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Five Reasons to Choose A Faith-Based Rehab Program

Alcohol and Drug Rehab

Five Reasons to Choose A Faith-Based Rehab Program

By HortonJuly 20, 2021No Comments

If you or a loved one suffers from drug or alcohol addiction, it can be intimidating to decide upon a course of action. When looking into treatment, individuals and families are left with a difficult question – “Which treatment option would be the most beneficial?” If you or a loved one are seeking treatment, it’s important to weigh all available options.

Many different approaches to recovery are likely to be effective. However, there are teachings central to secular addiction recovery that can hinder one from healing. Incorporating Christian principles into your recovery will not only help you heal from your addiction; these Christian principles will give you newfound direction and purpose in life.

Here are five reasons to choose a Faith-based Christian recovery program:

  1. Freedom through Christ
  2. Heal Inwardly and Outwardly
  3. Rediscover Yourself
  4. Find Hope
  5. Support After Treatment

Find Freedom through Christ

Secular treatment facilities teach service recipients (SR’s) about the scientific and psychological components of addiction, but do not directly address its spiritual nature. The methodology of medical addiction recovery often leaves patients feeling hopeless, as if they have no chance of redemption. Secular treatment facilities teach SR’s that addicts have a life long disease for which the only hope is remission. This “disease” is supposedly so powerful that it will pervade the way a recovering person thinks for the duration of their lives. Additionally, those who struggle to stay sober, especially after prior attempts to recover, are subtly taught to see themselves as defective.

Graduates of secular treatment facilities are strongly encouraged to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Here is an excerpt from The Big Book, the foundational text of Alcoholics

Anonymous:

“Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. They are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty.”

At S2L Recovery, we do not believe that people who struggle with addiction are defective. Instead, we believe in the redemptive power of Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that every person is made in the image of God, including those struggling with addiction. Instead of a life of pursuing mere sobriety, a life centered around faith gives believers the gift of a calling and purpose. A Christ-centered life doesn’t bring about mere remission, it brings about thriving transformation.

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36, ESV)

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1-2, ESV)

Visit S2L Recovery to learn more about how a Christian treatment program can help set you free. 

Heal Inwardly and Outwardly

Coupled with effort and dedication, a faith-based alcohol and drug treatment program can help heal your inner wounds. Issues at the heart of addiction must be addressed in order to achieve long-term recovery. With the help of a Christian drug and alcohol treatment program, this can be accomplished. With counseling sessions in both group and one-on-one settings, SR’s at S2L Recovery are provided with opportunities to address the issues that led to their addictive behaviors. S2L Recovery also has a full medical team, allowing SR’s to receive medical treatment when needed.

We also value physical fitness at S2L Recovery. Our SR’s are able to exercise at a local gym several times a week. Our campuses have weight sets, as well as sizeable properties that are suitable for running or hiking. Entering a Christian-based alcohol and drug rehabilitation center is a surefire way to heal, inwardly as well as outwardly.

Rediscover Yourself

Spiritual beliefs are likely central to your worldview. Faith gives us a clearer perception of ourselves, the world, and its origins. Our opinions and interpretations of the people and circumstances we encounter every day can be positively altered through the view of Christ.
For those suffering from addiction, it is common for faith and hope to be supplanted by cynicism and doubt. At S2L Recovery, countless SR’s have experienced healing and freedom from addiction and past traumas.

“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11, ESV)

Find Hope

Through Christ, anything is possible. For those suffering from addiction, hope can be the difference between maintaining sobriety and giving up. Achieving short-term goals will give you the hope that you need in order to bring long-term goals to fruition.

The hope of the Gospel is at the heart of everything we teach in our faith-based Christian treatment program. The aim of any treatment program is to imbue its patients with hope, but only faith can give a person true, unwavering hope that can withstand any test or trial.

