The Abolition of Addiction

All of us need help sometimes. Humbling ourselves to receive that help comes especially hard for some of us. As a broken man, I was enslaved to alcohol and the moral failure that always goes with it. In effect, I had sold my soul like the Prodigal. But by God’s grace and taking personal responsibility, I was set free! Praise God!!

Typical of most recovering addicts, I went to treatment, regularly attended support groups and was accountable to a sponsor. I remained tightly involved in the recovery movement and considered becoming a counselor, even earning a Master of Arts Degree in Clinical Christian Counseling in 1998. 

After gathering a Board of Directors in 1999, Discovery Group, Inc. was organized. We even opened a Discovery Thrift Store the same year. Quite typical!

I wrote a book in 2005 on the 12 Steps called, Beyond Recovery, Into a Life of Peace and Productivity. At that time, it seemed a unique idea to me, but this was also typical. Since then I have seen dozens of books on the same topic.

I think writing the book was valuable. It has benefitted many others. Mostly, it was cathartic for me. Overcoming the trauma of family, career and financial loss became fertile ground for growing yet another recovery ministry.

For the last 25 years Discovery has partnered with treatment and rehab centers to provide a forward-thinking perspective on recovery. We remain very thankful for these relationships. 

Through my own experience, I have observed that addiction recovery programs are designed to get us through a bad time, to offer liberation from addictions. They provide needed help for a season. But they were never intended to become a permanent way of life!

At some point an individual seizes the opportunity, takes the initiative and becomes a producer. We throw off our old identity of enslavement and its mentality and we enter our role as Children of God!

Part of our recovery is not only the liberation from our primary dependencies like drugs, alcohol and habitual behaviors, but also embracing the freedom from dependencies upon temporary programs. Healthy programs are like good parents who rear their children then launch them out like arrows. Psalm 127:4 This understanding is put forth in our current NEXT STEP Seminar.

“Setting Captives Free!” is the motto of many Christian recovery programs. It fits!

The first message Jesus spoke at synagogue was taken from Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because the Lord has anointed Me to… proclaim liberty to the captives…

Jesus, the Son of God, would humble Himself to become a slave that He might pioneer a new way of living beyond slavery. Philippians 2:8 NLT

When Jesus ascended on high, He led in taking captivity captive. Ephesians 4:8

He sent the empowering Holy Spirit so that we could live abundant and free!

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 2 Corinthians 3:17

Now He sends us out to proclaim this truth to others. Acts 1:8