In the Church’s addiction recovery program, those who suffer from addiction learn through the Atonement of Jesus Christ how to experience the miracle of living in recovery.
About a year ago, I woke up in a trailer
someplace in Illinois, full of drugs and alcohol, and I didn’t remember
anything I’d done. I remembered only that on my business trip, as soon
as the plane landed, it took me all of about 10 minutes to ditch my
colleague, go straight to the bar, and disappear for three days. The
second day—the day I was supposed to fly home—was my daughter’s
birthday. Just a year ago.
A
year ago Mark (names have been changed) didn’t know how he would
overcome his addiction to drugs and alcohol. He had already tried to
quit. He had visited with his bishop, been to professional counselors,
gone through rehabilitation centers, and exerted all the willpower he
could, but nothing brought permanent change. Soon after that critical
moment in Illinois, he found the Church’s 12-step addiction recovery
program, sponsored by LDS Family Services. In the program, he found the principles and direction that would change his life.
The
change occurred as he studied and applied the principles taught in the
program workbook and weekly recovery meetings. The workbook guides
readers toward recovery using 12 steps, each of which addresses an
essential principle of recovery such as honesty, hope, or trust in God.
At the weekly meetings, participants are able to gain strength from
others and share their own experiences of applying the principles.
Mark
learned that the journey from addiction to recovery is a difficult one,
but knowing people who have already made that journey can give hope to
those who struggle. At each meeting a facilitator—someone who has
experienced recovery—encourages others by sharing insights based on his
or her own recovery. Mark is now a facilitator. Each week he shares his
experiences (included in this article in italics) to help others
understand that they are not alone and that addiction can be overcome.
The Trap of Addiction
After each time I gave in, I would say, “This
time is going to be different. Please, Lord, help me. I don’t want this
to be a part of my life.” Yet it continued to be.
Mark
was an active member of the Church. He never thought he could get
trapped in an addiction. Living the standards of the Church, such as the
Word of Wisdom, keeps members safe from many addictive behaviors, but
in a world where harmful influences are increasingly pervasive,
addiction is a growing problem, even among Latter-day Saints. Although
Mark struggled with alcohol and drugs, addictions aren’t limited to
substance abuse. They can include gambling, pornography, eating
disorders, inappropriate sexual behavior, and overdependence on another
person.
At
any given recovery meeting, a variety of addictions may be represented.
Steve, for example, was addicted to prescription drugs. He initially
took medication for a back injury, but after his injury had healed, he
lied and eventually stole in order to get more prescription drugs.
Steve, who served as a counselor in a bishopric, ended up in jail
wearing his suit one Sunday when he was supposed to be conducting
sacrament meeting. It was at that point he knew he needed help.
In
some locations, groups created specifically for pornography problems
are available. Garrett, who regularly attends such a group, says at
first he didn’t realize his habit was an addiction. “There’s no way I
would have bought a pornographic magazine, but it was so easy to get on
the Internet,” he says. He realized he had to change when his marriage
was on the verge of falling apart.
Coming to the Program
My inability to reconcile my testimony with my
behavior, along with my inability to forsake my addiction, put me in a
place where the shame was unbearable. Finally I was willing to try
something different.
An
oft-repeated phrase among program participants is that an individual
seeks recovery “when the pain of the problem becomes greater than the
pain of the solution.” When Mark reached that point, he took a friend’s
suggestion and came to a Latter-day Saint addiction-recovery meeting.
Some people decide on their own to come. Others are encouraged to attend
by friends or priesthood leaders. Some have been ordered by a court of
law to attend 12-step recovery meetings.
Many
are reluctant to attend a meeting because they feel ashamed of their
struggle. In her work as a Church-service missionary, Suzanne marvels to
see the change that comes over the participants. “When they first start
coming to the meetings,” she says, “their heads are often down. They
are embarrassed and filled with guilt and fear. After a few weeks their
heads lift up with newfound hope. They realize they’re not alone in
their struggle.”
Church-service
missionaries are ready to welcome participants and offer them hope and
encouragement. Participants focus on a different step from the workbook
each week, and the facilitator shares his or her own experience with
that step. Those who wish to share their thoughts on recovery introduce
themselves by their first names only. A meeting always includes a
reminder of the principles of anonymity and confidentiality, which are
critical to fostering a safe atmosphere.