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23, NIV)

Support After Treatment

Essential to any recovery program, a SR should have full support throughout their treatment. But what happens after the program is complete? Does the standard treatment center offer support to the SR’s for the rest of their life? Usually not. Unfortunately, the support offered by secular treatment programs usually ends when a patient completes the program. Faith-based Christian rehab programs offer their SR’s more than lessons about how to maintain sobriety – these programs provide lessons about the Word of God that will follow them throughout their lives, proving to be useful in every circumstance.

After graduation, godly fellowship is essential for continuing sobriety. During your time in treatment, our recovery coaches will help you determine your next steps, taking great care to set you up for success after completing the program. S2L Recovery has an extensive network of alumni spread across the country as well as intimate involvement with several churches. Staff members and counselors are always available to you via phone or text, happy to assist however they can. At S2L Recovery, you will establish genuine lifelong relationships!

Discover options for Christian addiction treatment and addiction recovery curriculum at S2L Recovery.

A New Life Is Possible

Addiction can take over your life, but you can take life back. A relationship with Christ can be the difference between stumbling blindly through life and following a direct path toward the life God created you to live. You can break free from the chains of addiction!

Contact S2L Recovery today!

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Why You Should Choose a Non-Profit Rehab Center in Tennessee

Alcohol and Drug Rehab

Why You Should Choose a Non-Profit Rehab Center in Tennessee

By HortonJune 20, 2021No Comments

Did you know that over 21 million Americans struggle with at least one addiction, and only 10% of them seek treatment? Tackling drug or alcohol addiction alone is very difficult, if not nearly impossible. For many, overcoming addiction appears to be an insurmountable task. However, with the right support and guidance, anyone can break free from the chains of addiction.

When you begin treatment at a non-profit rehab center in Tennessee, you can gain the knowledge, faith, and hope necessary to achieve long-term recovery. Our 7 Principles Curriculum at S2L Recovery has helped hundreds of individuals battle their addictions and come out on the other side victorious. If you’re curious about how a non-profit rehab center in Tennessee can help a person live a happy, healthy, and sober lifestyle in Christ, read on.

Here’s what you need to know about how a non profit rehab center in Tennessee can help you cope with addiction: 

  • Receive Support
  • Heal from Trauma
  • Build up Your Strength and Confidence Through Christ
  • Gain a New Perspective
  • Work on Personal Growth

Receive Support

Community is essential for happiness. Humans are designed to be social, and to support one another. Overcoming addiction alone is very difficult. This is where non-profit rehab centers in Tennessee come into play. A supportive treatment setting allows a person suffering from addiction to make genuine, like-minded friends, giving that person support and fellowship. Counselors will invest in you and continue to support you even after you graduate the program.

At some point every service recipient (SR) must return to life outside of the treatment center. It is here where graduating SR’s must incorporate the skills they learned in treatment. An SR learning how to walk in freedom from addiction might be tempted to return to their old friends and old habits. Without proper support, graduating SR’s may be tempted to find comfort and belonging in the wrong places. However, with support from our community and obedience to God’s will, temptation can be overcome.

Visit S2L Recovery to learn more about our 7 Principles Curriculum today!

Heal from Trauma

Addiction of any kind affects every facet of a person’s life. For most, drug and alcohol addiction begins as an attempt to cope with painful experiences and emotions. Typically, there are various factors that lead a person to substance abuse. These addictions can form as the result of difficult experiences in childhood, adolescence, or adulthood.

A non-profit rehab center in Tennessee will address these underlying issues. At S2L Recovery, we use Christ’s teachings to equip our SR’s with wisdom and strength. We also provide professional counseling, medical supervision, and positive fellowship to help overcome the traumas of their pasts. Biblical education and involvement in a genuine, caring community of believers is beneficial for all, especially for those struggling with addiction. Learning about and leaning on Christ provides the skills and knowledge we need to face life’s difficulties with confidence.

Build Up Your Strength and Confidence Through Christ

God wants you to experience freedom. Obedience to God’s will brings about transformation. Attending a non-profit rehab center in Tennessee can give you the time and guidance you need to see yourself how Jesus sees you – beautiful, purposeful, wonderfully and fearfully created, loved, and invaluable.

