Drug Addiction: Is There Any Hope?

The Cause

            The impact of substance abuse has had a devastating fourfold effect on society for a number of years. Those involved usually recognize that they are affected either spiritually, mentally, physically, or financially. Each phase has metastasized like a malignant cancer, devastating families, friends, and the community as a whole. As reported by the local and national news, at least one billion dollars of the federal state budget is allocated annually to repair damages as a result of substance abuse. Furthermore 80-85 percent of those monies are spent in the areas of medical treatment and law enforcement. In addition, only a small percentage of those dollars are actually used for the purpose of rehabilitation. In the aftermath of it all, mankind must understand two facts. First, drug addiction is a process that involves time, and secondly, in order to direct change we must understand the forces that govern change. Everyone, I believe, will gracefully accept positive change, especially those who are entangled in the deceitful web of the illicit drug world. With that said, let’s begin with the Biblical truth of the matter by answering a few questions along the way such as, What are drugs, where did drugs originate, and who or what is the cause of drug addiction? In St. John 10:10, Jesus makes a profound statement to mankind.

St. John 10:10

10. The thief [Satan] cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

            Here, Jesus is informing the world that Satan’s chief business is to destroy (to tear down and bring to complete ruin). Throughout each generation, the question has remained: Why does Satan desire to deceive and destroy mankind? Starting at the beginning, in Genesis 1:26-27 we learn that God created man in his own image and likeness.

Genesis 1:26-27

            26. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let

            them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and

            over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that

            creepeth upon the earth.

27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him: male and female created he them.

            Man, according to the Bible, was created in the image of God. The word image comes from the Hebrew word tselem, which means shade, shadow, or likeness. Man resembles God in certain respects without being equal to him. Man’s likeness to God is what truly distinguishes him from the rest of creation. In other words, man is the summit or crown of God’s creation on Earth. Therefore, whenever Satan and his demonic host look at man, they are reminded of our creator, the Almighty God. I am not suggesting that man is a god; nor am I suggesting that God is a man. I am just simply stating that man is made after God’s own image or likeness. God said, “let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” The “us” God was referring to is known as the Godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Not three gods, but one God revealed in three separate and distinct beings known as the Godhead (Acts 17:29; Romans 1:20; Colossians 2:8-9). Jesus, speaking to the Samaritan woman, said, “God is a Spirit” (St. John 4:24). Man is actually a spirit, has a soul (mind, emotions, and desires), and lives in a body. The Apostle Paul wrote “and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). The body is the house or tabernacle of both the spirit and soul. We live on a planet made of physical substance; therefore, we must possess a physical body or house to be productive on the planet Earth. The Apostle Paul also wrote:

2 Corinthians 5:1

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