1. Seek counseling!
Share your secrets with a trained professional before they begin to ruin your life. (Note: almost every Christian Church in the entire world has a free counselor you can talk with. They are not there to proselytize. They are there to help - and it's usually FREE)
2. Know that you are not alone.
Everyone is born with an addictive personality of some sort. In fact, the person you least expect is probably (secretly) addicted to the same thing you are. Everybody struggles. You are not alone.
3. Avoid situations where you might get tempted.
If you struggle with alcohol. Avoid situations where alcohol might be served (this may also include certain restaurants, parties or family gatherings). If you struggle with too much TV or surfing the net, playing video games checking your cell phone. Designate certain times of the day / week where you will allow yourself liberty and stick to the schedule reducing each experience by a fraction until you've got it under control.
4. Be careful what you put in your spirit.
This is a tricky one. In an "Advertising-gone-wild" world where corporations are constantly trying to sell you everything under the sun, it's important to be careful what ad you give licence to enter your spirit. These ads are designed to be and could be, triggers. A friend of mine just confessed to a 10 year addiction to internet porn. He said his main drain (that thing that kept bringing him back into his addiction) was clicking on a hyperlink and being taken to some site designed to trigger an addictive element of our personality. He was constantly a gonner. Booze and sex are everywhere - that's why you'll hear me hang around this vice more than others. We don't go looking for them. They keep finding us. When they do - get out! Avoid that hyperlink or thumbnail or put down whatever you're looking at. Your spirit is a weak thing and you're never as strong as you think you are (especially when you're already hooked). If you struggle with alcohol but you're on a site with dirty jokes and naked women know that it's not helping. Eventually you will find a site promoting alcohol and then you're a gonner (again). Be careful what you put in your spirit. Positivity begets positivity and negativity begets negativity. Again: be careful what you put in your spirit.
5. Repair your relationship with God.
This should be number 1 but I made it number 5 because it's the final word in healing. When you remove God from your heart the void that gets left over requires filling with something. God gave us an addictive personality so we can be addicted to Him - which means a life of satisfaction, happiness, goodness, peace, prosperity and love. Take God out and invariably the void will be filled with anger, restlessness, frustration, drugs, sex, alcohol, greed, pride...etc (you get the point). If you're struggling with addiction it's time to wise up. You're not letting God in and that's a problem.
I'm no scientist. I'm just a guy who loves my circle and you (my friend reader) are in my circle. If these easy tips helps you in any way then it has given my life more purpose.
Share these tips with your friends, family, colleagues... you never know who needs to be reminded that there is hope past addiction.
Thanks for reading,
Ricky
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