Addiction and Recovery

Sep 2006 Issue

by Danielle Ellis and Harvey Foutz (missionary in the 12-step program)

If we increase our dependence on anything or anyone except the Lord, we will find an immediate decrease in our freedom to act.” – L. Tom Perry

Addiction

What do you depend on? If it is alcohol or some other drug, legal or illegal, you might already think of yourself as an “addict.” But what about those who soothe or ignore their troubles with excess body weight or other disorder towards food or eating, compulsive use of money, or excessive work commitments?

What about those who obsess about helping or controlling other people? Spend excessive amounts of time playing video games, or too many hours on hobbies? What about anger, perfectionism, pornography or pride?

If we are honest with ourselves, most people have something we lean on when life isn’t perfect. That “something” can become an addiction.

An addict is simply someone with a problem they cannot solve on their own.

So you promise God and anyone who will listen that you’ll never repeat your destructive behaviors, and you are sincere.

But repeat them you do, over and over again. You are caught in a cycle of repentance and relapse. You are in bondage. Is there a way out? Absolutely.

The Way Out

The “way out” is outlined in Mosiah 29:20:

“But behold, he did deliver them because they did humble themselves before him; and because they cried mightily unto him he did deliver them out of bondage; and thus doth the Lord work with his power in all cases among the children of men, extending the arm of mercy towards them that put their trust in him.”

As we face these problems we find the greatest truth we can ever know: the nature of our true relationship with God.

We of ourselves are “nothing,” while God has all wisdom and power. It can be humiliating and most certainly humbling to admit such complete personal powerlessness and neediness, but addicts must admit it in order to move past it.

The stark and startling truth, however, is all of us, without exception, come short of the power to save ourselves. No matter how short our list of sins may be, or how much willpower and self-discipline we’ve been able to muster, we still fall short of the glory of God. We must have the Savior’s help.

12 Step Program

So how do we overcome our pride and our shortcomings? The Church has taken the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-step program and adapted it for the LDS community, complete with Book of Mormon scriptures and quotes from church leaders to back up the concepts.

All of the problems mentioned above can be overcome by the application of the Atonement of Jesus Christ in each of our lives, which is what the twelve step program teaches. Some call it the ‘Atonement for Dummies,’ while others refer to it as the ‘Atonement Utilization Program.’ Either way it teaches us the steps to take to allow the atonement to work in our own lives.

How many of us really use the atonement? How many times have you heard the counsel to do everything you can and when you can go no further you call upon the Lord for help. This is NOT the Atonement of Christ. Nor is it to repent and hope to never do the deed again.

God is literally our Father and Jesus is our elder brother. They want nothing more than to teach us the lessons that will help us successfully navigate this life’s trials so we can return to their presence.

Your Guide

To present this idea in an analogy:

You are preparing to go on a jungle safari. You have researched the area and feel fairly confident that you can get by on your own, or you can have a guide with a complete knowledge of this jungle.

Either way the journey is going to be dangerous and even scary. Do you stumble through, get lost and endanger yourself, or do you choose to rely on the knowledge and wisdom of your guide?

Christ wants to be there with us for the whole journey. He wants to help us all the way, not after we are beaten and down-trodden. The twelve steps are nothing more than a bare bones, step-by-step guide back to the safety and peace offered by the Lord.

The Road Back

One sister who went through the program and now serves as a missionary teaching the classes shared the following:

“As strange as it may sound these meetings are some of the most spiritual I have ever attended. There is a short lesson given. Then the time is open for you to either share your thoughts on the lesson just given or on whatever you are feeling at the time.

“We go by first names only and you do not have to share if you don’t feel like it. You can feel safe and know that everyone in the room is there for the same reason.

“Please, if you know of anyone who might benefit from these steps, let them know about it. You cannot imagine how much peace and comfort can be found there.”

There are group meetings every Monday through Friday in church buildings around Henderson, Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Logandale and Southern Utah. Call Elder and Sister Robertson at 702-896-5650 for the closest meeting to you.