Lesson Objectives: this material was created with the intention of helping spiritist teachers to address a very sensitive subject for teenagers in general - vices. We all have vices, in different degrees, because we are unique individuals. This lesson aims to raise awareness among teenagers of different types of vices that exist and that we need to free ourselves from these. We now have the opportunity to rebalance as we are immortal Spirits.

         Greetings and Opening Prayer

         First: The spiritist teacher will distribute photos of the following musicians on the table and/or display them on the board before the class starts: Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse. Ask the adolescents if they know these musicians - ask who they were, where they are from and what they have in common.

         Wait for their answers. If the adolescents don’t know who they are, the spiritist teacher will then tell a little bit about each of them. If they don’t know what they have in common, say they are part of the famous The 27 Club. All these artists disincarnated when they were 27 years old. We should pray for these brothers and sisters whenever possible; they abused the physical body that was granted by God to them and ended up leaving corporeal life ahead of schedule.

         Note: depending on the adolescents’ maturity, the spiritist teacher can expand and comment on what happened to each artist as well as what substance/activity that he/she abused while in the physical body. E.g. Amy Winehouse, a beautiful young woman who drank, smoked and sniffed cocaine.

         Second: Expose the subject.

         * Wikipedia defines this word as: Addiction (from the Latin "Vitium", meaning "failing or imperfection") is a repetitive habit that degenerates or damages the addict and those who live with him/her. Common addictions include addictions to alcohol or drugs, but it is possible to become addicted to anything, from gambling to chocolate.

         * The subject of today's lecture entails addictions, which are habits or attitudes that are often difficult to stop. They will, more and more, interfere with a person's life.

         * Anyone can become dependent on a substance like alcohol or an activity like gambling. Therefore, it’s best to avoid trying these, since we now know these are harmful to our life.

         * There is no single reason why someone chooses to use alcohol and drugs, or what is the reason anyone plays compulsively. Many of us develop an addiction to wrestle with life's problems. For some time, substance use or gambling may (APPARENTLY) diminish our pain and remove our fears. However, the "solution" found to the problems will become the problem - a problem that often destroys relationships and families.

         Third: Question:

         * Why do people get hooked into a vice, in your opinion?

         * What other vices exist that haven’t been addressed so far? Food, sex, spending money, eating chocolate, buying shoes, high speed driving, seeking out dangerous situations, fighting, lying, stealing, antidepressant medication, sleeping pills, coffee to stay awake, candies in general, cigarettes... (all that is excessive and that damages our physical and spiritual body).

         * How can we avoid being influenced by someone who wants to lead us to an addiction?

         * How we can help an addict?

         Fourth: show the following sentence to the adolescents and ask each one to explain it, with their own words:

         Fifth: Comment:

         * Remember them that we are immortal Spirits, created by God for love and to love. We are in the present incarnation learning to get to know ourselves and evolve. We are more and more conscious that 'we are' in the physical body, but 'we aren’t just' the physical body: we are immortal spirits living at the material world for set amount of time.

         * Excesses in general, already mentioned above, are harmful to our physical, mental and spiritual health. These should be avoided. We should also avoid thoughts of revenge, feelings of anger, resentment, sorrow, negativity, etc.

         * Being a slave to an addiction is the opposite of the freedom that Jesus teaches us. Jesus came to us with the message that we are all children of God; spiritual brothers and sisters who came here to overcome our imperfections.

         * Many people who are addicted to cigarettes, for example, believe they can quit this habit quickly. However, these individuals become a slave to cigarettes because they got carried away with the false promise of a 'quick and easy pleasure to be obtained' by smoking.

         * A drug addict will respond in the same way, even one who can’t relinquish stop taking a single antidepressant medication, which is so easy to be bought these days.

         * Important to remember that addiction doesn’t only affect the addict but also those who are close to him. How would our parents be, if we decided to go down this route? Certainly none of us wants to make our parents feel sad due to our irresponsible attitude. Being unable to control the use of a substance can also put a lot of strain on relationships with others and can cause problems at work, school or home.

         * People who are addicted become slaves and dependent on them, looking for something they will never reach if they continue to look for it 'outside', because happiness is an inner state...

         * Jesus already told us ‘My Kingdom is not of this world’ (John 18:36); that is, the kingdom of God leads us to the pleasures of the Spirit, not the vices of the flesh.

         Sixth: Question:

         * How can we protect ourselves from the bad influences?

         * Vices are often camouflaged by media and marketing strategies on TV, in magazines, newspapers, internet, etc. We are not always able to realize that we fell into the 'claws' of the products destined to cause dependence; so we are being invited by Jesus to 'watch and pray'.

         * When we pray we get in contact with our spiritual friends, who help us to keep us balanced and aware that 'we are in’ a corporeal existence, but 'we are not just' the physical body: we are immortal Spirits, temporarily in a corporeal existence!

         * We can exercise our virtues, correcting our mistakes, working on self-forgiveness and modifying our actions.

         * Shall we identify our vices? The first step is to recognise the addiction. What do I carry within me that’s in the list discussed earlier on?

         * The second step will be taken when we find the willpower to get rid of our vice. By working on our self-acceptance we’ll be able to overcome this addiction, gradually. This will bring us real happiness. We are immortal Spirits, created to evolve by God, a loving and just Father.

         Closing Prayer

         Suggested Class suitable for: Youth I (13-14 years old), Youth II (15-17 years old) and Youth III (18-21 years old).

         Spiritist Teacher: Carolina von Scharten, London, linked to BUSS - The British Union of Spiritist Societies.          Translation: Carolina von Scharten, London, linked to BUSS - The British Union of Spiritist Societies.

         Bibliography:
         Understanding Addiction Web Article (Portuguese).
         The Gospel According to Spiritism – Chapter 2 – MY KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD.

         

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