Addiction Counseling, Program Administration No comments yet

Helping Recovering People Reconnect With the Church

By on February 20th, 2022

Over twenty years ago, Rev. Maurice Vanderberg, Executive Director of City Union Mission in Kansas City, hung the purpose of their new Christian Life Program on their chapel wall. It is a statement that should de ­scribe the intent of all rescue mission re ­covery programs:

Our goal is to see every man becomes a mature, contributing member of a Christian community.

People become homeless because they are disconnected from meaningful rela ­tionships with others. They don’t know how to access social support systems. And, for most, their trust level is at about zero. As they complete our resi ­dential recovery programs, we must as ­sist them to become “plugged-in” to places where they will experience the support, nurture, and encouragement they need to grow in faith and in sobri ­ety.

Becoming active in a church home is ab ­solutely essential for homeless addicts who want to establish themselves in a new, independent, sober and godly lifestyle. They must develop a personal system of ongoing support that replaces the structure provided by the mission residential program. This might also in ­clude participation in support groups and finding a program sponsor. All of this can only be accomplished if we have a definite “aftercare” strategy in place.

Attending Sunday morning worship at a local church is required by most mission programs. Sadly, their experience of the Church looks something like this:

The mission van pulls up to the church door and the clients file into the building.

They find a safe place to sit, usually in the back of the church.

They stay in their own group and have little contact with other people at the worship service.

After the service ends, they file back into the van after ex ­changing a few words with the greeters at the door.

This is so tragic, because the Body of Christ is the greatest support network there ever was. And, we know that par ­ticipating in a local congregation is es ­sential for Christian growth.

Here are a few suggestions for rescue mission personnel that may be useful in helping program participants to make the sometimes difficult transition into a supportive body of believers:

A. Find “Mission Friendly” Churches

Probably the first place to look for “mis ­sion friendly” churches is the list of those who are already active with your chapel services and other activities. Just as we must visit support groups before sending program participants to them, we also need to personally visit the churches they attend. The reason for this is simple: not all churches can handle people from rescue missions. Some have a theology that is not compatible with our approach to recovery. For others, getting involved with rescue mission cli ­ents might just be too much of a socio ­economic stretch.

B. Connecting with Pastors

Once you have identified those churches, visit with their pastors. Let them know your desire to work with them to help your clients find a spiritu4 home in their churches. The pastor can help you to enlist a few members of his church who could become church spon ­sors for people from the rescue mission.

Whenever possible, invite pastors to the mission so they can tour your facilities and learn about your programs. When I was a mission director, I was active in the local clergy council. A couple of times a year, we hosted their monthly meeting and provided a lunch. It’s al ­ways amazing to see how much more in ­terested people become in our missions when they have had a chance to set foot in our buildings and can see what we are actually doing.

C. Train the Church Sponsors

Once we have identified these “mission friendly” churches, schedule a few orientation sessions for the church sponsors.   This is an opportunity to help them to better understand and reach out to mis ­sion clients we send their way. This could be accomplished in a single meet ­ing where a handbook could be given out with additional information. The goal is to develop a list of willing and equipped church sponsors that mission staff members could match up with mis ­sion program participants as they seek out a church home.

D. Christian Recovery Groups – A Bridge to the Christian Community

Most Christian recovery group meetings have several former addicts who are liv ­ing stable Christian lives. Because of their own experiences, these people can empathize with the struggles of home ­less addicts in a deeper way than most believers. We are sure to find some who will take our clients under their wings, serve as sponsors, invite them to their homes, and bring them to church with them.

If you have already developed a program to help mission program participants become integrated into the local Church, please contact us at the IUGM Education Department. We are gather ­ing materials on this topic that will be available to other member missions.

 

April 1998

Addiction Counseling Comments turned off

Twelve Steps to Freedom

By on January 21st, 2022

The Twelve Steps originated with Alcoholics Anonymous in the mid 1930’s. Besides being used to help alcoholics and drug addicts, the Twelve Steps have been used in support groups for family members, over-eaters, compulsive gamblers, and even for those desiring to escape from sexual addiction. These Steps formed the basis of treatment and counseling activities at New Creation Center where I served as Executive Director for ten years in the 1980’s.

