soul “healing”. Through the process the client begins to experience the true freedom, peace and joy that only comes from Jesus.

February 13, 2019May 26, 2019

How Do I find a Good Christian Treatment Center?

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Finding a good treatment center is really about deciding what your criteria will be and then developing a screening process designed to weed out the places that don’t fit your criteria. Here are some of our recommendations.

Before you begin your search, pray. Invite the Holy Spirit into the process. Let Him guide you as you navigate your way through the many options available. Some of the searches we recommend are, Christian Rehabs, Christian Drug and Alcohol Treatment, Christ-centered Rehabs, and Christian Addiction Treatment Programs. Think of the words you use in your search as your initial screening. Now it’s time to start making some phone calls.

We believe programs that assess and address emotional, spiritual, physical, and psychological (when needed) needs are the most effective. Leaving out any one of those components leaves the door open for relapse. Developing a screening process that addresses all of these components will thin out the options.

Assessing a program in how they deal with the physical is really about determining the methods used to detoxify the body. Will a doctor be doing an assessment? Will there be medication involved? Think of detox as a period of time when the addict is in a controlled environment, has been assessed by a doctor, and is put on a protocol of medications (when necessary) to help them through the physical withdrawal symptoms associated with pain medications, heroin, alcohol, and other substances. (For more information please see our article When is Detox Necessary?) We believe that medications should end with detox. “Will my son/daughter be leaving detox on medication?” By asking these questions you will come to see that all detox facilities are not created equal. What you want to know is, what condition is your loved going to be in when their detox is complete.

Emotional healing is something that takes place in the counseling room. We believe the most effective process is one where all principles are filtered through the Word of God. You might ask something like this, “What is the goal of your counseling process?”

Where groups and classes are concerned you can ask for a program schedule and determine if those classes are Biblically-based or whether they are secular in nature.

Although a Christian treatment program is considered faith-based, not all faith-based programs are Christian. In the current climate we find ourselves living in, the term ‘faith-based’ can mean many different things. The idea is to discern whether the faith-based program you have called shares your beliefs. You can ask, “How much of program is Biblically-based?”

The counselor is also a significant part of the process and there are major differences between counselors and the counseling modalities they utilize in the counseling room. It is either man’s theories that are practiced or a Biblical principles and they are literally worlds apart. There is either a secular worldly counselor utilizing worldly modalities, a counselor that is a Christian but utilizes worldly modalities, or a Christian counselor utilizing a Biblical world view (Biblical principles).

We encourage you to research and learn! Please call us if we can assist you with a Christian drug rehab at 866.543.3361 or visit www.newlifespiritrecovery.com

New Life Spirit Recovery is Christ-centered Christian program that deals with the whole person utilizing Biblical principles. All of our teachers and counselors are spirit filled Christians, clinically trained state certified professionals the counsel with Biblical principles.

March 12, 2018May 25, 2019

The Opiate Crisis

The opioid epidemic is being called the worst public health crisis in American history. When it comes to taking opioids, the United States leads the world in opiate addiction. For every one million Americans, almost 50,000 doses of opioids are taken every day.

If you need help recovering from opiates, contact us today!

The opioid crisis is directly related to the massive increase of prescription and non-prescription opioid drugs in the United States beginning in the late 1990s and continuing with an alarming increase into 2018. Opioids are a diverse class of painkillers, which include oxycodone (OxyContin and Percocet), hydrocodone (Vicodin), and a very strong painkiller, fentanyl, which is a synthesized version of opioids. The potency and availability of these substances have made them popular both as formal medical treatments and as recreational drugs.

Opiates are often prescribed to cancer patients for pain relief and to patients recovering from surgery. But take too many and you have a problem, which has proven to be the case in the U.S. But why? Let’s take a closer look.

Read our series on Opioid Addiction

Doctors Prescribe Lots of It

Often times doctors prescribe opiates as pain management solution. Some doctors also feel a great pressure of giving the patient the pain relievers because the doctor knows that if the patient doesn’t receive the pain killers from him/her, the patient will go to another doctor and get what they want…hence potentially losing a patient.

Professor Judith Feinberg from the West Virginia University School of Medicine says, “Most insurance, especially for poor people, won’t pay for anything but a pill. Say you have a patient that’s 45 years old. They have lower back pain, you examine them, they have a muscle spasm. Really the best thing is physical therapy, but no one will pay for that. So doctors get very ready to pull out the prescription pad. Even if the insurance covers physical therapy, you probably need prior authorization (from the insurer) – which is a lot of time and paperwork.”

Kick Back from Pharmaceutical Companies

Professor Keith Humphreys from Stanford University notes that in the US, it is common for drug companies to court doctors, in an effort to promote their products. “When you’re a doctor in the US, these salespeople come in from the industry. They are invariably smooth, friendly, attractive, sharply dressed, adorable, they’re giving out gifts to everybody. They host dinners, they sponsor conferences, they sponsor junkets. That is going to affect prescribing.”

In 2016, a study looked at the link between doctors, the free meals they received from drug companies, and the medication they prescribed. The study found receiving free meals was “associated with an increased rate of prescribing the promoted brand-name medication”. Pharmaceutical companies say their reps are merely sharing information with doctors. But Professor Humphreys says there is a “corrupting” influence.

Poor Training

Until very recently, doctors were under the misconception about just how addictive various drugs actually are. Doctors received virtually very little, if no training in pain management and what training they did get often came from the nursing staff that the doctors worked with. Fortunately, this is beginning to change in the training of doctors.

