Chapter 66

Anytime you discuss the matter of origins you are forced to make a philosophical assumption of faith. You must decide for yourself what is more rational and logical: naturalism or theism. The truth or error of the judgments within both viewpoints requires faith, and the way in which you relate yourself to the implications of either perspective will ultimately determine your course in life.

Let us discuss some of the philosophical inferences that evolutionists make with regard to the upward progression of life from a pre-biotic soup. When discussing the whole issue of homology (or commonality of form), it is difficult to avoid circular reasoning; and as such, evidence (or lack thereof) forces the observer to make inferences. If we believe the act of inference is the genuine insight it claims to be, it follows that we must consequently use a fair and reasonable faculty of judgment in order to define more particular our purposes prior to the investigation. What I mean is simply this: If you decide in advance that macro-evolution is true, then any appraisal of evidence you investigate will be worked and massaged into that theory.

The idea that mutations are the driving forces of evolution encounters one fatal difficulty: There is no evidence to support it. Almost all mutations are deleterious (meaning they do the living organism absolutely no good). A simple illustration: If you start introducing copying errors and changes in a book of beautiful poetry, you do not eventually end up with a DVD on geography that is dependent on the independent variable of a DVD player needed to display to you its contents (not to mention the obvious fact that you certainly would get no inference by way of evidence on what was driving the change in the first place, if anything). No one can explain why living systems don’t experience catastrophic destruction under random mutations when all common sense (and scientific) evidence says otherwise.

The fossil record is simply mystifying; it does not sustain any kind of Darwinian prediction that can be intelligently derived by a proper use of inferential balance. I’m not just talking about the Cambrian Explosion; I’m talking about everything we see (The Cambrian Explosion refers to the geologic age in the fossil record where all complex living systems suddenly appear). We have never been able to mathematically or theoretically examine the central claims of natural selection by way of genetic algorithms. In other words, the mathematical cumulative improbability of even the slightest peptides bonding to form polypeptides changing upward to amino acids (amino acids are the building blocks of protein, which is the building blocks of life) is so staggering, that one would dismiss the claims of self-organizing, creative-evolution on the simple grounds of this alone.

Let us look at a few cultural influences that are used by atheists to protect and guard their faith. Richard Dawkins, who is somehow accepted as a great intellect, wrote a philosophical book on the use of Darwinism to support “intelligent” atheism called “The God Delusion.” The book is a complete bore, simply written, easily refutable, tells us nothing, and leaves you empty with unrequited questions. Bill Maher, who is also bizarrely accepted as an intellectual, made a movie called “Religulous.” The movie is a highly edited, endless succession of interviews with uneducated, unsophisticated, simple-minded people who have no idea how to defend their faith –all in a desperate and pseudo-comical effort to somehow leave the viewer with the impression that religious people are dumb. You may ask, why all the talk of these men? The simple answer: They are a couple of wind-bags who aggressively attempt to recruit others into their flawed way of thinking and are also well known as the predominant, self-appointed, sovereign priests of the powerful orthodoxy popularly known as the religion of atheism.

When the world changed in 1859 with the publication of Darwin’s famous “On the Origin of Species,” no one could have predicted the level of unholy zealousness in which people would attach themselves to its propagation. But let us look now at Darwinism for what it truly is: A kind of amusing collection of 19th century anecdotes that is unlike anything we see in the natural world or in the serious sciences (like physics) or in the fossil record. Yes, many biologists do collectively agree that this is the basis for the origin of life, BUT here are some points you should consider as well: The theory doesn’t have any philosophically valid substance to it; it’s not supported by the fossil evidence; it’s mathematically preposterous; and the fact that biologists uniformly agree on it could as well be explained by an obstinate Marxist interpretation of their economic interests. There is a tremendous amount of pressure on scholars to conform to prevailing views in an effort to sustain their research funding, but when one rogue philosopher is free to think and say and write as he pleases…

I will discuss in more specific detail my views on why Darwinism is wrong (as a creation myth) soon, so stay tuned (this is just the beginning). You may ask, why all the talk of evolution? The simple answer: Since I believe the best way to recover from life-controlling problems is through faith in God, we need a leveled playing field where faith can once again be logically and intelligently considered; therefore, this is necessary in order to undermine and reject the foundations of atheism and agnosticism in our present day and age. You need solid ground to stand on; therefore, you must fully understand and realize that faith in God is right, healthy, proper, intelligent, and good. Anything less is utter foolishness.

Chapter 65

Among the many difficulties that unbelievers and skeptics have about Christianity is the fact that (seemingly) childish imagery is used to describe spiritual facts. Without realizing that the application of rules governing decipherable literature must apply here, he may unknowingly blunder into thinking that imagery contributes nothing to the explanation of what is truly inexplicable. A skeptic is easily disgruntled and even disgusted when religious people speak of heaven in the sky, hell underground, devils with horns, golden streets, and a royal throne where the Son of God sits just to the right of His father. To some extent, this imagery seems like foolishness to the untrained man; but anyone who stops right there and quits is only playing with Christianity and allowing a child’s version of our religion to keep him from adult knowledge.

Because the impatient skeptic naturally approaches any talk of Christianity with the decision in advance that he intends to refute whatever we say, he sets his own pseudo-intellectual trap. He will seldom adequately fulfill the conditions of rules that govern valid reasoning and think that his dry and tedious analysis of our imagery protects him from having to decide if the claims of Christianity are either true or false. He thinks he can dismiss it all and mock everything we believe as some sort of measly figurative synthesis of imagination. But make no mistake, God is not mocked.

The modern skeptic is quick to dismiss the creation account in Genesis as mythology, yet seeks to supplant it with a form of Neo-Darwinist, self-existent, self-creative “Mother-Nature” whose ultimate purposes revolve around random mutation and natural selection being the driving forces of the development of higher, complex life (more on this later). The point he misses here is that evolution is itself, by definition, a creation myth. To illustrate with a simple analogy: We don’t need religion to tell us that there are flaws in a complicated narrative about how pool balls on a table moving around in obedience to the laws of motion, gravity, and friction can also explain where the pool table came from in the first place or who is using the pool stick to put the balls in motion. Mere common sense accompanied with valid reasoning will tell you that you cannot use descriptive rules of observable nature to explain the origin of the entire natural world itself, regardless of how intricate or complicated the theories or arguments may be. Whatever its value may be as an argument, it may be stated at once that this view of a “mother-nature” is quite wrong about facts.

That being said, it should at once seem obvious that a certain degree of mental and literary imagery (including metaphors) are perfectly valid things humans have to use at their disposal to explain that which is beyond our conceptions. For, even the skeptic who wants to believe in a non-Christian, indistinct “spiritual force” has not yet noticed that the use of the word “force” has itself opened the door to all sorts of images about winds, electrical forces, and so on. Anytime we humans try to form some kind of conception of that which is real, we will attach some form of imagery by default, which is just our nature. No matter how hard you try to avoid this, here it is: God is unavoidable. God requires you to make a choice. You are either with Him or against Him, and no middle ground is allowed.

