When I first sat down to write an introduction to this issue on addiction, I found myself drawing a blank. After all, I don't think of myself as someone with any firsthand knowledge of substance abuse. But then I realized that I've actually known a number of people, both family members and friends, who've struggled with addiction problems. Which makes me wonder: Haven't we all come into contact with addictive or habit-forming behavior of one kind or another?
As the stories in this issue illustrate, you don't have to just put up with bad habits. You can heal them. Whether it's something relatively innocuous or a serious case of abuse, the redeeming power of God is already there, able to bring light—and freedom—to any situation, no matter how bleak it may seem.
In articles from Frontlines to Teen Talk and the Home & Family section, you'll hear how six individuals—grappling with a variety of compulsive behaviors—found their way out of darkness and experienced clear-cut, permanent healing through a better understanding of their spiritual nature, of their relation to God.