At S2L Recovery, the teachings of our Christ-centered curriculum gives SR’s the tools needed to analyze how they interact with the world around them. We work to help SR’s remain steadfast in their pursuit of a healthy lifestyle. A non-profit rehab center in Tennessee can help addicted individuals focus on realistic end goals to help weather the difficult times. The word of Christ helps SR’s to build the strength and determination needed to live a life of freedom.

Gain a New Perspective

For those struggling with addiction, it can be very difficult to understand how our actions affect those around us. While addiction can negatively affect an individual, it also hurts those around us, including our loved ones. With the Christian principles taught in a non-profit rehab center in Tennessee, SR’s can learn how to see life in a new way. This allows for more thoughtful decision making and optimism.

A relationship with Christ can teach a recovering person how to view the big picture and to understand that actions and behaviors have a wide-reaching effect on the world, whether good or bad. Understanding this new perspective can push SR’s to make decisions in a new way, with a greater understanding and appreciation for their impact on the world.

Work on Personal Growth

Healing is essential for a person to flourish in recovery. A stay at a non-profit rehab center provides SR’s a supportive, safe environment to rediscover themselves. After finding comfort and strength through Christ, those in recovery will feel empowered to make radical changes in their lives boldly. During recovery, it’s incredibly helpful to shed our former selves so we can incorporate new desire’s and learn to live a healthier lifestyle.

The 7 Principles Curriculum at S2L Recovery shows SR’s how great a life of freedom can truly be. S2L’s curriculum helps SR’s realize and experience how exciting and rewarding a faith-centered life of freedom can be. A life free from addiction is full of potential. A relationship with Christ will cause former addicts to feel hope, and for their dreams to become reality.

A New Life Is Possible

Addiction can take over your life, but you can take it back. A relationship with Christ can be the difference between stumbling blindly through life and following a direct path toward the life God created you to be.

Contact S2L Recovery today!

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Christian Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Tackling the Pandemic in a Pandemic

Alcohol and Drug Rehab

Christian Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Tackling the Pandemic in a Pandemic

By HortonMay 20, 2021No Comments

Did you know that the amount of monthly deaths due to overdose increased by 30% in 2020? For the past few years, many have referred to the drug problem in the United States as an epidemic, or even a pandemic. With that in mind, seeking a sober life alone can be difficult for individuals suffering from alcohol or drug addiction.

When service recipients (SR’s) suffering from addiction begin treatment at a Christian drug and alcohol rehab program, they receive the support and guidance they need to improve their lifestyles, keeping them from becoming a statistic. That’s what Pastor Adam Comer from S2L Recovery recently discussed on Fox 17 News in Nashville, Tennessee. On April 10, 2021, Fox 17 News Nashville interviewed Pastor Comer on the intensifying effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the drug pandemic and American opioid crisis.

Here’s what Pastor Adam Comer (CEO of S2L Recovery) has to say about tackling the pandemic within a pandemic.

Tackling the Drug Pandemic in a COVID-19 World

For those suffering from addiction, one of the most difficult aspects of achieving long-term recovery is remaining strong despite everything life throws a recovering person’s way. Pastor Adam Comer touches on this during his Fox 17 Nashville interview as drug overdoses have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns and COVID prevention restrictions led mass amounts of people to isolate themselves at home. For those in recovery as well as those still in active addiction, recovery was more difficult than ever.

For most people, tackling addiction can seem to be an impossible task. This is why Christian alcohol and drug rehab programs are so beneficial. Pastor Comer discusses how the right support during the journey to recovery is crucial. A Christian rehab program can help those addicted, isolated individuals learn to overcome addiction and find belonging among a genuine, caring community of believers.

Sobriety and addiction recovery isn’t easy, especially in a lonely, atomized society. The isolation that many people felt only intensified during the COVID pandemic. Treatment and community are critical on the road to recovery.