Chapter 64

If you believe the totality of nature can only exist on causes beyond itself, you have made your first step toward the correct view of theism (which means belief in the existence of God). There is, of course, no question that religious people always claim the whole of creation is for man while science continues to discover that it is not. No one with any degree of respectable intelligence though would suggest that man, or even the entire universe was sufficient to fill the mind of God completely. If we as people are small compared to space and time then surely space and time is a much smaller thing in comparison to God who actually created it. God is beyond all things, both big and small. He is the original cause, the great self-existent I AM.

It is a philosophical mistake and an error in the proper use of correct judgment to assume Christianity ever proposed that all of creation was made for man. The universe was made partly for reasons we do not know, but we are a part of it, that we do know. There may be countless bodies floating in space much like (or unlike) our Earth that harbor life. There may be endless variations of life that exist elsewhere of which we can form no good conception. These other forms of life may or may not have needed redemption like the human race did, we just do not know. The universe may have many things in it that are quite dissimilar in nature from life as we know it in which God is interested though we are not.

The critical point here is this: We must never falsely assume size is in any way related to our importance in the eyes of God. We should not allow the fact that we ARE small to make us FEEL small or somehow insignificant. God is incomparably enormous and immeasurably superior and beyond anything our finite, little minds can possibly imagine, but always remember: He created us. He loves us. That makes YOU special on a cosmic scale. You DO matter in the eyes of God, and He is intensely interested in a personal love relationship with you.

Chapter 63

A very contemporary, false philosophical viewpoint propagated by the trendy, self-appointed intelligentsia in our society is that the more we discover the vastness of the universe and our small, seeming insignificance in proportion –this somehow strengthens and reinforces the idea that our entire existence is purely a naturalistic byproduct of mere chance. This philosophical viewpoint actually predates Darwinism, and seems to continue enjoyment in the limelight as the best argument against religious doctrine to date. (I will formally refute Darwinism in much greater detail later on in this book, as this should help any of my readers who falsely suppose belief in the creative forces of evolution enables a sophisticated brand of atheism)

Christian philosophers, poets, preachers, writers, and moralists have spoken about the wonder, awe, and vastness of the universe and our comparatively tiny spatial insignificance for thousands of years without even the slightest inclination that the facts about our smallness in any way conflicted with their theology. Why should we now eagerly seek to discard Christianity on the grounds that the universe is big and we are small? What is the source of this proliferation of aggressive ignorance?

If from the hugeness of the universe and the smallness of Earth we thus deduce and imagine Christianity is therefore false, in all fairness, we should then have some good idea of what the universe would look like if it were true. Any increase in our knowledge of nature or the universe can never alter the credibility of the philosophical doctrines that relate to Christianity one way or the other. We should never confuse ourselves that some kind of advance in science makes it harder to accept religious beliefs. The Christian faith has always presented itself as something outside of nature and as such, unscientific.

All possible knowledge depends on the validity and soundness of good reasoning, to some extent. You can make intellectual progress and grow if you remove or suppress the purely negative, emotionally restrictive sensations bellowing up inside you upon realization that you have harbored philosophical errors in judgment of this magnitude. At some point, you must seriously ponder whether your instinctive repugnance to such a confrontation with truthfulness is really rational, or whether it is merely emotional. I strongly suggest you place more emotional emphasis on the rational logic of faith, which is reasonably sound and intellectually superior to atheism on every conceivable level. Stretch yourself to grow beyond your present sphere of understanding.

Chapter 62

Great advances in the realm of psychology and countless research studies in neurobiology have officially overthrown the traditional perception that the ONLY problems addicts suffer from are that they are weak, bad, morally bankrupt people who are unwilling to control their behavior or lives. If this expression is to be accurately understood, while the aforementioned portrayal is obviously true to some extent, there is something going on with an addict well beyond his reasonable ability to control his behavior as it relates to obsessing, craving, and actively using drugs. I am a recovering addict myself and have every right to speak on issues relating to this –because I have first-hand experience. I know what it is like to be truly moral; I know what it is like to be deplorably immoral; and I also know what it is like to have raging compulsions beyond any human control.

Let us quickly examine the typical life-cycle of an addict. A person starts off with some sort of pain; it can be emotional, physical, and/or social. This person, by most societal standards is basically good, but finds his pain difficult to deal with. Since this person has an inner conflict or discomfort he does not know how to resolve (this could be difficulty fitting-in, anxiety, abuse, peer pressure…), he looks for a solution to the problem.

This is where the moral dilemma presents itself: Most people have troubles and struggles with life at some point, but the difference here is this person chooses drugs as his solution for one reason or another. The drugs appear to solve the problem and so a high value is mentally associated with its use. But this person believes a lie. Depending on the types of drugs used, full-blown addiction sets in very quickly, and he loses his power to choose. Casual, recreational drug use quickly turns into an uncontrollable obsession that traps the person in an endless cycle of craving, using, withdrawing, abstaining, and relapsing. The obsession is so powerful that all else in life means nothing, and the addict is even perfectly willing, at times, to die for his drug. Once the newly minted drug addict crosses the threshold of experiencing cravings, he’s in for the ride of his life.

The drugs heavily train the “pleasure sensors” of the brain, and simultaneously cause an absolute horror of the pain of physical withdrawal. He then seeks to reward himself with the pleasure that the drugs provide, accidentally increases his physical tolerance level, and will do anything to keep using. Now he experiences a downward spiral in his life; the drugs of abuse have permanently changed him both mentally and physically. There is a massive change in his original personality in that he will now start to harbor secret hatreds and hostilities and look for other people to blame for his condition. And all of this started with one simple immoral, bad decision: To believe the lie that drugs are the cure-all. The medicine that cures becomes the poison that kills.

As I have stated at the beginning of this book, the core of all addiction starts with a problem of belief; and consequently it can be treated by correcting false beliefs over time. Drug addiction, then, results from the immorality of excessive or continued use of habit-forming drugs in an attempt to resolve the original underlying symptoms of discomfort or unhappiness. That is why I believe it is helpful to have a full understanding of the psychological components that relate to addiction with the accompanying pursuit of spirituality. First things first though, if you are an advanced alcoholic or drug addict, you MUST go to a rehabilitation facility for an extended period of time to give yourself a chance at life, and that is as simple as I know how to make it. Remember that when you discover truth, even when it is placed before your eyes in its purest nature, you are not to expect from it any assistance other than that of a lighthouse or guidepost.

Chapter 61

There are two common views of addicts: one is the “bad person” view and the other is the “chronic illness sufferer” view. I believe a simple resolution to the contradistinction is this: It is clearly a combination of both. No matter how you view the problem though, these fundamental truths remain: There is no cure for addiction; a lifelong fight against the compulsions is required; the fight gets easier with time.

If we are to possess knowledge, any progress we may experience in the advance of truth discovery does not raise us above the need for occasional reproof and correction. It is true though that our correct judgments, with respect to their proper context, must not contradict themselves. The pursuit of greater knowledge or understanding can initially reach its aim with perfect ease as merely a logical proposition to separate the content from the context to discover if there are deeper interrelationships. There are, of course, many issues that do not fall within the scope of my present inquiry, but this by no means hinders me from uncovering a systematic method of truth discovery which must always be recognizable by means of obedience to the principles of non-contradiction.

