Are you a member of a family afflicted by addiction? For my entire life, that’s been my story. I’ve never been addicted myself, but my loved ones’ addictions have had a traumatic, lasting impact on my life.
This summer, I began studying about alcoholism and its effects on family members. The sad news is that even if you never drink a drop of alcohol, your loved one’s drinking problem can afflict almost every area of your life. Its effects won’t go away unless you receive professional help.
The good news is that if addiction afflicts your family, you can find hope and healing in God’s Word. I’m on a journey of recovery now. By meditating on a specific Bible passage, I’ve gained the courage to seek healing and reach for hope, and I’ve found a new kind of peace. I want to share what I’ve learned with you today.
I’m writing about how we can get well as family members of addicted loved ones at Devotable today. Here’s a peek at my post, and I hope you’ll head over to read the rest.
When Addiction Afflicts Your Family
I threw the book across the room. Hadn’t I done enough?
God had been opening my eyes to the truth of how alcohol had caused decades of collateral damage in my life, and I wanted to learn more. In my friend’s Facebook feed, I spied a book about understanding your loved one’s addiction and ordered it right away.
The day the book arrived, I devoured it. The first half confirmed what I already knew: I was being mistreated, neglected and unfairly blamed. My deep hurts cried out for this affirmation.
But then the writer explained how I needed to seek treatment. He wrote that all the family members are sick, not only the addict. That nothing would change unless I was willing to make the first steps forward and seek recovery.
That’s when I chucked the book into the corner and began arguing with God.
“What about the years I already spent in therapy?” I whined. “I’m healthier than I’ve ever been. Are you really asking me to do more?” Anger boiled up inside me, from the place the book so accurately described.
Jesus reminded me of a story I had just used to confront one of my addicted loved ones. In John 5:1-15, Jesus encountered a man who had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years…
To learn more about how to find hope as a family member of an addicted one, keep reading over at Devotable.
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