Ignorant Assumptions

In 1980, Dr Hershel Jick wrote to the New England Journal of Medicine stating that “despite widespread use of narcotic drugs in hospitals, the development of addiction is rare in medical patients with no history of addiction”. Dr. Jick’s article had a big impact on the mindset of prescribed narcotics. Fortunately, this mindset has been proven to be erroneous.

A Culture of “Instant Cure”

We live in a “magic pill” culture. Lose weight…take a pill. Depressed…take a pill. Anxious…take a pill. Can’t sleep…take a pill. Have some pain…take a pill. Our culture has been lulled in believing that medicine can cure most of what ails us. A 51year-old finishes running a marathon and now he’s sore. He wasn’t sore when he ran the marathon at 30! So, he goes to the doctor believing his doctor will try to “fix” him and prescribe some muscle relaxants or pain killers.

Many other countries deal with pain in much healthier ways. A comparison study between the U.S. and Japan in how pain is dealt with showed that Japanese doctors treated acute pain with opioids 47% of the time…compared to 97% of the time in the U.S. There is a much greater willingness to prescribe pain killers in the U.S. than there is in most other countries.

The Christian and Opiates

A large percentage of the Church population, knowingly or unknowingly, are addicted to prescription opiates and have slid into their addiction simply because “My doctor prescribed them to me”. This is not to imply that your doctor is doing anything intentionally evil, but he may be prescribing them to you for the same or similar reasons mentioned above. After all, doctors put their pants on one leg at a time just like you!

Even though the doctor may want to prescribe opiates to you, the final say is still yours as to what you allow or don’t allow into your body. When it comes to mind altering drugs or any substance, we are called as Christians to remain sober in our mind (1 Pet. 5:8; Eph. 5:18; 1 Cor. 6:19). Otherwise, as our reasoning abilities are dulled and inhibitions are lowered, we leave ourselves open to all kinds of deception…some very subtle…others not so subtle and usually unhealthy behavior isn’t far behind. Read about what Jesus would do about addiction.

Some Practical Suggestions

We are not ignorant that there may be times in your life when you need to undergo some difficult and painful surgery and the doctor is going to want to prescribe you opiates to get you through the post-surgery pain. Below are some steps that you can take to help avoid and/or lessen the possibility of becoming addicted to any opiates that your doctor may prescribe to you in the event of a surgery.

Talk with your doctor before the surgery and express to him/her your concerns about taking any addictive pain medication. Inquire as to whether or not there is an alternative non-addictive pain killer he can put you on. If so, request it.

Before you take ANY medications from the nurse or doctor before or after the surgery, be sure to inquire as to what it is you are taking. If it is not in agreement with your prior meeting with your doctor refuse it and request what the doctor said he was going to give you.

If there are no alternatives for your pain other than opiates, then request from your doctor that he prescribe only a 4-5 day prescription with no refills when they are gone. Give the prescription to a family member to administer to you who will keep them in a secret and safe place. Take the pain killers only on a sever “as needed” basis. When the pills are gone, you are done!

For hospice patients, while there may be other reasons the patient may have for not to take opiates, addiction should not be the concern.

Opiate addiction is one the most common substances we at New Life Spirit Recovery find our clients coming in to find freedom from. If you find yourself in the midst of an opiate addiction that has caught you up in a bondage that you can’t seem to get out of by yourself, New Life Spirit Recovery is here to help you! Give us a call today! We will help you walk out of that bondage and into a the life that your God intended for you to live…one of freedom, hope and joy!

For additional information on opioids, read our series on Opiate Addiction:
Part 1: Understanding Opioid Addiction
Part 2: How to define an Opioid Addiction
Part 3: Christian Drug Treatment for Painkiller Addiction

February 9, 2018May 25, 2019

False Adrenaline: Meth’s Fatal Lure

Addiction and Emotional Isolation

Addiction, in most cases, is less about pleasure-seeking and more about a person’s need to escape and dissociate from the pain of emotional isolation. We are made with a craving at the core of our being for intimate, dependable and empathetic relationships. This craving has been placed into us by our Creator to cause us to seek out the fulfillment of that relationship need with Him and others.

Typically, our first relationship connection experience is with other human beings before it is with God and we quickly learn through traumatic experience that others cannot be trusted to reliably meet our need for intimate connection. This in turn hinders or even prevents authentic connect with our Heavenly Father because we interpret our connection with God through the filter of our human experiences. So, the conclusion is made that if I get vulnerable with people, I’ll get hurt…and if that’s true in all of my human relationships, that’s probably going to be true in a relationship with God.

Download our free guide “Breaking Point – A Christian Guide to Addiction Intervention”

People Often Turn to Meth for Unmet Emotional Needs

So, we learn to fear emotional vulnerability and intimacy and we distance ourselves from other people and God…pushing away the very solution to our core need that we innately crave. With both God and people now at “safe” distance, we find ourselves turning to addictive substances and/or behaviors as a way to “not feel” our unmet emotional intimacy needs.

One of the most common substances that people turn to to relieve these unmet emotional needs for intimacy is Methamphetamine…also known as Meth, Speed, Crank, Tweek, Uppers, Chalk, Christina, Tina, Go fast, Cookies, Cotton Candy, Dunk, Gak, Go-Go Juice, No Doze, White Cross, Pookie, Rocket Fuel, Scooby Snax, Wash, Trash, or Garbage.

Why Meth?

