I equip people to serve God and others in a way that is both fruitful and sustainable. I do this through teaching, writing, and coaching. This newsletter is part of that work.
April 7, 2022
1. Personal Update
2. Renewed Man Bootcamp -- Pilot Group Info
3. FEATURE ARTICLE -- 10 Things Everyone Needs to Know About Addiction
4. Quote of the Week
1. Personal Update
In this week's issue, I'm sharing a fairly brief "top ten list." I hope you find it helpful, and share with others. Especially those of us in church settings need to grow in our awareness of how
the mechanisms of addiction work -- not just for alcohol and drug addicts, but for people with behavioral addictions as well.
We need to stop thinking in black and white, either / or categories when it comes to addiction. Addiction is a spectrum, and just about every one of us is on that spectrum with one kind of coping mechanism or another.
If you've been reading this newsletter for long, you know that I've been thinking about and working on a program for men, as our society gets more and more sexualized, and erotic and pornographic material more ubiquitous.
Check out the Renewed Man Bootcamp info below, or just go to the information link here. You can let me know if you're interested in being part of the pilot group using the form at the bottom.
I'm going to start the pilot group for the Renewed Man Boot Camp later this month -- April 25. The boot camp is a 12 week program for men to
help them learn better ways to control and focus their sex drive in a world filled with sensuality, provocative television and social media, and pornography.
3. FEATURE ARTICLE: 10 Things Everyone Needs to Know About Addiction
1. Transforming one's life by fighting poor habits / addictions is not about willpower. Will power is fleeting and short lived. It's not sustainable. To truly quit any and all addictions - you need to (a) understand the mechanism of addiction and (b) establish systems to fight it.
2. All addictions are a game of pleasure and pain in the brain. People are addicts because their dopamine levels are above or below the baseline (normal levels). When above, the brain tries to reduce it, to deal with the excess energy and anxiety, and find calm. When chronically below baseline, they feel craving and want more of the pleasure.
3. People get into addictions from a desire to escape pain, not from a desire to seek pleasure. Once people find out a substance can reduce pain, they often return for more. Don’t fall for this illusion. It does not relieve pain, it numbs you to it. It replaces it with craving.
4. Modern society is dull beyond belief. All of our needs are met within the confines of our homes. Comfort is everywhere. This makes us weak, susceptible to fall into temptation to anything distracting and alluring. People will pursue anything that makes them feel some excitement, some pleasure or arousal. Resist this.
5. Addiction can happen to anyone. People can get addicted to almost anything. Substances, behaviors, even people. Anything that keeps a person in a heightened state of pleasure by bathing their brain with dopamine will lead them into the pleasure / pain loop and cause addiction.
6. To quit any addiction, people need 3 things - (a) Get their dopamine levels to baseline (b) Replace their sources of dopamine to stable, healthy, natural sources that can be controlled (c) Hyper vigilance, constantly being aware of their behavior at all times. This is 90% of the battle. To accomplish these three things, people need a safe environment, and support from others.
7. When people stop using their "drug," for the first 2 weeks they will feel terrible. This is because the brain is now in deficit of dopamine and is in a pain state of low baseline dopamine. In this state people feel depressed, irritable and anxious. They have to ride it out (hence the need for a safe environment and support from others). It only gets better.
8. Nobody recovers alone. Everyone needs to have partners during recovery. This is to help them be accountable, and to help them be aware of what they are feeling and doing. Trying to do this by oneself is very lonely and depressing. People need to see hope, and they need to feel companionship. This is key.
9. We live in unprecedented times where everything is designed to get you hooked. From the food you eat to the visuals you see to the things you hear. Looking down on a person because they have trouble with a substance or behavior is ridiculous. It can happen to anyone.
10. Hyper Vigilance is crucial for recovery. This is a state of always being aware of your behavior, your internal needs (and therefore vulnerability), and surroundings. If people are aware of what triggers them, they're able to fight it. Without this awareness, people are ticking time bombs, waiting to relapse again.
Source: This is compiled and edited from a list created by a guy on Twitter, named @SpartanPsyche
4. Quote of the Week
“A major hindrance to the experience of community is our difficulty in talking about our pain. We feel afraid; we feel ashamed; we want to maintain a certain image of ourselves, first for ourselves and then for public consumption. It is perfectly understandable–and yet it keeps us isolated and lonely.”
