ASAP Recovery: Tearing Out the Old Foundation

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The Old Foundation Has Cracked!

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

—1 Corinthians 3:11 NIV

You’ve been lied to. Scratch that—we’ve all been lied to. Despite what the medical and recovery community at large are telling us, the truth is, you or your loved one do not have to be in recovery for the rest of your life—you can be fully recovered! Now whether you’re ready to believe this or not, that doesn’t change the fact that’s its true. Furthermore, despite your disbelief, if you wholeheartedly read this book all the way to the end, then you can experience this truth for yourself.

Friends, I want you to know that there is an unbelievable life out there to be lived to the fullest after addiction! There is a place where your former addictions can no longer touch you or hinder you in any way whatsoever, no matter what form those addictions may take. You can go days, weeks, months, even years without thinking about it!

In short, no matter who you are or how far gone you may be, there is a place where the desire to use can go away forever, and you can be recovered as opposed to forever recovering. I know where that place is—I live there, and I can show you how to get there. Our journey to this promised land starts with taking a close look at this forever recovering lie and replacing it with truth. My name is Chuck, and I’m a recovered alcoholic and drug user who refuses to remain anonymous!

How we got here

Before I was recovered, I used to build swimming pools in Florida; and during that time, I learned that there are two types of concrete: there’s cracked concrete and concrete that’s going to crack—eventually! I also learned that it can take years, even decades, before we notice a crack in the concrete. Many times, if a crack was under the surface, it could only be detected by the side effects it produced such as water damage, equipment error, safety issues, and foundational support problems. Attempting to repair damage like this can be expensive, time consuming, and can trigger a multitude of other problems in the home and surrounding area as well.

There were many quick fixes, or Band-Aids, for stuff like this to be sure; however, year after year, the problem would keep getting worse. Eventually, the homeowners would call us back to deal with these cracks once and for all (like they should have done on the front end). For example, when a pool deck would crack beyond the point of repair, the only thing we could do was remove it by tearing out the old foundation piece by piece until all of it was gone then repour a new one. This was always messy, unpleasant, painful to the workers, and a long-drawn-out process; however, it was absolutely necessary!

After working in the hot Florida sun for all those years, I praise God that I no longer work with swimming pools—nor will I ever again! However, that’s not to say that I don’t still work with foundations. You see, foundations can come in many shapes and sizes, and not all of them are made with concrete. I have found that some of the most important things in life have foundations even though you can’t see them or touch them. Examples include our marriages, our character, our family, our businesses, our friendships, our churches, our relationship with God, and make no mistake, reader, our recovery will require a strong foundation too.

Now when it comes to recovery, even though our foundation is not made of concrete and bedrock, that doesn’t mean it can’t crack and crumble over time. Once again, there are two types of concrete. You see, whether that concrete is physical or metaphorical, it can crack just as easily due to time, neglect, compromise, or attempting to take shortcuts. Not only are these spiritual and relational foundations susceptible to cracking over time, but it’s also been my experience that these types of foundations are far more likely to crack because they’re held together by fragile materials such as honor, discipline, consistency, transparency, trust, self-denial, and having a teachable spirit.

Now that you know a little something about foundations, let me tell you why any of this should matter to those of us in the recovery community. As I have just said, foundations come in many shapes and sizes, and it is my belief that after eighty-five years, the foundation of the traditional Twelve-Step model of Alcoholics Anonymous (and, subsequently, Narcotics Anonymous in 1953) has cracked and splintered as well due to time, compromise, and neglect! Throughout this book, I will attempt to show you that although AA and NA were amazing and groundbreaking programs for the time and season in which they served, the foundation of these once-great programs has actually been cracked from their earliest days on, and it is my belief that countless people are needlessly dying today because of it.

You see, just like any cracked foundation, this crack (or cracks) have been around for years, but we’re only now beginning to notice all the damage they have caused those of us in the recovery community, not to mention our loved ones who are attached to us. In hindsight, although these foundational cracks started out small in 1935, they have grown tremendously over the past few decades. If you are willing to take an honest look at them, the side effects are not very hard to spot today due largely to the moral conditions of our times. As I said, AA was an amazing and groundbreaking program for the time and season in which it served; however, the problem is that we no longer live in 1935 America. Consequently, our morals and values have changed as a nation, making these programs ineffective today.

