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THE ROLE OF FAITH
IN
ADDICTION AND RECOVERY
WHAT FAMILIES AND FRIENDS
NEED TO KNOW
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KOLOA, HI -- September 27, 2009 -- Addiction affects the church, its members and their
families. Addiction may affect a person of faith on an even deeper level--as
the stigma and shame silently keep them from reaching out for help.
"We are a good family," "I raised my son/daughter to love
the Lord and be a good person. This is not supposed to happen to people like
us. How did this happen?" are some of the sentiments eating away at so
many silent sufferers. Often, family members fear asking for help thinking they
will be "judged" as a "bad spouse or parent." They struggle alone with their
problems, not wanting anyone else to "know."
Other well-meaning outsiders may voice their opinion that
addicts/alcoholics merely need enough faith and their problems will all go
away. With the huge increase in drug manufacturing and alcohol consumption,
more people than ever are becoming dependent on substances--and more families
are frustrated, angry and broke trying to help their loved ones and friends to
quit.
Colorado resident Chaplain Joe Herzanek (Boulder County
Jail) addresses this exploding problem on Tuesday, September 8th
with a free presentation at Kauai Christian Fellowship, Koloa, HI. Joe offers
insights, practical solutions, and identifies behaviors of both addicts and
family members that either help or hurt the chances of quitting and recovering.
Some of the
topics Joe will cover include: Can someone be totally set free from alcohol or
drug addiction? The myth of hitting rock bottom; how to "raise the bottom." How
does a Christian become chemically dependent? Can
Meth addicts really recover? Does a person need to believe in God to recover?
What to do about someone hooked on their pain medication? How to deal with the
"stigma" of a loved one's substance abuse. What doesn't help, what does--and why.
Herzanek understands the problem from both sides. From the
age of thirteen to twenty-nine, he progressed deeper and deeper into his own addiction and
destructive lifestyle. His future looked hopeless; he had burned all his
bridges. But something happened that changed it all. Today, as President of
Changing Lives Foundation, an award-winning author and certified addiction counselor
with over thirty years of recovery, Herzanek has counseled thousands of men and
women on this topic.
His book "Why Don't They Just Quit?" is the culmination of
Joe's experience--a down-to-earth, practical guide on how to help someone you
know break the chains of their addiction and begin the process of recovery. Joe
offers words of encouragement: "Addiction is not a hopeless situation," he
writes. "Addicts and alcoholics aren't crazy, and they can quit."
Because he has "been there and done that," Herzanek writes
with both compassion and grit. "Friends and family need to have empathy, but
also help the addict to move past the blame and concentrate on a solution," he
suggests. "In some situations, there may come a time when you must pull back,
and I mean pull back completely. This is difficult; but when you know it's the
right thing to do, you have to do it. The consequences that come down on
someone who is abusing alcohol and drugs may be their best teacher."
Why Don't They Just Quit? will be valued by many, many
people," says Mike Richards Jr., Director of Recovery Ministries, International
Bible Society, in Houston. "A very meaningful gift of God's grace to families
who need sanity in the middle of their runaway insanity."
For details about attending this free presentation:
Tuesday,
September 8, 7:30 PM
Kauai Christian Fellowship
2731 Ala Kinoiki, Koloa, HI 96756
(a
couple blocks from Poipu, Kauai)
Call for directions: 808.742.9396
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