Addiction and Demonization-Part One

Opening the Door to the Demonic
In this article we are going to look at various behavior/characteristics/mindsets of someone who has an addiction and how that can open the door for demonic activity in their life. But first I want to say that we need to offer God’s love and compassion to someone struggling with an addiction. We need to offer mercy, grace, and hope. We need to be willing to walk with individuals through the journey of recovery. Which may include deliverance but we will address deliverance at later time. Let’s first determine if there can be demonic influence over a person with an addiction.

To Be Clear
There are debates if addiction is a disease, a spiritual problem-sin, or caused by demonic influences. We need to acknowledge there is a disease component in addiction, but free will is not taken from a person with an addiction. If a person is being demonized their free will is still not taken from them. So the truth is that living a life of addiction is a spiritual problem. It is a sin issue. Thus when we look at the potential of an addicted person being demonized we are not removing their responsibility for their actions and sinful behavior.

Open Doors
There is some common behavior among those who have addictions that can certainly open the door for demonic influence, even if the person is not being demonized. Lying, error, pride is connected with addiction. Greed certainly is involved with gambling addiction. Lust, Perversity, Whoredom goes with sexual addiction. Death and slothfulness is certainly a part of addiction. Here is a list of evil spirits listed in the Bible that can certainly have influence over a person with addiction:

Evil Spirits
Death, Divination, Envy, Error, Familiar, Fear, Gluttony, Greed, Harlotry, Heaviness, Infirmity, Jealousy, Lust, Lying, Perversity, Pride (I can handle this addiction on my own.), Slothfulness, Stupor, Whoredom, and Wrath.

Question
If the Bible lists evil spirits, if the Bible speaks of casting out demons, if the Bible says we are to cast out demons, who is it that has demons? Individuals other than addicts? If a person has an addiction and manifests some or many of the above characteristics, can they not open the door for these spirits to take control of their life? For them to be demonized? Is it irrational or illogical to say addicts can be demonized? I would say it is absolutely irrational and illogical to say that an addict cannot ever be demonized.

Love and Compassion
If an addict can be demonized, have the potential of having demons (regardless of location), is it love and compassion to totally ignore the concept? To ignore the fact that the addict may need the casting out of demons? Yet almost all of the addiction recovery programs, secular or faith based ignore the concept of addiction and demonization. The self-help addiction recovery groups totally ignore the potential of addicts being demonized. Secular and faith-based sober housing programs overall ignore the concept of addicts of being demonized.

Question
Is it possible that one of the main reasons that there is a low success rate in recovery is because one of the components of addiction is there are those who are demonized and the demons are not addressed and they continue to have a foothold in the life of the addict. The addict is haunted, oppressed, demonized by these spirits. They go into treatment, they go to self-help meetings, they go into sober housing but they are still haunted. This take it a step further. They even get born again but they are still haunted. Where in Scripture does it say that once you get born again the demons must leave you alone?

Our next topic will be Addiction Recovery and Why is Demonization Ignored.