There’s this story in Luke’s Gospel that people often think they’ve already absorbed, like the moral is hanging on the fridge with a magnet shaped like a cow. But when you’re tangled up in the sticky threads of addiction, it starts reading like your own diary.
It’s about a younger son who cashes out his inheritance early, like a teenager selling his grandma’s wedding ring on Facebook Marketplace, and he heads out for “freedom.”
We know what freedom sometimes looks like—it’s loud noises, bright lights, and often smells like regret.
He burns through everything. The money, the energy, the dignity. Then he’s broke, hungry, and knee-deep in muck—literally feeding pigs. This is the Bible’s version of rock bottom.
Of course, as is often the case, that’s when something shifts. Scripture says, “He came to his senses.” No angels appear, no thunderclap from heaven. Just the smallest flicker of clarity.
Maybe I could go home. Maybe I could start again.
The psychology of hitting bottom
From a psychological standpoint, this is the moment when the dopamine fairy has left the building, and the brain starts looking for stability instead of thrills. That “coming to your senses” is what treatment specialists call readiness for change.
It’s fragile—like a newborn bird—but it’s also powerful. It’s the moment when you see that the thing you thought was saving you has actually been killing you.
And in the parable, the father doesn’t scold or shame. He runs to his son. In the ancient world, patriarchs didn’t run.
But here, God’s love looks ridiculous. It’s undignified in the best way. And that’s what real recovery support is supposed to feel like—arms wide open before you’ve even finished your apology.
Why this matters for recovery
Addiction has this way of convincing you that you’ve ruined everything beyond repair. That you’ve passed the point where anyone, even God, would pick let you back in. The Prodigal Son story throws that lie in the trash. It tells us that grace is not dependent on merit. It’s there filling the house before you even step foot on the driveway.
In treatment, you get to practice receiving that grace in tangible form—structure instead of chaos, detox to clear the mind, therapy to get under the hood of your thoughts, and spiritual care to address the ache in your soul.
At Covenant Hills, that looks like medically supervised detox, residential treatment when you need 24/7 support, and outpatient programs when you’re building your new life but still need the scaffolding of care.
Your “coming to your senses” moment
Maybe you’re still in the pigpen stage, maybe you’re halfway down the road home, or maybe you’re just holding your breath, wondering if someone will meet you at the door. The point is: you don’t have to finish cleaning up before you’re allowed back in. That’s not how grace works, and it’s not how recovery works when it’s done right.
Prodigals Are Welcome at Covenant Hills Treatment
If this feels like your “coming to your senses” moment, you don’t have to walk it alone. Covenant Hills Treatment Center offers faith-based, clinically proven programs to help you reclaim your life—from detox to residential care to outpatient support. Call 833-964-2244. Someone will answer. Someone will run to meet you.