An
important aspect of the meetings is that participants are in a setting
where they can feel the Spirit again. They can say a prayer and bear
testimony, even if their choices have led to their being
disfellowshipped or excommunicated. This spiritual environment is a
source of great strength to participants as they focus on the 12 steps.
Steps to Recovery
Working the steps of this program simplified the gospel in a way that I could apply the testimony I had always had.
As
Mark discovered, the steps of the addiction recovery program are a
systematic way of implementing gospel principles. The 12 steps are
adapted from the original Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, but the
Church’s program is unique because it puts the steps into “a framework
of the doctrines and beliefs of the Church.”
1
In the addiction recovery program, the 12 steps are actually steps to accessing the power of the Atonement.
The workbook, Addiction Recovery Program: A Guide to Addiction Recovery and Healing
(item no. 36764), outlines the 12 steps and the principles associated
with them. Each step has a scripture study section with questions to
ponder and space for writing. One participant says that the
straightforward approach of the 12 steps gave him hope. By the time
Clifford awoke from a coma caused by a drug overdose, his marriage and
career had ended. He wondered how he could ever put his life back
together. “To have the gospel in little bite-sized steps, 12 of them—I
could do that,” he says.
Many
say that steps four and five, which focus on personal inventory and
confession, are the most challenging. But it depends on the individual.
Paula, who struggled with compulsive eating and overdependence in her
relationships, worked hardest on step eight—forgiving and restoring
relationships—as she tried to forgive her abusive father. She says now,
“I can’t tell you how grateful I am for this miracle in my life: to love
and forgive.”
Hope in the Atonement
The change that has happened to me is I’m not
miserable all the time. Sometimes it’s not easy. Perhaps the Lord
doesn’t see fit to take it all from me right now, but He strengthens me
so I can bear it patiently and cheerfully, and I can progress. He
lightens it just enough that I learn the most that I can.
The gospel teaches that grace comes through the Atonement of Jesus Christ (see Ether 12:27).
Grace is an enabling power that makes recovery possible. It is “divine
means of help or strength” that helps us do good works we wouldn’t be
able to do or maintain by ourselves.
2
Suzanne,
who went through the program herself before becoming a Church-service
missionary, says, “I knew that God could tell me what to do, but I never
knew He had the power to help me do it. Now I understand the grace that
comes through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”
Through
grace, participants regain the hope they have lost. One participant,
Edward, grew up in the Church, but his childhood insecurities left him
feeling that he wasn’t as good as other people. He says, “I didn’t
understand the Atonement, and I didn’t love myself, so nothing really
mattered.” When he was in his 20s, he started drinking and using drugs
in an attempt to dull his negative feelings—a pattern that continued for
20 years.
When
he was arrested a second time for drunk driving, he was ordered to get
treatment. In the Church’s program, he learned that receiving forgiveness
and regaining a sense of self-worth were possible. He attended church
every Sunday, studied the 12 steps, and applied these gospel principles
and actions to his life. He became willing to turn his life over to
Heavenly Father and, in the process, learned how to love himself and how
to let the Atonement work in his life. “I couldn’t overcome all these
things by myself,” he says. “The Savior can do for me what I can’t do
for myself.”
Those
who struggle with addiction aren’t the only ones who can experience a
mighty change: loved ones find that as they apply the 12 steps to their
own lives and attend recovery meetings, they can experience the
blessings of the Atonement in regard to their own grief. In some areas
the addiction recovery program provides support groups for family and
friends, who discover that the Savior can heal them of the pain, anger,
and guilt that loved ones sometimes feel.
When
Deborah learned of her son’s drug addiction, she was plagued by
feelings of guilt as she thought about how she could have been a better
mother. Then she discovered that she could apply the steps to herself.
She says, “What I learned in the program is that no matter how my son is
doing, I can still be happy and have Heavenly Father in my life.” She
adds, “On the outside I look the same, but my life has completely
changed on the inside.”
Shannon,
whose husband faced a pornography addiction, attended the support group
for spouses. As she participated, she noticed a change in herself as
well. At first she focused on the pain she felt over her husband’s
addiction. But then, as she started learning and applying the steps, a
miraculous change occurred. She says, “I began talking less and less
about my husband and more about what I had learned from each step. I
began to see how the Lord was working in my life.”
