The latest Project Connect booklet, Journey Through Addiction, offers compassionate and Christ-centered support for individuals and their loved ones in their addiction struggle. It complements two other Journey booklets that preceded it: Journey Through the Rat Race and Journey Through Anxiety.
Addiction comes in many forms. It may be substance abuse (drugs, alcohol, tobacco, etc.) or it may be a behavioral obsession (internet, gambling, gaming, shopping, pornography, etc.). Whatever character the all-consuming dependency may take, it sadly and quite often can lead to the abuse of others or even death.
Journey Through Addiction gives readers clear explanations on what addiction is. It offers insights into the effects this disorder has on those suffering through it and how it also impacts those who support them in their struggle. Strengthening the booklet's insights and observations are biblical texts emphasizing that even in our deepest pain and isolation God is with us, caring for us, ever ready to help.
While the visible sides of addiction are plain—health issues, broken friendships, busted marriages, financial ruin, and more—the internal tumult is more hidden. As the booklet describes it, "What is it like, this journey through addiction? It can feel like stumbling in darkness, tripping over obstacles you can barely see. It can feel like walking through fire and water, trying desperately to survive. It can feel like a walk through the valley of the shadow of death."
It is in the hope of offering readers a fresh perspective and a hopeful future that Journey Through Addiction was written. It addresses addiction primarily from a spiritual standpoint, looking at the underlying causes that lead a person into these behaviors. "What we are attempting to do is to look with clear-eyed compassion at the roots of addiction in ourselves and in others."
To do this, ten hopeful exercises are provided. They move readers forward on a journey that leads from the discovery of unmet needs to identifying if there is a problem. Questions and space to write allow for a personal appraisal of one's own situation.
There is no easy way out of addiction, but it can be done. And starting with gratitude to God who became Man in Jesus Christ to share our suffering is a good place to begin. To find out more about Project Connect booklets, go to lhm.org/projectconnect.
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