In short, the old recovery foundation has cracked, and the Bible teaches us that this needlessly happened because it wasn’t built on the right foundation of Jesus Christ.

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:11 NIV)

Therefore, like our abovementioned pool decks, we’ve come to the place where a quick fix, or Band-Aid approach, to the old recovery model will no longer do. It’s time now to do the job the right way once and for all.

In order to fix this, we will individually (and corporately) need to remove the old recovery foundation piece by piece and repour a new and enduring foundation—correctly this time. Please know, as described above, this will be messy, unpleasant, painful to the workers, and a long-drawn-out process; however, your life, sobriety, freedom, and eternity hang in the balance, so it’s absolutely necessary!

What this book and program are all about

At the time of this writing, we are currently seeing a drug epidemic of unparalleled proportions in our cities and on our streets that the once-great programs of AA and NA are no longer able to handle—nor can they hold all of us in recovery today. You see, every year, numerous people who seek help from these programs are washing out and going back to the very addictions and the old life they were running from in the first place. However, I believe that since there are so many new people flowing into these programs year after year, no one seems to notice the bigger picture of how many people are washing out—no one, that is, except the friends and families of these broken individuals, the ones who are left to bury their loved ones or visit them in jail again and again.

Another rising issue in the recovery community today is that many of our addictions no longer fit into the traditional substance abuse box. For example, how are AA and NA supposed to really help the workaholic, the porn addict, the gambler, and the food addict who are in danger of losing their families as well? The truth is they don’t! Instead, these individuals are dismissed from these addiction recovery programs when there really isn’t much else readily available for them as far as authentic community goes. Consequently, just like the rest of us with addictions, they go back to their old lives under the burden of that same old ball and chain! These washed-out individuals have friends, families, coworkers, and church family attached to them, and as the saying goes, "Hurt people hurt people." So it’s not just the addicted who are negatively affected by these programs that are no longer able to meet the needs of today’s ever-changing recovery community.

Perhaps you’re reading this and you’ve never been to an AA or NA meeting and you’re thinking, This doesn’t have anything to do with me! Or perhaps you have an activity-based addiction such as pornography or food addiction, and you’re thinking, What they do in their meetings doesn’t affect my particular recovery. To that, I would reply that you couldn’t be any more wrong! Not only does addiction affect us all, but so does the recovery foundation these programs first started pouring in 1935. You see, the traditional Twelve-Step model of AA is used in our meetings, our hospitals, our prisons, our programs, and even in our churches. In fact, no matter what form your addiction may take, the majority of all recovery programs and resources out there have been built on the shoulders—or the cracked foundation—of these programs. In short, whether you’re here for yourself or a loved one, this broken foundation affects you too.

Now before we get started, it is important to understand that even though we will be talking about AA and NA, this book is really not about them. This book is about your (or your loved one’s) path to victory and why it has eluded you (or them) for so long. You see, this book and this program are for those who are seeking a cure instead of maintenance for their addictions and willful sins but just can’t seem to find it by building their new lives on the old foundation.

Furthermore, you should know that this book isn’t about sobriety; it’s about Christianity. Therefore, this book isn’t really about your addiction (although we will be talking about it a lot). As you will see, it’s about something the Bible calls your sinful nature. In short, this book is meant to be a second opinion (or approach) to recovery that focuses on why so many members of our community die or wind up in prison before they can achieve or experience the kind of freedom that the Bible repeatedly says is available to all of us. Therefore, please allow me to say again—this book is not meant to bash AA or NA; it’s meant to bash your addictions to pieces.

Plain and simple, this book is about the freedom that the God of the Bible alone offers and what He has prescribed to us in order to achieve it! Therefore, allow me to make it very clear on the front end of this reading: if you are content with either removing some of the pressure in your life (as opposed to all of it), or if you are only seeking a little bit more of God in your life instead of all of Him, then this is not the book or program for you.

