When I was young we used to live in an older house that had a secret door in the attic that led to a crawlspace that I could go to and hide in whenever I wanted to just get away from it all and feel safe and comforted. For many of us addiction is also like our secret room that we run to to get away from it all and to feel safe and comforted. We might think we are escaping life's pain and cares by giving in to addiction, but the problem is that this is actually a temporary solution that will just cause us more pain.

Addiction is actually a very dark and dangerous place that lures us into a false sense of security while it destroys everything we love and value just outside of the door where we are hiding. When and if we finally leave our secret room we find out that our addiction acted like a hurricane that totally decimated all that was good and meaningful in our lives. Is there pleasure in addiction? Yes you bet there is, and it can feel so sweet to be in that secret place, but eventually you will be forced to come out.

Trying to escape life's pain and cares through addiction may seem like a good way to get away from it all, but our life and unhealed pain will still be waiting for us when we finally decide to come out. As we allow God to heal our pain and to teach us how to deal with life's problems then and only then does our life get better and our load get lighter. God wants to give you everything you need to not just survive life, but to truly thrive and be happy and whole. It's time for us to come out of our secret room and live.