Religion And "pornography Addiction", Reality And Perception Study.

[Kenngo1969]

I am not Bernard, but absolutely it does. In my case, for the better. My addiction with pornography was not some fabrication created by well-intentioned men who told me it was addictive. It had real consequences in my life that went well beyond a placebo effect. I went through cycles of defeat and dispair in my life and pornography and the dopamine rush was my drug and source of solace during troubled times. The only thing that saved me from it was doing things that invited the Spirit into my life. I did that through scripture study. Daily encounters with the Holy Ghost, how shall I say, illuminated and brightened my soul. With each day I drew nearer to the Lord, He drew nearer to me. I was never quite as dark any more and as a natural consequence the need for porn gradually dissipated. The Spirit was my new prescription and its presence was as real and recognizable as the cravings for porn were previously.

 

Furthermore, as has been pointed out on this thread time and time again, religious folks aren't the only ones who have noticed it to be addicting. Many agnostic and atheist porn users and care providers have labeled it as such as well. The problem with a lot of these types of studies, and I haven't reviewed this one close enough, is that often times you get conflicting results, some that say it is and some that say it isn't (addicting). In the past, the ones that say it isn't come from sex therapists and sexologists; the ones that say it is are usually from physiologists, psychiatrists, and neuro-specialists.    

 

As an aside, I have found that in my first hand real world experience, and on various internet fora, I have found the most zealous preachers of the "porn is not an addiction and is perfectly normal" mentality were once members of the Church or have gone inactive. I am merely guessing that for many of them, based on how passionate they get, this is the case because they love finding faults with the leaders of the Church. For some, the leaders of the Church could say heroine is addicting, and they would be up in arms, but I digress. These former believers have been driven to very intense anger that they addressed at me when I plainly and calmly explained that I was not only able to beat the addiction, I did it because of the Gospel as understood and taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They tell me it was me who did it and insist I overcame it in spite of the Church even though, "no man knows my history." When I tell them that reading the Book of Mormon, praying, and fasting literally made a tangible difference in my ability to not only resist temptation, but to even encounter it in the first place they really lose it. Mostly, this is because they got done mocking me with questions like, "don't you find it funny how no matter how many times you read your scriptures and prayed, your addiction never got bettered?" That tells me more about the quality of their study, prayer, and communion with God then anything else.

 

Anyway, sorry to digress, but I sensed a little bit of that in your question. I am sorry if I misread it, but I provided it nonetheless. 

Frankie doesn't like it when he asks someone a question and a person he didn't ask chimes in ... (Even though this is a discussion board ... )

[Kevin Christensen]

I'll probably regret posting this here, but here are my thoughts about this issue:

 

Pornography as Addiction and the LDS 12-Step Program

 

In my experience, lumping together occasional porn use, masturbation, or "lustful thoughts" with real addictions and compulsive behavior doesn't really help anyone. Judging from what I saw, the 12-step program created a lot of unwarranted shame and self-loathing in young men who were just behaving like normal, fallible humans.

Bradshaw's Healing the Shame that Binds You discusses at length two kinds of shame:  Toxic shame, which means "I am a mistake,defective to the core" and healthy shame that says "I am a good person who made a mistake."  The more recent edition of his book insists that shame should be the foundation of our spiritual life.  Shame is how we recognize our human limits.  It provides us with a means to set boundaries, and instills a hunger to keep learning.

 

I have been attending 12 step programs for nearly nine years.  My experience has been vastly different.  What I have seen repeatedly, and over long periods of time is that 12 Step group attendence reduces toxic shame.  I often have seen this happen very quickly, at the first meeting or so.  People realize that they are not alone, that their compulsiveness is not their core identity, but rather something that they have, that the cunning, baffling, and powerful compulsion in their head is known and familiar to others who have successfully dealt with it, even though those other people may have been far far worse off in terms of acting out.  Four months ago, a man came to a meeting because he was forced to, caught in adultery, divorce papers being filed, his children aware, showing shell-shocked defeat and hopelessness in his total person.  Two weeks later, while riding in a car with his daughter, she said, "Dad,... you've changed.  I like you now.  I never did before."  His marriage continues..  He found both hope and healing.  He looks to the people in the group who provided knowledge and example for him as his role models.