You see, our program promises cure over maintenance, and therefore, this approach will require much more effort from you than what is required for membership at Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous, which is simply "a desire to stop drinking (or using)."¹ Although having a desire to quit hurting yourself is a great start, here at ASAP Recovery, we’re going to need you to be humble, teachable, and fight like your life depends on it—because it most certainly does!

With these purposes now in mind, and assuming that victory is your goal as well, I will attempt in this book to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt the following two things that could most likely save your life:

Although our addiction is a problem, it’s not the problem.

As you will see, we’ve been aiming at the wrong target (addiction) all these years when the Bible says we should be aiming at something it refers to as the sinful nature. (Galatians 5:19–21)

Victory over any and all addictions is possible for everyone, no matter how far gone they may be.

Despite what other programs and the professionals are teaching today, the Bible teaches us that through Jesus Christ, you can be recovered as opposed to forever recovering. (John 8:36; John 10:10; 2 Corinthians 3:17)

Before moving on to our solution and path to victory, I would like to state one final time for all the AA and NA diehards out there: This book and program is not about AA or NA! It’s about building our life and recovery on the foundation of Jesus Christ and the Word of God. However, in order to help you obtain the abundant life that Jesus spoke of in John 10:10, we must first tear out the old cracked foundation and mindsets these once great programs laid. Consequently, I make no apologies for sharing that path to victory and the escape from death that results from it!

Our path to victory

So the question arises, If the recovery foundations are cracked, what do we do about it? Simple! Just like our example of removing the old pool deck piece by piece then repouring a new one, we have a two-task job here that will stretch out over two books. In this first book, we will remove (or tear out) the old cracked recovery foundation of AA and NA piece by piece until all of it is gone. In order to accomplish this task, we have identified seven parts (or pieces) of the old foundation that need to be removed, and the good news is that we’ve already begun removing the first piece which is having a forever recovering mentality.

As alluded to before, these cracks have stretched both far and wide into many areas of our life and recovery. Now, in case you’re wondering, we will remove these cracked pieces using logic, reason, facts, basic statistics, asking yourself some hard questions, and most importantly, the Word of God. Please trust me when I say that this journey to wholeness and victory will be much easier and more pleasant than it sounds.

In our second book, ASAP Recovery: Building on the Right Foundation, we will begin repouring a new and enduring foundation the right way. It may surprise you to learn that this new foundation will not be our ASAP Recovery program but will, instead, be the Word of God and what it has to say for your life! Consequently, since you can’t build a house until you’ve built the foundation, we’re not going to attempt to build (or firmly establish) our program in your recovery until the old foundation has been removed and the Word of God has been properly poured as your sole foundation in life. In the process, you will find that the Word of God is the only time-tested, proven path to victory for whatever ails you!

Therefore, to simplify our path to victory, this book is meant to help you tear out the old foundation, and our next book is meant to help you pour the right foundation. Although we will not begin the full-blown construction project of our program in this book, we will, however, highlight and talk about the Four Steps of ASAP Recovery throughout it—in addition to providing you with some insight and practical application of the Steps so that you can start to remove some immediate pressures in your life right now!

Wait a minute, Pastor—are you saying that we’re building or not building? Think of this as gathering some of our building materials and getting them in place for the job that lies ahead. Furthermore, by providing you with these minor applications of the Steps here and now, this will also show you that anybody and everybody can be recovered from their addiction—no matter how far gone they are.

Please note in advance, reader: we will take our time and do all this right so that in ten or eighty years, you and the rest of the recovery community at large are not still trying the quick fix or Band-Aid approach to fixing your addictions on the current broken recovery foundation.

