Bryce, “Gramps” isn’t saying it’s impossible to change after death. However, we have been told that it’s much more difficult to overcome some things when we no longer have our body.

Hartman Rector, Jr.

“Sometimes we make excuses for ourselves, when we do what we should not do or fall short of what we should have done. We use such expressions as, ‘Oh! the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.’ With such rationalizations we insinuate that it is completely our physical body’s fault that we sin. In my opinion, this is not true. I believe the physical body is a very strong part of us and is of great benefit to us. Among other reasons, it was given to us to help us overcome our addictions, bad habits, and evil desires. The body is very obedient; generally speaking, it will do exactly what the spirit tells it to do. So it is not the physical body that we are struggling with; it is the spirit we must bring into subjection.

“Sometimes we seem to get the idea that in the spirit world, we will be completely different individuals; we will suddenly undergo a miraculous change in our character when we die. But nothing could be further from the truth. We, our spirits, do not change at death; we are still the same. Amulek, a great Book of Mormon prophet, tells us plainly what the conditions in the spirit world will be.” (Conference Report, Oct. 1970, p. 73)

Harold B. Lee

“…we are our own judges of the place we shall have in the eternal world. Here and now in mortality, each one of us is having the opportunity of choosing the kind of laws we elect to obey. We are now living and obeying celestial laws that will make us candidates for celestial glory, or we are living terrestrial laws that will make us candidates for either terrestrial glory, or telestial law. The place we shall occupy in the eternal worlds will be determined by the obedience we yield to the laws of these various kingdoms during the time we have here in mortality upon the earth.” (Conference Report, Apr. 1947, p. 46)

The context of this scripture indicates that “the spirit wich doth possess your bodies” is not meant our spirit body, instead it says that it could be one of two spirits: the Spirit of the Lord or the evil spirit; that’s all. So it doesn’t support the idea of “when you die you will take your addictions with you”.

I remember listening to a talk by Elder Holland on what happens after we die. He said the only change that happens is our body and spirit seperate and that is it. We still struggle with our addictions, and that is why we need to work so hard this life to correct them so we don’t have to on the other side because not having a body makes those addictions much worse to deal with. . I have been trying to find the video he did on it, but i am not having any luck so far, but i will keep searching. It was very eye opening.

I also believe that we may not understand the role addiction plays in our lives and in God’s plan for us. It may be a learning tool given to us by a loving Father who knows what we need to progress the most in this life. It may also be the same as a physical illness which ceases with death. We just don’t know. It may be easy to look at others suffering from addiction and think that they are weak, but we could put ourselves in danger of God’s judgment by doing so.
Perhaps Alma 34:34 is best used to remind ourselves to live righteously while on this earth and not to procrastinate. I don’t know that it applies to this situation, unless the church has stated unequivocally that addiction is a spiritual sin/state and not a physical illness (which medical research does not support).
Gramps, I think you got this one wrong!

First – trusting George Ritchie’s account. Why should I believe anything he says? Ritchie’s account contradicts what the Book of Mormon teaches that “all men are taken home to that God who gave them life”. Don’t we believe that the dead go to the spirit world and not Joe’s bar? I’ll take the Book of Mormon over George Ritchie.

Second – “we are the same person we were before” – Do the mentally handicapped remain the same? Might want to rethink that whole line of reasoning.

Third – (this is a response to will7370’s comment) the oft quoted Alma 34:34 as if the dead cannot repent and change. Why are we sending missionaries to the dead if there is no chance for repentance and change?

Fourth – my father was an alcoholic and a smoker. He died of cancer. A few years after his death my mother, my brother, and I were sealed as a family. My father was seen by one person in the temple. Now, do I think the sealing ordinance will be effective? Probably not, but the fact he was in the temple tells me that people do repent and change after death.