On such a difficult subject as understanding the disease concept of addiction, a task with which general logic will have nothing to do, I must go beyond the given conceptions thus without being contradictory. For inasmuch as the conception of cause, in and of itself, must have a basis outside that of being a reproduction of distinctive, misguided imagination. Indicating the general conditions for rules or the case to which the rules must be applied is formal and entirely without content here. Our duty at present is to render as conceivable whether or not the principles that govern the conditions are sufficient as a criterion for truth.

Upon further discovery, I seek to make a positive use of these principles; for it is quite possible to possess truth in accordance with a synthesis of multiple conceptions. Such knowledge would, as such, never amount to anything and would be completely without validity apart from a simple treatment approach. One way to successfully treat an addict for his self-inflicted disease is through compelling moral rehabilitation over a long period of time.

Chapter 60

One goal of therapy is to find out what caused the problem in the first place. Psychotherapies are known as the talking therapies, and are based upon the notion that inappropriate thinking, either at the conscious or unconscious level, is the cause of the problem. Behavior therapies (including classical and operant conditioning) focus on the notions of inappropriate learning; that somewhere in our lives we learned inappropriate responses to stimuli.

In classical conditioning, the use of a process of systematic desensitization is the technique where you can learn to experience the previously anxiety provoking stimulus or situation while in a relaxed state, so your fear can be slowly minimized. This process is the behavioral modification technique of pairing a naturally occurring stimulus and response chain with a different stimulus in order to produce a response which is not naturally occurring (also known as Pavlovian or respondent conditioning). I believe therapeutic techniques of counter-conditioning can, for example, be used to assist an addict who must face his “old playground,” and not be triggered or emotionally disturbed to such a degree that his sobriety is threatened.

Behavior therapies based on operant conditioning (another behavior modification technique) basically work on the premise that you have a response which is followed by a reinforcement that increases the likelihood of a repeat of the behavior. Another therapeutic technique that I find interesting is a form of reductionist thinking, which is basically trying to get to the lowest level of what motivates us. This can be a helpful exercise for anyone struggling with a wide assortment of disturbing issues.

You may ask: Why all the discussion of psychology and its various behavior modification techniques? My answer is: Why not? There is no knowledge that we should fearfully regard as off limits. I consider any exploration into deeper knowledge as potentially advantageous, not to mention, it’s quite interesting. And often, addicts and alcoholics have many psychological problems outside their addiction issues (such as anxiety, stress, bewilderment, depression, despair, a sense of gloom…). There is a fundamental point in all of psychology though, and it is this: Any change that happens in your life must come from you and your own efforts. Although a psychologist or therapist can direct you toward truth and understanding, no one can do the work for you.

Psychology, in one sense, is not about getting rid of symptoms, or about waging war, or getting control of anything. Instead, it is about making peace with, by listening to and understanding, your symptoms. And curiously enough, once you listen to, rather than fear your symptoms, you might be inculcated with a sense of wisdom that could become a great blessing to your life. The light of truth, or depth of insight, however, is not necessarily sufficient in and of itself to bring about permanent behavioral change.

For initial psychological change to occur, you must react to insight with shock and alarm. Your unrepentant, blind heart must feel sorrow; sorrow for all the injury and pain that it has inflicted on others while trapped in its own blindness. You will no longer be able to blame others for the degree of your own misery. Instead, you can see the ugliness and evil of your own behavior for what it is. Shocked by the past, you can be motivated to change the present. And so it can be fairly deduced that one qualifying condition required to initiate lasting psychological change is: Sorrow.

Chapter 59

Your faculty of judgment has not been sufficiently exercised if you think you must give up all pretentions to knowledge without understanding that this distinguishing feature in our human nature is undoubtedly of great utility. I have noticed that in recovery, opposition to the value of our knowledge seems to circulate with almost universal indulgence, and any challenge to this seems to be on the order of blasphemy and absurdity. Continual, insufficient use of correct judgment is properly that which is commonly called stupidity, and for such a failing, I know of no remedy with dignity that is not utterly wonting. Here again, we find philosophy is called upon to apply all of its intensity and penetration as an element of necessity.

If we are making progress we will be able, with very little trouble, to use knowledge to lead us to truth, both good and bad. It is a requirement that we understand the difference between good and bad –without attaching irrational or imaginary constraints to the validity of this recognition, as this is a quick measure of our mental health capacities. Truth is either good or bad, there is little gray area; and the way in which we adjust ourselves to its implications is of extreme importance.

I will concede that truth sometimes presents itself to us in ways that allows us to turn around our thinking without any necessity of understanding the connections between cause and effect. But this does not rule out the value of understanding how cause and effect works. If we sought to free ourselves from the consequences of cause and effect without extracting the function of cause, a pure form of sensibility might appear to us. We might find that the truth behind the cause that led to the effect could teach us a valuable lesson.

When facing truth, if we do not wish to return to the state of utter ignorance from which we started, we must not afterwards complain of the obscurity or the obstacles in our path along the way to discovering it. My personal rule of thumb is this: Always endeavor to enlarge your sphere of understanding by using governing determinant rules that demand proof from either experience or from reason without betraying to a lamentable degree the effort that this exercise requires. And do not confuse difficulty with complication.

Chapter 58

When dealing with the philosophical foundations of the psychology of addiction (which is a hobby of mine as a layman), it is important to set forth what my viewpoint of philosophy is: It is merely a reflective re-evaluation of our thoughts, impressions, theories, procedures, and concepts which raises issues that cannot be settled by arbitrary fiat or by appeal to authority. That being said, I would now like to examine a few other philosophical issues that relate to the psychology of addiction.

In psychology, cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on the notion that it is inappropriate thought that is the cause of all problems. Sometimes it is not our environment that is causing us the trouble, but rather it is the way we look at our environment and how we react to it that matters. This is a key initiative for us in recovery. Can you identify which ideas in your head qualify as false beliefs in the areas of how you react to environmental stimuli? (It is important to point out here that defective thinking is only one of the many problems an addict has, and this is not the primary motivator in the sustenance of addictive use –that would be an area governed by the disease of addiction which is very real, though self-imposed, and deadly if left untreated.)

A cognitive behavioral therapist would tell you: If you have irrational or inappropriate thoughts, you want to turn it around and think in a different way. The therapist acts more in a directive way, and will help you change your thoughts by telling you what to think and do on the conscious level. Since you do have the ability to control your own thoughts to some degree, you just need directions on how to manage yourself. You can make progress by noticing your bodily reactions to anxiety and nervousness, for example, by focusing dependence on the independent variable of what you can do differently this time instead of robotically reacting on autopilot. Since we all know the definition of insanity (doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result), perhaps we can and should try something new.

People respond to incentives, although not necessarily in ways that are predictable or obvious; and consequently, the most powerful anticipatory reality in that corner of the universe is the law of unintended consequences. A good quasi-therapeutic technique to assist someone with directive questions that are designed to lead them toward the answers they need is this: Use motivators, incentives, influences, and invigorating reassurances. As I have stated before, people need to see change as a way of gaining advantage. In other words, help people to focus not on what they are giving up, but on what they are gaining. I will explain a little more on the topic of unintended consequences in a later chapter, so stay tuned.