Building on the right foundation

Before coming to know the Lord in June 2007, like so many of us, I tried to build my life on any and all foundations you can think of—drugs, alcohol, relationships, sex, sobriety, entertainment, work, family, food. You name it, I’ve tried it! The reason I tried them all was in hopes of filling the void inside of me that grew larger and larger on a daily basis. However, after a decade and a half of drinking, I woke up in a jail cell looking at a five-year prison sentence and feeling emptier on the inside than when I started down this road to what I thought was fulfillment. It was here that I cried out to God and began building my life on the foundation of Jesus Christ and the Word of God, and I’m here to tell you—that foundation has never cracked or failed me since!

As you will see, there is only one foundation that will do, and it isn’t a program. Unlike our two types of concrete mentioned before, the foundation we will be building on has stood the test of time and will never crack or crumble. Once again, that foundation is Jesus Christ! Furthermore, that’s why the Bible says all other foundations are doomed to fail: For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11 NIV). Therefore, if we were to make our program or any future program out there the foundation in our life, then, like the current model of AA and NA, these future programs would eventually fail us too and need to be torn out piece by piece and repoured. Therefore, why even bother?

So, allow me to make this perfectly clear on the front end—the Four Steps of our ASAP Recovery program are only meant to function as support pillars for your new house that is built on the right foundation of God’s Word. Until that foundation has been successfully poured in your heart, you will not be ready (or able) to advance to our third book, ASAP Recovery: Four Steps Toward Jesus—Toward Victory, where we will truly dive into the Four Steps of ASAP Recovery! So do yourself a favor and read this book and the next one! You and your loved ones will be glad you did!

Now, I realize that reading a series of books will take a lot of time, effort, and work from you; however, if you really want help (like I’m sure you say you do), then there is nothing you won’t do in order to obtain it. This would include reading a few books! Amen? Also, let me just say this: If you wholeheartedly apply yourself to reading this book and the next, then you should be walking in victory (or close to it) by the time you get to the end of this first book! So, what do you say we get started?

The seven cracks in the old foundation

In my fifteen years of sobriety and working with people in recovery and in the church, I have narrowed it down to seven pieces in the old recovery foundation that are costing our brothers and sisters in recovery their lives and freedom. Therefore, these pieces will need to be removed—at all costs—before we can properly pour a new and enduring foundation to build our life on. Removing these seven pieces will be the overall focus of this book; however, here is a brief sneak peek at them now:

Piece 1: Having a Forever Recovering Mentality

Piece 2: Learning about the Three Types of People in Recovery (Before It’s Too Late)

Piece 3: Setting up Addiction Camps

Piece 4: The God of My Own Understanding

Piece 5: The Disease Theory

Piece 6: Amplified Thoughts and Feelings

Piece 7: The Books of AA/NA

You don’t have to spend the rest of your life in recovery—you can be recovered!

Before closing out todays reading, I would like you to pause right here in order for you to ask yourself a question that could potentially save your life. But before I do, I would like to state that I realize that AA and NA are a set of very proud and territorial groups. I’ve seen people at meetings almost get into fistfights over the Twelve Steps and other doctrinal issues. Unfortunately, these kinds of individuals are unteachable because they’re not open to any opinion other than their own—even if what they believe may be wrong.

I share all this to say that I am open to the idea that what I am about to present to you in this book may be wrong. However, it would take some strong factual evidence (like the kind I will present to you) to convince me otherwise. My question to you is this: Are you open to the idea that I may be right?

If you are, then read on; you will be glad you did! However, if you’re not, then all the logic, reason, and evidence in the world can’t convince you of anything otherwise, and I wouldn’t waste your time reading any further. Although I would really love for you to read this book, come to truly know Jesus, and be set free from your addictions in the process, not everyone is ready for this kind of help just yet. I apologize if this offends you, but as you will see, this is a program of privilege because we’re aiming for cure instead of maintenance over your addictions. Therefore, once again, it will require a lot more from you than just a desire to quit drinking or using.

To reiterate, like our above process for removing the old foundation and repouring the new, there will be times when the work of rebuilding your life on the right foundation of Jesus becomes messy, unpleasant, and painful to you, the workers. At times, it will seem like a long-drawn-out process. In other words, there will be no quick fixes or shortcuts here! Your addictions didn’t form overnight, and you won’t find freedom for them overnight either. It will take time, hard work, and a whole lot of Jesus! However, on the plus side, the product of victory guaranteed to you in the Bible will far outweigh any price you pay in order to achieve it.

