Root 3: Isolation

After studying the most effective addiction recovery programs, Johann Hari observed, “The opposite of addiction isn’t sobriety, it’s connection”.

Isolation is where addiction thrives. Our media-driven world creates surface-level connections that leave us feeling alone. This lack of genuine connection fosters an environment where porn and sex addiction flourish.

A sex addiction is classified as an intimacy disorder. So those who have less connections in real life are more susceptible to the fake intimacy of porn or a sexual hook up.

Ever since the Garden of Eden, isolation has been the result of sin. After Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they immediately hid—from each other by covering their nakedness, and from God by retreating into the shadows.

But God called Adam and Eve out of hiding, just as He calls us. He desires for us to experience authentic relationships, both with Him and with others. Choosing to stay in isolation only deepens the hold of sin.

“God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5-7)

Walking in secret sin will keep us from having deep fellowship with God and with one another. We can’t be fully loved until we are fully known. Isolating and hiding keep us in the shadows.

Lies I Believe as a Result:

• I need to protect myself by pulling back from relationships.
• I can’t be honest, because if people really knew me, they wouldn’t accept me.
• I can handle my addiction on my own.

The Truth from Scripture:

• Isolation is foolish and harmful (Proverbs 18:1).
• Confession brings healing (James 5:16).
• I need others to help me find freedom (2 Timothy 2:22).

Questions to Help Break Isolation:

Take a few minutes to think about each question below and write down your answers.

1. What relationships in my life lack authenticity because I’m afraid to be vulnerable?
2. Do I believe that no one will accept me if they truly know me, or that I can handle my struggles alone?
3. What steps can I take to connect with a small group, accountability partner, or others who can support me in my recovery?

Application Steps:

1. Break Isolation

• Be intentional about stepping out of isolation by confessing your struggles to a trusted friend, mentor, or small group. The Freedom Fight has a free online community of others who are also looking for an accountability partner or small group.

2. Serve Others

• Shift your focus outward by encouraging and supporting others in their recovery. Helping others will not only strengthen their healing but it will enhance your own.