There are many reasons given for why someone struggling with substance abuse should enter treatment for addiction. Health benefits, social benefits, legal issues and more are all elements that can go into convincing an addict they need to seek help and put an end to their substance abuse. But on the spiritual side, there is another reason why addiction should be shunned and that is due to the nature of your own body. The human body was meant to be honored and unsullied and addiction and substance abuse chip away at that and leave you dirtied within.
Honoring your body in sobriety is, spiritually, an almost sacred task and one every recovering addict must fight to reach and maintain.
In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, St. Paul the Apostle writes, “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Paul repeats this metaphor several more times in the same book, and similar concepts of the intended inviolate nature of the body as a place intended to house the Lord, not destructive elements such as addictive substances, are used elsewhere in the Bible as well.
As an instruction on why to avoid addiction, it’s hard to mistake. Our body not only houses our own soul, it is also a place where we invite in the spiritual connection with God, a connection which can fray or even sever in the throes of addiction.
Even if you’re not particularly spiritual, it’s a vital message. We tend to separate mind and body in our thinking, but our body is inextricably connected with our consciousness and everything else that makes us what we are. Corrupting that with substance abuse can only lead to negative effects which can ruin your quality of life and destroy connections with those around you.
That is why sobriety is such an important goal for anyone struggling with addiction. Only by shedding the destructive habits of substance abuse and addiction can you get past the damage it causes to yourself and those around you. Only by honoring your body in sobriety can you reach your full potential, rather than be dragged down by the grim specter of addiction.
In sobriety, the body can perform as intended, not wracked by the pain of withdrawal or compromised by the side effects of illicit substances. Addiction is classified as a disease by the medical community and diseases attack the body and mind. Only by purging your body of the disease of addiction can one find true health and strength.
At Good Landing Recovery, patients are treated for addiction so they can properly honor their body by reaching and maintaining sobriety. Through their Christian addiction treatment program, they allow the patient to find a peace in sobriety that leaves their body unravaged by addiction and finds healing for their mind and spirit.
Addiction is a corrupting force for the body and the mind, but with help, the recovering addict can find a safe refuge in treatment to find greater recovery beyond rehab.