Before we begin, I want you to know three things. First, each chapter closes with our questions that demand an answer from you along with a Bible verse for you to consider its implications (or applications) for your life. It is important that you do not skip over this life-changing part of your journey! Members of our community tend not to dig beneath the surface for fear of what we may find. By writing down your answers and thoughts, these questions and Bible verses are designed to help you do just that—by helping you to look at the evidence for yourself in order to form your own opinions about life, God, and recovery rather than simply parroting what everyone else in recovery is saying around you.

Second, victory over your addiction is possible no matter who you are. The main message of this book is that you can be recovered, and we’re going to prove it to you! In other words, unlike what the other programs out there are offering, we will show you how to be recovered versus forever recovering! Yes, you heard me right, and this victory is possible for any and all, no matter how far gone you may be!

Finally, I want you to know that no matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done, Jesus loves you, and because of His love for you, He won’t leave you the way you are. Help is on the way! In fact, that help and hope is a lot closer than you think. This victory begins now with tearing out the old foundation and learning to build on the right foundation—His foundation instead of yours!

Pastor Chuck Chapman

The Old Foundation Has Cracked!

Questions that demand an answer from you:

Am I open to the idea that what I believe about recovery may be wrong or that I have could have been building my life on the wrong foundation all this time?

Why or why not?

Which do you think is more likely to be right: your thoughts and feelings or God’s Word? And why do you feel this way?

If someone is not open to opinions or information that contradicts what they believe, what does that make that person?

What does this verse mean, and how does it apply to my life? For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:11 NIV)

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We’ve Been Given Bad Information

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

—John 8:36 NLT

Like most people, I have a lot of problems in my life; however, I am here to tell you that fighting off my addictions or practicing willful sin is no longer one of them. This is not something I struggle with or have to white knuckle through on a daily basis. Once again, no matter how far gone you are or whatever your addiction may be, this same kind of victory over your addictions or any other kind of willful sin is achievable for you too! And here is the good news—God is not looking for your ability in order to obtain it; if He was, I wouldn’t have made it this far! For now, God is just interested in your availability. Contrary to what the supposed experts and many recovery programs are telling us today, God and His Word demonstrate that you can be recovered from your addictions and sins instead of forever recovering from them: "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36 NLT).

Now, I realize this thought of freedom may seem like a dream (or a fairy tale) to some; however, the reason this new life seems so far away and unobtainable to most of us is because we’ve been walking in the wrong direction for so long. You see, the recovery community at large has had us walking toward sobriety when we should have been walking toward Christianity. Consequently, over the course of time, our Steps have become more inward focused than upward focused (where all the power is), and therefore, we have no power in our lives. In hindsight, somewhere along the line, we removed an all-powerful God from our recovery and replaced Him with AA’s god of our own understanding,² which ultimately has no power at all because we are the god of our own understanding. It’s kind of in the name: god of our own understanding!

Seeking out this false powerless god is what we were told to do by those who came before us, and unfortunately, they gave us bad information on how to get where we want to go—and we have been walking blindly in the wrong direction ever since. In addition to that, not only have we been walking in the wrong direction, but we’ve also been walking in circles, which is even worse. Walking in circles leads us right back to where we started from and right back into the arms of our addictions. This is why relapses are more common than sobriety when all along we could have been taking steps toward an authentic, growing, relationship with Jesus that produces not only freedom from addiction but the victorious Christian life as well, and so, that is the primary purpose and direction of this alternative recovery program known as ASAP Recovery. This program is designed to give you Four Steps Toward Jesus—Toward Victory!

All too often, I have provided pastoral counseling to defeated individuals who have been told they are going to be in recovery for the rest of their life. Likewise, I have also encountered numerous Christians who have bitten into the lie that they are going to sin every day. I have also worked with those who feel that there is no way God can forgive them for the shameful things they have done; they feel they must earn their way into (or back into) His good graces. Many feel that if they can somehow follow all the rules and say all the right things, go to enough church or recovery services, then maybe one day God will forgive them and they will feel accepted. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way; and for those of us attempting to get sober, none of these thoughts, feelings, beliefs, or practices line up with reality, and therefore, they can’t take us where we need to go.