Pastor Adam Comer touches on how coronavirus restrictions have negatively impacted those who are languishing in the drug and opioid epidemic. During his interview, Adam Comer explains to Fox 17 News Nashville how S2L Recovery approaches addiction recovery. Through love and the teachings of Christ, S2L Recovery works to help patients remain steadfast in their pursuit of a joyful life free of addiction. Long-term recovery allows formerly addicted men to become leaders of their families, churches, businesses, and communities. If a man aligns himself with God’s will, anything is possible!

To watch Pastor Adam Comer (CEO of S2L Recovery) discuss the intensifying drug pandemic in a country ravaged by the ramifications of COVID, watch this Fox 17 News Nashville video here.

Transcript:
“In our special series “Addicted”, Fox 17 News is investigating the pandemic within the pandemic for all of those suffering from addiction while battling isolation and anxiety for more than a year now. Fox 17 News Kathleen Jacob tonight, looking into this issue for months and showing us how one Tennessee recovery center is working now to reach millions.”

“You may recognize Adam Comer from other stories we’ve done on the opioid crisis. He’s pastor and CEO of S2L Recovery, a Christ-based addiction recovery center in rural Cannon County.”

“What we’re dealing with is deadly and if we shut our doors, we know people will die.”

“He’s not talking about COVID-19, but the pandemic within the pandemic that’s grown exponentially since the world shut down.”

“When we were in lockdown and were distancing from people and were trying to isolate things like that— that’s the enemy for addiction.”

“And it’s backed up by scientific research with almost double the amount of people needing mental health help since before the pandemic started. It’s something those in the recovery field saw coming.”

“There was a fear there even then when we didn’t realize how long this was gonna go, because I feel like people like you guys who see this on a daily basis just knew how bad or had an idea I guess of how bad this could become – a pandemic in itself.”

“I mean the projected numbers and the preliminary numbers are astronomical for 2020 – astronomical suicides, astronomical overdoses and alcohol poisonings. It’s skyrocketing, so the need during this pandemic for people to go get help was ever present.”

“It’s why S2L Recovery got out of their comfort zone, knowing they needed to reach more people.”

“During this pandemic, some things just started becoming very popular. You had The Last Dance, the Michael Jordan documentary, The Tiger King documentary, and all of a sudden all of these documentaries started becoming popular. So it started to make sense, so we became obedient, and entering that process.”

“Obedient to the call to produce the forgotten pandemic.”

“It doesn’t get the attention that it needs, and the amount of people who are so succumbing to it and death, or the families just being ripped apart because of it, and so we’re trying to put
a light on that, and offer hope in that.”

“Not just highlighting a problem, but also that there’s a solution and hope. Hoping to save lives from succumbing to this pandemic within a pandemic.”

A New Life Is Possible

Addiction can take over your life, but you can take life back. A relationship with Christ can be the difference between stumbling blindly through life and following a direct path toward the life God created you to live. You can break free from the chains of addiction!

Contact S2L Recovery today!

Home from REHAB, No More Bubble!

Addiction Industry, Recovery

Home from REHAB, No More Bubble!

By Ryan RhoadesNovember 23, 2017No Comments

The Journey of Returning Home From Rehab

I have been home for almost three days now. While I was a student at S2L Recovery in Middle Tennessee, one of the things I heard most from staff and alumni was how difficult it is to stay diligent once you leave “the bubble.” Already, I have found this to be true. At S2L there are seven simple principles taught which can be found inside the pages of Lost and Found: Recovery in Christ. Inside of these teachings are four pillars:

  1. Pray
  2. Read your Bible
  3. Fellowship with good people
  4. Serve others

I should clarify although these are simple in principle and they are much harder in the application. As recovering addicts we want to stay true to these four disciplines, however, upon departure from a rehabilitation program, distractions come at you exponentially high rate. If you ask students who have been through a program repeatedly what they were lacking when they went back out into the real world, the answer is almost unanimously – lack of diligence, not lack of desire.

So, I ask myself, how do I maintain my discipline in these areas? How do I avoid or sift through the distractions and prioritize things? Before coming to S2L Recovery, I would often ignore details in my life. However, when we brush the small things off that require our attention, often the more important things in our lives begin to crumble. Indeed, the big things are often held together by the smaller things. Not just metaphorically, but literally. It is the cement between the bricks that hold a house together. You can’t have a piece of fabric without string. Why shouldn’t this apply to the tasks in our everyday lives?