 

Not everyone that attends a 12 step meeting has to be an addict, nor an addict to the same degree, nor with the same pattern of acting out or escalation.   It can be a preventative treatment.

 

12 Step meetings are not the only source of reflection for a person's self image.  The people that I know who are most damaged that way have far far more to the damage than having showed up at a twelve step meeting to confess a relatively minor, fairly typical teenage behavior.

 

Since the Book of Mormon contains the 12 steps, I'm willing to say that the program is divinely inspired. It's just sad that it took us so long to realize the power of what we had.

 

FWIW

 

Kevin Christensen

Pittsburgh, PA

[Kenngo1969]

Even if I thought it was a sin, I still would say that the guilt and shame resulting from LDS teachings are disproportionate to the seriousness of the sin. 

 

Masturbation is one thing, and I agree with you that it should be kept in perspective: it's not the most serious sin or the most serious sexual sin.  But perhaps you paint with too broad a brush when you attribute guilt and shame solely to "LDS teachings."  While one's upbringing, any religious teaching one may have received, and numerous other circumstances all play a role in what (he perceives his) conscience may be telling him, everyone does have a conscience.  And while perhaps masturbation alone isn't the most serious sin, often, we don't stop to recognize the full impact of what we do: if other media (a video, a Web site on a computer, or a magazine) is involved in the sin one commits, then at least one other person is involved in that sin, perhaps (indeed, in many cases, probably) to one degree or another as a result of being exploited.

.

 

.. Excessive guilt helps no one. ...

 

I agree, but see Kevin Christensen's reply, above.

[jkwilliams]

I've been thinking about it, and it strikes me that elevating masturbation and lustful thoughts to the level of "addiction" is in itself blowing things way out of proportion. I'm not even sure I'd call pornography use an addiction.

 

I know other people disagree, but I found in my life that making these issues into such a huge deal made it more difficult to walk away from them; when your energy is focused on not doing something or not thinking something, it really means that your focus is doing and thinking those very things. It wasn't until I let go and put these issues into perspective that I quit obsessing and quit doing them.

[Kevin Christensen]

I've been thinking about it, and it strikes me that elevating masturbation and lustful thoughts to the level of "addiction" is in itself blowing things way out of proportion. I'm not even sure I'd call pornography use an addiction.

 

I know other people disagree, but I found in my life that making these issues into such a huge deal made it more difficult to walk away from them; when your energy is focused on not doing something or not thinking something, it really means that your focus is doing and thinking those very things. It wasn't until I let go and put these issues into perspective that I quit obsessing and quit doing them.

Addiction by definition, involves patterns of behavior. If there is no pattern, there is no addiction. Right?

I agree that obsessing about what not to do is counter-productive. Properly done, that is not what recovery is. That is actually a good way to generate toxic shame, and that shame, according to Bradshaw, is a root of addictive behavior.

And recovery is far from a piling on "Don't!" but rather, replacing one response to stress or loneliness or boredom or shame with something else with a far more beneficial outcome. Recovery is not about being obsessive. It's about being different, having healthy approaches to old situations. New patterns to replace old, and not just just an obsessive negative focus on a pattern. Indeed, obsession, preoccupation, euphoric recall, leading to boundary testing, and slips, etc., is the beginning of the addictive pattern.

FWIW

Kevin Christensen

Pittsburgh, PA

[Bernard Gui]

Honestly, I am not sure there are any good answers to this question with how our culture currently operates.

I agree. This is a very difficult decision. 

[MorningStar]

I am having serious second thoughts about what you have said. I brought this issue up in our group meeting today. One of the participants who knows a situation similar to this said he thought it was imperative that you come forward honestly before marriage, because your future spouse needs to know what he/she is signing up for. As we all know, addictions often involve relapses, and it would be shocking for a spouse to have to discover a problem during a relapse. That is devastating to the spouse and the relationship. 

I agree.  It sucks that a guy can't just leave it in the past and pretend it didn't happen, but the wife has the right to know.  She would feel totally betrayed if a relapse happened and she was never told that was a possibility.  Unfortunately, some women will be scared away, but I know a lot of women who were told and still decided to get married.  The hard thing is deciding when it's the right time to say something.  Do you date for a year and then break the news?  If the woman can't handle it, then she'll likely feel like she wasted a year of her life.  But it's definitely not a first date topic either. 

