Ideally a person needs to go away for a year, which is why programs like Teen Challenge work so well. The in-patient program teaches coping skills to those in recovery, while the body rejuvenates itself from drug abuse. Their success rate is higher than most treatment centers.
Most people, unfortunately, can’t get away for that long a period. Another option is a three-to-six month in-patient treatment facility. I have sent many people to the Home of Grace in Van Cleave, Mississippi. Many of these centers exist. You will want to find a place that is biblically based.
The gold standard of treatment is where I went. Thankfully, the amino acid treatment is now approved in the States, so you won’t have to stay ten days in Tijuana, Mexico. Paula Norris Mestayer and her husband Dr. Richard Mestayer run the Springfield Wellness Center in Springfield, Louisiana. Patients stay at the retreat center and receive a NAD drip for ten days.
As unbelievable as it sounds, the treatment from start to finish is complete in those ten days. Because NAD is found in every cell, the treatment minimized my withdrawals, reduced the body aches, and removed the cravings by the time I left. It feels like being one year into your sobriety when you leave the facility.
It’s not cheap, but it’s effective. I’ve sent dozens of people to Paula and have seen most of them experience sobriety by going through the treatment over the years. In addition to the treatment, Dr. Mestayer, Paula, and her staff provide counseling and support. If you can afford to go there, I would recommend it.
(For information on recovery help, check out our website: www.recoveredtreatment.com.)
5. Long-Term Care
Regardless of where you go for rehab treatment, the journey is not over when you return. That’s where the hard work begins.
The temptation is to stop going to meetings, start hanging with old friends, and begin drinking socially—at least that’s what I did the first time I relapsed. You didn’t destroy your life overnight; it won’t be fixed overnight. While the physical withdrawals from using may be diminished, the habits and desires that drove you to drug abuse are still lurking.
You will need to attend meetings for accountability and support. My counselor years ago suggested I attend ninety AA meetings in ninety days. After a few weeks, I was asked by the support group to stop talking about Jesus by name. That didn’t deter me from going, but what did were the stories of people who never could experience long-term victory over sin. Week after week I heard people share defeated stories of hanging on and white-knuckling their sobriety.
I knew in my heart they didn’t know the difference that made all the difference in the world: Jesus.
After Meeting 45, I stopped going. Instead, I engrossed myself in the church. Whenever the doors were open, I was there. Monday night visitation, I was there. Tuesday night Bible study, I was there. Wednesday night prayer meeting, Friday night hangout time, Sunday morning worship, Sunday school, and Sunday night worship—I didn’t miss a one.
Years later, I heard of a program that I wish I’d known about years before: Celebrate Recovery. John Baker took the structure of AA and reinstituted the Christ-centered principles that had been removed through the years. Using the Sermon on the Mount as a guide, he created a scriptural process for long-term sobriety.
I have offered Celebrate Recovery at every church I’ve pastored. Most Christians miss out on the benefits of this ministry because they think it’s only for drug addicts, when in fact it offers help for sexual addiction, anger, physical/emotional abuse, and codependency. Parents or spouses who are enablers would benefit from attending a meeting with their family member. Since meetings are offered at different churches on different nights of the week, those in recovery can almost always find a meeting to fill their time.
6. Read Your Bible Daily
Something I learned in my computer science class was, “Garbage In, Garbage Out.” When useless information is inserted into a computer, garbage comes out.
The same can be said about our minds. For years, I polluted my mind with immoral images and ungodly experiences. The good news is that our lives can be transformed by the “renewing of [our] mind[s]” (Rom. 12:2). God promised to transform his people through his Word. If Jesus was the walking Word, as John states in John 1, we should get into the Word until the Word gets into us.
If you’re like I was, you won’t know where to begin. When I was a new Christian, I used the “OPRA” technique for reading the Bible: I would randomly open the Bible, point to a passage, read the verse, and try to figure out a way to apply it to my life. Thankfully, I didn’t land on the Scripture that says, “He [speaking of Judas Iscariot] went and hanged himself” (Matt. 27:5)!
Reading random Scripture verses will not provide solid biblical growth any more than eating random foods out of your pantry will provide solid physical growth. An effective reading plan is required.
My wife Kandi and I developed a reading plan called the Foundational 260. The F-260 is a two-hundred sixty-day reading plan that highlights the foundational passages of Scripture that every disciple should know. After failed attempts of reading through the Bible in a year with previous discipleship groups, I wanted a manageable plan that believers who have never read the Bible before could complete.
The plan asks believers to read one or two chapters a day for five days each week, with an allowance for weekends off. The two off-days a week are built in, so you can catch up on days where you’re unable to read.
With a traditional reading plan of four to five chapters a day, unread chapters can begin to pile up, forcing us to skip entire sections to get back on schedule. It reduces Bible reading to a system of box-checking instead of a time to hear from God.
The amount of required reading