You see, the belief that you’re going to sin every day or be in recovery for the rest of your life produces a victim mentality along with an outlook of hopelessness and defeat. If any of these views were the truth, what would be the point of even getting out of bed each morning and trying? Think about this for a second. If there is no permanent victory over our addictions, sins, and struggles, then the rest of our life here on earth is to be spent forever walking in one direction (toward recovery) but never reaching our destination. What a sad and pointless existence this is! If that were the case, then our only hope would be in death, or on the other side of eternity. No wonder so many of us seek out drugs that we know will kill us!

So I ask you, brothers and sisters: Are we left to believe that Jesus has the power to save you from your sins, but He doesn’t have the power to save you from yourself? That’s nonsense! Fortunately for us, the Bible teaches that there is hope in this lifetime and not just in the one to come. That’s why the psalmist King David writes, I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13 NIV).

If you are reading this book, I’m guessing either you have come to realize that there must be more to life than this, or a loved one has noticed that you could use some direction in your life and gave you this book. Perhaps you are reading this because you have a loved one who is either backslidden, unsaved, or bound by addiction and you want to help them, or maybe you are the one who has backslidden in your walk with the Lord. Somewhere along the line, you gave your heart away to something or someone else, and now you are unsure how to get it back or how to get back to where you once were. Either way, this book has not made it into your hands by chance; God has been waiting for this exact moment with you, and He has a purpose and a plan for your life. If you will set your entire heart to seeking Him and allow our Four Steps to help you daily grow closer and closer to Him, then you too can experience victory over your addictions, sins, and compulsive behaviors. Victory is possible!

In short, we’ve been given bad information by the supposed experts and those who came before us. You see, regardless of what they say or which charts they point to, victory is possible over all our addictions on this side of eternity—I’m walking in it, and I know a lot of other people who are too! I can promise you out of my own experience that if you see this path through to the end, you will experience and see that victory and freedom for yourselves. Friends, God has a plan for your life that does not involve bondage to addiction or sin; instead, it involves freedom, hope, love, grace, laughter, and most of all, victory.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)

God has promised a unique and wonderful plan for each and every one of us, so the only question that remains is how do we start getting involved in that plan?

There is hope!

As previously stated, my name is Chuck, and I am a recovered alcoholic and former drug user—not a recovering one. I use the word recovered as opposed to recovering because I have experienced a permanent victory over my addictions and compulsive behaviors, and I know many others who have experienced this same type of victory as well. There are a lot of people out there who will tell you that you are going to be in recovery for the rest of your life, but they are wrong. If you are willing to wholeheartedly apply the truths from this book and our next one to your life, then you can prove to these naysayers (and yourself) that you Can be recovered as opposed to forever recovering. Victory over our addictions is possible. There is hope!

Unlike other recovery programs out there where everyone does the same Twelve Steps in the exact same order, in this book, I will begin to share with you how to build your own individual recovery program—a program that works for you so you can experience this same kind of victory in your own life no matter what your struggle in life may be! After all, God did create you to be an individual, didn’t He? Therefore, it stands to reason that you will need an individualized program as opposed to the current cookie-cutter approach that most recovery programs out there offer.

Furthermore, throughout the course of this program, you will find that this victory is not exclusive only to addicts and alcoholics; it is also meant for everyone who hungers and thirsts for change in their life—whatever that change may be.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. (Matthew 5:6 NJKV)

You see, this book is also meant for

the new Christian trying to figure out What’s next?;

the seasoned Christian who is still struggling with sin of any kind;

those who struggle with food, work, pornography, sex, gambling, or any other activity-based addiction;

ASAP Recovery is also meant for the family, the minister, and the friends of the addicted who wish to understand and be more effective in helping their loved ones to overcome their trials and temptations.