In the past few years, a movement recognizing the power of the Twelve Steps has sprung up among evangelical Christians concerned with those struggling with various addictions. Some believers worry that they bring secular concepts to the Christian counseling field.

From where do these Twelve Steps derive their power? The answer is very simple; from the Bible! Although following the Steps does not always bring an alcoholic (or other sufferer) into a saving relationship with Christ, they do work in overcoming addictions. This is shown by the millions of people who have found sobriety since AA’s beginning. In some ways, it is very much like the businessman who succeeds financially when he makes spiritual principles the basis of his business practices.

With so many excellent books discussing the Twelve Steps in depth, this article is written only as a simple introduction for those who have had no previous exposure to them. The Steps can be broken down into three categories; Step 1 the addict’s relationship with his addiction, Steps 2-5: his relationship with God, and Steps 7-12: his relationship with others. The word “recovery”, as used in this article, is synonymous with the Biblical term, “sanctification.” Just as the word sanctification implies that overcoming sin is a life-long process, so to, recovering from the “fall-out” of an addiction takes a lifetime program of growth.

Step One – “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.”

Interestingly enough, the first step is the only one that mentions alcohol. This illustrates the fact that there is a big difference between being sober and just not drinking. Without a concrete program that leads to a changed life, most non-drinking alcoholics are just as dishonest and hard to live with as when they are actively drinking. Step One also emphasizes the necessity of an admission of complete defeat. As long as an alcoholic thinks he can handle his problem on his own, he will never find real freedom from his addiction. “Hitting bottom” is referred to as the time where the addict, through the confrontation of circumstances, is willing to admit powerlessness.

Step Two – “Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.”

According to the Bible, God created human beings to be dependent by nature. The problem is not whether or not we are dependent. The issue is, what will we be dependent on? Trusting in ourselves is always destructive. Dependence on alcohol or drugs is even more so. Many have asked, “How can you get alcoholics to trust in Christ?” The answer is obvious. They already know what it means to be totally sold out to a higher power; their drug of choice! They need to learn how to transfer their dependence to something that will not destroy their lives, but will equip them to live a whole new way of life.

Step Three – “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.”

When the alcoholic or drug addict comes to a real understanding of the destructiveness of his addiction, the need for something (or Someone) outside of himself becomes clear. Step Three points him to the One who will set him free from his life of chemical-induced insanity. Although AA is not a Christian organization, like the other support groups mentioned earlier, millions of people have rediscovered their faith and have returned to the churches of their childhoods because of this Step. Only in heaven, will we actually know the number!

Step Four – “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.”

This Step is essentially an effort to help the alcoholic in recovery to discover his limitations. By examining his sins, as well as his character assets, he can regain his lost sense of self-awareness. This is the first step involving a review of his relationships with others.

Step Five – “Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.”

Confession of our sins to one another, as commanded in James 5:16, is a too little practiced Christian discipline. Yet, for the recovering alcoholic, it is an essential step in the process of becoming free from the past and its guilt. Practicing it also helps him to overcome his sense of isolation while learning humility and the “rigorous honesty” that is essential for a successful recovery program. Furthermore, self-confidence returns, along with a good conscience and restored fellowship with God.

Step Six – “Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

Step Seven – “Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.”

These two steps work together to help the person in recovery to grow in the realization that only God Himself is really able to work the changes in his life that are so necessary to maintain sobriety.

Step Eight – “Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.”

Step Nine – “Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except where to do so would injure them or others.”

These two steps are aids toward the restoration of the alcoholic’s personal relationships. A thorough examination of his past behavior is the first step toward making actual amends, restitution, and apologies to those most affected by his harmful behavior. It means that he must be ready to take responsibility for his own behavior and to share honestly with those he has hurt. (see “Restoration through Making Amends Part 1 & Part 2)

Step Ten – “Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.”

To succeed in a recovery program, a habit of self-searching must become a way of life. And, when wrongs are pointed out, they must be made right in all humility.

Step Eleven – “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry it out.”

The terms used in this Step are very familiar to most Christians. In it the recovering alcoholic is encouraged to develop the “lost” spiritual art of meditation. Through prayerful contemplation on spiritual truths, he is led into a knowledge of God’s will for his life. This Step emphasizes the need for continued spiritual growth, while he goes on in the faith-building adventure of answered prayer.

