It is ironic how we desperately cling to our addictions all of our life because we think they will make us happy and give us protection and relief from pain. The truth is, that our happiest and most protected state comes from facing life naturally without all the addictions. When I was deep in my addiction I would hear people talk about how happy and free they were and how God had miraculously set them free, but I just felt stuck and hopeless. I couldn't help but think that maybe God liked some of His kids more than others to be giving them all that help, and then just leaving me to grit this out alone. I have since learned that God does things differently with everyone because everyone is different, and everyone responds differently to His work.

Most of the reasons we don't like living life without addiction is just a fear of not having pleasure, and a fear of not being protected against pain. Once you get past these two lies, and you see that addiction is really not giving you all the good you thought it was, and that it will always take more than it gives, then you become more willing to let it go for good. Addiction is kind of like a bad boyfriend or girlfriend that always promises you the world, but then does you dirty in the end every time. But I can say honestly that once you finally make the break and you see that life can be faced naturally. Many good things begin to happen and they keep happening as long as you don't freak out and run back to your addiction when some new fear or pain comes along.

Here is what I like about living free from addiction.

1. Your body becomes more chemically normal and you start to laugh and smile again, and have good honest emotions again. In time you begin sleeping better and more peacefully too.

2. You don't have to go through all the work of obtaining your addiction, hiding it, and trying to practice it without everyone checking you out all the time, or asking you if everything is ok. Plus you have more money for good things in life that you can keep and enjoy.

3. You can hold your head up and look people in the eyes without all the fear and shame that we normally relate to people with. It gives you social confidence to know that you don't always have something to hide and that you don't have to be careful with every word we say so that we don't accidentally give ourselves and our secret addictions away.

4. I like knowing that there is no longer anything between me and God, and that as I walk through a day I don't have to wonder anymore if my prayers are being blocked because of my sin. I like knowing that if I die I don't have to worry about going to hell anymore, or having to face a life review peppered with scenes of all my old addiction episodes.

5. I like helping other people because I remember the dark pit of addiction and how hopeless, alone, and helpless I felt. I like knowing that someone else can find true help from God and walk with Him into freedom. I like the fact that someone stuck in a deep dark hole without a rope and with the flames of hell licking at their heels, can have a rope suddenly appear with the hands of Jesus holding it to offer them a way out if they want it.

Those are just some of the things that I like about living free from addiction and they remind me how good things can remain for me if I always trust God rather than in addiction to solve my problems. I know that as addicted people, we all feel like we are the worst addicted person in the whole world and that everyone else has a better chance of recovering from addiction than we do, but that is just simply a lie from the pit. Satan wants you to feel like you are too evil to ever be good, and that you are beyond hope, he does this to discourage you from trying. We get free from addiction because we cooperate with God's daily work, not because of anything we do, or anything we are. When you realize that you are getting free because of His work then there is no failing, there is only a daily willingness to say "Ok God, this is a new day, what do you want to work on?" Remember my friend, if you stick with God, you will eventually be free, it is 100% inevitable, and His recovery plan is designed just for you.