How can a Christian who has been sober for many years still say he is an alcoholic?

Jerry Dunn, a former president of the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions, caused quite a stir back when his book first came out in the sixties.  Some leaders within our movement challenged him by asking, “How can you say you’ve experienced complete deliverance and still call yourself an alcoholic?”  Even today, some Christian workers struggle with this dilemma.  While his words appear to be contradictory, if we look more closely we will find some real wisdom in them.

A.     Misuse, Abuse & Addiction – When Christians think of alcoholism, they tend to focus on whether and individual is drinking or not.  Yet, statistically, only about ten percent alcohol users become addicted.  The rest are people who drink occasionally, seemingly without any negative impact on their lives.  Certainly some drinkers do experience serious harm to themselves and others.  But misuse and abuse of alcohol is not the same as the therapeutic condition known as alcoholism. 

What separates the alcoholic from the alcohol abuser is loss of control.  This means that once an addict begins drinking, he has absolutely no ability to control how much he will drink or for how long he will keep drinking.  This is more than just a bad habit or psychological condition.  The phenomenon of loss of control has its roots in heredity, brain chemistry, and changes in the addict’s physiology that result from alcohol abuse.  This is all accompanied by other negative psychological symptoms such as memory loss, distorted thinking and a preoccupation with drinking.  Worst of all, in order to keep drinking, addicts develop a denial system that enables them to avoid, at all costs, the acceptance of the fact that they have lost control of their drinking.

B.     Body, Mind & Spirit –There is a simple answer to Jerry Dunn’s apparent contradiction.  While he could honestly praise God for the new birth and a renewed mind and spirit, Jerry recognized that he still lived in a fallen earthly body.  We know that salvation and sanctification deal with the inner, eternal person.  On the other hand, the body (or the flesh as it is called in the Bible) is still part of this fallen world.  Until the Christian receives a new body from the Lord, he or she must contend with all of the habituations and corrupted physiology of the old, unredeemed body.  This applies to all types of temptation and life-dominating sins, especially alcoholism. 

C.     The Power of Words – Some believers have worried that saying one is an alcoholic after years of recovery is a negative confession that may actually give alcohol more power one’s life.  It has just the opposite effect because acknowledging that I am an alcoholic helps me to remember not to drink!  This may seem simple, but in light of the growth of social drinking among evangelical Christians, it’s essential.

By acknowledging that  I am an alcoholic, I know in my heart that as long as I walk this earth, if I want to stay healthy, connected to God, sane and sober, the notion of drinking at all, ever, must remain totally out of the question.  Helping its participants come to this understanding must be the primary aim of every recovery program.  Acceptance is where a fulfilling, sober life actually begins.  It is the direct opposite of denial.

Doesn’t the promotion of the “disease concept” help addicts to avoid taking responsibility for their behavior?

The only people I’ve ever heard using the “disease concept” as an excuse are practicing alcoholics who have no real intention of changing.   I hear something totally different from rescue mission counselors and other professionals who subscribe to has been called the “clinical approach” to treatment and recovery. 

While recognizing the impact of factors like heredity and brain chemistry in the development of addiction, they know that real change happens only when addicts and alcoholics begin to take responsibility for their lives and truly “own” their own behaviors.  As a matter of fact, they tend to believe that knowing one is an alcoholic or drug addict brings with it a greater accountability. If an individual truly accepts personal powerlessness over alcohol and drugs, he or she must begin following very specific set of action steps that lead to recovery.

Building the right sort of accountability into the lives of recovering addicts includes: 

A.       Accountability to God – Every recovering addict must learn is the discipline of maintaining a clear conscience.  Freedom from guilt and shame are essential elements of relapse prevention. This involves 1) learning to be sensitive to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and practicing daily repentance, and 2) increased self-awareness through the discipline of a daily personal inventory

B.       Accountability for Righting Past Wrongs – No one came move confidently into the future if he or she is carrying unbearable burdens from past failures.  Every addict who wants to move into a new, satisfying life must be very deliberate about making amends, especially to family members and others close to them.. 

C.       Accountability to a Spiritual Community – Real growth in recovery involves much more than just “going to church.”  Spiritual stability and maturity happen in the context of a church home.  They need to develop friendships with “normal” people, find spiritual nurture and guidance, experience the joy of corporate worship, and find an outlet for meaningful Christian service.

D.       Accountability to a Group Of Peers – The Biblical mandate for support groups is found in 2 Corinthians 1:3.4 where the Apostle Paul expresses thankfulness for being able to comfort others with the same comfort he himself had received from God.  There is special power and a special degree of grace present when one recovering addict shares his or her experience, strength and hope with another who is experiencing similar struggles. 

E.       Accountability to a Sponsor/Mentor – Participation in support groups and church are essential.  But, they work best when a recovering addict also has one special person of the same sex who is farther along in the journey of recovery to whom he or she can be accountable.  There is no replacement for having this confessor and confidant, especially in the early days of recovery.

by Michael Liimatta, Director of City Vision College