Edged Grace

TRUTH

Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

James‬ ‭1‬:‭15

REFLECTION

Addiction is a progressive illness. And I do believe it is an illness—of both the body and the mind.

Once we have been ensnared by the subtle beginnings of a downward spiral we cannot comprehend, we begin to progress by default into its grip.

That’s the real kicker—we don’t have to do anything in order to get worse. We just keep drinking and keep using.

Why?

Everyone asks why. Why do we continue in the face of heartache and turmoil?

It’s pretty simple.

In the beginning, it’s all good. Or mostly so. The stark consequences and chaos typically take a while to ramp up.

At a minimum, though, the real problem is that using and drinking actually work as a solution for a while until they turn against us.

At the start, we are granted liquid courage. We are cured of our inhibitions, we become socially accepted, we feel invincible, and it all feels great.

Sure, there are hangovers and the occasional mishaps, but on the whole, we have much to like.

But this is the infancy of addiction.

As time goes on, we need more, and the benefits seem harder to reach. We try and drown out the doubts that creep in.

We are constantly looking for a solution because we are constantly wrestling with desire.

We just misplace our efforts longer than most. It looks insane from the outside because it is.

The end is bad unless we arrest this progression. And almost invariably we need help to do so.

We need the encouragement (and sometimes a forceful hand) to direct us toward recovery.

God, fill me with your desire.

SPONSOR

The Progress & Perfection podcast is powered by Transistor. Host UNLIMITED podcasts with Transistor. I’ve used them since 2019. Try Transistor now.

NEXT

When you’re ready, here are some tools for you:

1. Book List (amazon link)
   Some of my favorite reads related to recovery and/or wrestling with faith.

2. 4th Step Guide (free download)
   A PDF with instructions and worksheets for a thorough 4th step. Straight from the Big Book. Fearlessness not included.

3. 12-Step Christianity (YouTube)
   My thoughts on the parallels between discipleship and sponsorship.

KEEP LEANING FORWARD

Cheers, Eamonn
Contact on LinkedIn, YouTube & Twitter.