Despite the inherent dangers, meth is alluring to many people, especially those who are trapped in their emotional pain. Meth is a stimulant that profoundly affects the brain. It causes the body to release 10 times its normal level of dopamine, the brain’s pleasure chemical. It also prompts a rush of norepinephrine, or adrenaline. For those who are feeling down in the dumps, meth can make someone feel like Superman – like they can do anything. Meth can produce a high that lasts hours or even days. Users have an increase in energy. Meth use also increases sex drive and enhance body movement and mood. Meth is often preferred over other stimulants, such as cocaine, because it is much easier obtain and very cheap.

When meth hits the bloodstream, it creates an artificial pleasure sensation by sending pleasure impulses to the brain. Dopamine is the body’s ultimate “feel good” chemical. With sex, dopamine levels jump to about 200 and cocaine use causes them to reach 350. Several studies, however, report that meth use spikes these levels to 1,250 units. Even from the first time someone uses meth, the high is significant, and the brain registers that experience as a “hard-coded” memory. From that moment on, the brain tries to recapture those same positive feelings that were experienced with the first use, which is often impossible. Your brain adapts to meth use almost immediately, which means that more and more of the drug is required each time to “chase” that initial high. This chase leads to severe meth addiction, which has some startling and horrifying effects on your body and mind.

Eventually the brain shuts down the production of dopamine because it is getting more than enough from the meth. The user then cannot experience any pleasure on their own. They must use meth in higher and higher amounts in order to feel happy. Over time, meth use will cause decreased levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter similar to dopamine. This may lead to Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease. Effects of meth abuse over time can be quite serious and some are even irreversible such as “Meth Mouth” (extreme tooth decay), seizures, impaired memory, psychosis and violent behavior, hallucinations, heart damage, kidney failure, STDs, coma and death.

How to Overcome the Need for Adreneline

Of course, the question we eventually have to ask ourselves is, “Is the short-term adrenaline rush that’s helping me avoid my hurt and pain worth the long term affects?” After all, when the “rush” has run its course…the problems, hurts and pains are still there beckoning for my attention.

The good news is that God sees us in our emotional isolation, self-made vices and addictions, and He not only engages us but He loves us and provides the way out. While most counseling and treatment focuses on behavior modification and creating new patterns that produce different results, we know from God’s Word that the only way to a new life is to turn away from the old life. The good news of the Bible is that God has the power and authority to give you a new heart: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26).

God does not see us in our self-induced sadness, depression, habitual sin, brokenness and addiction and just leave us there. HE PROVIDES A WAY OUT. He does not just modify the behavior…He fundamentally and profoundly transforms the heart. He does this by entering into the depths of our core need for intimate, dependable and empathetic relationship and reveals His heart’s love, forgiveness and grace to us. His love brings the inner healing that no human being can provide and the freedom and peace to our souls that goes beyond human expression and understanding. He proves Himself trustworthy in His love for us and we begin to experience “being loved”…maybe for the first time in our lives.

The adrenaline “rush” that comes from our surrender hearts to God’s love is like none that meth can provide…because it lasts and never stops! It empowers us to be strong in the midst of trials and tribulations! Instead of running into the arms of meth as our false comforter, we run into the arms of the True Comforter, Jesus Christ! It is He who becomes our strength to overcome and empowers us to walk in continued love, healing, peace and joy! Jesus is the TRUE “Adrenaline Rush” that leads to LIFE! Read more about the 4 things Jesus would do about addiction

At New Life Spirit Recovery, we want to help you overcome your addiction and help you realize the depth of God’s love for you! We would love to partner with you to become an overcomer and help you walk into your future free from your addiction and experiencing the greatest and truest adrenaline rush in all creation…God’s love!

March 20, 2017May 23, 2019

Overcoming Anger

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Recovery isn’t a substance abuse problem alone; it is a heart problem that brings alongside it many other behaviors and emotions. Among other emotional problems, people struggling with addiction carry a lot of anger. Anger, much like substance abuse, numbs the heart from having feel. But for whatever short-term benefits it provides, it will lead a person into full-blown bondage.

What is Anger?

Anger is a defensive emotion that arises when we feel we have been violated. Anger is an attempt to maintain what we have; to validate how we feel or to protect what we feel entitled to possess. We can also experience anger when our own sense of worth is threatened, our basic needs are not properly met or when we feel our beliefs are under attack. Anger is a secondary emotion—it is driven by a deeper emotion that masks the initial emotion. (Adapted from The Christian Codependence Workbook by Stephanie Tucker).

Anger manifests in a variety of ways:
• Through defensiveness, blaming and denying
• Through criticizing, fault-finding and shaming
• Through resentment and bitterness
• Through fighting, yelling and verbal attacks
• Through physical violence and abuse
• Through frustration and outbursts
• Through hate and malicious intents to destroy others
• Through inward repression and outward “good doing”

When we use anger, we are manifesting our own sense of power and control to overcome a problem. The Bible tells us that not all anger is sin (Eph 4:26). Initially, anger can be used to take a stand or come against something that we have a right to protect, including our own life and safety. This is justifiable anger, like the anger Jesus had towards Pharisees that were abusing God’s temple.

But anger that is allowed to control us and to grow in our hearts without a redemptive protocol eventually becomes dominant. It in essence swallows up all other emotions. Anger can bring us into dark and terrifying places. It can imprint an angry identity over our lives where we become back-biting, critical, hateful, ornery, hardened and potentially violent people.

While anger looks and feels stand-alone, it is not. It is driven by an initial emotion that oftentimes is hidden and buried deep behind the anger. Those raw emotions are what we try to avoid, but they are what need to be exposed.