Chapter 57

Pride is the one sin that, the more we have of it, the more we hate to see it in other people. The degree in which we react with self-righteous indignation toward someone exhibiting pride is a measure of our own. As discussed in the previous chapters, there are two primary categories of pride we should concern ourselves with in recovery: the narcissistic, arrogant type and the “false pride” type. We know what arrogance looks like and we all hate it, but what does “false pride” look like?

I believe there are two different types of false pride. One is where you try to gain respect, adoration, and recognition from others through intentional, fake appearances (in other words, you lie about your accomplishments to gain unearned respect). An example of this would be a man who has superficial self-confidence and pretends to be more than he is (I could go into great detail here to explain the hidden psychological motivators that might fuel this, but we'll get into that later). The other type of false pride is also known as "false humility," which is simply giving off the appearance of humbleness when secretly harboring prideful intentions and feelings. An example in the exposition of this type would be: Someone who, rather than just graciously accepting a nice compliment, would unnecessarily downplay themselves in an effort to fish for more flattery to inflate their ego.

A truly humble person with an accurate, confident self-image that is based on their identity in Christ would simply reply to a compliment with a nice “thank you.” This would reflect a proper self assessment of who they were, rather than focus too much on what they’ve done. This is extremely difficult to do, but we all must appeal to this higher standard of ourselves with the help of God. In summary: Pride is damaging to both ourselves and others, whether it be true or false. Humility is accurate self-knowledge; the good with the bad; being comfortable with who you are and not pretending to be what you are not; it is honest. When all is said and done, I would rather be fool in the eyes of man than a fool in the eyes of God.

Here is a quick little checklist to keep in mind about us: self-image = the picture of your soul, self-esteem = maintaining self-image, self-confidence = practicing self esteem, pride = overinflated self-confidence, ego = arrogant self-confidence, vanity = exhibiting pride and ego. Do you see the connections?

It is difficult to keep our confidence in check with humility. A simple picture of the right kind of confidence would be having an accurate self-image not too high, not too low, but just right. All of us who are members of the human race are at any moment in danger of allowing pride to creep into our psyche, it can be very subtle. The danger in overlooking pride in ourselves is that it strains our relationships and reduces our ability to influence others in a positive way.

Chapter 56

(chapters 55, 56, and 57 are all my best attempts to summarize some teachings that I learned by researching the subject matter of pride in a book and a few articles that I read... I have avoided putting my normal philosophical spin on things, and I hope my readers enjoy it)

In the previous chapter we examined pride and its adjuncts. Now let us consider another kind of pride that is often overlooked; and that is self-pity. When a man is being prideful he is focused too much on self, which is exactly what is happening with anyone self-absorbed in a sense of failure. People who seemingly espouse endless variations of self-pity (or sometimes called “false pride”) think they might conceal their motives of wishing they could be recognized or considered more important than others.

The prideful and overly self-focused person is one who complains or whines about the fact they are not getting what they deserve, or that they are not elevated and esteemed as they think they should be. When they find these desires unfulfilled, they become even more inwardly attentive and continue the vicious cycle. Basically it all boils down to this: Proud people believe life is all about them –their happiness, their accomplishments, and their worth. But what about God?

Do you see the inherent problems with being unthankful to God for what good gifts and talents He has given you? Do you see a problem with focusing too much on what you don’t have as opposed to what you do have? Do you see a problem with being angry at God for what you perceive as unfairness? Thinking on matters such as this poses great difficulty for most of us (especially me), but it is helpful to our growth to try and change into who God wants us to be. And that is loving, selfless, thankful people who seek to give God all the glory and seek none for ourselves.

Chapter 55

Humility is the opposite of pride. You cannot have humility where pride exists, and subsequently it is one of the most hated sins in the sight of God. We find a message in Proverbs 16:5 which says “Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; assuredly he will not be unpunished.” (NASB) We also find another passage in Proverbs 26:12 which says “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” (NASB)

The question to ask yourself is not, “Do I have pride?” but, rather, “Where is my pride?” and “How much of it do I have?” and “What can I do to resist my pride?” At the center of our sinful nature is the inclination to think too highly of ourselves at the expense of loving others. The great preacher Charles Swindoll once said, “The world’s smallest package is a man wrapped up in himself.” Since it is obvious we are to avoid pride, let us consider a brief explanation of what it is.

There are six different Hebrew words used for pride, and all of them convey the following: lifting up, highness, magnification, rebelliousness, or presumptuousness of self. In Greek, the words for pride occur in two categories, one of which is “straining or stretching one’s neck” (as if to hold one’s head up high because of what he has accomplished or made) or “to magnify, or be haughty.” The other category in Greek conveys “blindness,” or the concept of being “enveloped in smoke.” Basically all throughout the Scriptures in both the Hebrew and Greek languages, we find that prideful people are portrayed as simply having too high a view of themselves. We learn that while we can be self-important and high up in the clouds in our own thinking, we are actually blind.

Here is the plain truth: In our sinful nature, we are blinded to our pride, blinded to God’s truth, and consequently blinded to reality. Pride is often indiscreet and very subtle, and is easily undiscerned by most people. It is more commonly cherished than spoken against, and it can take many clever forms. The various words in the Bible used to describe the character attributes of pride are the following: vainglory, boasting, conceit, loftiness, arrogance, haughtiness, presumption, being puffed up, high mindedness, scoffing, and self-seeking.

In the Bible, we never find the message “you’re thinking too lowly of yourself,” or “you should consider yourself more important than others.” In fact, quite the opposite is true. The fascinating insight about God’s plan for humanity is this: We are given many Biblical illustrations of how pride appears, and Scripture tells us to stop focusing on ourselves and what we want –and if we do, God will meet our needs. This requires walking by faith, not by sight. And since this very thing goes against our nature, we discover it as one more piece of evidence of God’s design.

Chapter 54

In AA meetings, you will occasionally encounter self-appointed “AA Police” who, in a seeming desperate desire to inflate their own self-importance in ludicrous and preposterous excess of its natural function, will try to regulate discussion topics, attitudes of attendees, types of words used, use of spiritual terms, nonuse of spiritual terms, and promote endless discussions of pure AA history ad-nauseam. Unfortunately, these types somehow think airing their own lengthy opinions is in some way helping others achieve sobriety; when in actuality, it is isolating certain addicts, pushing them away, and making them feel unwelcome. When you go to an AA meeting with a troubled heard, if you don’t share, you’re not there. Everyone should feel free to briefly discuss whatever is on their mind; with of course, a primary focus on what can be done to resist their alcoholic tendencies and obsessions.

It is important to remember this: Never promote the program ahead of the person. If anyone has a problem with the way in which people share their experience, strength, hope, and troubles, it is sometimes best to remain silent and resist prideful, intimidating remarks that could discourage them from sharing openly what is on their heart. You never know when someone is teetering on the edge of disaster, and maybe if they just come in the room and spill what is on their mind without fear of censorship, they might feel a little better and make it through another day clean and sober.

