ADDICTION: A SPIRITUAL PERSPECTIVE

 

Causes Of Drug Addiction

We are going to look at these causes not merely to identify them, but rather to try to overcome them with the help of God. We will keep in mind that these causes can affect all of us. However, not all people fall into drug addiction because of these factors. Some people are psychologically and socially vulnerable to it.

 

The felling of emptiness

There is no doubt that some young people suffer from all sorts of emptiness.

1. Intellectual emptiness, which is due it the instability of the spiritual as well as the social understanding in the youth's heart and mind. Perhaps this underlines the role of the church in undergirding this understanding .

2. Emotional emptiness which occurs due to a lack of one's sense of belonging and loyalty to country, and loyalty to country, and the lack of the spirit of sacrifice for it. Loyalty to the family is similarly missing even though we owe it our love, because it has given us so much, A further symptom is disloyalty to the community, which represents a group of individuals among whom one lives and to whom one lives and to whom one belongs.

3. Physical emptiness caused by a tendency to laziness, or isolation; not being involved in sports, social or recreational activities or any literary or artistic activities. These are the ways in which young people make use of their leisure time and during which they develop self-esteem. So they enjoy the outcome of their work and effort.

The importance of the role of the church becomes clear: it has to fill the emptiness, whether it be intellectual, emotional or physical. Undoubtedly, young people who are united to Christ and the church have concepts. Values and means of spending their leisure time in a fruitful way. This allows them to avoid problems which those far from the church and Christ may complain of.

 

Undermining of one's sense of values

This is one of the phenomena that have recently increased. The Devil tries to confront us with specific characters out of which he makes heroes and even gods, that people are likely to admire, In the meantime. The Devil tries with all his strength and by all sorts of pressures to crush these idols so that they collapse, causing their worshippers to collapse too.

According, the youth reaches the conclusion that it is impossible to live in holiness, or behave honestly. Virtuously and honorably. The result is a state of practical disorder that leads to loss of devotion to principles and virtues, falling thereafter into evil and sin.

Perhaps there are many factors that may drive the youth to fell that his or her values are shaken up. such as :

1. The absence of a good example or an ideal, especially if we follow the example of man of the world or some of the high-ranking people.

2. The kind of injustice that might befall the youth in their studying or working career because of their dedication to their faith and their honesty.

3. The sense of an incapacity to enjoy free self-expression.

Here the church has a leading role: the youth may see the sons of Christ, inside the church, as blessed examples, whether they be monks, clergy or marring laity convincing him or her that it is quite possible to live with Hod and stick to values.

 

The feeling of anxiety due to the difficulties of the future.

The great majority of young people nowadays may be faced with this feeling for a number of reasons, among them:

1. Difficult economic conditions.

2. Complicated social conditions.

3. The desire to attain prompt solutions to problems.

Youth discover that these factors make their hopes and wide prospects difficult to attain. The result is that they are overcome by a feeling of despair and frustration.

In fact, the children of God have strong confidence in His love and have moreover experienced it in their lives. Through their struggles and repentance, they have learnt to trust that Christ will manage all their affairs and tackle all their problems. He will face all difficulties with them, accompanying them throughout their lives.

"He who did not spare His own son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall he not with Him also freely give us all things?" Rom 8: 32).

All these factors and more work upon the psychologically and socially vulnerable. Those who are far from the church, those who desert life with Christ, with its repentance and struggle, are driven to a state of psychological disorder. This leads to deviation which, in turn, causes the following:

1. Criminal phenomena such as dissipation, crimes of violence, sex, money, and pleasure.

2. Drug addiction so as to escape problems or as an expression of dissatisfaction with life or the feeling of frustration and the impossibility of fulfilling the goals aspored to.

Spiritual Consequences Of Drug Addiction

Some people may think that the effects of drug addiction are mostly physical, psychological and social ones. However, there are serious spiritual consequences of drug addiction. The following is a discussion of some of them:

1. Drug addiction destroys God's holy temple

   "Do you not know that you are the temple of god and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1cor 3: 16).

