We have been blessed with a few words of wisdom that advise to avoid addictive substances. As we heed this prophetic council and overcome the wants of the natural man, we can be blessed more than there is room enough to receive. We are faced with temptation on a daily basis, and must constantly focus on choosing what is right. Satan wants to make us miserable like himself, and remove our ability to choose with addictive substances. When you become addicted to something, you need it. You have no other choice but to have it, and your agency in the matter is taken from you. However, if you avoid those things, you can overcome the natural man, and will be blessed with strength, health, and stamina.
1) October 2016, Thomas S. Monson, “Principles and Promises”
"May we care for our bodies and our minds by observing the principles set forth in the Word of Wisdom, a divinely provided plan."
"John silently cried unto God, telling Him that he had always kept the Word of Wisdom and had lived a clean life—and he now desperately needed the promised blessings. … When he reached the deck, his breathing was normal and not the least bit labored. The blessings of added health and stamina promised in the Word of Wisdom had been his."
"When we passed through the veil and entered this mortal life, we knew that we would no longer remember the life before. There would be opposition and adversity and temptation. But we also knew that gaining a physical body was of paramount importance for us. Oh, how we hoped that we would quickly learn to make the correct choices, withstand the temptations of Satan, and eventually return to our beloved Parents in Heaven."
“Readjusting our desires to give highest priority to the things of eternity is not easy. We are all tempted to desire that worldly quartet of property, prominence, pride, and power. We might desire these, but we should not fix them as our highest priorities.”
“If our righteous desires are sufficiently intense, they will motivate us to cut and carve ourselves free from addictions and other sinful pressures and priorities that prevent our eternal progress. We should remember that righteous desires cannot be superficial, impulsive, or temporary. They must be heartfelt, unwavering, and permanent. So motivated, we will seek for that condition described by the Prophet Joseph Smith, where we have ‘overcome the evils of [our lives] and lost every desire for sin.’”
“Because of his premortal choices, Satan can neither return nor receive. The only thing left for him is to oppose the Father’s plan by using every possible enticement and temptation to bring us down and make us miserable like unto himself.”
“Such diverse influences on the young as the increased availability of birth control, the morally destructive rise of pornography, an increased disaffiliation with institutional religion, the pervasive quest for material goods generally, the rise of postmodern thought with its skepticism and subjectivity and you see the context for anxiety and fear that a rising generation can feel.”
“The Savior said that He ‘cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance;’ so how can He look at us, imperfect as we are, without recoiling in horror and disgust? The answer is simple and clear. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ views disease in His sheep as a condition that needs treatment, care, and compassion. This shepherd, our Good Shepherd, finds joy in seeing His diseased sheep progress toward healing.”
“While God is empathetic, we should not mistakenly believe that He is accepting and open-minded about sin. He is not. The Savior came to earth to save us from our sins and, importantly, will not save us in our sins.”
10) January 2001, President Gordon B. Hinckley, “A Prophet’s Council and Prayer for Youth”
“We live in a world that is filled with filth and sleaze, a world that reeks of evil. It is all around us. It is on the television screen. It is at the movies. It is in the popular literature. It is on the Internet. You can’t afford to watch it, my dear friends. You cannot afford to let that filthy poison touch you. Stay away from it. Avoid it.”
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