Visit any recovery meeting and you will hear addicts describe how they “fell into addiction.” May I respectfully disagree? It is my observation, after knowing and working with hundreds of addicts, that no one ever falls into addiction.
We slide into addiction.
To fall implies an unintended slip or stumble. But the way we got here (addiction) was the result of dozens (if not hundreds) of little things – a quick browse of an Internet site, a brief flirtation with a coworker, an inappropriate movie, or viewing a certain Sports Illustrated magazine that comes out once a year.
The Bible warns, “The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways” (Proverbs 14:14).
Did you catch that word – backslider? We slide into our ditch. Rarely does a man drive into the ditch with eyes wide open.
The question is, how do we avoid the slide? I suggest you (a) wake up, (b) look up, (c) sit up, (d) get up, (e) clean up, and (f) move up. In other words, be alert to the potential of failure and intentional about your recovery.
Recovery Step: Watch for the little things that lead to trouble. Avoid the slide.
