Christian Books on Overcoming Drug Addiction

When you are struggling with an addiction to drugs, you have a lot of resources available to you. Addiction treatment is the first place to start your journey toward recovery. You may also want some reading material that will inspire and guide you. There are a number of Christian books on overcoming drug addiction offering guidance, motivation, and hope.

Freedom from Addiction

Feeling like you’re locked in a cycle of addiction? Learn how to free yourself in Freedom from Addiction, Breaking the Bondage of Addiction and Finding Freedom in Christ by Neil T. Anderson, Julia Quarles, and Mike Quarles. You’ll read the story of how Mike Quarles overcame his debilitating addiction to alcohol. You’ll also be inspired by the message that true freedom comes from realizing your identity in Christ, a message that is the central theme of this book.

God is for You

Another inspiring true-life story comes from Jerry Dunn in his book God is for the Alcoholic. Dunn knows first-hand that there is hope. In a Texas prison, he picked up a Bible and realized that God was providing his escape from his addiction to alcohol. He knew the road to overcome his addiction would be long and difficult, but he also knew that he could do it with God’s help and with diligence, patience, and commitment.

Healing Your Scars

Drug addiction can devastate your life now and make it difficult for you to see a positive way forward. Healing the Scars of Addiction by Gregory L. Jantz, with contributions by Ann McMurray, addresses the wreckage of addiction that lies scattered around you. If you are struggling with overcoming drug addiction, attempting to live in recovery from your addiction, or seeking to understand the mind of someone you love who is addicted, this book can help.

Jantz will guide you through answering some tough questions: Am I an addict? How can I put my life back together? Where do I go from here? This book gives you a holistic approach to healing so you can reclaim your life and move forward in hope.

Break the Entanglement

When you are struggling to break free from your addiction, Entangled by Addiction: Set Free in Christ by Caitanya Champion can show you how to find and achieve freedom in Christ. You can move from your pain, hopelessness, brokenness, and misery toward healing, peacefulness, deliverance, and being set free. You can know freedom from addiction through the power of Christ.

What You Worship

Another book that can inspire you toward a new path is Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave by Edward T. Welch. The author writes about how the hopelessness of the cycle of “sickness, recovery, relapse” can be replaced with the Biblical view of sin, salvation, and sanctification. Welch guides you through facing the fact that what and who you worship will control your life. True freedom when overcoming drug addiction comes through the cross.

Learning to Breathe

In addiction treatment, the 12-Step program can be critical to your success as you recover from addiction. Richard Rohr’s book Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps makes the case that the 12-Step program can rescue you when you are drowning in your addiction, even when you don’t realize it. Rohr emphasizes that you must learn to breathe under water, to survive the tidal wave of your addiction and compulsive behavior.

In his book, he identifies the Christian principles contained in the steps, connecting the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous with the gospel. He offers encouragement and inspiration for making your life manageable as you deal with overcoming your addiction.

Overcoming Obstacles

In a first-hand account, author Anthony Acampora describes the incredible impact that God’s word can have on your broken life. In Overcoming Emotional Obstacles through Faith: Navigating the Mind Field, Acampora tells his own story of how he overcame tremendous suffering and loss through Christ. He shares his experience applying his faith and the principles of the Bible in overcoming seemingly insurmountable adversity. His book offers real-life examples of how you can apply God’s word to radically transform your life as you overcome your addiction.

California Faith-Based Drug Addiction Treatment

To get help overcoming drug addiction, please contact Celebrate Hope to learn more about our faith-based addiction treatment program. Our team helps men and women break the cycle of addiction and begin anew. We rely on the teachings of Jesus Christ, along with evidence-based therapies to get individuals on the path of recovery.

How to Stop Drinking Every Night

April is Alcohol Awareness Month. You may have become aware that your occasional drinking has turned into a drink that you feel you must have every night. The first step is recognizing that you want to, or need to, make a change. The next step is learning how to stop drinking every night.

Alcohol Awareness Month

It can be beneficial to you to understand more about alcohol and to share this information with others so they can also become aware of issues involved with drinking. One thing to realize is that the consumption of alcohol is prevalent in the US. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted in 2019, 85.6% of adults over the age of 18 reported that they drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime. Of those, 69.5% reported that they drank in the last year and 54.9% reported that they drank in the last month.

Health Effects of Drinking

Another very important aspect of alcohol awareness is knowing how it affects your health. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) states that drinking too much can take a serious toll on your health. You might drink excessively in one evening or across multiple nights of drinking. Either way, learning how to stop drinking every night can help you with your mental and physical health.

The NIAAA reports that drinking can affect your brain’s communication pathways and can even impact the way your brain looks and works. You can experience mood and behavior changes and find it more difficult to think clearly and to move with coordination. Drinking can also cause damage to your heart, liver, and pancreas, and has been associated with several types of cancer.

Steps to Stop Drinking

The NIAAA suggests that there are several steps you can take to help you stop drinking every night.

Put your reasons and goals in writing. Why do you want to stop drinking? Do you have a goal of better health? Keep a journal and be specific as you list the reasons and the results you’d like to see.

Remove alcohol from your home. Easy access makes it more tempting to have another drink. Not having alcohol available can keep you from drinking in the evening, particularly if you are already worn out from a long day of work and don’t feel like going out to the store to purchase more.

Resist peer pressure from friends and family members. When you want to stop drinking, it can help to let others know. That can also cause them to put more pressure on you to “just have one.” Stay strong in your determination and practice polite ways to tell them no.

Find something else to do. Maybe you drink at night because you have had a long day, you are tired and frustrated, or you are just bored. Find another activity to keep you busy and take your mind off wanting a drink. Go outside for a walk, work a puzzle, or play games with your friends or family members.

Addressing Your Reasons for Drinking

It can be helpful to address the underlying reasons for your drinking. Has drinking every night become a habit, a part of your routine? Are you using alcohol in an attempt to cope with stress and negative feelings that you are experiencing on the job? 

Take the time to think about why you are drinking and then work on some alternative methods of addressing those issues. You may need help with this part, so it can be a good idea to seek support from an addiction treatment professional. Even if you do not feel as though you are addicted, your need to drink every night means that you should make an effort to better understand the underlying causes of your drinking. Therapeutic support can help.

Find Strength in Your Faith

The first three steps in the 12-Step program are admitting that you are powerless over alcohol, that you have come to believe that a Power greater than you can restore you to sanity, and that you have made a decision to turn your will and your life over to the care of God. You can find the strength you need in your faith, knowing that all things are made possible through Him (Matthew 19:26).

California Faith-Based Addiction Treatment

When you need help to stop drinking every night, we are here for you. Please contact Celebrate Hope to learn more about our faith-based addiction treatment program. Our team helps men and women break the cycle of addiction and begin anew. We rely on the teachings of Jesus Christ, along with evidence-based therapies to get individuals on the path of recovery.