Who wants to be a drug addict? NO ONE! No one sets out in life planning to be a drug addict. But through the challenges and temptations that some men face, they find themselves in a place that is like a terrible nightmare - only it is real and they are living in it.
- An estimated 20,000,000 people abuse drugs in the U.S. every month.(SAMHSA)
- In 2007, 9.9 million persons aged 12 or older reported driving under the influence of illicit drugs during the past year. This corresponds to 4.0percent of the population. (SAMHSA)
Is drug addiction a problem in your life or the life of someone you know or love? You may feel unsure or reluctant to see or admit that there may be a problem. Seeing and admitting there is a problem takes honesty and guts. Individuals experimenting with drugs do not often stay at that level and quit easily. Drugs take you on a downward spiral and left uncomforted the results will often be devastating if not deadly. It must be confronted.
Maybe someone has tried to talk to you about your drug problem and you denied it to his face, but now you are asking yourself, "Am I addicted to drugs?" Taking time to read the rest of this article along with the list of possible signs of chemical addiction or substance abuse will help you to find the truth. Be honest with yourself as you think about each thing.
A few possible signs that someone may have a chemical addiction. (These would be changes from what previous behavior has been.):
- Changes in friends. Evasive about new friends.
- Increased secrecy about possessions or activities.
- Use of incense, or room deodorant, to hide smoke or chemical odors.
- Subtle changes in conversations with friends, e.g. more secretive, using "coded" language.
- Increase in borrowing money.
- Evidence of drug paraphernalia such as pipes, rolling papers, and other unusual items.
- Evidence of use of inhalant products (such as hairspray, nail polish, correction fluid, common household products) Rags and paper bags are sometimes used as accessories.
- Bottles of eye drops, which may be used to mask bloodshot eyes or dilated pupils.
- Missing prescription drugs-especially narcotics and mood stabilizers.
- Missing money or possessions.
- Prolonged unannounced absence with no explanation.
- Missing work or school.
- Skipping school, declining grades.
- Loss of motivation, energy or self-discipline.
- Neglect of personal hygiene.
- Uncaring or angry attitudes and behavior.
Maybe you are reading this because you are concerned about someone you love. Almost every person has a family member or friend that has a problem with drug addiction and you have stood by and watched helplessly or even suffered along with the abuser. The abuser is most often totally unaware of the wake of suffering he leaves in his path. Addiction takes its toll physically, emotionally, relationally, and financially on the addict and those around him. Parents, spouses, and other family members must begin to be honest and not cover-up and deny the problem. Reviewing the list of possible signs will help with assessing your situation.
Drug addiction takes a toll on every part of a person's life including your dignity and self-esteem, your relationships, your spiritual state, your finances and usually results in legal troubles. It also takes a terrible toll on your body including your brain.
Dopamine is the brains natural chemical that is released when you experience pleasure. Drugs cause "good feelings" in several ways:
- by imitating the brain's dopamine,
- by speeding up the release of dopamine, and
- by prolonging the presence of dopamine.
That is what the process of getting high is about, but once the drugs are out of the brain, the effect is gone. However, when a person begins to use drugs regularly, the brain chemistry is altered by the drug and the drug becomes a part of the normal functioning of the brain. A vicious cycle starts. The more you use a drug the more the brain chemistry is affected by it, the more the person craves the drug, the more they need it just to feel normal, so the more they use.
Drug addiction takes a predictable downward spiral:
- First is experimentation. The user learns that the substance makes them feel good. The user doesn't have any initial serious negative consequences.They return to normal feelings after isolated indulgences.
- Next is social use or occasional use. They use on a more regular basis but set limits for themselves about when, where, how they use. The rules the user makes help him to feel safe and appropriate. The user seeks friends who also indulge.
- The next stage is daily preoccupation or harmful abuse. The user loses control and breaks the rules he has set for himself. Life begins to deteriorate, including school, job, relationships, etc. The behavior becomes the center of his life. Activities revolve around drugs and drug using friends.
- Lastly is using just to feel normal. At this point the user is only using try not feel bad or have withdrawals. He is out of control. The drug is in control of everything he does. Pain is constant. The only times the user feels normal is when he is using the substance.
