BREAKING FREE

20 Points of Change

Free to share, copy, print in Church, Bible Study or by any Christian witness
that testifies that Jesus is the Christ, The Deliverer of the people.
He alone is worthy to free people from the powers of darkness.

Noncommercial License to any church or Christian to witness.

A Workshop for Addiction Recovery and Lasting Life Change

Purpose: Help participants recognize addiction patterns, understand what needs to change, develop healthier responses, repair relationships, and build a practical recovery plan.

Important: Addiction can involve alcohol, drugs, gambling, pornography, food, gaming, shopping, or other compulsive behaviors. Some forms of substance dependence can involve dangerous withdrawal and require medical supervision. This workshop is educational and supportive and does not replace professional medical or behavioral-health treatment.

PART 1 — RECOGNIZING THE NEED FOR CHANGE

Point 1 — Admit There Is a Problem

Change begins when I stop minimizing what addiction is doing to my life.

Exercise: Write three ways addiction has affected:

My health
My relationships
My finances/work
My spiritual or emotional life

Discussion: What has addiction already cost me?

Commitment:
“I am willing to honestly examine my life.”

Point 2 — Break Through Denial

Denial says:

“I can stop whenever I want.”
“It isn’t really that bad.”
“Other people are worse.”
“Everyone is overreacting.”

Recovery requires replacing excuses with truth.

Exercise: Complete this sentence:

“The truth I have been avoiding is ______________________________.”

Point 3 — Decide That You Want a Different Life

Recovery cannot only be about stopping something. It is also about building something better.

Exercise: My New Life

Write five things you want your life to contain one year from now.

Point 4 — Identify What You Cannot Control

Trying harder is not always enough.

Recognize the situations in which cravings, substances, compulsions, people, or environments have repeatedly overwhelmed your intentions.

Exercise:
“When I begin __________________, I have difficulty stopping because __________________.”

Point 5 — Ask for Help

Isolation strengthens addiction. Connection strengthens recovery.

Identify people who can help:

Family
Trusted friends
Sponsor or peer-support person
Counselor
Doctor or treatment professional
Pastor or spiritual mentor
Recovery group

Action: Identify three people you can contact before a crisis.

PART 2 — UNDERSTANDING THE ADDICTION CYCLE

Point 6 — Identify Your Triggers

Triggers can include:

Stress • anger • loneliness • rejection • boredom • conflict • money problems • celebrations • certain people • certain places • memories • physical pain

Exercise: Write your five strongest triggers.

Then ask: “What healthy action could replace my usual response?”

Point 7 — Recognize the Addiction Cycle

A common pattern is:

Trigger → Thought → Craving → Choice → Behavior → Temporary Relief → Consequence → Shame/Stress → New Trigger

Exercise: Draw your personal addiction cycle.

Identify the earliest point where you could interrupt it.

Point 8 — Understand What You Are Really Seeking

Sometimes addictive behavior is an attempt to escape or change an emotional state.

Ask:

“What am I looking for when I turn toward my addiction?”

Comfort? Escape? Confidence? Excitement? Relief? Connection? Numbness? Acceptance?

Exercise:
“I have been using __________________ to help me feel/not feel __________________.”

Point 9 — Remove Access and Opportunity

Good intentions become stronger when the environment supports them.

Depending on the addiction, this could mean:

Removing substances
Avoiding high-risk locations
Blocking access to gambling or explicit content
Changing routines
Limiting access to money during vulnerable periods
Avoiding people associated with addictive behavior

Exercise: Identify three changes you can make to your environment this week.

Point 10 — Develop a Craving Plan

A craving is not a command.

When a craving comes:

STOP → MOVE → CONTACT → WAIT → CHOOSE

STOP: Don’t immediately act.

MOVE: Leave the triggering environment.

CONTACT: Call someone safe.

WAIT: Give the craving time to decrease.

CHOOSE: Take the next recovery-oriented action.

