Healing the Wounds of Trauma

• Learn to wait fifteenminutes whenever they think of drinking alcohol or taking drugs. Often they are able to resist if they wait. • Find someone to whom they can be accountable. • Replace the addiction with something good (Luke 11.24–26). • Address the wounds of their hearts and bring their pain to Christ for healing. • Ask God and others to forgive them for the problems they have brought about, and then accept the full forgiveness Christ has promised. 5. “Oh, no! I did it again!” Give more support so that they feel they can try again. They may falter, but they can also get up on their feet again (Ps 37.23–24). Their behavior doesn’t change God’s love for them (Ro 5.8). What have you found to be helpful for the family of an addict? Share responses in the large group and top up with anything below not already stated. 1. Family members need to realize howmuch the addictive behav- ior is affecting their lives and that their situation is not normal. 2. Family members need to address their own issues around the addiction. They need to take responsibility for their own deci- sions and hold the addict responsible for his or her decisions. 3. Family members need to talk to the addict about the situation, cautiously and at the right time. This may be difficult and upset- ting. Most often, addicts want to cover over the problem. They may feel too ashamed to talk about it. 4. When an addict recovers, family members may: • feel they have lost part of their identity and purpose in life. • become aware for the first time of other problems they have that were under the surface. 6. How can we help family members of addicts? ❂❂ SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION

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Addictions