Some of these raw emotions include:

• Fear
• Depression
• Sadness
• Betrayal
• Guilt
• Shame
• Loneliness
• Abandonment
• Rejection
• Unworthiness

These raw emotions aren’t wrong or sinful. They have a reason and God cares very much about what is happening in our internal world. Jesus can meet us in our pain – but when we are angry – we become unreachable. Left without solution, these emotions, alongside anger, will destroy us from the inside. Simply put, anger needs to be understood and managed or it can ruin our lives.

Anger triggers

Anger is triggered whenever a current situation leaves us feeling threatened. That’s why it is a guardian emotion. It may stick its fists up in the air (sometime literally) and push a perceived “intruder” away. There are many ways anger will manifest in the moment of a trigger – including verbal and even physical abuse. But sometimes anger is passive aggressive. It seems outwardly friendly, but inwardly it is plotting revenge.

Bridget’s anger results in foul-language and accusations. When triggered, she feels an explosion of every built up issue she ever had with her husband. She uses anger to attack him with her tongue. Her anger is a weapon – but in truth, it is an expression of pain. Bridget isn’t really that mean and vicious woman that she projects; she is a scared little girl that has been offended by an insensitive comment that mimicked her abusive father. But her anger can be costly. One wrong move, and anger can erupt in violence and even worse. When angers isn’t managed, it can destroy our lives. It starts as innocent pain, but becomes a sinful stronghold.

Ted hides his anger and continues to comply in relationships where he feels offense. When he feels used or violated, he keeps track of every detail of that situation and inwardly condemns the responsible party. Outwardly, no one would know he’s angry; perhaps he’d never admit to anger either. But then his relationships are infected by resentment, and when he can, he develops a method to hurt or “pay back” the offender. It doesn’t matter if our anger seemingly doesn’t hurt others, it will hurt our own hearts and will ultimately cause disconnection in our relationships.

What to Do with Anger:

Anger doesn’t mean a person is terribly evil. While the behaviors can be extremely damaging, anger is an expression of needs and of pain. Thus, where anger exists, it means we need to process situations and events, and also work through relationship struggles. This is good news. This makes anger more like a smoke detector than simply a defective human being. Anger alerts us that there is a problem that needs to be dealt with. Usually there are resentments and offenses that took root and created an entire system of anger. God’s goal is to teach us to find the pain first, and deal with it in its raw form. This requires the ability to be vulnerable and to feel the pain, rather than immediately switch to anger.

The first step in aiding our lives from anger’s destructive influence is to recognize the reason it exists. If you identify with an anger problem, you really are identifying a pain problem. Instead of running from anger, feeling shame from it or pretending it isn’t there, listen to your anger. Write down, if at all possible, what goes through your head when you are angry. It may be hard to do in the moment, but you’ll be surprised by what you discover. Our anger will be directed towards another person initially, but if we listen closely, we’ll find that it is actually our own woundedness that is speaking.

If anger feels unmanageable, develop an anger management plan. This can be a safe place you go in your anger. You won’t want to in the moment – so planning ahead can help. You may want to have prepared reading, workshop music or bible scriptures that will aid you in identifying the triggering of anger. It is amazing how anger can break into the pain with God’s help. If you embrace the what you are feeling and ask God to help you in it, you’ll discover that He can address the pain.

When you are ready to face pain through God’s healing – He can bring transformation. But this requires we stop medicating our pain – both through anger and through any other drug or behavior that causes other emotions to shut down.

Releasing our anger isn’t about being weak or not being able to set boundaries. Just because you release anger, doesn’t mean you have to be defenseless. We use anger to empower ourselves wrongfully. As we allow God to administer healing, He also seeks to equip us with healthy weapons of defense. These are His ways of overcoming the pain and the problems we have people and with ourselves. God always has a better alternative and His ways will lead us into peace and joy!

New Life Spirit Recovery is a Christian drug and alcohol rehabilitation center that believes that God is Healer and has a redemptive plan in our lives. You can’t even be too far from His grasp. Call today to learn how to overcome your anger issues. 866.543.3361.

October 12, 2016May 25, 2019

Addiction is a Stronghold; but What Does That Mean?

What is a stronghold? Does it have a valid context in the bible and can that be applied to addictions, problems and conflicts?

In biblical times, strongholds were fortresses of protection used to hide from the enemy on the battlefield. A stronghold, therefore, represented a place of security from the oppressive elements of battle. In the spiritual battle of our lives a stronghold acts this same way – but depending on where that stronghold has been built, it can have dramatically different results. For example, Psalm 94:22 says “But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.” This is a picture of God acting as a safe haven and point of security. This is a stronghold that buffers us from the enemy.

However, the Bible also reveals that strongholds can be fiercely oppositional to our well being. They can be the very places where the enemy traps us into systems of thinking, feeling and behaving that single-handedly destroy our lives. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 says:

We are humans, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God.

In this context, strongholds are something to be rid of; something that obstruct our ability to know God. To know God is to have faith to believe He is real even though He can’t be seen, and then to pursue Him intimately in relationship. Through that relationship, we are fed and nourished by His truths and His purposes for our lives. To be kept from the knowledge of God, therefore is a state of being blinded and bound – as if we were taken away from life-giving resources. Imagine a fortress in your heart that is designed to keep you away from God by overtaking your mind and heart with wrongful ideas, mindsets and attitudes. This is a stronghold.