Write the person you will contact:

PART 3 — HEALING WHAT IS UNDERNEATH

Point 11 — Face Pain Instead of Escaping It

Addiction can become a way of avoiding grief, rejection, trauma, loneliness, fear, anger, or shame.

Recovery creates healthier ways of dealing with painful emotions.

Exercise:
“What feelings do I most often try to escape?”

Point 12 — Separate Your Identity From Your Addiction

A person is more than their worst behavior.

Instead of:

“I am hopeless.”

Practice:

“I have made destructive choices, but I can make different choices today.”

Exercise: Write five positive qualities that addiction does not define or take away from you.

Point 13 — Replace Shame With Responsibility

Shame says:

“I am worthless.”

Responsibility says:

“I did something harmful, and I can take responsibility for changing it.”

Recovery requires accountability without living permanently under condemnation.

Point 14 — Forgive Without Excusing Harm

Forgiveness does not mean pretending something didn’t happen or allowing abuse to continue.

It means beginning to release the power that resentment has over your life.

Exercise: Identify one resentment that repeatedly pushes you toward unhealthy behavior.

“What would releasing this resentment allow me to do differently?”

Point 15 — Make Amends Carefully

Addiction often damages trust.

List people who have been affected by your behavior.

Ask:

What did I do?
How did it affect them?
What responsibility belongs to me?
What would changed behavior look like?

Do not make direct amends when doing so could cause additional harm. Seek professional or recovery guidance when necessary.

PART 4 — BUILDING A NEW LIFE

Point 16 — Build Healthy Daily Habits

Recovery is built one day at a time.

Create five daily anchors:

Morning: __________________

Physical health: __________________

Recovery activity: __________________

Relationship connection: __________________

Evening: __________________

Small repeated choices eventually become a different lifestyle.

Point 17 — Build Healthy Relationships

Ask yourself:

“Does this relationship strengthen my recovery or threaten it?”

Look for people who encourage:

Honesty
Responsibility
Healthy boundaries
Sobriety/recovery
Growth
Respect

Recovery sometimes requires changing who has access to your life.

Point 18 — Develop Purpose

Removing addiction leaves an empty space. Fill that space intentionally.

Possible areas include:

Family
Faith
Work
Education
Service
Creativity
Exercise
Community
Helping others

Exercise:
“If addiction were no longer controlling my life, what would I want my life to stand for?”

Point 19 — Prepare for Setbacks

A setback does not have to become a complete return to the old lifestyle.

If a lapse occurs:

STOP → TELL SOMEONE → GET SAFE → IDENTIFY THE TRIGGER → RESTART THE PLAN → GET PROFESSIONAL HELP IF NEEDED

Do not turn one bad decision into a week, month, or year of destructive decisions.

Exercise: Write your personal emergency recovery plan.

Point 20 — Choose Change Today

Recovery ultimately happens through repeated choices.

You do not have to solve the rest of your life today.

Ask:

“What is the next right thing I can do?”

My Commitment to Change

What I want to stop:

What I want to start:

Why I want to change:

Who will help me:

My biggest trigger:

What I will do when triggered:

My goal for the next 24 hours:

My goal for the next 30 days:

Signature: __________________________

Date: ______________________________

THE 20 POINTS OF CHANGE

Admit there is a problem.
Break through denial.
Decide you want a different life.
Identify what you cannot control.
Ask for help.
Identify your triggers.
Recognize the addiction cycle.
Understand what you are really seeking.
Remove access and opportunity.
Develop a craving plan.
Face pain instead of escaping it.
Separate your identity from addiction.
Replace shame with responsibility.
Forgive without excusing harm.
Make amends carefully.
Build healthy daily habits.
Build healthy relationships.
Develop purpose.
Prepare for setbacks.
Choose change today.

Closing Message

My addiction is not my future.

I can tell the truth about where I am.
I can ask for help.
I can change my environment.
I can learn new ways to handle pain.
I can rebuild damaged relationships.
I can develop a meaningful life.

Change begins with the next choice.