Addiction

 

An article by Robert Hemfelt, Frank Minirth, and Paul Meier; from The Answer Bible

Can any human activity become an addiction? Yes. When carried to an extreme, any behavior can veer out of control and become the dominant, driving force in a person's life. It can master her. It can consume him.

Whatever the habit, the two-step pattern is always the same. 

The first phase is the mental preoccupation - the obsession. The thought of the activity grabs hold of the person and preoccupies him or her to the exclusion of everything else. The person cannot shake loose of it. 

At this point the shopaholic is absorbed, even obsessed with the idea of a buying binge. She wants to acquire, collect and possess. In the case of the relationship addict, he is obsessed with the notion of taking charge of the relationship, and perhaps even taking charge of the other person. 

After obsession comes the second phase: acting out the obsessive thought. 

This action is the compulsion. The relationship addict or the shopaholic loses control, gives in to the mental preoccupation, and is compelled - even driven - to do whatever he or she feels necessary. She shops. He flirts. Or, in the case of other addictions, he or she might exercise, work, worry, scrub, or gulp megavitamins incessantly.

The list of compulsions is practically endless. 

Here is a list of some of the most common compulsions divided into six groups:

1. Money matters
2. Health and wellness
3. Work and play
4. Service and voluntarism
5. Relationships
6. Perfectionism

Related Bible Text: 

Proverbs 25:28; Jeremiah 17:9-10; Romans 6:11-14; Philippians 2:13-15