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About the Book

Title: Reaching your Addicted Loved One

Author: Victor Torres

Genre: Self-help | Substance abuse & addictions | Drugs

Release date: January 8, 2019

As a teenager, Victor Torres was a gang warlord and heroin addict on New York City’s violent streets. Through the ministry of David Wilkerson and Nicky Cruz, Victor had a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ and came to realize that God had a purpose for his life. Victor has spent the last forty-five years helping tens of thousands of young men and women find freedom from drug addiction and gang life. Now, he answers your toughest questions about your addicted loved one. Without pulling punches or promising easy answers, Victor provides wisdom and expertise that can lead you toward success.
Some of the questions Victor addresses are…

How can I know if my loved one has a substance abuse problem?
How can I tell the difference between helping and enabling?
What if my loved one refuses to get help?
When should I call the police?
What should we look for in a treatment program?
What can I expect when my loved one comes out of treatment?
How do I prepare for relapse?

God did not create your loved one to be an addict or a loser. On the contrary, God created him or her for a better life. Although, for the moment, it may seem like you are losing your loved one, they still have a God-given destiny and a purpose. No matter how bad the picture may look now, there is always hope.

About the Author

Victor Torres was a junkie, drug-pusher, and warlord in Brooklyn’s meanest streets. Since his conversion, he has ministered Christ to thousands. He and his wife Carmen have traveled to over thirty nations preaching the Good News. Their chief undertaking, however, has been New Life for Youth, which began in 1971 in Richmond, Virginia. This growing work is one of the most respected and largest organizations in the country. Today, New Life for Youth has a ranch in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, which is helping an ever increasing number of hurting young men searching for hope, as well as a home for women with drug-related problems called the Mercy House. Their other resources in the Richmond, Virginia, area include House of Hope, a home for recovering men, and Mercy Moms, which serves women and their children. Victor and Carmen are also the founders and pastors of New Life Outreach International, a fast-growing dynamic church in Richmond, Virginia with over forty nationalities worshiping together. In 2017, his story was made into an award-winning major motion picture, Victor.

Guest Post from Victor

New Life Success Steps

Pray, pray, and then pray some more. And after that, pray.
Have faith enough for the both of you. Have faith enough for the whole family if necessary.
Keep ﬁghting for your addicted loved one until they can do battle for themselves.
Choose to believe beyond what you can see.
Picture their future and believe the vision.
Celebrate your loved one’s freedom—dare to believe!

Healing is yours for the taking. Reach out, ask God for help, and then receive it. Never lose hope that your loved one will be healed. My life, and the lives of so many others, is proof that God can even bring the dead back to life.

Your loved one was made for more than this. Don’t give up!

This was a very hard book for me to read. It had a personal meaning to me because I have a family member who became addicted to drugs at an early age. It destroyed his life as well as the family. It is hard to convince someone they need help and I wish I had something like this book at the time to encourage me and guide me through helping this person. I do agree with the author about not blaming yourself for their addiction.

I have a very strong opinion about addiction and I agree with the author that addiction is curable, but the person has to want to be cured. It's all about choices and sometimes people make bad choices because of their addiction. One of the things I learned was not to give up and keep trying to help them. One of the best things about this book is the honesty the author has about his own struggle with addiction. His candidness is refreshing and although I may not agree with everything in the book, I applaud him for speaking out about something that others don't want to deal with. His experiences are real and can help others because he understands what they are going through.

I liked the biblical facts he presented and how we need to lean on God when dealing with someone who is an addict. It isn't an easy road, but with God all things are possible. A support system is vital to helping you cope and I wish I had had that when I was in the midst of my addicted family member. Overall the book is informative and has a lot of information that will help people as they go through this battle.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.