Condom failure

I recently counseled a young man who was in some serious trouble over illegal drug use. Coincidentally I had just counseled a man that was more than twice his age who had been abusing alcohol and drugs, (mainly marijuana), for many years and in effect had ruined much of his life including losing his wife and family and wrecking his career.

I told the youngster that I had spoken to alcoholics and drug addicts from Anchorage to the Florida Keys and I have yet to meet anyone who initially deliberately set out with an ambition to become addicted to drugs or alcohol. I told him that at the outset of my experience with it I certainly had no idea that I would ever stick a needle in my arm or end up drinking a bottle or two of wine every day. Had I known that, (and believed it), I would NEVER have embarked on that course. I tried to warn him that he was toying around with something insidiously dangerous that could become a chronic, progressive and sometimes fatal disease.

It is far easier to explain the dangers of HIV/AIDS to someone than the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse. With HIV/AIDS, someone has unprotected sex and within a short period of time they exhibit symptoms and are immediately off to the races fighting the disease for their lives.

Barring a devastating car crash or similar malady, drug and alcohol abuse doesn’t generally work like that. It sometimes takes years to manifest its devastating effects and then it’s often too late. One of the symptoms that confounds those afflicted by it the most is that it generally denies it exists and thus resists treatment. It just doesn’t seem like a disease in the classical sense. It doesn’t look, sound, smell and it certainly doesn’t act like a disease.

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence defines it as follows: “Alcoholism is a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. The disease is often progressive and fatal. It is characterized by continuous or periodic: impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with the drug alcohol, use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking, most notably denial.”

One key word is progressive. That means it starts off as a fun tool to loosen up and have a great time socially, but it can progress to a state of users becoming unable to limit its use, duration, quantity consumed, or the behaviorial consequences.

Perhaps the most important keyword in that definition is “Denial”. It disavows the significance of events, and reduces awareness of the fact that alcohol/drug use is the cause of an individual’s problems rather than a solution to those problems. I personally believe that denial comes directly from satan whispering in our ears and is the major obstacle to recovery.

Full blown alcoholism or addiction causes premature death through overdose, complications involving the brain, liver, heart and many other organs, and by contributing to suicide, homicide, motor vehicle crashes, and other traumatic events. I have seen and/or experienced first hand all of the above.

Okay now what about you? Do you hear the call of prescribed or illegal drugs every morning – evening – weekend? Do you hear the call more often than you used to hear it? Have you experienced any behaviorial consequences because of drugs or alcohol? Are you denying right now that they have become a problem for you? Don’t listen to satan

Parents tell your babies not to grow up to become druggies and alkies. Like so many of satan’s deceptions and temptations, this one is among the worse and is spreading faster than a California wildfire.

And before you write, yes some people can drink socially and never become alcoholics. And, no, drinking in moderation is not a sin according to the Bible. I would be curious to know how many parents actively desire that their children take up drinking socially. I would bet that number is quite small compared to how many think it is all right for them to do it. What loving parent wants to take a chance that their child might have problems because of it? Better to leave it alone.

There are those folks who have had sex with someone infected with AIDS, (whose condoms didn’t fail) that got away without becoming infected.

And then there are those who didn’t Hmmm…

The Bible has many verses warning us of overindulging. It warns that some people have “itching ears” that only desire to hear what they want to hear and will undoubtedly ignore this message and other similar thoughts on this subject. I think maybe this problem is like that for too many of us.

If you or someone you love has a problem with drinking or drugging, seek help. Listen to God as He earnestly wants to help folks to overcome these problems and go on to lead wonderful lives.

Proverbs 12:1
Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge. But he who hates correction is stupid.