[Bernard Gui]

Bernard Gui do you believe that religious beliefs plays a role in shaping a persons views on pornography?

Of course. Jacob 2 and D&C 63:16 clearly define God's boundaries for sexual thought and  behavior. I hope we hold to these standards

and strive to observe them. No one is perfect and everyone struggles, but the standards are high and we are in for the fight.

[Bernard Gui]

I am not Bernard, but absolutely it does. In my case, for the better. My addiction with pornography was not some fabrication created by well-intentioned men who told me it was addictive. It had real consequences in my life that went well beyond a placebo effect. I went through cycles of defeat and dispair in my life and pornography and the dopamine rush was my drug and source of solace during troubled times. The only thing that saved me from it was doing things that invited the Spirit into my life. I did that through scripture study. Daily encounters with the Holy Ghost, how shall I say, illuminated and brightened my soul. With each day I drew nearer to the Lord, He drew nearer to me. I was never quite as dark any more and as a natural consequence the need for porn gradually dissipated. The Spirit was my new prescription and its presence was as real and recognizable as the cravings for porn were previously.

 

Furthermore, as has been pointed out on this thread time and time again, religious folks aren't the only ones who have noticed it to be addicting. Many agnostic and atheist porn users and care providers have labeled it as such as well. The problem with a lot of these types of studies, and I haven't reviewed this one close enough, is that often times you get conflicting results, some that say it is and some that say it isn't (addicting). In the past, the ones that say it isn't come from sex therapists and sexologists; the ones that say it is are usually from physiologists, psychiatrists, and neuro-specialists.    

 

As an aside, I have found that in my first hand real world experience, and on various internet fora, I have found the most zealous preachers of the "porn is not an addiction and is perfectly normal" mentality were once members of the Church or have gone inactive. I am merely guessing that for many of them, based on how passionate they get, this is the case because they love finding faults with the leaders of the Church. For some, the leaders of the Church could say heroine is addicting, and they would be up in arms, but I digress. These former believers have been driven to very intense anger that they addressed at me when I plainly and calmly explained that I was not only able to beat the addiction, I did it because of the Gospel as understood and taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They tell me it was me who did it and insist I overcame it in spite of the Church even though, "no man knows my history." When I tell them that reading the Book of Mormon, praying, and fasting literally made a tangible difference in my ability to not only resist temptation, but to even encounter it in the first place they really lose it. Mostly, this is because they got done mocking me with questions like, "don't you find it funny how no matter how many times you read your scriptures and prayed, your addiction never got bettered?" That tells me more about the quality of their study, prayer, and communion with God then anything else.

 

Anyway, sorry to digress, but I sensed a little bit of that in your question. I am sorry if I misread it, but I provided it nonetheless. 

What you said. I hope  you can share your story with others in addiction. 

[bcuzbcuz]

A recently released study looks at the correlation between people being religious and perceiving their viewing of pornography as an "addiction".

 

The Emperor Has No Clothes: A Review of the ‘Pornography Addiction’ Model

 

 

 

 

The LDS Church has gone "all in" on the Pornography Addiction model, and as the article points out, this emphasis itself is perhaps one of the greatest factors in people thinking they have an "addiction"!  In other words, it seems most other "addictions" have some sort of criteria that help in identifying the addiction.  But since that implies there is some level of use that isn't "addiction", is this an unnecessary idea for LDS and "Porn Addiction"?

 

I've shared my observation that the Church's approach to fighting pornography viewing among church members is doomed to failure.  Frankly, I don't know if there any sort of viable solution.  

 

The only solution I can see is if God were to "curse" everyone who looked at porn with green ears.  Other than that, it's only a matter of time before some other approach is figured out.  But what that approach will be, I have no idea.  I will be fascinated to see it, and am totally happy that the problem isn't sitting on my desk to solve for the Church!

 

So I ask again, what does the future hold for the LDS Church and its attitude towards pornography? Will it the institution stay the course on its current approach?  Or will it be like Birth Control and other moral issues that changed over time to adapt to reality?