In many cases it is better to listen to another alcoholic or addict rather than listen to yourself speak to them. This is called working a program of selflessness, which is a reversal of our natural inclinations. And as usual, we come up against something which is simple but not easy. Everyone has a tendency to be right in their own eyes; and even if you ARE right, it takes more strength to listen to someone else with love, gentleness, kindness, meekness, and care.

Chapter 53

(I would like to take a break from writing philosophy, as it is extremely difficult and time consuming to think out. Here is a nice chapter written in very relaxed language to express some important views in theology)

According to the great theologians, the cardinal (which is a theological term meaning “important” or “key”) virtues for everyone are prudence (using practical common sense to think out what you are doing), temperance (going the right length with your pleasures), justice (fairness to others), and fortitude (strength of mind that enables you to endure pain or encounter danger). If we seek to grow spiritually, we must pursue these virtues and ask for God’s help.

Your biological life was derived from your parents, and so in a sense, you are only maintaining a life that was given to you. If you do not feed your body, or in some way neglect its upkeep, it will wither away. In the same way, your spirit life was given to you by God, and so you are only maintaining a spirit life that was freely given to you. If you do not manage your spirit life, it will also wither away and become unproductive and barren. When it comes to living a life in loving obedience to moral principles (or virtues), everyone needs to be reminded far more often than they need to be instructed. At base, most of us know what we should do; we just have difficulty doing it.

If we know there is a moral government over men, it follows there must be a Moral Ruler to administer that government, and of course that ruler is God. Moral laws are given to regulate the conduct of men in their relations both to God and to one other. And coming from so high a source (nothing is higher than God), we may feel confident they would be in perfect harmony with the eternal principles of right, that have their basis in the nature of God, and their expression in the revelation of His will, and their authority in His absolute sovereignty. From all this, we may know that morality is clothed with the infinite authority that belongs to the Sovereign Ruler of the universe.

Chapter 52

Formal deductive reasoning is analytic by nature. Though complex, it contains no new information, it simply rearranges what we already know; which is to say the conclusions implicitly follow necessarily from the premises. In some instances a simple analysis is not objectively valid and for that reason it cannot imitate superior logic. Thus we find ourselves involved in a difficulty which did not originally present itself within our normally recognized sphere of validity.

We are not barred from appealing to ultimate truth. It remains doubtful whether my project of thought has in every respect gone beyond the former conditions of normal sensibilities that correspond to the collective unity of thought shared by most people. I recognize that we do of course make use of a great number of empirical impressions without any use of deduction, with actions simply being a dissent from experience.

I find an extended range of practical application with the functions and orders of those mental powers which help differentiate the question of right from the question of fact, which is directly contemporaneous with the certainty we associate with formal logic. It is to me then, understanding, judgment, and reasoning that is entirely consistent without being derived from experience. If we are in possession of disagreeing conceptions that are not objectively valid and thus do not belong to the logic of truth, this should be of such a nature as a simple phenomena that would be without significance or be rejected as only a change in quantity, not in quality.

Chapter 51

If you want to develop sustainable movement in your life, you are obligated to apply an arduous determination of the mind. This movement must be perceptually specified without resistive hostility to foreign impressions that might enable you to hope for greater success. You should, however, carefully and inexorably apply yourself solely to the pursuit of truth that cannot easily exchange its proper function from the laws of correct thinking that govern it.

I have learned that if you are too easily seduced into confessing your own ignorance before going through a true exercise of a methodical elucidation, you may sell yourself short and unknowingly enter a mock contest in which no victor is ever crowned with permanent possession. If you combine the elements of all your knowledge without yielding to spontaneity in the production of conceptions, you can enjoy nothing but the purest form of thought.

Chapter 50

Albert Einstein (perhaps the smartest man who ever lived aside from Isaac Newton) once said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” Of course I agree with Einstein and would even like to go a step further to suggest if you blend imagination with knowledge, you get art. Modern art can take many clever forms and is rarely appreciated, especially if it is complex or abstract. There are, of course, a great many reasons for this –not the least of which is that most people are simply not willing to invest any effort to understand the artist or his motives and purposes.

In one sense, as a reader of my writings, you are viewing my personal artwork in the form of words, which upon closer examination, can be clearly seen as a formulation of my ideas and theoretical viewpoints. At no point have I made any suggestion that my views were necessary accoutrements to a successful program of recovery, in the same way that an artist would never suggest his particular painting fully represented all there would be to see or appreciate in the art-world. One primary reason my art (or, what you would see as my “book”) is deep, complex, and sometimes abstract is that I seek to stimulate the minds of my readers in a way that forces them to ponder and reflect on matters affecting us all –in a very broad sense. I consider my readers to be important, and I want to bring them value and make their time investment in reading this worthwhile.

In order to appreciate my book, it is interesting to know how much effort goes into all this, for example: Chapter 49 took me about 7 hours to write, as I had to think extremely hard and consider many possible objections and potentialities… not to mention, I revised it about 5 times to amend my grammatical mistakes and so on. Much of what you read here has taken me YEARS to think out, and I am finally getting all this knowledge out of my head and “onto paper” so I can pass it on. Many of my thoughts are very deep, so if you read it too quickly, you will miss it... read all of this very slowly and let it sink in. Overall, my book (you see the chapters posted here on this blog as I write them) is coming along just fine quite frankly, and I am thoroughly enjoying the exercise of writing it.

Many books have been written on the subject of recovery, but none quite like this. As I have stated before, a reader of my writings will be taken on a fully encompassing intellectual joyride all over creation with no particular rhyme or reason. Consider it an exercise. We all know that in order to achieve results from physical exercise, we must push ourselves beyond our normal limits… this makes us grow. Well the same principle applies with the mind: If you want it to grow, you need to exert, strive, groan, and push forward toward the objective of receiving benefit. The worst that could happen would be that you learn a few new ideas that could be helpful. Now that’s not so bad is it?

Chapter 49

In this chapter, you will find one of my brief attempts at philosophy as a layman. I would like to discuss the perfect ideal of wisdom and virtuousness as being our chief and essential prototype, and see if this leads us to rational faith in God through simple deductive logic governed by our ability to reason.

Perfect virtue and wisdom in their purest form are ideals. At any time, we are free to use this standard of perfection to reform ourselves without pretentiousness. We are, however, bound to confess the impactful measurement that our pragmatic elements of pain and pleasure impose on this ideal as a reliable motive source; otherwise it could fully govern our moral actions without difficulty. And accordingly we would recognize any abstraction from the pursuit of this ideal as contradictory to the sum of all possibilities. It is necessary to possess a knowledge of all that is possible within our power despite an awareness of our deficiencies, as this ideal is the only proper indefectible absoluteness.

In and through it, the ideal is the correct and highest prototype of all things, and an incongruous detraction from it could be considered little more than an illogical division between competing forms of false reality. We may discover that any demotion of the highest presentment of truth to our minds that has a connection to a possible perfected experience would be the source of a problematic illusion, and could even be treated as a phenomenon peculiar to the human mind. In consideration of our sinful nature, this would not be unpredictable.

