How do Pastors, Friends, and Family Help an Addict?

Recently, Mark Shaw invited me to participate in The Addiction Connection Podcast #TACPod (Episode 223). The Addiction Connection is biblical counselors and ministries united for the purpose of training and equipping the Body of Christ in biblically helping addicts and their loved ones. Mark Shaw serves as the leader of this group. In addition, Mark is author of several key resources for those in addition and those seeking to serve others in many capacities, including The Heart of Addiction, Understanding Temptation, and Addiction Proof Parenting. You can learn much more about serving those with addiction from their website here.

In this podcast, Mark and I discuss multiple ways friends, family, and pastors can serve someone who is caught in addiction.

If you are a pastor, elder, church leader, family member, or friend to an addict, I strongly encourage you to take a few minutes and listen to this podcast. As well, check out the blog and many resources available for you at the Addiction Connection website. Further, you can get a complete list of ministries that may be able to help you in or near your area.

Here are highlights from the podcast below. Our prayer is that it may help you.

0:00 Intro
1:44 Dr. Carson takes the pilot seat!
4:30 Is 1 soul worth the investment of 10?
10:00 How do we send them or keep them with success?
18:18 Helping as family?
30:15 Already tried helping as family?
35:00 Managing the situations/emotions?
42:00 Keeping the big picture/future focus?
49:00 Wrap-up / Prayer

Mark E. Shaw, D.Min., founded The Addiction Connection in 2012 and is the author of 26 publications on addictions and biblical counseling. He serves as the Director of Counseling at Grace Fellowship Church in Florence, KY.