Learning to Conquer the Distractions After Rehab

I am aware of what I need to do on a daily basis to continue in a life with Christ and sustain from drugs and/or alcohol, but if I do not implement those four pillars, I need to take a look at my priorities. It takes more than just a desire. I need to consistently tend to the details of my life. To do lists can be helpful, but only if you complete the tasks on the list. Personally, I need more than a to-do list. In my own life, it becomes more and more apparent how many bad habits I had and still have apart from drugs and alcohol. I never made my bed, I would wake up and scroll through social media, news headlines, and my hygiene even suffered.

Tending to the small things in my life now starts with making the bed when I wake up. As the director of S2L Recovery often says, “If you make your bed when you get up, you have already accomplished something for the day.” It is a small detail, but it is a small detail that can set the tone and pace for your entire day. Now instead of laying in bed all morning, I am up with a made bed, and I have the motivation to pray to God and to read his Word.

Believe me, if making your bed can set the tone for your day, talking with the Lord can transform your day. If you’re struggling to do the big things in your everyday life, then pay attention to the details that you have prioritized and continue down the path of recovery.

S2L Recovery Providing Faith-Based Rehabilitation Programs in Middle TN

If you or someone you know is struggling with an addiction, it’s time to take the step in a full recovery. Leading a Christian rehabilitation center has allowed S2L Recovery to changes lives and fulfill the word of the Lord. Please contact us today and let us help you discover peace through recovery and God.

“We want each of you to stay diligent until the very end, so that your hope may be fully assured” – Hebrews 6:11

4 Lies we believe when loving an addict

Biblical meaning, Inspiration, Recovery

4 Lies we believe when loving an addict

By Katelyn ComerAugust 22, 2017No Comments

Loving an Addict

None of us ever plan on a loved one becoming an addict. We don’t go into friendships, relationships, marriages, or have children thinking “I better be prepared in case this person ends up with some bad habits.” So, when we find ourselves in just that position, it’s normal to not know what to do. In addition, the spiritual element causes us to see an enemy who wants to destroy our loved ones and allow chaos and confusion to take hold in our lives. So many of us have tried to help, wanted to be helped, and even in the deepest desperation to help, we see our best efforts fall flat (at best) or enable (at worst).

To understand deeper what it’s like to not only love an addict but what burdens may be brewing in your own soul due to this addiction, S2L Recovery spouse broke down four of the biggest lies that she believed while her husband was in his addiction and recovery.

1. I’m Not the One Who Needs Help

“What should I do at the meeting?” I asked awkwardly, “I mean since I’ve never struggled with being addicted drugs or alcohol?” With kindness and a little pity, the woman sitting across from me simply said, “Ask God to show you where your own hang-ups are.” Still feeling frustrated and nervous I completed my first group meeting. Not yet understanding co-dependency, and knowing that God was calling us to work with people who struggle with addictions, I sat down in a circle of women who were wanting to recover from chemical dependency.

Terrified that I would be found out as a “fake” I tried to avoid pointed questions and was cautious of over-sharing. However, what I learned from being in that group has forever changed me. I got to see the human side of addiction. I saw moms desperate to be reunited with their kids, women, who were willing to put in the hard work to become who God said they were – ladies who loved and laughed and cried and cared about each other. I did ask God to reveal to me where I needed to recover, and he used this group meeting to teach me about trusting Him with the people I care about.

Some of the Lord’s words that helped me discover what I needed to recover and heal include:

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all He has done.” Philippians 4:6 (NLT)

He taught me that He is the one who works in their lives, it’s not my job to fix them or change them.

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.” Philippians 2:13 (NLT)

He taught me that I wasn’t in control, and what a sweet blessing that really is.

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

It’s easy to think we don’t need help, but that’s a lie that will keep us from healing and learning what we do need to do.

