8/22/2019 Addiction Brochure 2: The Orthodox Church & Addiction

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The OrthodoxChurch&

addiction

All around you are countless people who

are trapped by compulsive behaviors

they cannot seem to stop. They abuse

alcohol or drugs, or engage in some kindof self-destructive behavior. No matter

how hard they try and how many tears

they shed, they continue to go back to

this obsession. This is Addiction.

The treatment for this problem is found

within the Orthodox Church, and we as

Orthodox Christians have an obligation to

help addicts find the God who can heal

them.

Did you knowthat there is no known cure for

addiction? Addiction permanently chan-

ges the addict, so that he will never be

able to go back to his addictive behaviors

without falling back into the self-

destructive behaviors of addiction.

is addiction forever?Once a person becomes an addict, he will

always be an addict. However, most of

the symptoms, if not all of them, can be

eliminated through years of physical

recuperation, accompanied by a change

in thinking and, most importantly, a

transformative spiritual lifestyle. Gods

mercy can change a practicing addict into

a sober addict.

What is a sober addict?

A sober addict is a person who is

addicted, yet does not engage in the

addictive behaviors that once troubled

him. However, this is more than being

separated from the source of his

obsession: the sober addict is someone

who is happy without his addictive

behaviors.

A dry addict is someone who cannot,

because of circumstances, act out on his

addiction. However, given the opport-

unity, he will try to go back to his

addiction. A sober addict will not.

A sober addict is someone who finds joy

apart from the addiction, and whose

happiness is found with God.

How many groups arethere?

There are around 35 12-Step

organizations in the US. Here is a partial

list of some of the largest:

Alcoholics Anonymous

Narcotics Anonymous

Overeaters Anonymous

Gamblers Anonymous

Sexaholics Anonymous

Check the internet and you will see that

there are many kinds of addictions, and

groups of people trying to recover.

What can my parish do?

12 Step groups often have difficulty

finding places to meet. They do not have

much money, and so renting spaces is

difficult. Offering groups a place to meet

is a wonderful ministry: by showing them

the kindness of your hospitality, you will

please God and help many people in

recovery.

Want to read

more?The best book on the topic is Steps of

Transformation : An Orthodox Priest

Explores the Twelve Steps by

Archimandrite Meletios Webber.

You can also visit this blog:

http://orthodoxyandrecovery.blogspot.com

2013

Fr. George Aquaro - for free distribution onlyVersion 1.0

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&search-alias=books&field-author=Father%20Meletios%20Webber&sort=relevancerankhttp://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&search-alias=books&field-author=Father%20Meletios%20Webber&sort=relevancerank

8/22/2019 Addiction Brochure 2: The Orthodox Church & Addiction

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How does the Churchhelp addicts?Addicts fall into addiction because of

their inner suffering, which we call the

Passions. All humans have Passions, and

these passions drive us to sin. The

addict, however, gives himself over to

the Passions so profoundly that hebecomes unable to control them on his

own.

So, while most of us are able to keep our

passions under some control, the addict

has no control. Furthermore, the addict

suffers from severe levels of person pain

and suffering, and so the addict uses his

addiction to numb the pain.

The Church offers the addict the

opportunity to be united with God. And,

the God whom we preach is not angry

and severe, but rather we know God to

be patient and kind. The Church offers

addicts the hope of healing from their

passions through the direct intervention

of God and the addicts commensurate

willingness to repent.

Addicts need help in forgiving and asking

for forgiveness. These are two things

which our Church offers all mankind, and

so many addicts feel at home in the

Orthodox Church. Likewise, we have a

sacred duty to them, as sharers in our

common humanity, to offer addicts the

same spiritual gifts we have been given.

The Church offers addicts the

unconditional and immeasurable love of

God, through His only-begotten Son,Jesus Christ.

Why should I care?

According to the Substance Abuse and

Mental Health Services Administration

(SAMHSA) in 2013:

Around 7% of US residents are alcohol

abusers or alcoholics.

More than 24 million US residents aged

12 or older are currently suffering from

drug addiction.

Approximately 24% of all 10th graders

have used marijuana at least once in the

past year.

More than 6% of all Americans aged 16

to 25 have engaged in abuse of

prescription drugs in the past month.

Each year, more than 20,000

individuals die as a result of illicit druguse.

In the past 20 years, the number of

people with drug addictions in the United

States has increased by more than 500

percent.

There are an unknown number of Am-

ericans with addictions to gambling,

food, pornography, & many others.

But, if this is not enough, then thinkabout this:

1 in 10 Americans report in recent

surveys that they are in recovery from

addiction.

That means that around 10% of the

visitors to your parish, along with those

already in the pews, are people who are

sober addicts. They dont wear signs or

act differently. They are your brothersand sisters.

are addicts immoral?Addiction drives otherwise moral people

into immoral circumstances and actions.

A large part of why addicts remain

addicted is because of their shame over

the things they have done.

Immoral people do not have shame, so

addicts are, by nature, moral people.

Otherwise, their consciences would notbother them. They do not need more

criticism, but rather the encouragement

to repent and be healed.

What do they need?Addicts need, most of all, healthy love.

This is not about helping them be

comfortable in active addiction, but

rather our understanding of their

struggles and desire to be close to God.They need our brotherly hospitality.

In essence, addicts need the same things

we all need. We all need to be treated

with patience and tolerance, and we

should always be kind and loving to

everyone we meet.

If you treat an addict the same as

everyone else (in a good way!), you will

be doing exactly the right thing!

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