The best Christian books on overcoming addiction

I have listed six books on Christian recovery for reasons that relate to my experience, and the fact that they ultimately help set the platform for a lasting sobriety, where instead of having to fight the desires and cravings, I am able to live in peace, comfort and joy with myself. As addicts, once we are ‘weened’ off the drug of our choice, we need to find a design for living that will maintain our new-found sobriety.

So here are my reading recommendations for Christian books on addiction…

Six Christian books on addiction

Breakthrough into Recovery - A step-by-step guide for Christians overcoming alcoholism, drug use and other addictions

Breakthrough into Recovery by Rory MaGrath - a Christian book on addiction and recovery

The first book on addiction I’ll highlight is my own work, Breakthrough into Recovery. I’m not saying this only for sales, but because the book was written for Christians who want to overcome addiction. After 17 years of heavy drinking, I found freedom from addiction through a practical approach that helped me access the power of God.

I then discovered that the principles I include in this book can bring breakthrough in recovery from all kinds of addictive behaviours, negative characteristics, and habitual patterns of sin.

It has good, clear teaching and examples from my own life that are aligned with Bible verses about addiction that aid recovery. If you’re a Christian wanting to breakthrough into recovery, then I wrote this book for you.

“An excellent manual for churches that do not understand how to deal with this problem in their congregations, as well as families facing it at home. [This book will also help those] dealing with other forms of dependency problems, such as gambling, smoking, and other addictive behaviours.”

Alcoholics Anonymous

The second, and most impactful to me is the book Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), and many may point out that it is not a Christian book, which on the surface, it is not. However, the steps were taken from a six-step programme founded by the Oxford group, an organisation which was part of the Christian Lutheran church. In fact, the first members of AA were Christians, and originally, those who wanted to become members of AA, needed to first become Christians. Interestingly, the success rate then was 85%.

I would recommend this book for a few reasons. When I reached the Point in my Alcoholism where I actually wanted to stop, I viewed myself as quite unique and that no one was going through what I was, so nothing proffered as a solution would really work for me. When I read the AA ‘big’ book, the stories were identical to the feelings and experiences I had felt and this gave me a glimmer of hope that this may be a solution that could work. The book refers to alcoholics as ‘beyond human aid’, but that God is the true source of power that can remove the desire to drink. The main difference between this and any other solution is the fact that there is a workable solution, a step for step guide on what to do. This practical approach is invaluable to recovery.

A New Pair of Glasses by Chuck C.

The third book, A New Pair of Glasses, I would recommend as it really gets one into the right way of looking at our life, and gives us the right mind-set to move forward in Christian recovery. Charles Chamberlain was a Christian, and his referral to a very basic yet powerful way of interacting with God helped me immensely in my recovery. The book is full of little ‘nuggets’ of practical truths, that my copy is highlighted on almost every page. I could really relate to Chuck, and through his book I was able to see the world and my part in it, as it were through ‘a new pair of glasses’. The altered way of thinking has helped me find an inner peace I had lacked.

One Day at a Time by Trevor Hudson

The fourth book, One Day At A Time, shows that even though we go to God for help, we still have a part to play. I would recommend this book to anyone who is battling with the idea that God would truly help us, and gives hope that even though we have a process to work through, He is there supplying the strength to do so. Trevor Hudson is a Methodist minister who has a real heart and love for people battling addictions. I had the privilege of meeting him a few times, and it was kind of him to read and endorse my first book, Breakthrough into Recovery.

The Twenty-Piece Shuffle by Paul Greg

The fifth book, The Twenty-Piece Shuffle, is a book I recommend reading as it opens our eyes to the harsh reality of where addiction can lead to. What really rung true for me in this book was how important it is in recovery to be passing on the solution we found and helping others battling addictions. Although I don’t believe it should be our motive, passing on what we have to others very often helps us more than it does the person we are trying to help; this is biblical (Matt 10:8.)

Absolute Surrender by Andrew Murray

The final book in the list is Absolute Surrender. Although this book is not specifically aimed at addiction, but rather on a life centred on God’s plan and will for us, I highly recommend it. I found it made me realise that anything we depend on before turning to and trusting in God, is an unhealthy dependency that can easily become an addiction. It opened my eyes to my total powerlessness in every aspect of my life, and that any area where there was a semblance of victory, it was because God’s power and support was present. It followed my addiction recovery closely and gives practical guidance to surrendering all to God.

I find in my recovery journey that the more in my life I am able to completely surrender to God, the greater peace, comfort and joy I experience.

And all of these Christian books on addiction have been part of that journey. I pray these reading recommendations will be helpful for you too. 

But if you want to go even deeper, here are some Christian books for addiction that are more specifically about the Christian walk that can aid your recovery further, or this list of books includes a devotional recovery bible for Christians. Finally, there are also many recommended books on addiction and recovery that ain’t Christian or Bible-oriented, but might offer some additional breakthrough. Read them as you feel and here’s to your next steps in the recovery journey!

From, Rory (Breakthrough into Life Run by God)