These concepts came to me bit by bit over the years.  Although I can’t believe these notions have never either been proved wrong or better explicated by Bible scholars, I have not found them in anything like this form anywhere to date.  All I can say is that they jibe with my recovery experience and seem to help others understand the Bible on what we now call “addiction.” Charles Slack.

1)     Derivation of the word “addict” and “addiction” – derived from Latin “ad” (to) and “dicere: (speak or speak-over) meaning “consecrated and devoted” hence “Spoken Over” (dedicated, consecrated, devoted) with the connotation of “being a slave to”.  Point: we are created with the ability to be addicted (consecrated and devote) to the things of God.

1. We are enjoined never under any circumstances to become addicted to plants or chemicals, to our own imaginings, to worldly items – indeed to anything other than the Lord and his commands.
2. Idolatry can be defined as addiction to anything other than the Lord or His will.
3.  Addiction cannot be “cured” or “eliminated”.  However, through Jesus Christ we can substitute (evil) addictions for (Godly) ones.
4. Recovery from evil addictions involves repentance and surrender.  God honours repentance in anyone, heathens as well as Christians.  Even atheists who sincerely repent can remain abstinent from drugs and alcohol.  AA breaks down repentance into “Twelve Steps” that can be understood and undertaken by those otherwise ignorant of His Law.
5. The word “addict”, originally a healthy, saintly word has taken on sick and evil connotations.  A Latin borrowing from ad and dicere, it connoted being “spoken over” and, therefore, consecrated and devoted – to the things of God.   In the King James edition (1 Cor 16:15) Paul commends to us the family of Stephanus who have “addicted” (consecrated and devoted) themselves to the “ministry of the Saints” (serving fellow Christians”).  Interesting note: recovery from addiction requires helping others with the same problem.
6. To avoid labelling as moral degenerate persons who craved drugs, the term “addict” was euphemistically applied in the 1800s to persons obsessed with opium.  In time the word lost all positive meaning.

2)     Sin and slavery: these concepts are necessary to understand the Bible on addiction.

1.  What we now call “drug abuse”, the Bible calls “sin”.  The consequence of sin is slavery.  A key scripture is John 8:34 where Jesus says “He who commits sin is the slave of sin.”
2. What we now call “addiction”, the bible calls “slavery”.  The OT is all about how sin (departure from God) leads to political slavery to foreign political/tribal powers.  In the NT, where the kingdom is “within”, sin leads to individual/psychological slavery to persons/places/things (idols).  “Sin” then is defined as something you do which you cannot stop doing once you start.  It’s always the first sin (drug) that does the damage.
3. However in John 8:35, Jesus defines recovery from sin.  He says, “The slave doesn’t abide in the house (read “body” or “mind”) forever.  The Son abides in the house forever.  (8:36) therefore if the Son sets you free you will be free indeed.”  In other words, when Jesus takes over your body and mind, you will no longer be a slave to drugs (or any other obsessive/compulsive behaviour).
4. Note that by this definition, slavery (addiction) is caused by committing sin (taking a drug), not by anything that is done to you.  This is a behavioural definition.

3)     Without Jesus, relapse is common.  In the OT, the Lord delivers Israel from slavery time and again, only to have Israel forget Who did it, and then recidive into slavery.  Finally, to solve our recidivism problem once and for all, the Lord sent His only Son to live with us, to die, and then to resurrect.

4)     To be delivered from addiction is to rise from the dead.