Strongholds are not reserved for people filled with total and complete darkness and evil. That’s why Christians are so easily deceived. Very simply, strongholds are lies that become our truths. Strongholds eventually can erupt into addiction, codependence or numerous other ailments. But those are the effects, not the cause of a stronghold. In 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 notice that the reference to a stronghold is “human reasoning and false arguments”. This is referring to the chatter we house internally in our everyday situations. We analyze, think, build conclusions, develop reasonable truths that become so much a part of who we are. Overtime, we can adapt thousands of false beliefs that are our inward truth. We typically normalize these lies (strongholds) and reject the remedy of truth.

Identifying a Stronghold:

Strongholds are spiritual, but show up in our soul. Our soul is composed of our mind (thinking), emotions (feeling) and will (choosing). Just because a person is Biblically literate doesn’t exclude the potential for strongholds. Strongholds (lies) are much deeper than surface level,and often times we don’t even know what we’ve agreed with as truth in our heart. Once we come in agreement with a lie, our perception of ourselves, God and others gets tainted. Depending on the information we are digesting, this can be extremely toxic.

Examples include:

A man uses heroine as a way of managing his fears. He feels powerful and insists his life is manageable. He rejects any help and places his addiction above everything and everyone. His stronghold isn’t just the drug, but hundred of messages he believed that brought him to the point of wanting to leave reality through a substance.

A teenager believes she’s “fat” even though her thin figure weights in at only 65 pounds. She continues to starve herself to death and will not adhere to the insistence of those who say she needs help. Her stronghold isn’t just an eating disorder, but rather it’s her low self image and the obsessive way she’s tried to control how she is viewed.

A woman is abused by her boyfriend but faithfully remains in the relationship and is unwilling to leave in the name of “love.” She protects him and rejects people who want to help. Her stronghold isn’t just the boyfriend, but the lack of value and preciousness she has assigned to her life. She believed the message at some point that she didn’t deserve to be treated with love and dignity.

A child is ignored and neglected early in life, feeling invisible and unwanted. He brings that sense of rejection into all future relationships, recycling its message over and over again. His relationships suffer, but the lies he believed at a young age are the real problem.

There are thousands, perhaps millions of ways we can believe a lie as truth. But how can we actually find those lies? We don’t learn by studying the lies, but by understanding God’s perspective in all situations. Pursuing truth is the greatest feat in the Christian journey, especially in a culture that contradicts it at all levels. Many times Christians mistake knowing and memorizing God’s Word as the complete source of truth, believing that intellectualism can solve their inward crisis. Learning God’s Word is vital – but it’s not enough. Just as a fancy piece of gym equipment has no effect unless its used and applied, so God’s Word has to be “worked out” into us for it be effective. We desperately need for God to take that Word and place it into our heart like a flashlight. When we see our shortcomings, the lies we believe and the spiritual needs we house, we become positioned to let God change us. His greatest act of love is helping us find the mentalities, behaviors and choices that are creating barriers to us “knowing Him.” This can feel uncomfortable, but it is, in reality, the way He delivers from perilous battle conditions. We are then transferred into the safety of His love and protection. His goal is to become our stronghold.

Overcoming Strongholds

What about you? What lies have you believed? If you don’t know where to start, pray for Holy Spirit to reveal it and ask God to send truth into your heart. In program, our main focus is to help people identify where those strongholds have been built and to transfer unhealthy strongholds into God’s hands. This happens by doing a fearless inventory, and being willing to submit to God’s truth. Oftentimes, we don’t know that a lie exists because they can rise up quietly within, creating obstructive messages without us even knowing they exist. Issues from childhood, abuse, negative relationship and the culture at large are typically the culprit.

Here are some ways you can try to capture and demolish strongholds in your own life.

Pray to the Father to help you see and comprehend the strongholds and beliefs you might house. Be open to their existence, and ask to visualize them like a fortress that the enemy has resurrected in your soul. Allow righteous anger at the enemy to give you the courage to pursue what lies within. Refuse to let fear prohibit you from seeking truth’s remedy.

Inventory yours thoughts and continue to assault them as they try to get placement. Trace your emotions and behaviors back to potential lies that you are believing.If you know of an area of weakness (addiction, relationship struggles, low self esteem) find resources specific to that area so you can better identify this. This might be a 12-step meeting, a workshop, counseling, treatment or a friend you know has similar issues.

Stay in God’s Word, even if only in small increments. God’s Word is the power you have to speak over lies. God’s Word is literally like an arsenal. It can detonate strongholds, just so long as we believe in the words and through faith activate them.

Ask for help. Seek prayer, support from others and maintain a connective community as a lifestyle where you can hear from others in a similar battle as your own. Isolation is where all strongholds are formed.

A Prayer to Overcome Strongholds

Father God,

Help me to overcome the power of the lies I harbored, protected and listened to as my truth. Show me where lies have taken ownership of my heart. I submit myself to you so you can shine light into the darkness, and you can expel the tactics of the evil one. I choose to take hold of the weapon of truth. Make me hungry and thirsty for your Word – and help me to not only read your Word, but let it become my nature – who I am. Claim my heart to be a safe haven to your Truth, and protect that Truth at all costs. I cast out the lie that ____________________ and I replace it with the truth that ___________________.

