Book Review of
Addictive Habits: Changing for Good

As featured at the Biblical Counseling Coalition
The God who delivered the Israelites from slavery is the same merciful Father who cares deeply about the peril of those enslaved to addictive habits. In these pages, people who feel beaten and worn by the battle for freedom find comfort, encouragement, and a fresh sense of God’s presence in the midst of their temptations.
Book Review of Addictive Habits: Changing for Good by David R. Dunham
As anyone who has battled against an addictive habit can tell you, the problem can seem all-consuming at times. As a result, those who struggle can feel hopeless and helpless for lasting change—I know I did. My personal experiences with self-harm behaviors often left me feeling ashamed, isolated, and misunderstood by loved ones who desperately wanted to help but didn’t know how.

The truth is that those entangled by addictive habits such as self-injury, disordered eating, pornography, excessive alcohol consumption, shopping binges, etc., haven’t the power within themselves to “just stop it.” Yet, while the solution may not be simplistic, addressing our responsibility, nourishing our relationship with Jesus, restructuring our lives, and remaining faithful long-term is realistic for those who rely upon God and His Word for progressive transformation.

After years of experience in addiction ministry, author and biblical counselor David Dunham knows the path to true freedom travels through the cross of Jesus Christ and into the heart of the struggler. His approach to caring for those enslaved by sin patterns infuses realistic hope into the lives of people who’ve been told they’re either diseased or too weak in willpower to resist addictive behaviors. In his 31-Day Devotional, Addictive Habits: Changing for Good, Dunham graciously engages readers with the redemptive perspective that “you can change because God is changing you” (p. 19).
 This article originally appeared at the Biblical Counseling Coalition on October 13, 2020.
Christine M. Chappell
Author • Writer • Podcast Host
Christine Chappell is the author of Clean Home, Messy Heart, Help! My Teen is Depressed, Help! I've Been Diagnosed with a Mental Disorder (forthcoming with Shepherd Press early 2021), and Midnight Mercies: Hope for the Dark Hours of Motherhood (forthcoming with P&R Publishing in fall 2021.) She acts as the host of IBCD's Hope + Help Podcast as well as the organization's Outreach Director. Christine is passionate about advocating for biblical one-another care and discipleship in the context of the local church, and her writing has been featured at Desiring God, The Gospel Coalition, Risen Motherhood, and other Christian platforms. Christine blogs regularly at christinemchappell.com and lives in South Carolina with her husband and three children.
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