Breaking the Octopus Grip of Addiction

Addiction – Breaking the Octopus Grip

Adapted from “Breaking the Octopus Grip of Addiction” (Dr. Douglas E. Carr, Douglas Carr Freedom Ministries, https://www.dcfreedomministry.com) for Luke 4:18 Ministries in Austin, Texas.

 

Prophetic Dream Dictionary Entry For OCTOPUS: “The diabolical spirit of Jezebel that entangles other people; operates with a strong spirit of control and manipulation. Deceptive lies that slander and destroy a person’s reputation, inflicts confusion that causes despair and depression; a spirit of murder that leads to the victim contemplating suicide.” (from Barbie Breathitt, Breath of The Spirit Ministries, https://www.dreamsdecoder.com)

 

Addiction is like an octopus that rests over your mind. Satan will use one or more of the eight tentacles of the Octopus of Addiction to cause addiction to grow. Depending on how long the beloved has struggled, the tentacles grow in length and strength. Satan tangles the tentacles like a ball of yarn to the point where even short tentacles make it hard to unravel the problem. People are trapped by the Spirit of Bondage and held in agreement with it even unto death and destruction.

 

Ways in which octopi are like an addiction:

 

The ability to rapidly alter their shape and squeeze through small gaps. The octopus of addiction can squeeze the tip of a tentacle through a crack in the addict’s soul and take full control of a person. Even a tiny amount of unforgiveness, self-hatred, or an area of inadequacy/rejection will allow demons to extend their suckers and capture victims.

 

The ability to change color. Addictive substances promise to be comforting friends but end up as horrible slaveholders. Addicts’ behavior can change instantly; at times they may be loving and kind but then suddenly turn hateful, abusive, and consumptive.

 

The ability to use natural gifts (complex nervous systems, excellent sight, camouflage abilities, most intelligent and behaviorally diverse of invertebrates) to hide. Many addicts are incredibly intelligent—at least until their mental faculties are debilitated by addiction—and are often gifted at manipulating people and situations to hide/maintain their bondage. Addicts hide and flee from deliverance and detox facility opportunities. Addicts fear exposure and will avoid intimacy and community. Community and relationships are required to address their problems even while they make themselves difficult to love. Addicts hide from reality by ignoring problems and choosing denial.

 

The ability to spread venom. Most octopi inject venom to immobilize prey by either biting the prey with their’ beak and injecting venom directly into the wound or releasing a cloud of venom into the water, which enters the gills of its’ prey. Some addicts can become addicted to their poison of choice after a single use; their

destinies get put on hold while they are drawn into continuous and compulsive use. Additionally, addicts often hurt people and spew their poison (harsh words, abusive or demanding behavior, theft, etc.) on the people who care most for them. Loved ones can feel paralyzed as they watch an addict engage in harmful behavior that turns deadly.

 

The ability to use hard beaks to tear the flesh of their prey to devour it. Addictions tear the flesh of their victims. Alcoholics will lose their liver.

Potheads will lose their ambition and executive functioning skills. Chewing

tobacco users will lose their gums. Smoking drugs numbs the nerves and will cause lung and throat problems. Snorting drugs will cause sinus problems. Injecting drugs will cause injection-site and circulatory problems. Pornography and sex addictions will cause unhealthy sexual response issues and physical diseases. Gamblers will find their resources and future torn from them. All addictions cause imbalances in brain chemistry, specifically including risk/reward analysis.

 

The ability to use powerful suckers to grab and hold prey. Addictions suck people in and hold them in bondage with lies; these lies wrap their legs around every part of the victim, who cannot be set free unless they are set free from all the tentacles at once. The biggest lie that addicts believe is that “I could quit anytime if I wanted to quit, but I don’t want to quit.” The second biggest lie that addicts believe is that “I will always be bound by my addiction. There is no way out, and even if there was a way out, then life wouldn’t be worth living without my addiction.” These lies are suckers that hold addicts in bondage.

 

The ability to squirt dark ink to cloud the water and confuse enemies. The Octopus of Addiction veils the hope and glorious light of the Gospel that can set addicts free. Many addicts lose all hope for the future and any sense of destiny. Disappointment clouds dreams and goals while kindling anger, guilt, shame, regret, and self-hatred. Hope deferred makes the heart sick (Proverbs 13:12). Family bloodlines and friends seem helpless and are not able to see through the dark cloud.

 

The ability to regenerate tentacles when severed. Severed octopus tentacles can have a mind of their own and continue operating even when cut off. A severed octopus arm may try to feed a phantom mouth up to an hour after being severed from the body. The desires of the flesh operate on auto-pilot with addicts; the steps taken to feed their addictive longings happen with little thought or effort. Worse still, the tentacles of addiction can regenerate! Within 100 days after an octopus tentacle is severed, an arm tip will grow back. Similarly, addicts who are sober for months or years often encounter moments where the desire to feed their flesh comes back in full force and attempts to pull them into bondage again.

 

Head of the Octopus—Binding the Stronghold of Bondage

Pray, resist, believe, and declare:

 

 

Octopus Prayer

 

 

Head of the Octopus—Casting Out the Stronghold of Bondage

 

 

 

Tentacle of Rejection

 

 

Tentacle of Iniquity

 

 

 

Tentacle of Rebellion

 

 

Tentacle of Python

 

 

Tentacle of Fragmentation

 

(Background: People who were fragmented through trauma become “broken-hearted” when a piece of their soul breaks off from their core. Being “double-minded” can result from this soul-level fragmentation. Double-minded addicts often have fragmented alters who hold on to addictions even when their core personality chooses to overcome addiction.)

 

 

Tentacle of Trauma

 

 

Tentacle of Imprinting

 

(Background: Some of the most successful recovery programs remove recovering addicts from their neighborhoods, friends, and families because of the poor examples they set. Addicts often need to choose new friends to imprint them. Additionally, addicts often lack any sense of community and fail to realize that stepping into community is often the path to freedom.)

 

 

Tentacle of Demonic Bondage to Addiction

 

 

Casting Out the Strongman of Addiction

 

 

Final Prayers