In Jesus name – Amen

Whoever shapes your choices determines your destiny

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“The essence of God’s love to us is expressed through free will. God gave us the incredible gift of choice that allows us to decide how to interact with Him and others. Had God not offered us this relational style, we’d be enslaved to Him by force. We’d be like pre programmed machines used to perform a function rather than engage intimately and through love. Therefore, while God desires that we give Him control, He makes it optional. He is a leader who respects His followers and doesn’t “cram” Himself down their throats.
When God isn’t in control, a human system takes His place of authority. In fact, when we aren’t allowing God to be in control, it often means we are in the operating seat. Or we may have allowed someone or something else to make decisions on our behalf. Human-controlled structures will always bring damage. That’s because human beings could never offer the resources God Almighty provides! Even the most well-intentioned human lacks the wisdom, pure love and power to act on our behalf. Imagine comparing the strength of a gnat with that of a lion.-there is no comparison! Comparing human strength with God’s power is insanely ridiculous. God is the Potter; we are the clay. The clay can’t independently grow in beauty and design unless it is allowed to be shaped by the Maker.”
-Christian Families in Recovery

April 18, 2013May 25, 2019

Treating Addiction With Truth

Did you know that according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) that in 2010 “23.1 million people needed treatment for a drug or alcohol problem, and only 2.6 million, or 11.2 percent, received it.”. Another statistic states that 1 in 11 Americans 12 or older are addicted. Addiction is an enormous, enormous problem in our culture and society. Its consequences are greater than we can comprehend. Whatever preconceived notions there have been about the face of a drug addict, we know that today addiction is everywhere and can affect people with all backgrounds. And that means, yes, even people and leaders in the church can be addicted. Families are suffering, companies are affected, the healthcare system is bogged down, jails and prisons are overcrowded and people don’t know what to do with the epidemic. With so much more technology, advanced “scientific” research and more access to help then ever before, why is addiction getting worse, not better?

Treating Addiction with Truth

Defining the root drive of addiction is perhaps the greatest source of division on this topic. The medical community claims the physical brain and other genetic dispositions are the culprit behind addiction. Medical science seems unable to treat addiction except with oftentimes more medication, and thus the transferring of one substance to another. There is no question that the brain gets altered by substance abuse, but the medical community claims the brain is the cause, not just the effect of substance abuse. Ironically, most medical doctors know that the most effective way to treat addiction is through a spiritual remedy of the 12 step process.

Christians also range in their understanding of addiction. Some Christians and churches simply label it as willful sin, thus consider the person struggling with addiction as merely rebellious. They may even look at the addictive nature of a person and resolve that their behavior is explained because “they are not really a Christian in the first place”. Other churches may try to help an addict, but don’t have the understanding of the power of addiction, and the tools that are required to create an atmosphere where addicts can seek help.

Whatever our own perception of addiction is, somewhere lies the actual truth of its roots and cause. How we find ourselves defining addiction will lie in direct correlation to the solution we seek to apply to it. If we see people as merely the effect of a medical disorder, we’ll find security in sending a person through the scientific approach, relying on medication and other approaches. If we believe addiction is just a “sin” issue, we’ll judge and form conclusions about the addict’s spiritual status, and thus be prone to the “throw them out.”

Seeking Truth

As Christians, we’ve been granted the gift of a lifetime – the access to truth. This truth is not just stated in God’s Word, but can be used to interpret the world around us through the mind of Christ. Truth isn’t just a Bible passage, but the ability to take God’s wisdom and apply it to our daily lives, including the reality of addiction.

What Do We Believe?

Our perspective of what constitutes the source of truth will determine the outcome of our lives. If we seek medical digests and human knowledge as truth, that’s where we go to access solutions. And what we will receive is whatever resources the medical community has available, namely medication and mental health specialists who use human theories to treat addiction. If we use the Bible as our source of truth, we will be able to access its resources. We will have the opportunity to see God’s viewpoint of life, relationships, dependencies and sin, and given the power and resources that God’s promises offer.

But learning God’s Word and accessing and applying it to our lives is where the battle will be waged. That’s because oftentimes we are told things in the Bible that contradict what we see with our eyes, and what our modern-day society has deemed as “truth.” In fact, the Bible tells us that we are engaged in a battle for our minds – the very essence of our belief systems. This battle is not happening through flesh and blood people (although it manifests through people and systems), but we are engaged with “forces of darkness.” Now let’s be honest. That is an uncomfortable truth! It’s a truth that we would rather brush under the rug and choose to ignore. Yet, if God’s Word is the source of truth, we cannot deny it’s statement.

How We Receive Truth

Many times truth is distorted because it’s used as a rule book and a measuring stick, rather than a revelation of heart and purposes of God. Thus “truth” that claims to know the Bible and have the answers, but lacks a deep encounter of Jesus Christ, isn’t truth at all. That’s because when Jesus walked this earth, He became “truth” in flesh and blood. Let’s read:

In the beginning the Word already existed.The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. – John 1: 1-5 (NLT)

A relationship with Jesus Christ lead us to the source of truth, because it gives us access to Him. When we are spiritual blind and caught in the perils of denial, we in essence are walking in darkness. But when Jesus enters into our life, He gives light, and the ability to see. With addiction, as with all areas of our lives, the person suffering will first need “see truth” before they will have access to God’s solution.

Truth and the Holy Spirit

Sadly, the work of the Holy Spirit gets desperately misunderstood and neglected in the life of many believers. For the addict, it is imperative and absolutely necessary to learn to walk and live in the Spirit. That’s because the Holy Spirit performs functions that oppose our human default patterns. The addict isn’t just doing “bad stuff” on purpose. There is an entire infected system in their life that needs to be re-wired. The mind of the addict is broken and filled with faulty information. Their thoughts have been bound by lies that contradict God’s plans and purposes for their life. Through faulty belief systems, they have formed habitual patterns that led to strongholds. Strongholds are lies that become a truth. They are an automatic response over a period of time, rather than a choice.

