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.

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My Thoughts

I am honored to have been given the opportunity to review Reaching Your Addicted Loved One by Victor Torres. If you have a family member or friend who struggles with addiction, this could be the most helpful book you’ll ever read. I highly recommend it for personal use, to pass on to someone with an addicted loved one in their life, and for pastoral use or church libraries.

One reason I believe this book is so effective is due to the credibility of Torres as he draws from personal experience. Once a gang warlord and heroin addict, he came to Christ through the ministry of Dave Wilkerson and Nicky Cruz, and soon began a vital outreach to addicts himself. But while this book draws from that history, it’s main strength is the practical help and guidance it offers. It’s based on first-hand knowledge, with a strong biblical foundation, and with prayer as a key weapon.

Torres makes an important statement in the Introduction that we need to cling to: I believe that any addict is reachable and curable. What hope that offers, for to doubt it would be to doubt that all things are possible with God. The book’s description in the summary above lists some of the topics that are discussed, and I loved how each chapter ends with some “new life success steps.”

The truth is life changing when

it comes from a place of love.

Here’s a few thoughts that stood out to me…

-- Torres addresses the nature of addiction: “Addiction, like smoking and eating-related illnesses, is a disease. But it is a disease that begins with a choice.”
-- Rather than “tough love,” we need to speak “truth love” by being willing to speak and live out the truth, even when it is hard, scary, and uncomfortable for all involved.
-- Three chapters toward the end speak to treatment programs. One chapter deals with guidelines for choosing a treatment program, another focuses on what to expect when the loved one comes out of treatment, and the other addresses the need to prepare for possible relapse.

Torres points out that “the hopeless state of loving an addicted person is a terrible place to be.” While this book targets drug addiction, I believe the principles he gives can apply to other forms of addiction also.

Highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book through Celebrate Lit. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

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!