The End Goal
In the past I was able to abstain for periods
of time. I’d get myself back in good standing with the Church and serve
in callings, and everyone would tell me how great I was. But I didn’t
feel great on the inside at all. And that’s why abstaining is just one
part of it. True recovery is not doing it and not wanting to do it
because our nature is changed.
Mark
learned that through the Atonement, individuals can not only stop their
addictive behaviors but also heal the underlying causes of their
addiction. And with the help of their priesthood leaders, they can
repent and bring the blessings of the gospel back into their lives. Doug
LeCheminant of LDS Family Services clarifies the objective of the
program: “Our end goal for those in the program is that they will be
able to make and keep temple covenants—not just stay sober.” The
sweetest fruits are activation, baptism or rebaptism, priesthood advancement, temple ordinances, and restoration of blessings.
Steve,
who found himself in jail wearing his church suit, says, “Today I’m
clean and sober because of my Heavenly Father and the 12 steps.” His
activity in the Church is especially meaningful to him. “I am a father. I
am a priests quorum adviser. I am also a facilitator because I want to
give back to a program that gave so freely to me.”
Maintaining Recovery Day to Day
Every day I seek my Heavenly Father in prayer
and through the scriptures. In the morning I read books about recovery,
and I write my feelings and my impressions. I call a support person in
the program to help clarify my thinking. I go to the meetings. I try to
serve. And I have never relapsed on a day that I have done those things.
Those
daily tasks keep Mark spiritually well. Others who have been through
the program have discovered the same truth: maintaining spiritual
strength requires continuous effort. No one is completely safe from
relapse, but through daily gospel living, those who struggle with
addiction come unto Christ and receive strength and hope.
“I’m
learning bit by bit, precept upon precept,” says Mark. “My nature is
changing, and it’s the first time since this started that I can say I
have hope. I truly believe that I never have to relapse again.”
Receiving the Power to Change
Photograph by Busath Photography
“If
we will turn to the Lord and believe on His name, we can change. He
will give us the power to change our lives, the power to put away bad
thoughts and feelings from our hearts. We can be taken from ‘the darkest
abyss’ to ‘behold the marvelous light of God’ (Mosiah 27:29). We can be forgiven. We can find peace.”
President James E. Faust (1920–2007), Second Counselor in the First Presidency, “The Power to Change,” Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2007, 123.
How to Find an Addiction Recovery Group
Go to www.ldsfamilyservices.org, and click on Addiction Recovery Support Groups.
The workbook is available in Chinese, Danish, English, Finnish, German,
Japanese, Mongolian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish,
and Ukrainian. Although using the workbook while attending group
meetings is ideal, members in areas where a group has not been
established will benefit from using the workbook while working with
their priesthood leader or a professional therapist who is supportive of
gospel principles and 12-step recovery.
If
you are a priesthood leader interested in establishing the addiction
recovery program in your area, contact your Area Presidency through
ecclesiastical lines.
The 12 Steps of the Addiction Recovery Program
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1.
Admit that you, of yourself, are powerless to overcome your addictions and that your life has become unmanageable.
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2.
Come to believe that the power of God can restore you to complete spiritual health.
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3.
Decide to turn your will and your life over to the care of God the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
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4.
Make a searching and fearless written moral inventory of yourself.
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5.
Admit to yourself, to your Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ, to proper priesthood authority, and to another person the exact nature of your wrongs.
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6.
Become entirely ready to have God remove all your character weaknesses.
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7.
Humbly ask Heavenly Father to remove your shortcomings.
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8.
Make a written list of all persons you have harmed and become willing to make restitution to them.
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9.
Wherever possible, make direct restitution to all persons you have harmed.
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10.
Continue to take personal inventory, and when you are wrong, promptly admit it.
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11.
Seek through prayer and meditation to know the Lord’s will and to have the power to carry it out.
-
12.
Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of the Atonement
of Jesus Christ, share this message with others and practice these
principles in all you do.
The Ascent, by David Edward Linn, courtesy of Church History Museum
Grace, a power that comes through the Atonement of Jesus Christ,
makes recovery possible. Through grace, participants in the recovery
program regain the hope they have lost.
Christ in Gethsemane, by Heinrich Hofmann, courtesy of C. Harrison Conroy Co.
Photo illustrations by Craig Dimond and David Stoker, posed by models; right: Remember These, by David Edward Linn, courtesy of Avampato Museum of Art
