God plays a prominent role in recovery for many addicts. One of the most famous recovery methods, the 12-step method created by Alcoholics Anonymous in the 1930s, heavily relies on a person accepting the power of God, or any higher power, to help overcome addiction. By recognizing the power that God has to help you overcome your addiction, you can find the inner strength to overcome your problems and remain sober, even during the tough time of early recovery.
The Role of Forgiveness
Forgiveness is difficult for many addicts. Some people turn to drugs or alcohol due to a traumatic event, an abusive spouse, bullying, low-self esteem, and other negative emotions. It may be difficult for them to learn to forgive people for these past events, which is necessary to move on. By learning to forgive, you can learn to cope with the traumatic and stressful events that occur in life rather than relying upon an addictive substance.
Many addicts destroy relationships with their friends, family, spouses, and other loved ones. They may even act horribly towards a person. Until they can forgive themselves for their behavior under the influence, they will never be able to fully heal. That is why making amends is such an important role in the 12 steps.
One way to learn the healing power of forgiveness is to turn to God. God forgives anything; you just have to ask. By learning about real forgiveness, people can learn to forgive others and themselves. This will help them to learn to manage many of the negative aspects of their life, both in the past and the present, in order to heal and move on. This is essential to remain sober and not relapse.
Unconditional Love
Closely associated with forgiveness is unconditional love. Many addicts have low self-esteem, a negative self-worth, and a belief that their life is meaningless. They lose hope in themselves and do not know why they should try to change. By learning about unconditional love, which starts from the unconditional love offered by God, addicts can learn that everyone is special and worth saving.
They will gain the strength to discover the person they were meant to be. Trusting in God will also reveal an addicts’ purpose in life, and provide the strength to find the path to pursuing that purpose. Additionally, God can help an addict learn to love him or herself, an essential component to remaining on the road to recovery. God is love, and His love will show you the way to learn unconditional love for yourself and others.
Learn about Grace
Everyone makes mistakes in life. The defining aspect of a mistake is how a person reacts to making one. Many addicts become overwhelmed by any mistakes or failures, defining themselves by the result rather than by how they react. In early recovery, this can become detrimental. One mistake or even one relapse does not mean the end of the road. It is merely a hurdle to overcome and from which to learn. By learning about grace, you can learn to allow yourself your shortcoming. God is full of grace, and He can help you to accept your weaknesses, your past failings, and any future mistakes without defining yourself by these problems.
Although God plays a prominent role in recovery from addiction, you cannot expect Him to do all the work. Although praying helps, you have to act in order to make any changes. It will not come suddenly and unexpectedly. God can give you the strength to make the changes yourself. By trusting in Him and learning to forgive, love and be graceful, you can learn to overcome your addiction. No matter your definition of a higher power, filling your life with forgiveness, love, and grace will help you to overcome your addiction.