Step Twelve – “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry the message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.”

This last Step is an action step. The aim of the Twelve Steps, according to AA, is to bring the alcoholic into the experience of a spiritual awakening, a renewed consciousness of the presence and power of God in his life. He cannot keep this life-transforming experience to himself, but will want to share it with others who still suffer as he once did.

It is hoped that the significance of this approach can be seen through this very brief discussion. I believe that, as the message of the Twelve Steps coupled with the power of the Gospel spreads, many more suffering alcoholics will find their way to a fulfilled life, free of alcohol and drugs.

Addiction Counseling, Program Administration No comments yet

A Christian Philosophy of Addiction and Recovery

By on May 22nd, 2021

There’s a long standing debate in Christian Counseling circles as to whether addiction is a sin or a disease.   I have addressed this issue  in a previous article.   What I want to say here is simply, any rescue mission,   Salvation Army ARC or other Christian organization working with alcoholics and drug addicts must establish an official philosophy of addiction.   This is best done at the level of the board of directors.   How we approach addicts from a philosophical and theological perspective will ultimately guide everything we do. Certainly, it will serve as the framework for our counseling approach.   But it will also influence whom we hire, the curriculum we develop, and the expectations we have for the people in our programs.

For potential use with your program, and to serve as a framework for developing your philosophy, I offer the Philosophy of Addiction and Recovery I developed for New Creation Center, the residential treatment program I led in Atlantic Mine, Michigan for over ten years. Feel free to use as much of it as you wish.

We accept the American Medical Association’s definition of alcoholism:

Alcoholism is a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations.

The disease is often  progressive  and fatal. It is characterized by impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with the drug alcohol, use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking, most notably  denial. Each of these symptoms may be continuous or periodic.

We recognize alcohol as a powerful and addictive drug. We further believe that alcoholism has a genetic basis in many individuals. In others, it is the result of repeated heavy drinking, even in the absence of a genetic predisposition.

Concerning the spiritual implications of alcoholism; we believe it has its roots in alienation from God and the violation of conscience. We accept the Biblical definition of “drunkenness” as a sin which prohibits those who practice it from entrance into the Kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21) Romans 7:21)

We believe that God’s power is able to deliver individuals from the compulsion to drink, and to set them free from the emotional, psychological, social, spiritual, and physical consequences of an alcoholic lifestyle.

Although an individual may be delivered from the compulsion to drink (and is no longer a “drunkard” in the spiritual sense), we recognize that he is still an alcoholic in the therapeutic sense. We believe the continued abuse of alcohol results in changes in the emotions, mind, and body that do not disappear upon an alcoholic’s salvation. On a physiological level, he will always be “sensitized” to alcohol. Total abstinence, therefore, is a must; any use of alcohol can “activate” the chemical mechanisms of addiction leading to compulsive drinking and behavior.

We believe this physical aspect of the disease of alcoholism will remain with the recovering alcoholic until he is glorified and receives his new body from the Lord. With the acknowledgement of this fact, the Christian alcoholic will be all the more diligent to abstain from drinking, recognizing the dire consequences of alcohol use. We further believe that, if he never drinks again, this physical aspect of the illness will have no other actual effect on his life and Christian walk.

We believe that professional counseling and therapy is usually necessary to help individuals to overcome the consequences of alcoholism. Also, we recognize that alcoholism is a “family illness,” and believe that all of the members of the alcoholic’s family need to be a part of the recovery process by receiving specialized help themselves. We accept the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous as a reliable and orderly approach to recovery from alcoholism. We also believe that are some very specific scriptural principles that must be applied to such an individual to assist him in a victorious and fruitful Christian walk.

Many of the attitudes, temptations, feelings, and patterns of thought resulting from the alcoholic lifestyle are not immediately removed upon an alcoholic’s spiritual rebirth. We believe these things constitute elements of this “sinful nature,” or “flesh,” that he will struggle with as long as he remains in this world. Therefore, through a process of discipleship, he must “transformed by the renewing of his mind” (Romans 12:2) and must learn to “walk in the Spirit that he might not fulfill the desires of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)

See also Theology of Christian Recovery