As a special note, for those who are here for a loved one, this book will provide you with a great peek behind the veil into our world where you can see what your loved one is truly up against. In addition to that, our questions that demand an answer from you in each chapter will not only help you understand what your loved one is going through, but they also make great conversation starters that will help you penetrate through the fog that seems to cloud your loved one’s thoughts, feelings, understanding, and their overall decision-making process. In other words, the truths found within each of these chapters will give you some nonlethal ammunition to force your loved one, who is currently in their addiction, to actually dig beneath the surface and think about their life and their actions.

Now, although this book is meant for any and all who seek change of any kind, please remember that it is primarily meant for those of you who are done looking for maintenance over your addictions and sins and instead are now seeking out the cure! Therefore, in light of this primary purpose, there are a lot of other people and programs out there that specialize in removing some of the pressure in your life but not all of it; however, let it be known in advance that we’re not one of them!

Once again, if you are just looking for a quick fix to your problems or addictions, then unfortunately, you’re just not ready for this kind of help yet, and this currently isn’t the program or book for you. However, maybe one day it will be—that is, assuming you live long enough to get to the place where you are ready for this kind of lasting help. With that now being said, if you are one of the select few who have come to the place where you will do whatever it takes for as long as it takes in order to once and for all be done with your addictions or sins, then this is the book, path, and program for you, and the change you seek is right around the corner!

Now, before you get too excited about this, although victory is available for all, that does not mean that all will obtain it. Whether or not you are eligible for this kind of victory or saving can be answered in two simple questions:

Are you willing to come on God on His terms instead of your own?

Are you willing to pay the continued price of obedience to whatever He asks of you to get there and be set free?

If you are willing to commit to repeatedly saying yes to these two questions, there is Hope and there is Freedom, and His name is Jesus! And the good news is that this victory will not require perfection from you (or anything close to it); however, as you can (and will) see, it will require your wholehearted participation.

A powerful relationship

By now you are probably asking: What is ASAP Recovery? I’m glad you asked! ASAP Recovery is a faith-based individualized Four-Step program that will guide you into an authentic growing relationship with Jesus that will empower you to live the rest of your life free of addictions and willful sin. In short, you will see and experience that our Four Steps toward victory direct you toward a very powerful relationship with God, and in case you’re wondering, this power includes but is not limited to the power to never use again, the power to live a life above willful sin, the power to be the real you, and the power to be all the you that God created you to be!

You see, when we ask Jesus into our heart, we come into an intimate and growing relationship with Him, and in the process, all His power becomes available to us. In any recovery program, the first step is to admit defeat or powerlessness, and Christianity is no different! We must admit our own lack of power (or self-sufficiency) in order to obtain a greater source of power outside ourselves. However, unlike other recovery programs out there, our higher power is Jesus Christ, and His power is limitless!

Think about that for a moment. The creator of the heavens and the earth, the ultimate source of power, is standing by and ready to share His resources with you! And it is in His power (not our own) that we can live a life of victory over all our sins and addictions. Now that is a powerful relationship!

But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV)

In closing for today, there is a cure for sin and addiction, and the only reason we don’t see more of it today is because we’ve been given bad information from those who have chosen to settle for less. As you will see in our next chapter, we’ve been building on the wrong foundation for the last eighty years when all the while, God’s Word promises that you can be recovered as opposed to forever recovering.

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36 NLT)

Please allow these words of Jesus to breathe life and hope deep down into your heart, friend: If I set you free, then you will be free indeed! Not you might be free or you will be partially free; If I set you free, you will be free indeed! Surely He wasn’t lying or unable to deliver when He said this!

Friends, there is hope. There is victory; we’ve just been given bad information on how and where to go get it, and over time, our community has accepted this misinformation without further thought or question. I realize all this may sound too good to be true, but stick with us and have an open mind, and in our next chapter, we’re going to undeniably prove to you that anybody and everybody can be recovered!

We’ve Been Given Bad Information

Questions that demand an answer from you:

Do you believe that you can be fully recovered from your sins and addictions, or do you believe you must be in recovery the rest of your life?

