Chemical Dependency

. . . Our old self was crucified with Him . . . so that we would no longer be slaves to sin. – Romans 6:6

It is a terrible thing when you, or someone you love, is enslaved by substance addiction. In addition to the problem itself, you are most likely also bombarded by feelings of despair, helplessness, and isolation. The good news is that there is hope in Christ. He is a merciful, compassionate Savior who will bring healing to those who earnestly seek Him.

At Bellevue Christian Counseling, we desire to follow in Christ’s footsteps, providing a safe place of acceptance and support – a place for you to come and be healed. Are you enslaved to drugs or alcohol? Christian counseling for substance addiction can help you recover and grow.

Am I an addict?

There is truth in the old cliché that says that “admitting that you have a problem is the first step,” but that does not make admitting that you have a problem easy. In order to reach that stage, you have to face the pain and destruction that your chemical dependency has and is inflicting on those you love, and who love you. Not only that, but the journey of rehabilitation can seem long and daunting.

Taking the first step on this journey is possibly the most difficult thing you will ever do, and it requires a great deal of courage. Bellevue Christian Counseling can help you take that first step down the road to faith and healing in Jesus Christ. It is a well-known fact that the body affects the emotions and the spirit, but Christ can heal all.

You might be an addict if . . .

• You are a habitual user of narcotics or alcohol.
• You are subject to the “law of diminishing returns” – in other words, it takes more to get the same effects.
•  You experience withdrawal symptoms when you scale down or stop using altogether.
• You lie about how much or how often you use or drink.
• You talk a lot about using narcotics or alcohol.
• You avoid loved ones and friends.
• You think that you need drugs or alcohol to have a good time.
• You get (or have gotten) into trouble with the law related to your usage.
• You do your work poorly because of narcotics or alcohol.
• You experience depression and/or lack of self-control, or physical, psychological, or family problems related to narcotics or alcohol usage.

If you think that you or someone you love is an addict, there is no time to waste. You need to get help as soon as possible!Addiction is a burden that you shouldn’t bear alone, as it can have devastating effects, many of which can have a long-lasting negative influence on your life and the lives of those around you. Getting help from a qualified Christian counselor can be a key to healing for individuals, couples, and families.

For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do– this I keep on doing. – Romans 7:18-19

It’s the same old story you’ve quit the habit many times, and just as many times you’ve gone back to it again. Maybe you have, with the greatest resolve, flushed your drugs down the toilet, and then found yourself snorting again a week later. You never wanted to be addicted to drugs, or tobacco, or alcohol – no one ever does – but you didn’t count on the way that addiction worms its way into the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual facets of your life. Overcoming the addiction can be nearly impossible short of professional help.

How Addiction Affects Your Overall Health

Addiction can have far-reaching effects on every aspect of your being, from damaging your body and mind to damaging to your relationship with God.

What addiction can do to your body:

• Alter your brain, creating mood swings and erratic behavior.
• Damage the heart,high blood pressure, stroke, and irregular heartbeat.
• Damage liver, kidney, and lungs.
• Cause greater susceptibility to some types of cancers.
• Produce high risk of infection, skin conditions, and weight loss.
• Bring about coma, seizures, and death.

What addiction can do to your non-physical self:

• Cause anxiety, depression, paranoia, or psychosis.
• Bring on anger issues.
• Isolate you from those you love and from God.
• Cause you to struggle with faith and morality.
• Make you think you are having a spiritual experience when you are really just high.

How Addiction Affects Your Relationships

It is said that “misery loves company,” and this is especially true of addicts. They naturally seek out other addicts with which to find companionship and validation that what they are doing is okay. They will frequently hold loved ones at a distance which makes it much harder to seek help. At some point, however, the walls the addict has erected come crashing down around them, and they come to realize that they have a serious problem.

In fact, a broken relationship is one of the main reasons people finally get to a place where they are ready to seek counseling for their addiction. They may wish to stop inflicting pain on the ones they love, they may be facing divorce, or they may be suffering from a variety of other relationship problems.

Whatever it is, loved ones often provide a powerful motive for seeking help, since addiction can ruin families, tear apart marriages, and destroy careers.

What addiction can do to your family:

• Neglect
• Irrational anger
• Mood swings
• Physical violence
• Verbal abuse
• Financial irresponsibility and hardship
• Infidelity
• Traumatized children

Spouses of addicts are subject to serious emotional harm. Sometimes they even become codependent, coming to have an excessive emotional and psychological reliance on their addicted partner. Is it any wonder that many addicts end up with broken marriages?

What addiction can do to your spouse:

• Create feelings of abandonment or anger
• Cause depression
• Trigger intimacy issues
• Cause codependency
• Elevate stress due to increased responsibilities and financial strain

The process of healing from addiction involves fixing many broken areas of your life. It can include both Christian family counseling and Christian marriage counseling. Whatever you and your loved ones need in order to travel the road to recovery, we are here to help.

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. – John 8:31-32

One of the key advantages of Christian counseling for addiction is the faith-based approach to healing and redemption. Amazing things can occur in a person’s life when they come to Christ in repentance, humility, and even the smallest faith in His mercy, grace, and healing.Combining Biblical truth with many years of experience helping people deal with the process of addiction recovery, we provide a strong support network and a set of tools to help you on the journey.

What Christian Counseling for Addiction Looks Like

Taking the step to actually ask for help can be very hard. We at Bellevue Christian Counseling understand that, and we make it our policy never to denigrate those who are caught up in addiction.Instead, we attempt to provide them with individualized solutions that work.

By means of client-focused counseling that is grounded in faith and incorporates a wide variety of effective counseling methods, we employ a holistic approach to substance addiction counseling. Using or sober, Christian addiction counseling can help you reach your recovery goals.

What to expect:

• Help to get off and to stay off the substance – We know how to help addicts make the transition from self-destruction to healing. We make use of a variety of tools to enable you to make the most of your sessions. We work with your family and physician, and with the help of God, we build a safety net of support and understanding.
• Addiction education – Often, substance addiction is a result and a symptom of deep emotional pain. This pain can originate from a variety of sources, including (but not limited to) trauma, abuse, depression, or mood disorders. At Bellevue Christian Counseling, we can help you work through to the root cause that is driving your addiction so that you can learn to properly deal with your pain, rather than abusing controlled substances.
• Family guidance and support – It is no surprise that families and loved ones of addicts face a whole host of problems and struggles of their own. We can help them understand your chemical dependency, and provide them with support and guidance while you are on the path to recovery.
• A safe place to learn about yourself and to grow ­– Christian counseling for substance addiction should be a place of compassion and support. At Bellevue Christian Counseling, our goal is to help empower you through faith-based counseling and hope in God, as you experience the perfect love of Jesus Christ.
• Tools for building a stronger relationship with God – Getting into a right relationship with God is by far the greatest step you can take toward fighting substance addiction. Our Christian counselors can help you mine the deep resources of healing, inner peace, repentance, and redemption that only God can offer.

Are you tired of living a life controlled by addiction? We can help you break free. We have helped others recover from chemical dependency and have supported them afterward to prevent relapse. Healing from addiction may be a long and hard road, but it is possible, especially when you have Christ to help you through Christian counseling for chemical dependency.

You can be free from addiction. Contact us today to schedule your risk-free initial session*.

To learn more about Christian addiction counseling or to schedule an appointment, please contact us online or give us a call at 425-939-6856.