Initially drugs are taken for fun, to numb the pain of life. They are an escape.
But when you become addicted, you begin to create what you were trying to avoid - pain. In an attempt to avoid pain and emptiness - more is created. Suffering and consequences become severe and consistent. That is usually when the abuser will seek help.
The Biblical Solution
The first step is to stop denying the problem. It can never be addressed if it is not confessed. But it is often "the elephant in the room" that everyone knows is there but no one dares mention. It may require an intervention by family, friends and/or an employer. With an intervention the concerned individuals caringly confront the addict as a group. This must be done in love with the intent of getting the individual to seek help. Each individual shares their love and concern along with the details of one or two very specific instances when the individual's drunkenness was observed and how it affected him and the others involved with the incident. Hearing repeated incidents by each individual, the addict begins to see the pattern and knows that he can no longer hide.
Most addicts will not make an attempt to change until they are confronted by the painful consequences of his addiction. That is why it is important that family members not "enable" their addiction by suffering the costs and consequences of the addiction for the addict. As an example, if I feel the pain when you touch the hot stove then you will not stop touching the hot stove. You must feel the pain when you touch the hot stove so you will learn not to touch it. The addict must experience the pain of the negative consequences of his irresponsibility associated with his addiction. In Luke 15 we read of the prodigal son. He found himself in the pig pen and it says in verse 16 "...and no one gave him anything." Immediately following that statement it says in verse 17 "But when he came to himself.." "..and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself." (ESV) There was no one to bail him out of his problems. He was suffering the consequences of his irresponsibility and it brought him to his senses.
The addict must take responsibility. His behavior is no one's responsibility but his own. He makes the decisions about what he puts into his body. No one can be blamed for another person's decisions and actions.
Maybe your family and friends have talked to you and they have stopped bailing you out. It is not because they are trying to be mean. It is because they love you and they want to see you get help.
Freedom from alcohol addiction is not easy but it can happen. God can set you free. It will require:
- Being honest about the problem with God and other key people in your life.
James 5:16 (ESV) "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed."
1 John 1:9 (ESV) "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
- A willingness to allow others to help you.
As Christians we are "the body of Christ". That is, we are a team. We all need each other whether we have an addiction or not. We were not meant to live to this life alone.
- A willingness to be accountable to others.
- Determination in the face of obstacles and setbacks.
- Most importantly it will require a faith in and dependence on God.
There is Hope! God wants you to be set free. As you are honest, confess your weakness and seek to grow in relationship with Christ, freedom will come. First and foremost is putting Christ first in your life and seeking to love and follow him. He will make a way!
Life Application
1 Corinthians 6:8-12 (NIV) "9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
Pretty tough sounding passage of scripture but it is also a passage filled with promise. Notice the little word in verse eleven that is used four times, "were". That is past tense! By surrendering to God and following him, one day at a time and one step at a time he can set you free.
It is not enough just to stop doing drugs. That is not the answer. Like a computer that has crashed, we need to reboot and reprogram. It must start with a spiritual "reboot", that is a restored relationship with God. Then you need to "reprogram" you mind and heart. You do this by learning to think, believe and behave according to God's Word. That is a process.
Romans 12:2 (ESV) "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, ..."
Take a quick look at this chart of steps to recovery. I find it interesting that a chart on steps to recovery from addiction indicates the steps of basic discipleship that all of us must take. Pray and ask for God's strength and courage then step out in faith and take the first step. Ask God to bring godly friends into your life to walk this journey with you.
There are many great books, Christian counselors, small groups ministries and other resources to help you on your journey. Contact your pastor, a Christian counselor or search the links below for help.
Additional Resources
Living Free Small group church based ministry for individuals struggling with life-controlling problems. www.LivingFree.org Celebrate Recovery Small group church based ministry for individuals struggling with addiction. www.CelebrateRecovery.com Lifeline Connection Small group church ministry for individuals struggling with addiction. www.LifelineConnection.org
Teen Challenge Over 200 locations across the U.S. offering long term residential Bible based recovery services for men, women, and adolescents. www.TeenChallengeUSA.com
For Further Reading:
Intervention: How to Help Someone Who Doesn't Want Help by Vernon Johnson Present Day Miracles by Dave Batty (Special section on enabling)