I left off with this last time: One must only look to the words of Proverbs 23:29-35 to see there is nothing new under the sun. The modern day addict is a biblical drunkard. Again, I say this is good news!! It is good because in the eyes of God it is only sin. And sin has been crushed under the heel of Jesus Christ and it has been vanquished!
Our modern day world wants us to believe that it is a disease that we are saddled with for the rest of our lives and that is simply not the case! I will amplify that answer at another time, because today I want to focus on the reality that drunkenness and drug abuse, overeating, sexual immorality of all kinds, gambling, shopping, and greed are all placed in the same category by God in the Bible- sin. Colossians 3:5 calls this sort of stuff idolatry.
Idolatry is the worship of anything other than God. You can worship God or the created object or person. Romans 1 clearly states that the wrath of God falls on those who worship things other than God (Romans 1:23-25). We are all sadly in the mode of idol worship every day! We don't think of it in those terms of course, we say things like, "I prefer to.." "I chose..." "I decided..." and by our words we negate what is really going on in our hearts- idolatry.
We practice idolatry when we decide to sleep in Sunday morning instead of going to worship service, or when we choose to watch our favorite morning show instead of reading the Bible or praying. Get the idea?
Those who do anything to excess are engaging in a worship disorder (idolatry). They quickly find that what they once controlled now controls them. What they once loved for enjoyment they now crave to get through the day. It becomes bondage not pleasure. You must bow at the altar of what ever your drug of choice is- alcohol, drugs, food, excitement, pleasure, money, sex...
You may tell me that no one chooses to be an addict. No one would ever choose such a hell on purpose. Oh really? You may say that a person with an addiction as disease is not responsible for their choice or decision to use (fill in the blank) and here lies the controversy between the disease orientated folks and those who see it as the Bible sees it.
The things we worship (with the exception of people) do not have the ability to influence us. It is the heart of man that lusts after what the object can provide for us that causes all the problems! James says it this way;
"Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires. These evil desires lead to evil actions, and evil actions lead to death. So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters." James 1:14