Bible Studies

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All of us have had or will have moments that change our lives forever. Some of us call them “bottoms”. These are times when we finally understand just how powerless we are and how unmanageable our lives have become. We can either continue in our self-destructive ways or make the decision to change.

STEP 1: We admitted that we were powerless over our addiction (dependencies, problems) and that our lives had become unmanageable.

Acts 9:1-9

“Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.”

Saul was not a bad person in his own eyes. He lived by his convictions. However, his self-righteousness kept him from seeing the path that he was going down. He had to hit a very definite bottom of literally being confronted by God and stricken blind.

Not all of our bottoms will be so extreme. My first bottom was a very intense situation. I had been drinking and drugging for months and finally woke up half-dressed and locked in someone’s garage. I had no idea how I got there or what happened to me. I was 19 when this happened and this was one of those times that my eyes were opened to how serious my problem was.

According to Sarah Allen Benton who is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and author of Understanding the High-Functioning Alcoholic: Professional Views and Personal Insights:

There is an important distinction between being "sober" and being in "recovery". The differences are clear to those who have experienced both phases in their healing process from alcoholism.
When an alcoholic is "sober" from alcohol without attending a mutual-help program, therapy, medication management and/or treatment then they are in a sense "white knuckling" their sobriety (also referred to as being a "dry drunk"). These individuals may be staying away from alcohol, but they are not treating the underlying issues that had either led to their drinking in the first place or developed as their alcoholism progressed. Many "sober" alcoholics who are not in "recovery" will experience a transfer of addictions that could involve a new addiction to food, sex, shopping, romantic relationships, etc. because they have not found a healthy way to fill the void that alcohol had satisfied. They may have stopped drinking, but their life may be exactly the same, leading them to be jealous of others who are drinking or to struggle with emotional or mental health issues.*

I was a “dry drunk” for many years, and when I did begin to drink again, I was a very high functioning alcoholic, so my second bottom was less obvious than the first. It happened one night on my back porch after the rest of my family was asleep. I was literally lying on my stomach, throwing up over the side of the porch. I began to think, “What am I doing?” That was when I really began to seek help and make the necessary changes. While both times were very different, the result was the same: I came to the end of myself and knew I needed help – that I could not do it alone.

Sometimes God cannot save us until we are brought low, because we don’t trust Him or surrender completely to Him until we have nowhere else to turn. Once we surrender to Him, He can deliver us, dry our tears and help us to walk before Him without stumbling.


* (Benton, S. A., (2009). Being “Sober” Versus Being in “Recovery”. Psychology Today. Retrieved March 1, 2011 from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-high-functioning-alcoholic/201005/being-sober-versus-being-in-recovery)

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