We are free to choose our interpretations and opinions of reality, but we are not free to choose the facts that govern our reality. We might rightly presuppose this homogeneous nature of things as primitive and thus, original. Since there cannot be an infinite regression of causation, there has to be an original cause; thus, anything truly original befittingly originates from God. Consequently, the only deduction we are left with cannot be considered as anything other than an aggregate of the highest reality, the sum total of all possibilities filtered through the limited power and understanding granted us by God.

This is all so palpably correct, seemingly simple, and even intuitive. It is at least quite clear that our intuition to this standard of correctness and perfection, which is only possible by our capacity to receive clear directives from God, should resign itself upon the faculty of sensation. We now have proof of the nature of empirical intuition from an undeviating certainty outside ourselves, which is yet another design clue God left for us leading right back to Him. This then characterizes a peculiar nature of the origin of knowledge, intuition, reason, pragmatism, and the other various kinds of certitude available to us. We do not enlarge, but rather disfigure ourselves when we lose sight of our respective limits; however, we are rather foolish not to aspire toward the perfect ideal set before us and within us.

Chapter 48

(here is a chapter written in painful simplicity to appeal to a broad audience)

It is important that we (in recovery) do a daily moral inventory. Since it is clear we are to ASPIRE toward an ideal of goodness (despite our incapability to achieve that perfect ideal), I would now like to examine some of our God-given faculties of the soul that empower us to make such progress.

The first empowering faculty we possess is consciousness, which enables us to know ourselves as distinct from other people. By this we recognize our thoughts, feelings, and actions –what we know, think, and feel. Another faculty of the soul is reason, which enables us to discover truth, acquire knowledge, and to form opinions or judgments. Reason enables us to manage our life skillfully and to pursue happiness successfully. Under the guidance of reason, a man will act intelligently and responsibly. Another empowering faculty of the soul is willpower, which enables us to choose or refuse -to do this or that. Willpower enables us, at least to the extent of our natural strength and capability (which is suspended in active addiction), to do as we please. Willpower qualifies a man as an independent agent, free to act voluntarily to do as he sees fit. One last faculty of the soul is our emotional nature, which is indeed quite a great power (though if it is unchecked, emotions can be dangerously treacherous). Our emotions include such feelings as love, happiness, desire, joy, anger, sadness, envy, hatred, selfishness, covetousness, and greed. We must control our emotions because they are the moving forces of our soul; they impel us to action.

We are also given a transcendent moral faculty, or a sense of right and wrong. Our moral sensibilities enable us to judge whether a human action deserves to be approved and rewarded or reprimanded and punished. The sense of moral obligation that we all feel moves our conscience and willpower to act upon our emotions which then positions our actions and determines our life results. Do you see the connection? All of our faculties seamlessly work in harmony to produce either good or bad, and the choice is up to us individually.

The next obvious (and simple) question may be: What then qualifies an action as either good or bad? Actions are either good or bad, depending on the qualities found in them. Qualities that make an action good are willing obedience to rightful authority, truthfulness, honesty, unselfishness, love, charity, and so on. The qualities that make an action bad are the very opposite of those just mentioned such as disobedience, untruthfulness, dishonesty, selfishness, hatred, greediness, and so on.

Though it is easy to notice a logical relationship between all our God-given faculties of the soul, doing the right thing is seldom easy. An easy trap we all quickly fall into is pride, vanity, and covetousness. To covet means to desire too strongly what belongs to another. Not only are we to watch our thoughts that we may think no evil, but we must also watch our desires that we may wish for nothing beyond what we may justly obtain. This practice is quite difficult, to say the least, but is required of us nonetheless.

Chapter 47

Sometimes a wise, quiet, humble leader will restrain his use of power for the good of others. A leader of this type would focus on the provision of intellectual stimulation to responsibly empower those around him and he would also try to set an example by doing what is right. It may be difficult to discern and isolate motives for this degree of constraint in the expression of ideas; though a true leader does what he knows is right despite an immediate ability to understand or appreciate the reasons why it is right.

Any expression of ideas exercises a definite influence upon the audience. One train of thought is almost always followed by its contradiction, and no feature known to our reasoning ability is immune to this. The term regression can be fairly applied to any process by which we submit to a selective interweaving of unconstructive fundamentals maladapted for the transformation of hope into certainty. I believe we should always move forward. The only time it is necessary to renounce all claims to the restitution of logical thought processes may be when the means of expression are regarded as meager in comparison with the health and happiness of those to whom it applies. The person is always more important than the idea.

Good ideas and thoughts should proceed with tolerable frequency in a normal method of presentation, and should not be guided or influenced by fear or intimidation. The common and easily accessible forms of expressing disagreement, if unchecked by wisdom, serve the purposes of representing impulses. Conceptions which stand in opposition to one another should eventually yield to an ideal of loving acceptance, tolerance, and love.

Everyone has a tendency to see the world and others only through their own needs. Here is another thought: In the business world, it is well known that a man with an obsession has very little sales resistance –and a similar principle here applies in recovery. Anyone who is obsessed with the veracity and proclamation of his own ideas at the expense of others has very little sales resistance to unrighteousness.

Chapter 46

Since it is thoughts that occupy the space in your head (so to speak), this is where the center of your life is. If you have a disproportionate number of negative thoughts in your mind, the few good thoughts you do have will get easily brushed aside (for some odd reason) in favor of a mental state that begs to be “medicated” in order to relieve the “pain.” Negative emotions will also influence your moods and then cause your actions to vary widely with no good direction. So, if you do not carefully manage and control your thoughts, you cannot control your behavior –or life.

One way you can control your thoughts is to detach yourself from them occasionally, think before you act, and try not to react to negativity. Remember that you do not have to act on every impulse, and are better off slowing down and progressing in the way you know you should. This takes patience, courage, character, and experience. The battle is in your head, because that is what controls you –always be mindful of this.

Another helpful tactic to control your thoughts is to recognize and isolate defective, cynical ruminations about life and ask God to help you see things differently. Since you will act on your thoughts, identify and rid yourself of the defective ones –because defective thoughts lead to defective behaviors. Do not let an unhealthy desire become a fire. Instead of regularly inviting foulness into your mind, try being more open-minded and allow fresh, new, healthy ideas to come in instead. This may take great courage, but is well worth the cost (of pride).

I see no good reason to excitedly revel in ignorance or spiritual immaturity and obsessively attract others to follow that path. There is a pathway to Godly wisdom, and each of us can discover it on our own –gently, lovingly, slowly, and kindheartedly. We are all capable of imagining acts of Christian loving-kindness, and that is the class of thoughts I want floating around inside my head today.

Chapter 45

The question may be asked, is AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) a true and legally valid form of “Group Therapy?” The official answer is, of course, NO. To be even more specific, AA group members (including sponsors) are not licensed therapists, the groups are not granted any state license, the groups have no legal surveillance, the groups are not given any clinical or hospital supervision, and accordingly there are no legal remedies to manage charges that could arise from malpractice, negligence, or wrongful guidance. And to be even more specific (and technical), any AA Group member that is not a licensed therapist is forbidden (ethically and legally) to provide personal psychological or therapeutic advice to anyone for any reason, even if well-intentioned.

