Evangelical Beliefs On Alcohol And Drug Addiction And Rehab

There are over 600 million people in the world who identify as Evangelical Christians, and the United States is home to the world’s largest Evangelical population. When an Evangelical Christian falls victim to drug and alcohol addiction, faith-based rehab may be the solution.

Since Evangelical Christianity encompasses many Christian denominations, there is diversity of thought within the Evangelical movement about addiction to drugs, alcohol, and behaviors like gambling or watching pornography. Some Evangelicals say that addiction is a sin, others say it is a disease, and others say it represents a trial from God. Nevertheless, almost all Evangelicals agree that faith in Jesus Christ is the answer to overcoming a substance use disorder (SUD).

In response to a person who asked him about overcoming addiction, the famous Evangelical preacher Billy Graham had a message of hope: “God has not abandoned you, and the most important step you can take is to turn to Him and ask Jesus Christ to come into your life.”

The Evangelical message is all about transformation and a better tomorrow. With help from God, family, and the church, Evangelical Christians who struggle with addiction can find inspiration in their faith to live a better life. For many Evangelicals, being “born again” and building a relationship with God will coincide with achieving life-long freedom from drugs and alcohol.

How Faith-Based Rehab Can Help Evangelicals With Addiction

Prayer, Bible reading, and support from a church community are important for Evangelical Christians as they undertake the journey of addiction recovery. Professional treatment in rehab is also essential. A professional rehab program at a treatment facility will involve drug detox, medication, and inpatient and outpatient therapy. These aspects of rehab are helpful for Evangelicals and non-Evangelicals alike, but there are many treatment centers which offer rehab with a Christian approach.

A faith-based rehab program for Evangelical Christians will involve Bible study, church services, group discussions with other believers in recovery, faith-centered relapse prevention training, and an overall focus on redemption and growing closer to God. Reputable Christian rehab programs take place in a safe environment free from addictive substances. For Evangelical Christians, faith-based rehab is beneficial because it combines medical care, counseling, and Christian fellowship.

Celebrate Recovery®: An Evangelical 12-Step Program

Many 12-step programs invoke the intercession of a Higher Power and help Christians with substance use disorders embrace God in their recovery. In 1991, Evangelical Pastor John Baker of the Saddleback Church in California developed Celebrate Recovery®, a “Christ-centered 12-step program.” Today, over 35,000 churches in the world promote Pastor Baker’s 12-step program.

Here are the 12 steps of Celebrate Recovery®:

1. We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable.

2. We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3. We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.

4. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

5. We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

6. We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

7. We humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings.

8. We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.

9. We made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

10. We continue to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.

11. We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us, and power to carry that out.

12. Having had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we try to carry this message to others and practice these principles in all our affairs.

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Find Help Today For Addiction

If you’re an Evangelical Christian and you’re struggling with addiction to drugs or alcohol, today could be the day to make a difference in your life by learning more about rehab. With the right treatment, recovery from addiction is possible. Thousands of Evangelicals across the world have overcome problems with drugs and alcohol by getting help. Contact a treatment provider today to get answers to your questions about rehab and learn more about your options for faith-based recovery programs.