Because of this very important component, that’s why a central focus in the treatment or the recovery process must be in the arena of truth. Truth finding is not about a human counselor standing with a bunch of “therapeutic” knowledge and claiming to have the insight to a person’s problem. Rather, truth finding is a process that occurs ONLY when a person is able to engage with the Holy Spirit. To set things straight – the Holy Spirit is a Person and part of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit actually houses the very mind of Christ. This is God Almighty coming inside us and giving us the ability to think, feel and behave under His influence, not our own flesh, in a given situation.

Because the addict has been programmed to think, feel and act based on wrong data, it will take the work of the Holy Spirit to reprogram that data. This will occur gradually as each lie and stronghold is brought to the light and replaced with the truth of God in that situation.

Does it seem radical that only the power of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit can cure an addict? If so, stop and assess your own ideas of addiction.

Do you recognize that addiction is terrible and can lead to death physically, emotionally and spiritually? Have you resolved that you or the person you love must get help, and that it will require God’s intervention?
Do you recognize that all spiritual ailments come in the forms of lies that take our minds captives and cause us to think, feel and behave in a negative way. Thus, addiction recovery must occur by the renewing of the mind, not merely adjusting outward behaviors or treating addiction as a medical condition?
Do you believe in the power of the Holy Spirit? What role does He play in your life? Has He revealed His truth? Do you limit Him to the Word of the Bible alone, or do you let Him press deeply into your heart and reveal how God’s Word must be activated and made alive in your heart?
Where do you bank the hope for the addict in your life? And what pathway must you take to follow that?

Whatever you respond, the questions can be pondered, but they can also be brought directly to the throne of grace. No person can dictate truth to you. It must be worked out with God. No matter your situation, make today the day you claim to receive truth – allow God to penetrate your heart and trust in Him to initiate the processes necessary to bring you or someone you love our of bondage and into freedom.

Lord God,
I need truth to understand addiction in myself or someone I love. I have tried to figure it out on my own, and it is beyond my grasp. Shine a light before me and show me where to go. Lead me to the answers I need in my own situation. Don’t let me be tricked or deceived. When I am afraid, I ask that reveal with kindness and gentleness the pathways of Your will, and offer me Your hope and the fulfillment of Your promises.
In Jesus Name – Amen

Do you need a treatment program that is committed to the spiritual remedy of the Holy Spirit and renewing of the mind? Call us today! If we can’t help you, we will definitely do everything we can to find someone who can!

January 18, 2013May 25, 2019

The Power to Change

Did you ever find it frustrating that despite your best efforts, change is difficult, and sometimes seemingly impossible to obtain? New Year’s resolutions quickly fall short as our true desires and ideals quickly become another pile of unmet self-expectations. So why do we fail? Is it self-discipline that we lack? If we struggle with addiction, should we have the will power to just stop?

For those of us who have walked the roadway of Christ-centered recovery, we fully recognize that had we been left to our own devices, we would be in a hopeless condition. We understand that apart from God we can do nothing. Yet with His resources and our connection to Him, we’ve been equipped with everything necessary to live this life and be victorious. So what’s stopping us if we aren’t there? And how can we truly unlock the mystery of living out the life we desire? Let’s take a closer look!

Where Change Begins

We often think change begins simply because we have a desire for it, and then we can work hard to attain it. But in truth, we can possess the desire for change in relationships, health, image, career, ministry and other areas without any results, leaving us feeling frustrated and seemingly hopeless. Although our desire to change is certainly necessary, striving, trying, and pushing ourselves is not the solution. God declares in His Word that “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (1 Corinthians 12:9). Change is not a result of our human effort; it’s a result of the power of God coming into our lives through the Holy Spirit. This power isn’t activated by us “trying”, but by us acknowledging that we can’t. The first step in the 12 step program basically states “I can’t manage my own life.” At step three, we move to the place of giving God control. It is clear that all other freedom rests through this transaction. This means that God can only be activated when we:

1. First admit that we are incapable of changing

2. We submit to God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

God’s Job in Changing Us

Imagine for a moment if you had a major crisis with your home, such as a natural disaster, that caused devastating damage to your home. As you sifted through the broken rubble, you recognized that the environment needed to be changed. Your home was no longer able to be inhabited in its current condition. So in the day and weeks to come, a contractor was hired to plan all necessary repairs. Since this was no ordinary damage, you recognized you were totally unable to fix the home without outside intervention and equipment. But despite that reality, now, imagine that you were so deeply overcome by fear that the contractor would bring further damage, you opted to take a seat right next him, and control and mandate how he should do his job. You insisted that he do things in your timing and way. You directed him to work in ways that were unsafe and far from the process that he was equipped to perform. Thus, in the midst of large plans to reconstruct, your “intervention” posed a safety hazard and impeded the work from continuing. So as the contractor stepped aside, you took the tools and tried to fix things yourself. It might be no surprise that it didn’t work. Disaster after disaster occurred. The walls and roof crumbled around you, and you had absolutely no skill or ability to overcome and repair. The house could not be fixed, and you were overwhelmed by your position of responsibility to try to do the impossible.

While that may sound extreme, in many ways we bring God into our situations in a like manner. For a season we may “hire Him” to do the job. We are desperate in the moment and plead for His assistance. Yet once He enters into our lives and exposes the things that are broken and in need of “fixing”, we get nervous. We doubt Him and His capabilities. We fear the loss of control over our future. We fear that things will be changed in ways we won’t like. So rather than trust in the engineering and capability of a God who is PERFECTLY able to be make our lives whole, we snatch the role from Him, and put ourselves in charge. And from there, we begin to find that apart from Him, it is impossible!

