Fit for Recovery

 

Addiction is fundamentally a spiritual disease and needs to be dealt with as such. We spend most of our time and energy in recovery addressing the mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of the addiction, but it is also helpful to remember that we are holistic beings. Human beings are not just a spirit, soul, a mind, or a body; we are a union of all that and more. If we want to learn to live a healthy life we must nurture and care for each aspect of our being, including our physical bodies.

Many Christians have this idea that our body is a bad thing, and we should never do anything to nurture and care for it. The New Testament often discusses the conflict between the flesh and spirit, with the flesh being a negative force that pulls us into sin. But when the Bible speaks of the flesh it is speaking of the unclean and unhealthy desires that are part of us, not our bodies in and of themselves.

Paul did write, "Bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things..." (1 Timothy 4:8) We should certainly focus on our spiritual growth first and foremost, but this does not mean there is not some profit in exercising our bodies, even if that profit is only a "little." 

When we are wrapped up in the addiction, our brains become physically dependent on different hormones such as dopamine and endorphins. When we first get sober and are abstaining from our addictive behaviors, our brains crave these chemicals and we will experience strong urges and cravings, withdrawals. When we exercise, our body produces dopamine, endorphins and other feel-good hormones in a natural, healthy way that can help us manage those cravings. Many long-distance runners talk about experiencing a "runner's high" -- a state of euphoria -- when they run many miles. Similar feelings can come from just about any type of exercise.

For many of us, the addiction was eating up a great deal of our time and energy, sometimes for hours each day. Exercise can be a positive habit that helps to pull us away from the addiction and into a peaceful and sober way of life. Our daily habits are either moving us closer to the addiction or further away from it. Exercise can help us establish new, beneficial habits that will help us grow and flourish.

There is a tendency for many recovering addicts to switch from one addiction to another. We give up porn, but then we begin to overeat. We stop drinking, but now we are overworking. It is possible to become addicted to exercise, to over-exercise, but this is rare. For most of the people I have known, exercise has been a healthy way to deal with stress and anxiety in the addiction. This helps fill our schedule and use up our energy, so we are not as tempted to slip back into the addiction. For most of us the type of exercise is not as important as establishing new, healthy habits that promote our sobriety.

There is a contradiction in recovery. When we act out, we are being very selfish and self-indulgent. In a misdirected way we are trying to take care of ourselves, to meet our needs, but, of course, this is an unhealthy and dangerous way to meet our needs and, in the end, does not serve to meet them. The addiction always leaves us more empty and hollowed-out than before.

In recovery we learn to take care of our needs in healthy ways. In a way we are being selfish because we must prioritize our needs. If those needs go unmet for too long, then we will end up acting out in the addiction once more. Prioritizing a program of exercise helps us to meet those legitimate needs so we can more effectively serve our families and communities.

In 1 Corinthians 6 Paul teaches us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost. This means that our bodies are sacred, holy objects and should be treated with dignity and respect. This includes our own bodies. We should treat them with dignity and respect, and part of that is maintaining them in good health, eating a nourishing diet, exercising, and maintaining a healthy weight.

Most of us have people in our lives that we care deeply about, and we want to be there to love and care for them. We want to be the best friends, husbands and fathers, or wives and mothers we can possibly be. Sobriety is the main thing we need to do to achieve that but exercising and living a healthy lifestyle can be helpful for that as well.

Exercise helps us to prioritize our own needs and making sure that we are properly cared for before we step out and attempt to help others. We cannot serve others if we are sick ourselves. The healthier and more vibrant we are, the more effectively we can help those around us.

Living a healthy and sober life is not just about being healthy in one area, but being healthy in all areas, and our physical health is part of that.

One of the most powerful and effective tools that I have in my toolbox is prayer, it has probably made more of difference than anything else in my program, we will look at that more next time.

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