Thank you for your post. Imprecise thinking, careless definition, actually hinders treatment instead of helping. Addiction to pornography is definitely a problem, but merely because someone looks at pornography doesn't mean that it's an addiction.

I work with youth that are truly addicted to their cell phones. They come to school without having slept during the night because they awake with every "pling" on their phone, worried that someone in class, or school, has posted a negative comment about them. Their phones controls their moods, their ups and downs. They literally go into symptoms of withdrawal when we take their phones away from them, shaking hands, frantic glances, I've even seen their eyes glaze over, as though they were on drugs.

If you know someone who reacts in this way when going without internet pornography, then they may be addicted and need serious help.. Someone who sneaks around, looking at porno when the opportunity is available may also need help, but they're not necessarily addicted. Being realistic in defining the need, will help in applying a solution.

(Someone with a headache doesn't necessarily need to have their head amputated.)

[Bernard Gui]

Bradshaw's Healing the Shame that Binds You discusses at length two kinds of shame:  Toxic shame, which means "I am a mistake,defective to the core" and healthy shame that says "I am a good person who made a mistake."  The more recent edition of his book insists that shame should be the foundation of our spiritual life.  Shame is how we recognize our human limits.  It provides us with a means to set boundaries, and instills a hunger to keep learning.

 

I have been attending 12 step programs for nearly nine years.  My experience has been vastly different.  What I have seen repeatedly, and over long periods of time is that 12 Step group attendence reduces toxic shame.  I often have seen this happen very quickly, at the first meeting or so.  People realize that they are not alone, that their compulsiveness is not their core identity, but rather something that they have, that the cunning, baffling, and powerful compulsion in their head is known and familiar to others who have successfully dealt with it, even though those other people may have been far far worse off in terms of acting out.  Four months ago, a man came to a meeting because he was forced to, caught in adultery, divorce papers being filed, his children aware, showing shell-shocked defeat and hopelessness in his total person.  Two weeks later, while riding in a car with his daughter, she said, "Dad,... you've changed.  I like you now.  I never did before."  His marriage continues..  He found both hope and healing.  He looks to the people in the group who provided knowledge and example for him as his role models.

 

Not everyone that attends a 12 step meeting has to be an addict, nor an addict to the same degree, nor with the same pattern of acting out or escalation.   It can be a preventative treatment.

 

12 Step meetings are not the only source of reflection for a person's self image.  The people that I know who are most damaged that way have far far more to the damage than having showed up at a twelve step meeting to confess a relatively minor, fairly typical teenage behavior.

 

Since the Book of Mormon contains the 12 steps, I'm willing to say that the program is divinely inspired. It's just sad that it took us so long to realize the power of what we had.

 

FWIW

 

Kevin Christensen

Pittsburgh, PA

 

Amen to what you say. 12 Step is Repentance on Steroids. Having been involved in Family Support for almost 7 years as group participants and group leaders, Sister Gui and I marvel at the depth of understanding we and others have gained of the Atonement, sometimes at the first meeting. It is wonderful to see the scales of addiction and codependency drop from those who are suffering as they realize, perhaps for the first time, that Jesus indeed is our Savior and offers hope and healing, no matter the situation. We have often thought every member of the Church should participate, it is that powerful and beneficial.

[Bernard Gui]

Thank you for your post. Imprecise thinking, careless definition, actually hinders treatment instead of helping. Addiction to pornography is definitely a problem, but merely because someone looks at pornography doesn't mean that it's an addiction.

I work with youth that are truly addicted to their cell phones. They come to school without having slept during the night because they awake with every "pling" on their phone, worried that someone in class, or school, has posted a negative comment about them. Their phones controls their moods, their ups and downs. They literally go into symptoms of withdrawal when we take their phones away from them, shaking hands, frantic glances, I've even seen their eyes glaze over, as though they were on drugs.

If you know someone who reacts in this way when going without internet pornography, then they may be addicted and need serious help.. Someone who sneaks around, looking at porno when the opportunity is available may also need help, but they're not necessarily addicted. Being realistic in defining the need, will help in applying a solution.

(Someone with a headache doesn't necessarily need to have their head amputated.)

Something does not  have to be an addiction to be a problem. 

