I grew up as a fun-loving child. I loved to play and have a good time. Life was very exciting for me; and I approached it with enthusiasm and expectation. I always trusted people and didn’t see any possibilities for harm to come my way. To me, life was right there waiting for me to take and enjoy it. It was great to be alive; and I was living it with all my heart.

All during the beginning years of my life, I was quite innocent and naïve about right and wrong. I knew I didn’t mean to hurt anyone or do anything that was bad for them. My intensions were good; and I tried to do the best for everyone. I had an idea of what was fair for everybody; and I tried my best to always be fair.

I had a lot of friends; and as I grew older, I was able to enjoy life and friendship more than ever before. By the time I was a teenager, my parents had taught me a lot about what was the right things to do and what not to get involved in. I not only learned those things I was taught but I really tried to live according to them.

I loved my parents and respected the way they had lived their life. I wanted to pattern my life after them. And, this is exactly what I was trying to do. However, my love for life and all it had to offer and my great trust in the honesty of my friends worked me into getting involved in things that I now know weren’t good for me.

My parents had talked to me about the issues of alcohol, sex, and gambling. But, they didn’t seem to know about drugs. I must admit that I felt a little warning, when my friends assured me that there was nothing wrong with doing drugs. At first I was somewhat cautious about it but didn’t feel comfortable talking to my parents.

I watched my friends take drugs and they seemed to be having a good time with them. The drugs seemed to be something you could try and if you didn’t like them, you could quit any time you wanted to. So, as you might expect, I tried some and everything went fine. The pleasure I got from them fit right in with my love for fun and excitement. My friends were pleased with me for being willing to join them; and, that was important to me.

No one ever talked to me about addiction, as I was growing up. I really didn’t know anything about it. There was some mention of it from my friends, who were taking drugs and drinking a lot of alcohol. They talked a little about the fact that it would never happen to them. So, I assumed that it was something that would never happen to me.

As I continued to take drugs and had started drinking a lot more than ever before, I could feel a little bit of pressure being exerted against me when I tried to taper off. I didn’t just feel a desire for the pleasure it gave me, I actually experienced some pain. It was like I would get punished for not taking the drugs or drinking the alcohol.

In the back of my mind I realized that I couldn’t quit any time I wanted to. But, if anyone challenged me about my lifestyle, I would assure them that I wasn’t addicted. The truth of the matter was, I didn’t have any idea what addiction was. I was experiencing its effects; but, I didn’t know what it all meant.

It wasn’t until I started being pressured by those around me that I started finding out the true meaning of addiction. When I decided that I sincerely wanted to quit doing drugs and drinking so much alcohol it started coming clear to me. Up to that point I really hadn’t wanted to stop. Well, maybe a little bit here and there. There were some moments when I wanted to at least cut back on it all.

When I finally came to the place where I wanted to change my life and live a different way, I experienced a power I had never felt before. At first I thought that quitting just wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought it was going to be. Wow, was that an understatement? From that point on I learned things about addiction that I don’t think anyone ever talked to me about.

I made up my mind; I promised my friends and relatives; I tried all kinds of techniques; I did everything I knew to do and more; and I still wasn’t able to stop taking drugs or drinking so much alcohol. I was addicted and I found myself trapped and under the control of substances that I thought were my friends.

I have since been able to beat these addictions; but, I wasn’t able to do it by any real power of my own. I found out that human power is no match for any kind of addictions. I have since met people who were addicted to all kinds of things that they couldn’t quit. I have helped large quantities of them to get set free using the power found in the Bible. I am praying for you that you will take advantage of this power like I and so many of my friends have.

Addictions can make you feel like a weak, lying, quitting, and failing person until you discover that none of us were able to keep our promises, fulfill our plans, or do what we wanted to do, when we decided to quit being involved in an addiction. Every person in the world is addicted to something before they come to God. Yours may seem worse than most other people; but God doesn’t look at it that way.

God’s power is made available to you through the Scriptures presented in HELP eMagazine. We have all been addicted and have had to take advantage of this power from God. Be willing to let the power of God saturate your life from these Biblical systems. You will find the kind of help you need to not only quit doing things you don’t want to do, you will start doing things you have always wanted and needed to do. God will give you a great life in Him.