Support Groups and Recovery groups both bring people who share a weakness together so they can help each other deal with the weakness.
The Support Groups I have been to focus on the weakness, and how to deal with it. The problem I see with that is the weakness is a manifestation of a soul problem (more on that latter). My experience in a support group was we were focused on sinning or not sinning, not on letting God improve us.
Recovery Groups are like support groups in that people are getting together to deal with their weaknesses.
Recovery Groups differ because they emphasize working on the root issues that cause a person to express their weaknesses. The Recovery Group I go to is Celebrate Recovery, which is based on 12 step. I didn't find success in overcoming my addiction until I got into a recovery group.
The unresolved issues in a persons life constitute the soul problem I referred to earlier. These are the unresolved resentments, fears, dishonesty, and shames a person tries to hide. They are all "heart sins" - attitude sins we can hide in our heart. The more we hide, the less at peace we are. The less peaceful we are, the more we turn to something - anything to feel peace for even a moment. That's how I turned to porn - I was just trying to feel less lonely and anxious. Of course, turning to porn just made me more anxious afterward, when I felt shameful.
My experience in a recovery group is this: I was given material to work through that would help me identify my heart sins and take them all to God, with the help of a guide (my sponsor). As I've resolved the heart sins, my drive to turn to porn has diminished.
This is a scriptural idea BTW. In Psalm 37:8 it says:
"Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing."
The more our soul is disturbed, the more we fret. The more we fret, the more we turn to "evildoing".
Comments
Howdy AM,
Here's how they are similar and different.
Support Groups and Recovery groups both bring people who share a weakness together so they can help each other deal with the weakness.
The Support Groups I have been to focus on the weakness, and how to deal with it. The problem I see with that is the weakness is a manifestation of a soul problem (more on that latter). My experience in a support group was we were focused on sinning or not sinning, not on letting God improve us.
Recovery Groups are like support groups in that people are getting together to deal with their weaknesses.
Recovery Groups differ because they emphasize working on the root issues that cause a person to express their weaknesses. The Recovery Group I go to is Celebrate Recovery, which is based on 12 step. I didn't find success in overcoming my addiction until I got into a recovery group.
The unresolved issues in a persons life constitute the soul problem I referred to earlier. These are the unresolved resentments, fears, dishonesty, and shames a person tries to hide. They are all "heart sins" - attitude sins we can hide in our heart. The more we hide, the less at peace we are. The less peaceful we are, the more we turn to something - anything to feel peace for even a moment. That's how I turned to porn - I was just trying to feel less lonely and anxious. Of course, turning to porn just made me more anxious afterward, when I felt shameful.
My experience in a recovery group is this: I was given material to work through that would help me identify my heart sins and take them all to God, with the help of a guide (my sponsor). As I've resolved the heart sins, my drive to turn to porn has diminished.
This is a scriptural idea BTW. In Psalm 37:8 it says:
"Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing."
The more our soul is disturbed, the more we fret. The more we fret, the more we turn to "evildoing".
Hope this helps!
God Bless You, Brother!
Jess
Jess,
Whats the difference between the two?
I have done neither and are consider joining (maybe even starting) a support group.
Thanks,
AM