Overcomers in Christ is pleased to bring you a presentation called, “Breaking the Addiction Cycle”.
This presentation explains how people can get trapped in a cycle of addiction or destructive habits, and how to break that cycle and begin a cycle of recovery. This teaching can be a great help for anyone struggling with an addiction or destructive habit, or their family and friends to help them understand how to help them more effectively.
Please enjoy the presentation below, and feel free to share it with people who might benefit.
I am a mother who has experienced the roller coaster of addiction with three of my beautiful children. When writing the following,I wished desperately to share with other mothers who may have been in the same excruciating pain. I am now taking the opportunity to share. I hope I offend no one in doing so. Here is my story.
THIEF IN THE NIGHT
The thief came in the night and carried you away. A mother would die before letting her child be taken from her. I was not match for this one. This one was not clothed in a black cloak with dagger in hand. This one was dressed in white, glistening in the sun, alluring, offering comfort to a weary heart, sleep to a restless soul, courage to a battered psyche. This evil one took you away, transformed you, and when absolutely sure you were at a point of no return, deposited you on my doorstep for me to witness the carnage.
The light in your eyes had gone out, the skin on your face had turned a sickly gray, your fun-loving spirit, the every essence of you, was replaced by someone I did not know. At first one does not recognize the transformation, but over time on that roller coaster of addiction, a mother’s heart breaks into a thousand pieces. My life became the hell that you had been catapulted into.
I look back and think that I would have preferred to die protecting you from some tangible being rather than this invisible evil one that had you in its grip. Our home was turned into a battle ground. Anyone at all would do for you to lash out at. Your coming and going at all hours of the day and night, with no respect or caring for anyone, left us agitated and tired. Even at our family gatherings, you would show up late and leave early. You could not stay in one place too long – you always had somewhere to go, someone to see.
God, in his merciful wisdom, brought us to the breaking point. You were asked to leave our home. That is when you slid down the slippery slope very fast. The battle was long and hard. There were precious periods of comfort when I would remember I was not alone. God had always been there for me in the past, and I knew He would not forsake me. I found myself leaning heavily on Him during this journey. As time went on I learned to let go and left you in His caring hands. The aching in my heart subsided and life returned almost to normal. I was now able to find help for myself by taking advantage of the many wonderful programs of self-learning and healing that were available. You, unfortunately, were drowning.
Yes, I had many sleepless nights and moments of self-doubt, but I walked with God every day. He chose the moment for your return, and wouldn’t you know it, He chose a family gathering. Do you remember that night, singing that song I always loved to hear you sing? I remember thinking back to all your many talents. So much potential, hanging, suspended in mid-air, latent, unused. It was at that moment the dam broke and tears spilled from your eyes choking off the sound of your beautiful voice. As I got up from my chair to reach out to you, a glimmer of the child I once knew broke through.
Later that evening you bared your soul to me and we agreed to go for help the next day to wrestle this demon to the ground. Later that evening, I dropped to my knees and thanked God for bringing you home.
From my healing heart to all parents and children in battle- walk with God. You are not alone – Seek Him and He will show Himself to you.
God mercifully returned not only one child to me but two. Today, they are good and responsible parents with good jobs. God is bountiful in His blessings. I ask you to offer up prayer for my third child that she may seek Him and find Him. Miracles are not a thing of the past; they are happening every day in the lives of those who seek Him.
Sincerely and with Love
Patricia
Patricia, your experience is an exact replica version of my dear friend Pattie – at SA Temple. I met Pattie / Patricia around the time of your posting this (2014). My reply and response here (is in 2020). Over 6 years I have watched her suffer exactly as you have written. Your words put her feelings and experiences in a super written article me to read. Reading your story, I wonder if you are my Patricia. If not, you are still my sister! I could hear and feel her pain, but could not feel the actual hurt in her heart. I began to realize that God was working through me and all HE asked of me was to simply be kind to my new friend Pattie. With little else to give Pattie, I felt and responded to God’s presence urging me to just give her some human compassion: a hug, some love and to be happy in the moment, together on this day!! Just to live for today, and hope tomorrow is better. To both Patricia and Patricia, it makes me SO SO HAPPY, to know prayers for mothers are answered. People have prayed for me / troubles as well. FYI as well = both Patricias are in the same boat on the same sea attempting to reclaim CHILD #3. How Great and how Awesome is He. All praise and glory to God Almighty.
Dear Patricia, thank you for your eloquent post, I sit here with tears in my eyes for you and your children, I pray your third child will also return to you through God our helper. I also witnessed the destruction of potential and loss of the child I wanted, partly through her bio father’s influence, and partly through my own ignorance of how to handle it, or how to find my own way back to God. I too finally gave my child over to the Lord. Over the past few years, since I did that, she has changed somewhat and I have a relationship with her, not the one I wanted, but through the Lord, at least we have something now. Thank you for sharing and I pray all parents with children, do not give up hope. The Lord’s timetable is not ours.
Sandy
Hey Patricia and Sandy. Thank you for your comments.
I’m so glad that you both show love and pray for your children. Many people who have come into Overcomers have mentioned how it meant so much to them that their parents never gave up on them, and it was a big part of their recovery (as where their parents prayers most certainly).
So give them over to God, like you said, but never give up on them.
And if any other parents are reading this, and perhaps have already given up on your child’s recovery, I encourage you to renew the battle. Continue on in prayer, forgive them. You’d be amazed at how much children are willing to forgive if they see genuine effort on their parents part, and how much help it is to them.
Be blessed.
I am addicted to making bad choices in almost every aspect of my life, finances, my family, the way I approach things and also the big one DEPRESSION. I have this ability to draw negative things into my life.
God gave me a text recently(2 Corinthians 6 International Standard Version (ISV)
Workers with God
6 Since, then, we are working with God,
we plead with you not to accept God’s grace in vain.
2 For he says,
“At the right time I heard you,
and on a day of salvation I helped you.
I WANT THE JOY BACK IN MY LIFE.
Hey Reynette. Thank you so much for sharing!
And that scripture is a good one for sure.
You are a dearly loved daughter of God, and He wants you to do well even more than you do. And He wants to help you. Your job is to go along with Him.
I assume you watched the video above, I recommend you do your best to start following it as much as possible, especially the part about factors that lead to change.
If you start doing those things, you will start to get the joy back in your life.
And one of the biggest parts of that is not trying to do this on your own. Seek out a good church near you, and also a Christ-Centred recovery group if there is one.
Joy is possible for you, and I’ll be praying for you. Be blessed.
How can one see a sample of and possibly obtain the curriculum you use?
This video is a few years old, and we are now a full Celebrate Recovery ministry. So if you’d like to see the materials we use, simply go to http://www.celebraterecovery.com