No one is immune from addiction; it afflicts people of all ages, races, classes, and professions. Patrick J. Kennedy

This is a serious post. About serious stuff. In fact, this is the first in a short series of posts on one particular subject that is relevant in the life of almost every single person you will meet. I'm going to venture that, while most of us won't stand up and share it at the pulpit, we're dealing with this issue. Or someone we love. Or someone we know or talk to or see every week. It's pervasive. In fact, it's part of our culture; woven in to almost every part of the normal person's day.

This beast is called ADDICTION.

There are all types of addicts. There are the "textbook" strung out druggies: Potheads. Alcoholics. Prescription medication abusers. Meth heads.The people who are no longer in control of the drug. The drug controls them. They are a shadow of their normal selves.

And then there are those of us who are addicted to common things: Food. Drama in your life. Pornography (I know. Isn't it sad that this falls under "common" in these days?) Shopping. Making lifestyle change. Gambling. Religion. The Internet. Video Games. Exercise. The list is endless.

You know how it feels to need the fix. To eat the whole bag of chocolate. Or press the checkout button for your purchase. Or to take the pain med so you can make lunch without wanting to die. Or get that daily soda to quell the impending headache. Or give in to the blinking light on the computer that promises unparalleled ecstasy. Or to run and run and purge all of the nasties inside. You know exactly what I'm describing.

Let's face it. We don't need to snort coke to survive. But, we need to eat. We need to have interactions with others. We need to use our computers. Some of us need daily medication to function without pain. And with that comes struggle to keep the balance between healthy and addicted. You can't escape those things; you will encounter them daily in your life.

For many, the addiction is easily ignored as it isn't considered taboo by mainstream society. A person who drinks six Diet Coke's a day isn't considered a freak. However, the fact is: the person who needs those six drinks a day to function is still addicted. Allowing a substance to have such power over our person is not healthy, even if it's considered acceptable.


It's important for each of us to ask ourselves:


What am I addicted to?