Breaking Free from Strongholds: Spiritual Warfare and Addiction
- Heather M Larribas
- Jan 13
- 5 min read
Addiction doesn’t always look like what people expect. Sometimes it’s obvious and destructive, like alcohol, drugs, or pornography. But other times it hides in plain sight. Scrolling until your mind shuts off. Shopping when you feel empty. Eating when you feel overwhelmed. Reaching for something “small” to take the edge off… and slowly realizing it’s not small anymore.
No matter what form it takes, addiction does the same thing. It offers comfort, relief, or control, and then quietly starts building a cage.
If you’ve tried to stop and you can’t, I want you to hear this clearly: you are not crazy, and you are not weak. This is real, and you’re not alone. There is a spiritual side to this battle that we can’t afford to ignore anymore, especially in today’s culture where addiction is normalized, hidden, and often even celebrated as “self-care.”
Addiction Isn’t Just a Habit. It Can Become a Stronghold.
Addiction is not only physical or emotional. It can become spiritual too.
Yes, there are real psychological layers. Yes, healing often requires practical support. But biblically, addiction can also become a stronghold, a place where something gains control over your mind, your peace, and your choices until you feel trapped.
This is why people often say, “I don’t even know why I keep doing this.” They can see the damage. They want to stop. But the pull feels stronger than their willpower. Let’s use gambling as an example. Someone may know it’s destroying their finances and relationships, yet still feel powerless to quit. That is what bondage looks like.
And strongholds don’t just control behavior. They attack identity. The enemy starts whispering lies like, “This is just who you are,” “You’ll never change,” and “God is tired of you.”
But that is not the truth. Jesus did not die for you to stay bound. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
The Addictions We Don’t Talk About Enough (But Are Everywhere)
In today’s world, addiction is often packaged to look normal, stylish, and harmless. It doesn’t always show up as a rock-bottom moment. Sometimes it shows up as a “little escape” you reach for every day. Alcohol to numb stress. Pornography hidden behind shame. Drugs, whether illegal or misused prescriptions, slowly draining a person physically and mentally. Gambling and risk-taking that feel thrilling in the moment, then leave regret and damage behind.
And then there are the addictions people excuse because they look socially acceptable: nonstop scrolling, needing validation, being constantly distracted, shopping to feel better, eating to cope, or filling every quiet moment with noise. These habits may not look extreme at first, but they can still become chains that keep your mind restless, your heart disconnected, and your spirit dull.
One of the biggest cultural strongholds right now is the rise of occult “spirituality.” Tarot cards, horoscopes, manifestation practices, and psychic readings are being presented as empowering and healing, but they are counterfeit comfort. They offer guidance without surrender, direction without truth, and a version of “peace” that doesn’t come from the Prince of Peace. God never intended His children to search for answers in substitutes. He offers clarity through His Word and steady leading through the Holy Spirit.
No matter the form, addiction works the same way. It promises relief, then takes control. And over time, it binds a person’s choices, emotions, and freedom until life starts shrinking around the very thing they thought would help.
How Do You Know It’s a Stronghold?
Understanding addiction as a spiritual stronghold helps identify the root of the problem. Signs of a spiritual stronghold often include:
Feeling trapped or powerless when you want to change
Repeating cycles of relapse
Emotional numbness or constant anxiety
A sense of shame or guilt that deepens the struggle
Irritability or a sense of disconnection from God and others
And it’s important to know this: conviction draws you back to God. Shame drives you away from Him. The enemy uses shame to isolate you, but God uses truth to restore you.
How to Break Free (Spiritually and Practically)
Freedom usually comes through both spiritual power and practical wisdom. This is not either/or, it’s both. Here are a few steps that matter more than people realize:
1. Bring It Into the Light
Strongholds grow in secrecy. Confess it to God first, and then bring it to someone safe and mature. A trusted mentor, pastor, counselor, or friend who won’t shame you, but also won’t enable you.
“Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” (James 5:16)
Healing begins when you stop pretending.
2. Pray Like It’s War
Spiritual warfare isn’t about being spooky. It’s about being honest that you are being opposed. The enemy wants you distracted, defeated, and isolated.
So pray out loud. Worship in your home. Read Scripture when you feel weak, not when you feel strong. Ask Jesus to strengthen you and break what has power over you. God is not intimidated by your struggle.
3. Close the Doorway
Most people want freedom, but they keep leaving the door cracked open. Be honest about what triggers you. Certain apps. Certain times of day. Certain emotions. Certain environments. Certain conversations.
Strongholds are patterns. They break when patterns change.
4. Replace the Counterfeit Comfort
Addiction often fills a void. When you remove it, you need to replace it with something healthy and life-giving. That might be movement, journaling, prayer, Scripture, community, creative habits, serving others, or simply learning how to sit with your emotions instead of escaping them.
You’re not just changing behavior. You’re retraining your soul.
5. Get Accountability That Holds You Up
Motivation fades. Accountability stays. You need one or two people who will check in, ask real questions, and remind you who you are when you forget. You don’t need someone to control you. You need someone to cover you.
Because freedom is easier when someone is fighting with you.
6. Get Professional Help Without Shame
If you need therapy, recovery groups, or medical support, pursue it. God uses tools. God uses structure. God uses wise professionals. Getting help is not a lack of faith. It’s often an act of humility and strength.
A Simple Prayer to Start Today
Jesus, I am tired of being stuck.
I confess I cannot defeat this in my own strength.
I ask You to forgive me, cleanse me, and deliver me.
Expose every lie I’ve believed and replace it with Your truth.
Strengthen me where I feel weak.
Surround me with the right people.
Teach me how to walk in freedom one day at a time.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
What If You Relapse?
Relapse does not mean God has left you. It does not mean freedom is impossible. It does not mean you’re “back to square one.”
But it does mean you need to learn and adjust.
Instead of spiraling into shame, ask what led up to it. What emotion were you trying to escape? What boundary needs to be stronger? What lie did you believe in the moment? Then repent quickly, receive God’s forgiveness, and stand back up.
“Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again…” (Proverbs 24:16)
The enemy wants you to stay down. Jesus is the One reaching for your hand.
If This Is You… I Want to Speak Hope Over You
If you’re struggling right now, hear me:
You are not disgusting.
You are not disqualified.
You are not too broken for God.
Chains can come off. Cycles can end. Strongholds can be broken.
Jesus is in the business of setting captives free. Not with shame, but with truth and love. Freedom starts with one brave step into the light.
Love and light to you always,
Heather M. Larribas
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