An authentic and legally valid “Group Therapy” setting involves an educated, legally licensed therapist who interviews and screens the group participants in advance, leads the group direction and discussion topics, and requires a pre-set number of mandated group sessions. The goal of this therapy is to generate psychological insight and provide helpful instruction to assist behavioral changes in all group members. In this type of setting there is typically an avoidance of any discussion of spirituality, God, religion, or anything of the sort –and more of a focus on the psychology of change (which is helpful to anyone suffering from sensitive or traumatic issues). Anyone in recovery from drugs and/or alcohol will GREATLY benefit from this highly structured form of treatment in addition to regular attendance in AA meetings.

Now this brings up my next point: Is there any similarity or overlap between traditional Group Therapy sessions and AA meetings? The answer is, of course, sometimes yes. An AA Group, however, starts and ends every meeting with a prayer, reads “steps” to connect with God, and is specifically designed to urge all members to rely upon “a Power greater than themselves” to relieve their destructive alcoholic obsessions. AA is a spiritual program designed to lead attendees to a belief in a loving God and seeks to help members “clear away the wreckage” of their past rather than psycho-analyze it. AA Groups have no official leader (other than the chairperson who simply reads off the spiritual creeds), and as such, are not designed to be therapeutic in nature.

The Big Book of AA is about morals and spirituality, plain and simple. AA Group members share “their experience, strength, and hope” after “having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps” in order to “stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety.” AA meetings are about a spiritual program of recovery, NOT therapy, and when the lines are crossed, it creates problems. There is a danger in Group Therapy posing as an AA Meeting and vice-versa, though they are extremely similar in nature, because each has its place.

Chapter 44

The Bible passage from Matthew 7:1-2 states “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (NIV) There is a critically important characteristic within the proper interpretation of this passage, and generally there are a great many misunderstandings correlated with the proper exercise of its implication. The most common misuse of this teaching is to believe passing judgment of any sort is unacceptable and we should all just do whatever we think is right. That would be a false belief.

In Strong’s Concordance we find the word “judge” can also be translated as “condemn.” Since we are incapable of seeing another person’s heart, we are not to “play god” and condemn or “judge” the other person. The inculcation to be cognizant of our own weaknesses and need for humility is clear; however, we are in NO WAY to be indulgent and tolerant of immorality, depravity, or wickedness in ourselves or others.

Jesus warns us not to judge someone else’s sin when our own sin is even worse… this is a warning against hypocrisy –which is not tolerated by God. The Bible teaches us to learn wisdom and practice discernment though, and there are instances in which we are to avoid certain people because their behavior could unfavorably influence us. If we see another person in the wrong, we are to respectfully point out the truth to them in love, with the hope they will change. The Bible says plainly what we are to do in 2 Timothy 4:2 “...correct, rebuke, and encourage –with great patience and careful instruction.” (NIV)

(implication = the act of implying // inculcation = to teach and impress with frequent repetitions // cognizant = knowledgeable of something especially through personal experience

Chapter 43

(In response to suggestions, I have decided to include definitions to difficult words in parenthesis as opposed to eliminating them. Always remember to embrace learning and seek to expand your vocabulary.)

One must have the inimical experience of belief in falsehood before he can have the thrill of liberation from its stranglehold on his potential. Each of us has a potential to lead. Any wholehearted disinterest in the abrogation of moral indecency should be vigorously overcome if one seeks to aspire to quality leadership. One key to release a world of untapped capability within each of us is to overcome the pathologically stupid insistence to justify undeveloped self-awareness. (inimical = being unpleasant often by reason of hostility / abrogation = formal act of putting an end to)

That being said, I would like now to examine a little closer some ideas related to effective leadership, as this character development is required of everyone in recovery. How can we ask someone a question expressing appreciative inquiry? If we ask every question beginning with a positive presumption that the other person is alive with endless creative and constructive capacity, how can we use this in order to help steer the answers we know they need in order to help them grow?

I have decided to give a quick outline of my tips for success in this chapter. You will notice I suggest a change from the inside-out, rather than the contrary. Here is my short (and simple) list of how to sow seeds of leadership that reap rewards:

1. Let others know of your intentions and invite feedback on how well you are achieving your goals (don’t forget to actually set goals).

2. When you encounter a problem of any sort, move into problem-solving mode instead of looking to blame others for what went wrong.

3. Honor the confidence of another person. Remember that it only takes one incident of passing along confidential information that can result in a permanent loss of trust by the person whose confidence was violated.

4. Maintain a high level of integrity and reliability. Build a reputation for doing what you know is morally right in spite of consequences.

5. Tell the truth, especially on yourself. Let others know how you’re doing and what you’re thinking.

6. Make trust pay, in terms of receiving rewards. Trust needs to be seen as a way of gaining advantage. Never forget that which gets rewarded gets repeated (this applies to everyone and everything).

7. Keep your behavior consistent with your intentions, or “practice what you preach,” and of course help others do the same –without being quick and eager to judge their shortcomings (as this reveals pride and reflects spiritual immaturity).

Chapter 42

What makes the process of recovery singularly difficult is that you must hold your spiritual ground against hostile forces which seek to hide and even nullify their very existence. The disheartening expansion of trained ignorance and incorrect thinking involves power struggles that can be seen or unseen, and can be obnoxiously unpleasant at times. I am, however, forced to pick up on these endless variations of disrespect as nothing at all new in the fiery posturing of these agitations. Often we must courteously listen with disinterested attention in order to validate the other person and their seemingly useless viewpoint.

My myriad thought processes are derived from what is called meta-analysis, which can also be referred to as a quantitative and qualitative synthesis of studies. I have learned though that deep thinking creates isolation, but does not a bit of detachment from his audience allow a philosopher to think freely? Through much toil, I have gained theoretical posturing which is not arbitrary, but rather is my source of optimism, potential, and hope. It is important to understand that potential points beyond itself, and accordingly this is the source of hope.

I do recognize we are subject to many temptations, not the least of which is vanity. But despite every effort to pervert my way of thinking, I will resist the easy answers. I shall continue forward against all odds and accomplish what others view as rubbish but what I recognize as a fuller and more complete life. Historically speaking, men who always think they are right have led to wars, slavery, persecutions, racism, chauvinism… and even today we are not free from its gravitational attraction. So all in all, I shall remain humble and teachable, and I urge others to do the same.

Chapter 41

Even though unguided introspection may yield unnecessary or unconsciously premeditated self-criticism, I still notice it as an unavoidable and elemental advantage to self-awareness if done carefully. It is, however, not enough to effect lasting change. If an addict can be induced to abandon his self-criticism and to pursue the trains of thought which are yielded by concentrating his attention on the more significant matter of an observer’s opinion to the causes of his behavior, more progress can be achieved. By following the conclusions of an honest appraisal, the deductions that may be a consequence of its invariable success should successfully disrupt the destructive patterns and hidden psychological associations that accompany any desire for continued substance abuse.

