Fall Season of Addiction/Sin

“Serious sin is addictive.” (Richard G. Scott, “The Path to Peace and Joy,” Ensign, Nov 2000)

Sin including addictions, strengthen across time. Sins and addictions typically have three seasons of growth.

Spring Season of Sin/Addiction

We know during this season Satan deceives us by allowing us to experience pleasure while we sin. Alcohol, drugs, (and other immoral behavior that triggers the sexual response) are effective and dependable- They can change the way you feel –usually “joy, pleasure and happiness”. We learned about the first or Spring Season of sin/addiction in the blog; Pleasures of Sin.

Summer Season of Sin/Addiction
During this season the habit of sin or addiction strengthens. The
person typically experiences “Pain” and learns to deal with that pain -negative consequences- by participating in the sin or addiction. At this point the sin or addiction continues to produce relief from the pain with – joy, pleasure or happiness. I refer to this group as “Successful Sinners”. They enjoy the joy, pleasure or happiness of sin and have yet to experience the “bondage, loss of agency, addiction” that awaits them. Those in the Summer Season can successfully stop the sin or addiction by initiating self-recovery techniques and exercising willpower. The blog Successful Sinners teaches us about the Summer Season.

The Spring and Summer Season of Sin /Addiction binds loosely like ………………
“A [one] flaxen cord” and NOT YET like “the strong cords [many]“ that

Our scripture 3 Nephi 27:11 illustrates the three seasons of Sin/Addiction. We read

Spring Season: ……”they have joy in their works for a season,”
Summer Season:….”and by and by the end cometh,”
Fall Season:…………”and they are hewn down and cast into the fire,

Fall Season of Sin/Addiction
Perhaps one of the most difficult concepts to understand about Sin/Addiction is the bondage associated with the Fall Season. I refer to this stage as the “DISEASE” stage of addiction – suggesting recovery will require outside help.

“Beer and other forms of alcohol will do you no good. Their use will be expensive, will dull your conscience, and could lead to the disease called alcoholism, which is humiliating, dangerous, and even deadly. Tobacco will shorten your life. Studies show that it will enslave you…. (Gordon B. Hinckley, “Four B’s for Boys,” Ensign, November 1981) Of course viewing pornography leads to a disease called “Porn addiction.”

OBSERVATIONS:

* Everyone who sins -uses alcohol, drugs, or views porn – DO NOT become addicted or “get the disease of addiction” – just those whose habit strengthened to the Fall Season.
As a result during the Fall Season:

* Progression through the Seasons of Addiction varies. For some the seasons may be short and the disease of addiction can onset with only one or two uses. For others, they may use for years and appear to never pass beyond a Spring or Summer Season.

* Will power and self-recovery techniques – ALONE- are no longer effective to STOP the sin and addiction. A person in this season can no longer “just stop for a good reason.” You can threaten them, divorce them, marry them, bribe them, put them in jail etc etc and the sin/addiction continues.

* The “pleasure, joy, and happiness” experienced in the Spring Season are gone. No longer does alcohol, drugs, porn, the sin bring the once felt pleasure. The addictive/sinful behavior is engaged in because of habit and the power of Satan’s grip.

SEED OF DISOBEDIENCE

“Addiction to any substance enslaves not only the physical body but the spirit as well.” (Russell M. Nelson, Addiction or Freedom, Ensign, November 1988) And it’s been my experience, because the Mind is in the Spirit Body the Mind also shows signs of addiction.

(To learn more about how the Physical Body, Spiritual Body and Mind influence one another see: Anatomy of a Soul.)

During the Spring Season a choice was made.
A small seed of disobedience was planted.
For some the seed grows into addiction at which point
bondage of the Spirit Body, Physical Body, and Mind occur.
But for some their use of the substance or porn will grow into-

DISEASE OF ADDICTION
“They have become so dependent on the substance that they no longer see how to abstain from it. They lose perspective and a sense of others priorities in their lives. Nothing matters more than satisfying their desperate need. When they try to abstain, they experience powerful physical, psychological, and emotional cravings. As they habitually make wrong choices they find their ability to choose the right diminished or restricted.” (LDS Church Addiction Recovery Program pg. 5)

One more:

And assuming Satan has the capacity to truly “enslave” us and “rob us of the power to decide” then this quote makes perfect sense:

Read this blog: Stuck On An Escalator. Explain how it relates to addiction a friend or family member.

I wish scare tactics were effective as a strategy to prevent addiction/sin. After 30+ years of working with Children of God whose heroin, alcohol, porn, casual sex etc etc have progressed to the Fall Season – believe me I could tell a few “scary stories.” The jails, hospitals and courts are full of them.
But education and the exercise of agency appear to be the better strategy.

dr rick
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