Creating the Environment for Change

As we recognize that we can’t change ourselves or stop addictive behavior, it’s important to understand that God operates by certain conditions and terms. For example, just as a general contractor must secure an environment that is safe for his workers to implement the construction plans, so our Lord must be given permission to survey, evaluate and implement His own process. This means we will need to enter into a “contract” with Him on His terms, asking Him to change us, with the commitment to be surrendered to Him and His established purposes in the situation. We must let Him bring His blueprints to fruition without trying to intervene.

It’s helpful to understand the general methods of God’s operation, and to understand where we might struggle in the pursuit of allowing God to change us. Let’s look:

God brings the light of truth. When He first enters into our situation, God will reveal the truth of what is occurring. This requires a willingness to confront our lives and circumstances on the basis of what they are, not how we wished or pretended they would be. Sometimes we can be so focused on the wrongs of someone else, that we have been blinded to our unhealthy behaviors. If we are consumed by denial, He will confront us and expose what has been hidden. Denial is a tricky reality because we usually deny to cope with pain. God knows what has occurred and what has prevented us from seeing things as He sees things. This can be very disruptive at first. It would be like having that disaster strike in the evening hours where everything is covered and naked to the eye. Then, as the sun begins to rise, the level of rubbish can be revealed.

God’s revelation is not to harm us. In fact, He can get to work the moment light is shining and we are willing to participate. If we remain in denial (darkness), God can’t work. That’s because He is light. And where He exists, darkness will leave, and truth will be exposed. Therefore, the moment we try to cover, hide or bury what He reveals, He is prevented.

God operates by love. If we ever see God as angry or after some agenda to hurt us, we’ll never have the confidence to fully give our lives to Him. God is tender-hearted and kind. He is compassionate and filled with mercy and grace. He sees the wreckage in and around us and knows that He alone has the remedy to fix what’s broken. However, just because He is that way towards us doesn’t mean that we will perceive Him in that manner. If we harbor a faulty idea of God because of our earthly experience, we will not engage with God properly. Instead of the Contractor of our Soul that can restore us, we’ll be prone to try to get Him to work within our own “blue print” of how we think He should “love” us. Furthermore, if we have a fear-based understanding of God, we by default will protect ourselves from Him rather than invite Him inside.

God operates by holiness.While God is loving, He has a radical agenda in our lives that will not negotiate, approve, or be even remotely tolerant of the sin that hurts us so deeply. Yet He is not oriented towards changing the outwards and giving us a set of lists that we are expected to live up to. Many of us mistook holiness as law-based expectations. In truth, God’s holy nature means He desires to remove the darkness, brokenness and sin issues that plague us, knowing full well the damage they cause. God’s holiness also means He wants us to be restored back to the original design and purpose He has for us. And the only thing that prevents us from that are the areas where sin, shame and brokenness still exist. God acts as a Surgeon to eradicate the cancer in us to preserve our life. He uses the power of forgiveness and grace to remove those things that hold us back. Sometimes this process can be painful. We must not grow weary in the process or misunderstand His purposes. God’s relentless pursuit of our holiness was the entire purpose of Jesus Christ. Through Him we can be cleansed, purified and made holy.

God uses grace to change us. Just as holiness is God’s agenda, we can rest assured that the responsibility of its attainment does not rest in our own resources. Instead, God gave us grace. Grace refers to God’s unmerited favor, but it can also be thought of as everything we need to live life. This includes all the resources and healing abilities of God. Grace first seeks to remove our sin and residue of shame from our hearts. Then, it seeks to teach us to deal with the shame that others impose upon us. Grace is a like a cleansing agent that purifies and restores everything it touches, and re-aligns everything is broken. If we could access it in its entirety, it would set everything back on course.And so now we come back to our initial point. Grace is activated in our weakness. In other words, when we have a pile of rubbish around us, and we are screaming “I can’t Lord, help me” – grace has the environment to work. But at the same when we come geared up with our own tools and agenda, grace is prohibited.

God operates through faith and praise, not fear and worry.No matter how desperately we need to be changed, if we approach God with the general belief that He can’t help us and that our problems are too big for Him, He won’t even be able to enter into that situation. It may take everything in us to simply say, “Lord, I struggle, help me believe! I believe that you can! I believe that you are able!” Sometimes our inner conversation sounds more like “I know you can’t. I don’t even think you want to help me.” This deeply grieves the Spirit of God. Even though He loves us and wants to free us, we are speaking things that oppose His truth. Thus, God will stay away until He is invited in on the basis of who He actually is.

Do you have power in your life to change? First of all, have you met Jesus Christ? That is the beginning of all true change. If you’ve invited Him into your heart, has He been given access to do the work of transformation? Ask Him to bring you deeper into understanding how you need to be healed, where you are broken and the plan He has to redeem you. God is faithful!

Do you want to participate in a healing workshop? The Christian Codependence Workshops are sponsored by Spirit of Life Recovery and taught by Stephanie Tucker, author of The Christian Codependence Recovery Workshop: From Surviving to Significance. It’s a step by step process of allowing God to engage and restore the things that are broken by relying Him and believing in the power of grace! Click here to learn more. This is applicable for every single Christian despite the struggle.

Do you want to help others find deliverance? Get trained on how to use this process to lead groups or assist people in the counseling room. Click here to learn more.

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