Any inexorable, obstinate, incongruously self-deprecating admittance of character defects unaccompanied by an urgent action plan for immediate change should be considered as worthless rubbish and indistinct fancies. Once an addict is made aware of the disadvantage in overlooking a vigorous action plan of self-reformation and is holding onto any conception of negative experience which appears confused and meaningless to his memory –and still does nothing, this then satisfies the requirements of inadequate and even derisory self-contentment. (inexorable = not to be persuaded or moved / incongruously = inconsistent within itself / deprecating = to express disapproval of / derisory = pathetically small and scornfully sarcastic)

There is no question that part of the treatment process for an addict should include long-term group psychotherapy (and/or AA meetings) to help address the following typical personality muddles: rebellion, disorderly conduct, defiance, apostasy, hostility, and general moral lawlessness. All in all, there is personal work required on the part of the individual (though not exclusively), the group, and God. I believe no time should be wasted projecting, blaming, or accusing other people or circumstances for our problems, as this is a waste of life. And quality of time is our only common commodity. It has been said that time = life; therefore, waste your time and consequently waste your life. The converse is also true –master your time and accordingly master your life.

Chapter 40

It may be a huge step to help an addict see how positive outcomes to behaviors closely aligned with spiritual principles are useful, beneficial, preferable, and desirable; however, it may prove difficult to identify and isolate the personal logic used to justify an unconscious willingness to suffer. Though this may be due to a wide variety of misplaced psychological incentives, an addict is perfectly willing to suffer for reasons of at least some significant private values connected with self preservation. The irony here is that the symptom or solution of chemical abuse achieves the opposite end-result. Because of the dual nature of chemicals used as a preventative to pain or a celebration of the absence of pain, an addict learns that drugs are the cure-all. The medicine that cures, in this case, becomes the poison that kills.

Sometimes the delusion of a power position in being a victim is thought to deserve special consideration and may be carefully, yet unconsciously safeguarded against loss; therefore, it may be difficult to achieve an initial breakthrough. I believe an initial treatment approach can simply be asking the addict to envision what a life would look like in the absence of drug use by merely calling upon common sense. Is it possible to learn or visualize life operating any other way? Since we can only do what we have learned how to do, are you teachable? Here we want to identify the apparent personal values, judgments, and convictions that argue against spiritual principles and direct a new life movement.

Curiously enough, addiction is a disease that has foundations resulting from our habits of thought, feeling, and action. I believe it is helpful to attain a complete mastery of ideas linked to the use of drugs and alcohol as inflicting physical damage that must be interrupted, though this knowledge is not to be relied upon as a cure, nor is the disease concept to be used as an excuse for continued drug abuse.

Chapter 39

Perhaps the greatest literature ever written on the process of recovery from alcohol (and drugs) is the great book Alcoholics Anonymous. One teaching from the book explains that alcoholism (which is a form of addiction) is but a symptom of many deeper lying issues. It also popularized the disease concept of addiction (which was a topic already being seriously discussed among medical professionals at the time), and it helped pave the way for millions to recover. (*special note* If one reads this book through the lens of Christianity, all of its contents open up clearly –and it can function as highly effective witnessing tool used to lead others to an understanding of salvation through faith in God with the subsequent pursuit of spiritual ideals.)

On the matter of symptoms: In the realm of psychology, it is understood that symptoms are chosen without conscious realization on the part of the sufferer; similarly, the symptom would lose its compelling value and significance as an alibi or excuse if truly exposed, understood, and treated. It is important to note here that true and effective understanding of the correlation between cause and symptom will elude an addict in the absence of total and brutal honesty. The symptom (alcohol and drug abuse) as a physical behavior is part of the addict’s general procession of life movement consistent with his unconscious (or conscious) striving toward a subjectively conceived goal, and often he is unaware of it being a faulty guiding characteristic.

We all have the same types of problems: how to earn a living, how to make and keep friends, how to find mates, how to cope with loss… And each of us has a solution to these problems that we answer according to our own perspective and notions. In recovery, we learn how to address and change our faulty solutions. An addict must understand that his symptom (alcohol or drug use) has served as a personal solution to what was perceived as an unsolvable problem. Once the addict understands that his symptom is his own creation that has functioned as a faulty solution, he is free to reconsider, reorient his life, and retrain himself according to known, proven, spiritual principles.

A tremendous feeling of relief may be felt once the addict is permitted to realize that his symptom no longer functions as a necessity or purpose in the pursuit of his new life-plan. He is now liberated to choose and act according to God’s revealed plan for his life. But this is only the beginning.

Chapter 38

The biggest trap anyone can fall into that prevents success is FEAR (fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of success, fear of pain, fear of rejection…). Overcoming fear is a major obstacle for most, but like anything, it is easier to conquer if approached a little bit at a time. Consider the analogy of a weightlifter who desires to lift heavy but can only handle small dumbbells right now –well, you have to start somewhere and at least you’re taking action, so just remember to lift a little more than you did last time and –walla, you’re making progress.

Sometimes people procrastinate and put off till tomorrow what should be done today. Remember that the road to “someday” leads to a town called “nowhere.” How can you get started? Make a decision… right now, to change, and make measurable progress in your life every day. I am now purposefully (and simply) writing in very universal platitudes in an effort to appeal to those who wish to overcome life problems other than just drugs and alcohol.

Sometimes people have no idea what they want, and when they do know what they want, they do nothing about it. Others take action and get easily discouraged with little or no immediate results. Do your actions always work out? No, of course not –many people fail far more often than they succeed. But the key is –keep on trying. Knowledge is not power in and of itself, it only has the potential for power if used properly and accompanied by action.

Here is the pathway to success, God’s way, beautifully laid out for us in the Bible in 2 Peter 1:5-8 “…make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (NIV) For after all, being productive and useful in the Kingdom of God is our ultimate success.

Chapter 37

Many of the choices we have made in our lives have consequences we would rather live without. That which is a mistake is simply the awareness of a choice we would rather not have made –in light of the regrettable outcome. There is no need to project the responsibility of our choices onto anyone or anything but ourselves. Once we are unbound and self-aware, we are free to choose our response with its attendant consequences –both good and bad.

If you become aware of a potential problem, not correcting yourself is a mistake of an order of magnitude that leads to self-delusion, rationalization (which is telling rational lies), justification, and the general acceptance of a state of inadequate weakness. In Galatians 5:1 we find this message "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." (NIV)

While we are free to choose our response and actions, we are not exculpated from the natural consequences of those actions. This is an area governed by the Law of Human Nature (or Moral Law…). Here is a vivid example from the natural world: We can react to overwhelming stress in our lives by diving in front of a steaming locomotive train raging down the tracks, but we cannot separate the consequence of that train splattering us apart. Here is another thought: When we can faithfully drive a car down a good road following a great road map, why would we purposefully put a blindfold on while driving and ask for forgiveness when we wreck into a tree (over and over…). Once again, what we need to know is quite simple and intuitive, but not easy. I am grateful God’s mercy knows no bounds.

We say the Serenity Prayer and ask for elevated acceptance of others, relief from being judgmental, and the courage to change. What do we have to gain then from confessing other people’s sins? Though it is a very natural character trait for an addict to project, we are required to resist this impulse as it is useless and destructive. Let us focus our efforts on the things we CAN change, and DO something. We can be more resolute, more diligent, more creative, and more positive.