   Is it acceptable to take the members of Christ and submit them to corruption and addiction? Is it reasonable to take what Christ descended to redeem and be crucified for and turn it over to drug addiction? The Jewel was bought by Christ's blood so that it would not perish but rather be restored to its original brightness. Is it reasonable to sell it for dust and it for dust and corrupt it with the wretched?

   What will there be to gain thereafter? What good will it do to lose one's soul? What value will any treasures of this world have? None at all.

2. Drug addiction is a merciless master

3. "No one can worship two masters". A person who is enslaved by this cruel master will automatically turn away from following the loving Master, the gracious Father and the Redeemer of humankind. St. paul the Apostle talked abostle talked about what is lawful for a child of God and what is not: " All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful .. All things are lawful. But not all things build up .. All things are lawful for me. But I will not be brought under the power of any " ( 1cor 10: 32, 6: 12).

How, then, can people give themselves over to this merciless master, and be able to follow christ after that? They have lost the freedom christ after that? They have lost the freedom of will granted to them by christ: "so if the Son shall set you free you chall be free indeed" (Jn 8: 36).

Drug addiction drives young people to a series of sins

When a youth is drawn into sin, it brings many troubles in its wake. In , most cases. The drug addict may not have enough money to buy the druf, so what can (s) he do? This person will restrain himself or herself once or twice. However, through drug addiction, (s) he has put himself or herself under the influence of a merciless master who will impose pressures beyond any imagination. What can young people then do to face these pressures?

9. Will they be driven to robbery so as to provide the money needed to by the costloy drug?

10. Will they be driven to lying, deception and crookedness to attain their goals?

11. Will they be driven to all sorts of crimes in order to rid their bodies of the withdrawal symptoms: In addition, their behavior will be characterized by cowardice fear of punishment, or from being caughty in using or possessing drugs. They may be haunted by the horrors of the gloomy future awaiting them.

1. Drug addiction leads to the feeling of defeat and loss

   How aggravating it is for a person to feel defeated. How difficult it is for a person to feel that control of the senses. Of the physical energy, or even the body itself is lost.

   Indeed, it is very hard for a person to be a prey to the feeling of failure.

   We know that god has not given us a spirit of failure but one of power, love and self-control. For that very season. An addict may feel that the hand of the Lord has forsaken him or her and that God has given him or her up to a base-mind, so, the feeling of loss arises, An addict especially has to face through his or her addiction, the feeling of almocomplete inability to work, think, concentrate, or remember, there are also the physical disabilities of an enfeebled body and problems in sexual relations. We have to be confident that christ is able to save us from such a hateful and fatal feeling and the loss of self-respect.

2. Drug addiction hinders a person's repentance.

What motivates a person to repent? Is it not the person's feeling of sin which has aroused the Lord's anger and his or her resolution to rise and return to God?

But what if the person's will has been weakened and (s) he is obsessed by a feeling of defeat and loss? (s)he would have no other choice but to evade the issue of repentance. And postpone it. So it is difficult for am addict to lead the life of repentance for several reasons, including:

1. The inability to face up to oneself and one's sins.

2. A multiplicity of sons, the one leading to the other until the person is swamped with problems.

3. A sense of defeat, loss of will-power and indifference.

4. Getting involved in bad company and caught up in their sins.

1. Drug addiction deprives the person of both the kingdom of God and the crown.

This is where it all leads. After the addict has lost everything: selfhood, energy, health, senses, family, relatives, community and country, (s) he would have to face the greatest unparalleled loss, namely the loss of the Kingdom of God and eternal crown.

What can there possibly be to gain, once one has given up oneself to destruction and ruin? Isn't the truth plain for all to see?

We pray that christ will have mercy on us and keep us from falling into bad company and becoming a prey to evil.