2. What I Say Doesn’t Matter

Anger, tears, apathy, manipulation, begging, and belittling are a few of the ways that we try to talk our loved ones out of their struggle. Words are a big deal to me. I say a lot of them, write a lot of them, and I take the words of others to heart (any other “Words of Affirmation” love-language people out there?). I love using thorough words to communicate my exact thoughts and feelings. When my boyfriend (now husband) started admitting little things about his new harmful habits, I was often at a loss for words. What should I say to encourage him to stop? What if my words push him away? How can I convey my concern and change his heart, but not lose him?

Fast-forward several years, we are newly wedded and I’m coming home to find him high-as-a-kite more often than not. My concern had turned to deep desperation. Sometimes anger spurred mean words and accusations. Sometimes hurt poured out tears and I would beg him to stop. I tried threats, I tried to shame him, I tried anything I could think of to pierce his heart. It wasn’t until I decided to turn it over to God and to really trust Him, that I began to see any change.

I know the power of words well, so I turned my efforts into a firm, but kind approach. I took the words I poured onto my husband and started to pour them out to God in prayer. Instead of begging my husband to stop, I started begging God to move. Instead of crying to get my way, I was crying to my Heavenly Father, who loves me and holds me.

Some words that helped me heal and move:

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” Psalm 56:8 (NLT)

Instead of anger and belittling, I started treating my husband with respect. Not because he was worthy of it on his own merits, but because God calls me to do it out of my love for Him.

“Respect each other out of your reverence for Christ. For wives, this means to respect your husbands as to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:21-22 (NLT)

Prayer made all the difference. How I spoke to my husband and to the Lord changed everything.

3. I Can’t Tell Anyone Else

One of the most common lies I’ve seen loved ones of an addict believe is that we can’t share with anyone because “they won’t understand.” Ecclesiastes states, “History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9) Understand that nothing we are going through is new, many others have gone through these struggles, too. The enemy wants us to feel alone, isolated, and secretive. The enemy wants us to believe that our loved one will never forgive us. However, if we reach out, if we tell someone what’s going on, then we might hear the two best words – “Me too.”

God created us in His image to be relational. We were never supposed to walk through life without support and accountability. When we find a person we can trust and we share what we are going through, we create an ally in the fight. We have someone to pray for us, someone to check in on us, who asks about things and someone who will keep us accountable for how we handle situations, struggles, and life.

Another healing verse from Ecclesiastes that helped me through my loved one’s addiction is:
“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NLT)

4. It’s Hopeless

The biggest lie, and perhaps worst lie, that Satan can lead us to believe is that our loved one’s situation, that our situation is hopeless. When we believe that things are hopeless, we give up. We stop praying, stop caring, and we stop seeking help. We may write our struggles off, we may block them out, we may detach from the world, all in an effort to stop our pain. We may feel depressed or anxious, always anticipating the next big disaster.

When we started visiting St Kitts to prepare for our move there, we would share with people we met why God was sending us to their country. We would talk about starting recovery programs to help people with addictions. Multiple times residents responded with the typical, “Oh, don’t bother to help the adults here. The adults here are hopeless.” You could clearly see how hopelessness had affected the culture. There were no drug and alcohol recovery programs, no help for anyone beyond detoxing in the hospital. If you truly believe something is hopeless, then you give up in believing that things will ever change. Having hope means everything in this journey. The best way to find enlightening hope for our loved ones is by having faith that God can do anything. He can give back true light and hope to those feeling such loss and darkness.

Words of hope:

“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)

”I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 (NLT)

Living Beyond the Lies

Please note that the lies we endure on this journey is infinite and goes beyond this list. Many of our perspectives are skewed from lies that we have believed most of our lives. How we have learned to cope with our pain or what the world around us tries to sell as truth may be masking the path to fulfillment and healing. The best way to defeat the lies is by knowing what God says, what the real truth is.

