If You’re Stuck in the Mud in Your Recovery, Here’s One Way You May be Sabotaging Yourself

You’re on your way to total healing and you have a big space to fill where addiction once stood. The huge mistake that all too many make is to hit social media. You want to catch up with friends and family and want to make new ‘friends’. You justify being on social media in order to fill in on the latest news. Are you rerally filling in on some ‘gossip’ . Before I go any further, below is a list of how much the Lord despises gossip. Social media can be one huge gossip club if you have no restraint or boundaries in using it.

Proverbs 16:28 – “A perverse man sows strife, And a whisperer separates the best of friends.”

• This verse highlights how gossip, described as whispering, can destroy relationships.

Proverbs 20:19 – “He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; Therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips.”

• Gossip is linked to revealing secrets and untrustworthy behavior, warning against close ties with such individuals.

Proverbs 11:13 – “A talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.”

• This contrasts the gossiper (talebearer) with someone faithful who keeps confidences.

Ephesians 4:29 – “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”

• While not explicitly “gossip,” this verse encourages speech that builds up rather than tears down, which gossip often does.

James 4:11 – “Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.”

So, let’s plug in to how social media addiction can pose a significant challenge to Christians in recovery, whether you’re overcoming substance abuse, behavioral struggles, or emotional wounds. Recovery, at its core, is a journey of miraculous and supernatural transformation that relies heavily on three factors… SUBMISSION, SACRIFICE, and SURRENDER to Jesus Christ. You’re going to need to build a supportive faith community, and cultivate self-discipline… all of which can be undermined by the compulsive pull of social media (gossip and discord). The endless scroll offers an escape, a quick hit of distraction that can replace the hard work and progress of recovery with instant gratification. For someone in recovery, this can disrupt the process of facing pain head-on, which is often necessary for healing. Instead of turning to scripture or your recovery coach during moments of temptation, you might turn to likes and comments, seeking fleeting validation that pales in comparison to God’s unconditional love.

The impact deepens when you consider how social media warps perceptions of progress. Christian recovery often emphasizes humility, patience, and reliance on God’s timing, but platforms are flooded with curated stories and highlight mostly ridiculous reels to tempt you to click on them. Triggers to go back to using also lurk everywhere… in ads for alcohol, finding old acquaintances from a past life, or taking part in toxic debates that stir anger and resentment. For a Christian striving to “take every thought captive” (2 Corinthians 10:5), the flood of unfiltered content can reignite cravings or pull you back into cycles of guilt and despair. When the Bible says, ‘don’t look back’, God means ‘don’t look back’… look what happened to Lot’s wife when she looked back! She turned to stone and ended up in Hell. What’s more, the time spent online steals from you daily work to recover. You are eliminating, for the most part, sitting in God’s presence…. being ‘still’ before Him to hear His voice… and meditating on His Word.

Community, a cornerstone of Christian recovery, also suffers under social media’s influence. While it promises connection, it often delivers isolation with all of the hours spent behind a screen instead of face-to-face with believers who can offer accountability and encouragement. The shallow interactions of likes and emojis can’t replace the power of a shared prayer or a brother in Christ speaking truth in love. Worse, social media addiction can amplify the enemy’s lies, whispering that you’re alone in your struggle or unworthy of grace, drowning out the Gospel’s hope. For a recovering Christian, this distraction risks stalling or killing spiritual growth, keeping you tethered to a virtual world rather than rooted in the real one where redemption unfolds.

Breaking this cycle requires intentional steps to reclaim focus. A detox needs to be done NOW. Work with your recovery coach on how to do this. You’re going to have to detox from screen time, curate your feeds to avoid triggers, and fasting from apps. These things, and more, can help you to prioritize your recovery by making God FIRST over the algorithm. Replacing social media with recovery-specific habits, like journaling prayers, meditating on scripture, or extra meetings with your recovery coach, rebuilds the foundation of your faith. Accountability partners can check in on tech use, ensuring it doesn’t become a crutch. Social media can be your enemy when uncontrolled; however, its addictive pull will derail your recovery. By setting boundaries and leaning into God’s strength, you can guard their heart, keeping your eyes fixed on the One who heals rather than the screen that distracts, delays, and destroys.

Have a blessed rest of your day. Why not diminishing your screen time today by 60 minutes. It’s a start and you’ll happily see that you can live with an eventual 15 minutes a day in social media. Praise God! Lord willing, hope to see you in my next post.