A healing response to addiction

Live audio chat with Rebecca Odegaard, C.S.B.

Site visitors asked a broad range of questions about addiction—illegal and medically-prescribed drugs, smoking, alcohol, pornography, video games, gambling, food (and eating disorders). Rebecca tells of her father's healing of addiction to smoking, and goes on to address other forms of addiction as well.

Questions about how to pray for relatives who are addicted gave Rebecca the opportunity speak about the importance of seeing relatives who are addicted as the safe and perfect children of God. Rebecca says that as we hold to the spiritual facts—God's view of them as pure, perfect, attracted to progressive ideas—the people will feel the beneficial influence of these thoughts. She affirms, "Never doubt the power of the right concept."

For those who have been addicted in some way and are wondering how to restore their lives, she points to God's power to restore all that is good and points out that many stories in the Bible speak of restoration and renewal. As we give up addictive behavior, neither we nor our bodies need to be burdened with traces of these past actions, but we can be free to discover more of who we are as the sons and daughters of God.

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