If you are in the midst of loving someone who is struggling with an addiction, then get into the Word of God. Open your bible every day and ask God to speak His truth to you. Just like light drives out the darkness, the truth of God will drive out the lies. The way S2L Recovery leads addicts to sobriety is through a Christian faith-based program, allowing everyone walking on the road to recovery can be embraced the words and love of God.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” John 1:5 (NLT)

If you or a loved one needs help, please contact us for support and guidance.

Why does addiction kill some and others recover?

Addiction Industry, Biblical meaning, Recovery

Why does addiction kill some and others recover?

By Adam ComerJuly 28, 2017No Comments

As a man who has battled a horrible addiction to opiates and now, a pastor and director for an addiction recovery program, I have seen both sides of addiction and recovery. I have done funerals for men that were not any crazier, wilder, or riskier then I was. They died from doing the exact same thing I was doing when I lived a life of addiction. So, why did I survive and they didn’t or couldn’t?

I could try and explain these deaths by how some people receive laced drugs (like fentanyl-laced heroin) or have unknown medical issues (like cardiomyopathy) but I don’t feel as though that would explain the whole story. I don’t write these following words flippantly because this is an extremely hard topic for me to discuss. I have images of mother’s faces grimacing with the pain and sorrow that comes from burying their children burned in my mind. It’s not only the internal empathy ravaging my soul, but I have also lost people that I love to addiction, too.

The Question of Recovery

The question, “Why does addiction kill some and others recover?”, is a question that I cannot answer completely, or at least to everyone’s satisfaction. What I can say is that God is Sovereign and we are not promised tomorrow. I know, without a shred of a doubt, based on the authority of God’s word that people can and do recover from addiction.

I have to admit that early on my default position was to shake my fist at God and say why did you not save them? I would even get frustrated and ask God why would you call me to a ministry that is so littered with destruction? This just doesn’t seem right. God revealed to me through His word and other pastors that the feeling I had that, “this is not right”, is exactly what the Bible teaches. God created a perfect place where we could live in perfect unity with Him without the destruction of pain and death, however, something did go way wrong.

As you read the creation/fall account in Genesis 1-3, you see that God’s perfect creation was devastated by sin. That death and destruction entered into the world and a curse came upon the earth. We have all tasted the brokenness of a fallen world. I cannot blame Adam or Eve for this curse as a result of sin because I willingly participated in it.

The hope that I hold onto dearly is that God promises that one day all of this ends for the redeemed. God provides a way out of this darkness and destruction through Jesus. God says in James 1 that He can even use this pain and suffering to bring Him glory. He can use the seasons of trial to cause us to draw closer to Him and persevere.

God promises one day that the presence of sin will be removed for the redeemed. But he also makes promises for us here and now. God says that He will provide rest from the chaos. He promises that we can have true peace and joy when everything going on around us should cause the opposite. He tells us that we do not have to worry or be overwhelmed with anxiety. He promises that His children have victory over death, that death has no sting. Even through the funerals I have officiated for believers, I can rest assured that Jesus conquered death and one day we will all meet again.

The Takeaway

I hold steadfast to these promises made by God. They encourage me to faithfully bring the message of hope from the Gospel. God lays out in His word that we can have victory from the yokes of slavery and that includes the chains of addiction. When I read these truths I see that breaking the chains of addiction doesn’t have to be a mundane daily admittance of “I am an addict”. It’s actually the opposite. It is, “I am a bloodstained child of the Kingdom; I am made new and I am not defined by the wickedness of my past; I press on to know the Lord. I don’t claim to be perfect but I don’t look back and I press on toward the goal to which Christ called me.”

If someone you know is struggling with addiction then step in and have these hard conversations. Make it as hard as possible for them to stay in an addictive lifestyle and show them how easy it can be for them to walk into recovery. If you personally are struggling with addiction, please reach out and get help. The S2L Recovery program helps addicts throughout Middle TN and beyond to complete a faith-based recovery program. This drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation center can be the catalyst to launch you into the “new creation” that God has called you to. So be bold and act. Press on brother or sister and behold your creator. What you behold is what you will become more like.

Closing Words of the Lord

“[16] So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. [17] For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, [18] as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (ESV) 2 Corinthians 4:16-1