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What is the key to overcoming drug addiction (or any other life-controlling problem)?
Over the past 50 years thousands of drug addicts and alcoholics have come to Teen Challenge and found complete deliverance from their addictions. The evidence is clear—“once and addict, always an addict” simply is not true.
One of the first steps for a person to overcome drug addiction (or any other addiction) is to come to the place where they say, “I want to change. I need help. I want help.” Once a person has made that decision, then a process for change can be highly successful.
The 50 year history of Teen Challenge has demonstrated that the real key to change for a drug addict begins with reaching out to God for help. Often referred to as the “Jesus Factor,” the addict needs to reach out to Jesus and ask for His help. God will provide both the power to change and the motivation to change.
But it takes more that a single prayer to see an addict completely set free from their addiction. There is often a process of putting out of their lives the behaviors and attitudes associated with their addiction lifestyle. This person must also learn a whole new way of living to experience real freedom from their addiction.
At Teen Challenge, students participate in daily classes which offer practical training in life skills. These classes are based on principles of truth from the Bible which point the students to practical steps they can take to apply these principles in their daily living. Not only do they learn new strategies for their life, they also learn how to deal with the problems in their lives which in the past led them into their drug use. (For more information on the curriculum used in the Teen Challenge program, click here.)
Why is the Teen Challenge residential program 12-18 months long? It does not take that long to get off drugs. The physical dependency on drugs can be overcome in a few days to a few weeks. Medical de-tox facilities are available in a variety of hospitals in the greater New York City area. But the goal of the Teen Challenge program is to take this addicted person beyond just kicking a physical addiction to drugs.
Most of those who start using drugs are searching for meaning or happiness in life. Or they are trying to cover the pain they feel because of the problems they experience. Or they may have started to be accepted by their peers.
At Teen Challenge we want to help each addict find a whole new way of living. The key to that is establishing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and then learning how to live daily in obedience to Jesus.
To be quite frank, there are many young men and women who come to Teen Challenge in a crisis because of their drug addiction. They want help, but some are looking for a quick fix. Others are desperate to get out of their immediate crisis. When they begin to understand what Teen Challenge offers—the need for a whole new way of living—some are not ready for that. They dislike the immediate painful consequences of their addiction, but they are not ready to give it all up. Many of these will drop out of Teen Challenge in the first 30 days of the program.
But those who stay, and commit themselves to this process of change begin to see the rewards of following the teachings of Jesus in their daily experiences. They discover a whole new purpose in life. The Teen Challenge program is designed to help them overcome the problems in their lives, and develop new attitudes and behaviors towards these issues.
They also learn how to make responsible choices throughout their daily activities. A key part of this change process is to memorize verses in the Bible and learn how to put these to personal use in their daily living.
Read some of the stories of those who have come to TC—click here.
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