Part 1: Video Lesson
In this video, Dr. Todd Grande acts out a counseling session with someone who has an alcohol dependancy. Notice how he focuses on her behavior and separates it from who she is as a person.
This video was neither produced nor supported by the Addiction Help for Me. Any reference to persons or products are not from Addiction Help for Me or its personnel but are, instead, added by the video creator or the platform storing the video.
Source: Dr. Todd Grande. (2015, August 12). REBT Role-Play – Understanding the Difference Between Self-Judgment and the Evaluation of Behaviors [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4oDAYZWLhs
Part 2: Discussion
Pastor Tullian Tchividjian wrote: “Your identity is firmly anchored in Jesus’ accomplishment, not yours; His strength, not yours; His performance, not yours; His victory, not yours. You are NOT what you do (or don’t do). You are what Jesus has done for you. That is the truth.” (Tchividjian, 2019)
Are you an addict, or do you have an addiction? How you see yourself can be very important in your ability to overcome your issues. If you view yourself as an alcoholic, addict, loser, weak person, etc.; then you will have more trouble overcoming addiction. This is because the problem is no longer an issue you are dealing with, but the problem is who you are!
The Apostle Paul made a distinct separation between who he was in Christ and the sins he committed. He wrote: “Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” (Romans 7:17, KJV). Paul separated who he was (a sinner saved by grace, a child of God) from what he did (sin). He wrote about a struggle that every believer has. “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.” (Romans 7:15, KJV). Paul said that he did sinful things that he hated, that he did not want to do. He said that the things he wanted to do, he could not do as he wanted.
If you are a Christian, your righteousness comes from Jesus Christ. You are not what you do! Rather than viewing yourself as an addict, try looking at yourself as a believer in Jesus Christ who has an addiction. By viewing your struggle in this way, it will help to shrink the problem down. It will become something you can manage better and eliminate.
If you identify your addiction with your personality (I am an addict, I am an alcoholic, etc.;) then you will have a hard time overcoming it because you will have to overcome yourself. This can be a very self-defeating process, filled with setbacks and failures. When you fail, you may think that you are a loser or weak-willed.
On the other hand, if you view your addiction as a habitual action that is harmful, you will acknowledge mistakes and look for ways to overcome them in the future. Your mistakes will not be the definition of who you are!
Part 3: Questions
Results