[jkwilliams]

Addiction by definition, involves patterns of behavior. If there is no pattern, there is no addiction. Right?

I agree that obsessing about what not to do is counter-productive. Properly done, that is not what recovery is. That is actually a good way to generate toxic shame, and that shame, according to Bradshaw, is a root of addictive behavior.

And recovery is far from a piling on "Don't!" but rather, replacing one response to stress or loneliness or boredom or shame with something else with a far more beneficial outcome. Recovery is not about being obsessive. It's about being different, having healthy approaches to old situations. New patterns to replace old, and not just just an obsessive negative focus on a pattern. Indeed, obsession, preoccupation, euphoric recall, leading to boundary testing, and slips, etc., is the beginning of the addictive pattern.

FWIW

Kevin Christensen

Pittsburgh, PA

 

Thank you for that, Kevin. I suppose what I mean is that a pattern of behavior does not necessarily represent an addiction. As an analogy, I sometimes have an itchy scalp, and when it flares up every couple of months, I use a medicated shampoo. It goes away faster if I don't scratch it, but because the itching is pretty intense, I usually end up scratching it and wishing I hadn't. That's a pattern of behavior for me, but I wouldn't call it an addiction. If, however, I were constantly scratching my scalp to the point of bleeding, I'd call that a compulsive behavior, not necessarily an addiction. In the same way, occasionally masturbating doesn't mean you have an addiction, and IMO, constantly masturbating indicates compulsive behavior that is probably better served by therapy.

 

Can the 12-step program help? Sure, it helped me, but I'm convinced it did because I didn't consider the behavior to be such a terrible, shameful activity. It was something I wanted to stop doing, and I did so. The support of the group helped. 

[teddyaware]

Addiction by definition, involves patterns of behavior. If there is no pattern, there is no addiction. Right?

I agree that obsessing about what not to do is counter-productive. Properly done, that is not what recovery is. That is actually a good way to generate toxic shame, and that shame, according to Bradshaw, is a root of addictive behavior.

And recovery is far from a piling on "Don't!" but rather, replacing one response to stress or loneliness or boredom or shame with something else with a far more beneficial outcome. Recovery is not about being obsessive. It's about being different, having healthy approaches to old situations. New patterns to replace old, and not just just an obsessive negative focus on a pattern. Indeed, obsession, preoccupation, euphoric recall, leading to boundary testing, and slips, etc., is the beginning of the addictive pattern.

FWIW

Kevin Christensen

Pittsburgh, PA

This is great stuff, Kevin! Now what would be wonderful, and perhaps just as beneficial, would be to find if there's a way to support this common sense approach to addiction recovery by discovering if the scriptures might be applied to systematically validate the concepts you're presenting. I have a hunch the epistles of Paul might be a good place to start because he frequently addresses the futility of trying to bring forth positive change by focusing primarily on one's own debilitating shame and guilt. Here's an example of what I mean:

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Romans 8:1-6)

Edited February 21, 2014 by teddyaware

[Mystery Meat]

This is great stuff, Kevin! Now what would be wonderful, and perhaps just as beneficial, would be to find if there's away to support this common sense approach to addiction recovery by discovering if the scriptures might be applied to systematically validate the concepts you're presenting. I have a hunch the epistles of Paul might be a good place to start because he frequently addresses the futility of trying to bring forth positive change by focusing primarily on one's own debilitating shame and guilt. Here's an example of what I mean:

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Romans 8:1-6)

 

Your intuition is correct. Read Romans 12:2 as a good starting point.

[cinepro]

Hmmm...this thread is growing a little stale. Does anyone have any comments on this gem of an idea from the LDS Culture?
 

Discussing Pornography with Your Future Son-in-Law

 

This was an article in 2011 on the Meridian Magazine website wherein an LDS family therapist suggests that potential husbands of LDS women should be "interviewed" by their future father-in-laws, and that they should be asked about their "experience" with pornography.

 

 

 

I have no doubt that if I were to go through that same interview today, her father would more than likely include one more line of questioning. I imagine it would sound something like this:

“Pornography is such a common struggle for so many young men these days. Naturally, I worry that this is something you have struggled with as a teenager or young adult. Will you please describe your experience with pornography and how you’ve handled it?”