Why or why not?

If you have answered no to being fully recovered, what would it take to convince you otherwise?

Do you believe that Jesus has the power to save you from your sins but He doesn’t have the power to save you from yourself?

Why or why not?

What does this verse mean, and how does it apply to my life? So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36 NLT)

3

Undeniable Proof That You Can Be Recovered

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate… For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.

—Romans 7:15, 18 ESV

If you’ve been in recovery for very long, then you may have noticed that addicts and alcoholics do great in prisons and programs, but then when we get out, we seem to fall flat on our faces. Furthermore, it could even be argued that we don’t just survive in these places—we thrive in them. For example, we maintain our sobriety for extended periods of time, all without incident—something we can’t seem to do on the streets. We start putting weight back on, and we even begin to rebuild broken relationships with our friends and family, and they start trusting in us once again. Last but certainly not least, many of us even come to develop the intimate relationship with God that we had formerly neglected on the streets, and as a direct result of this relationship, we begin to put the wants and needs of God and others before our very own. By definition, we’re not just surviving in these places; we’re thriving in them.

However, then something happens; whether it be early or on time, we get released and, consequently, the growth stops and we go back to our old lifestyle. Now upon leaving these places, some of us manage to make it a few weeks or even a few months, in rare cases; but in our love-hate relationship with the addiction, the majority of us leave these institutions only to throw away everything we’ve worked so hard for and go back to our old mess once again. Why is that? Much like the apostle Paul in the book of Romans, the cry of our heart says,

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. (Romans 7:15 ESV)

But once again, why is that? Why do we keep making the same mistakes over and over again by continually doing this to ourselves and our loved ones?

The answer to that question will be the focus of our next chapter when we take a brief look at the Four Steps of ASAP Recovery. However, for now, the more important question is, Is there any undeniable proof that people can be fully recovered from their addictions as opposed to forever recovering from them? I am pleased to say that the answer to that question is a big, fat, giant yes! As you’re about to see, millions of people do it every single day. Let’s have a look at those people and that proof now!

The undeniable proof

Many people out there today will tell you that your addiction is a disease, and yet if you were to throw an addict or alcoholic into a jail cell and remove all access to drugs or alcohol, the bottom line is that as long as he or she is in that cell, they are cured! This undeniable proof is true for 100 percent of all addicts and alcoholics no matter how far gone they may be. However, if you were to throw someone with cancer or diabetes into a hospital bed and strap them down, that doesn’t even begin to treat their disease! If you take the time to think about it, this doesn’t line up. If addiction is a real disease, just like other diseases, doesn’t that seem a bit odd to you? If not, it should!

However, I digress. We will address the fact that we’ve been given bad information on addiction being a disease when we get to piece 5 of this book: The Disease Theory. For now, we must move on from theory to facts such as the reason (or fact) that our program can confidently give you a 100 percent guarantee of victory over your addiction no matter what it may be. How can that be, you say? Simple! Because not only does the Bible promise this type of victory to any and all, but it also happens all the time without the power and participation of Christ in these jail cells and programs. We just haven’t put two and two together yet.

Now wait a second, Pastor. Did I just hear you say victory without the power and participation of Christ? Yes, I did! The truth is not everyone who achieves sobriety in these places are anything close to a Christian, and therefore, we cannot accredit this particular type of victory and life transformation to Jesus! Now after making a bold statement like that, allow me to substantiate it. The purpose of this chapter is only meant to provide you with hope and undeniable proof that you can be recovered from any and all addictions—no matter who you are (a believer or not). However, please make no mistake, reader, the purpose of this book is meant to prove to you beyond a shadow of a doubt that only Jesus can sustain you with that kind of victory outside those cell walls, where you actually need it! Amen?

With this in mind, let us return to the matter at hand—that being that each day, millions of incarcerated addicts and alcoholics all over the world are walking in victory over their addictions. Now whether that victory is forced upon them or not is a matter for another time. For now, regardless of where their victory comes from, there is no one who can deny the fact that the addicted who are admitted into prisons and