Drugs and Drinking no more, A 40 day program: Day 25
Self-help Strategy #1: Learn how you can get rid of drugs and drinking by getting rid of Pride – which keeps people in addiction. High level pride is refusing to go to AA or NA. Refusing to seek help from a Pastor or Priest. Knowing that Mom or Dad or Brother or Sister is right when they advise you and ignoring what they say because you believe you are smarter than them. Knowing you need rehab and trying every other method instead (we will still be here when you come back). Pride is not seeking help because you do not want to tell people you slipped up again.
A humble person reads great books on quitting addiction 3 times just to make sure they get it. They take notes when their Pastor/Priest gives them great advice and they review them often. They get more help from everybody involved because they show such a high level of appreciation for the advice and help they get. They go to extremes to put the advice into action (whether they believe it will work or not). They see that other people have helped them and loved them. So they plan to help the next person once they have cleaned up their act.
Pride is a test. Will you do things your way or your sponsor’s way? Your way or the legal way? Your way or Gods way? The Bible says that pride goeth before a fall. Most of us have already experienced that verse. Passing the pride test gives you another important key to permanent freedom. Focus on it.
Should we condemn ourselves for slipping up again? Should we condemn ourselves for things from our past? Some people condemn themselves for things other people have done to them in the past. We somehow figure out a way to blame ourselves for what they did. We just can’t do that. We have to put the past to bed.
Many of us are still mad about things that happened years ago. We need to forgive the people who hurt us. When we don’t we go back into the anger cycle. First we are offended, then bitter, then resentful, then full blown rage. When we do forgive we regain a proper relationship with God. Mathew 6:14-15 says: For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Discover what to do when emotions overwhelm you. Sometimes we let an emotional problem push us right back to drinking/drugs. Instead of using drugs or drinking as a crutch when thing go bad find something you like to do that you do well, and do it over and over. If you spend your time doing things you’re not good at, it’ll frustrate you and cause you to feel defeated and unsuccessful.
Don’t let the way another person treats you determine your worth.
Keep your flaws in perspective. People with a high level of confidence have just as many weaknesses as people without confidence, but they concentrate on their strengths—not their flaws or weaknesses.”
The next question is, should you condemn yourself for going back to your addiction? The answer is no. But the best way to regain your joy is to develop a better plan to quit your addiction. The most important step to doing that is to get on the same page God is on. He wants you to quit your addiction so that you can fulfill your God given purpose. So first you ask Him to forgive you for your sin. Some of you have quit and asked for forgiveness 4751 times and you are losing your faith that God even wants anything to do with you.
For hard core people repenting is not simple. If you have blown all your money on drugs and booze 247 times and blown all of your wife’s money 31 times, a tearful I’m sorry is just not enough. Explaining to her the 20 new changes you now promise to make, to make sure it does not happen again is a much better idea. Reminding her every day that you are living out these changes is even better. It is the same with God. Tell Him exactly what you are going to do every day to change. Write it down. Then every day tell Him that you are going to keep doing the things which will keep you from drinking or drugs every day.
Now you must create a plan and do it. Don’t let laziness or lack of organization stop you. Be a fanatic about following a plan to quit your addiction.
Also plan for life’s disasters. Don’t let money issues or people issues drag you back into drinking/drugs.
Lastly pray more. Pray the prayer of Jabez which is 1 Chronicles 4:10 (KJV)
“10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.”
Remember, that we start to be under God’s blessing when we start to obey the Bible.
Galatians 5 New International Version (NIV)
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 6:9 King James Version (KJV) 9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?
98% of the time drugs make us unrighteous so it is the same as drinking (obviously medical exceptions may apply). Why does 1st Corinthians 6 and Galatians 5 say the harsh things they say? It may be because when we accept Christ we join God’s army. There is a massive war going on. God has huge things for every person to do. At first He may only give us small things to do until we straighten up enough to do the huge things. But we need to train always to do the huge things while we do the small things.
If we commit the sins which waste our time and money the disobedience is a problem. But the real problem is God’s army went off to war and ____ stayed behind because of _____ . What should God do with the deserters? In 2021 in America virtually no one is taught about the urgency and importance of serving in God’s army. No one is taught to have a passion for winning the war. A passion for souls. A love for the people all around us dying and going to hell.
I focus on this passage regularly because I want to be fully aware of the war which is going on. I must quit any addictions so that I am able to do the task that God has for me to do. Quitting ________ shows the world you are fully aware of the war going on. It tells everybody that you will be as strong as you can be so that you can accomplish God’s plan for you.
Psalm 143:8
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
This is a great prayer to pray every day. There is also a great book called the Prayer of Jabez which I highly recommend.
Continue to read the Purpose Driven Life.
Ramp up your day 25 detox program by Fulfilling your purpose – do something to help. Pray “Father, bring people to this website and give them a chance to overcome addiction, find your love, start to find their purpose and to start to find joy again.”
Read John 22, 2nd Corinthians 6 and Proverbs 20
Thankyou for reading day 25 to learn self help strategies to quit drugs and drinking.
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Index
Day one: How to overcome cravings
Day two: Would believing in a higher power be good for you?
Day three: Quitting addiction exercises
Day four: Does God answer pray?
Day five: Starting to understand that we can’t increase our pleasure for the whole month by going back to our addiction
Day six: Planning our day to keep addiction temptation to a minimum
Day seven: We find liberty (or start to find liberty) from addiction when we find Jesus
Day eight: First fruit of the Spirit
Day nine: Benefits of worshipping God
Day ten: Getting rid of negative emotions and overcoming cravings
Day 11: How to be blessed by God and self control
Day 12: Have a list of coping statements
Day 13: How to have living water so that you will never thirst again. How to become a christian.
Day 14: Adam and Eve show us what we do that causes things to go wrong
Day 15: Consequenses of doing wrong
Day 16: Self control
Day 17: What leads back to using and self control
Day 18: How to pray to fight addiction
Day 19: Can we get our prayers answered?
Day 20: Overcoming relationship problems
Day 21: Finding a church that can help you
Day 22: Overcoming addiction exercises
Day 23: Don’t worship pleasure – serve others instead to find real joy
Day 24: Always planning will help you stay clean