...

In reality, it will simply require a good, honest conversation about his experiences with pornography. What should you ask? What should you look for? Here are a few questions you can ask along with some warning signs that might indicate that the young man either has or will have a significant problem with pornography in the future:

Discussion Points:
 

• Tell me about your experience with pornography over your lifetime.
• Is there a history of pornography use in your immediate or extended family?
• How do you define pornography?
• How have you healed from the impact of pornography on your life?
• Who helped you overcome your problems with pornography?
• How do you currently protect yourself from pornography?
• Have you ever wanted to stop viewing pornography, but couldn’t?

Red Flags:

• He admits that he used to look at pornography, but says that he stopped doing it, but fails to explain how he was able to stop.
• He claims he overcame the problem on his own without any help from others.
• He’s not said anything to his girlfriend/fiancé about his history or current problems with pornography.
• He is vague about how he keeps himself from viewing pornography.
• He admits he used to have a problem with it, but doesn’t define what exactly that problem was. He appears defensive and doesn’t want to discuss it.
• He insists that he’s never even seen pornography and appears “too perfect” in his responses. Recognize that even though he may not have seen hardcore pornography, we live in a culture saturated with pornographic images. If he acts like he doesn’t notice or isn’t affected by those, you need to be concerned. Every man should acknowledge the occasional pull from images that are designed to draw our attention and entice us.

 

I don't know if this ever caught on, but it certainly is a direct approach.  I especially like how "not wanting to talk to your future FIL about your experience with pornography" is a "Red flag"

Edited February 21, 2014 by cinepro

[bluebell]

That would be weird and uncomfortable.

[Mystery Meat]

Well, I am hosed.

[Kenngo1969]

That would be weird and uncomfortable.

Especially if your future father-in-law also happens to be your bishop!

Edited February 21, 2014 by Kenngo1969

[Kenngo1969]

Well, I am hosed.

Why?  As has been demonstrated amply on this thread, lots of people have lots of [differing] ideas about how to handle the problem of pornography or one's past history with it (or, heck, whether it even is a problem in the first place).  Anyone who has a question about what to do in any given case should make it a matter of prayer, seek inspiration on the matter, and follow it. If you do that and it leads to an outcome you did not expect or desire, perhaps the Lord knows something you don't.  If you do that and it leads to a favorable outcome, then "all's well that ends well."  I wish you ... Uhhh ... well.  (Well, that's all I have to say about that! )  Reminds me of the spoof I once saw of the television game show Family Feud in which a comedian playing Ronald Reagan (it may have been Rich Little, I'm not sure) was one of the contestants. When a new question was asked to see who would ring in first, and hence, which side would get control of the board, it was Reagan's turn.  The question was, "Name something found on a farm."  Reagan rang in first, and said, "Well ..."  It was the #1 answer.

[Kenngo1969]

While any previous exposure I've had to pornography is God's business, and while it's my bishop's business, and (to hopefully guard against relapse) it may be my fiancee's business, I'm not convinced it's any of my future father-in-law's business.  (Unless he happens to be my bishop, and, in that case, he has an obligation to confidentiality that would prevent him from divulging any information I might divulge to him to his daughter ...)

[Calm]

If I was an adult and not a minor at the time, I would be ticked off if my father attempted to interview my choice of husband.  Sorry, he isn't marrying the guy.  I am.  It is not his place to interfere imo.

Edited February 22, 2014 by calmoriah

[Kevin Christensen]

This is great stuff, Kevin! Now what would be wonderful, and perhaps just as beneficial, would be to find if there's a way to support this common sense approach to addiction recovery by discovering if the scriptures might be applied to systematically validate the concepts you're presenting. I have a hunch the epistles of Paul might be a good place to start because he frequently addresses the futility of trying to bring forth positive change by focusing primarily on one's own debilitating shame and guilt. Here's an example of what I mean:

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Romans 8:1-6)

 

Just get Colleen Harrison's He Did Deliever Me From Bondage. It just had a new edition come out.

