Thank you for the courage and humility represented in your willingness to engage this material. Doubtless, if alcohol or drugs have disrupted your life and hurt those you love, many people have tried to force you to change and make you admit the problem. That is a hard context in which to explore the possibility of change.
That is why it is important for you to know that every decision in this study is yours to make or not make. Like it or not, for better or worse, the direction of your life is in your hands. No attempt will be made to compel you to do things you don’t want to do.
You will be asked to honestly examine the role and impact of alcohol and/or drugs in your life. If it has become enslaving for you and/or harmful to those you love, you will be encouraged to seek freedom in the form of abstinence through the power of the gospel with the support of the community of faith. But that choice is yours.
This study is merely a guide and an option. It does not purport superiority to 12 step groups, residential treatment, medical interventions, or your personal plan to sobriety. Actually, it may be used in conjunction to any of these. What you hold is a resource, rooted in Scripture and supplemented with research, on how to find freedom in Christ from addiction.
An initial caution is in order. Don’t make a pre-mature commitment that you’re “going to do it this time.” A formal commitment will be asked for at the end of step two. For now, seriously considering change is sufficient. By the end of step two you should have assessed whether change is needed and worth it. If your answer is “Yes,” then at that point make a commitment to change and stick with it through whatever challenges and relapses may arise.
Reflection: What would you be giving up if you quit your addiction? This is an important and often neglected question.
There will be four areas of focus in step one.
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