 

12 Steps in the Book of Mormon

1. We admitted that we were powerless over our addiction, that our lives had become unmanageable.

 Even so, I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance…your own nothingness…and humble yourselves in the depths of humility. (Mosiah 4:11)

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

 And this is the means by which salvation cometh. And there is none other salvation save this… Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things…believe that he has all wisdom and all power…believe that man doth not comprehend all the things the Lord can comprehend. (Mosiah 4:8-9)

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.

 But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him,… he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage. (Mos. 7:33)

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

 Yeah, and I did remember all my sins and iniquities…yeah, I saw that I had rebelled against my God (Alma 36:13)

 I am encompassed about because the of the temptations and sins which do easily beset me. And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins. (2 Nephi 4:18-19)

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

 And whosoever transgresseth against me, him shall ye judge according to the sins which he hath committed; and if he confess his sins before thee and me, and repenteth in the sincerity of his heart, him he shall forgive, and I will forgive him also. (Mosiah 26:29)

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

 “Oh God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God;…wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee…” (Alma 22:18)

7. Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.

 Oh Lord wilt thou redeem my soul?... Wilt thou make me that I shake at the appearance of sin? (2 Nephi 4:31)

 I give unto men weakness that they may humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves… and have faith in me…I will make weak things become strong unto them. (Ether 12:27)

8. Made a list of all the persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.

 “And they traveled throughout all the land of Zarahemla… zealously striving to repair all the injury they had done to the church, confessing all their sins…” (Mosiah 27:35)

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

 “return unto them and acknowledge your faults and the wrong which ye have done.” (Alma 39:13)

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

 And now, my beloved brethren, seeing that our merciful God has given us so great knowledge concerning these things, let us remember him, and lay aside our sins, and not hang down our heads, for we are not cast off. (2 Nephi 10:20)

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood 

 But this was not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God. (Alma 17:3)

12.  Having had a spiritual awakening because of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

 And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul, and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some. (Alma 26:30)

 

Best,

 

Kevin Christensen

Bethel Park, PA

[teddyaware]

Just get Colleen Harrison's He Did Deliever Me From Bondage. It just had a new edition come out.

 

12 Steps in the Book of Mormon

1. We admitted that we were powerless over our addiction, that our lives had become unmanageable.

 Even so, I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance…your own nothingness…and humble yourselves in the depths of humility. (Mosiah 4:11)

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

 And this is the means by which salvation cometh. And there is none other salvation save this… Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things…believe that he has all wisdom and all power…believe that man doth not comprehend all the things the Lord can comprehend. (Mosiah 4:8-9)

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.

 But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him,… he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage. (Mos. 7:33)

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

 Yeah, and I did remember all my sins and iniquities…yeah, I saw that I had rebelled against my God (Alma 36:13)

 I am encompassed about because the of the temptations and sins which do easily beset me. And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins. (2 Nephi 4:18-19)

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

 And whosoever transgresseth against me, him shall ye judge according to the sins which he hath committed; and if he confess his sins before thee and me, and repenteth in the sincerity of his heart, him he shall forgive, and I will forgive him also. (Mosiah 26:29)

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

 “Oh God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God;…wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee…” (Alma 22:18)

7. Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.

 Oh Lord wilt thou redeem my soul?... Wilt thou make me that I shake at the appearance of sin? (2 Nephi 4:31)

 I give unto men weakness that they may humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves… and have faith in me…I will make weak things become strong unto them. (Ether 12:27)

8. Made a list of all the persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.

 “And they traveled throughout all the land of Zarahemla… zealously striving to repair all the injury they had done to the church, confessing all their sins…” (Mosiah 27:35)

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

 “return unto them and acknowledge your faults and the wrong which ye have done.” (Alma 39:13)

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

 And now, my beloved brethren, seeing that our merciful God has given us so great knowledge concerning these things, let us remember him, and lay aside our sins, and not hang down our heads, for we are not cast off. (2 Nephi 10:20)

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood 

 But this was not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God. (Alma 17:3)

12.  Having had a spiritual awakening because of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

 And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul, and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some. (Alma 26:30)

 

Best,

 

Kevin Christensen

Bethel Park, PA

Wonderful stuff. Many thanks...

[Tacenda]

Collen Harrison spoke at a RS meeting once, she shared some life experiences of her own, that told me she knows what she's talking about.