Issues: Drugs

Dependency

We live in a drug-taking society, there is a 'pill for every ill'. If we go to the doctor, we expect to be given something which will make us better. Certainly we can all benefit from the advances in medical science and the wise use of drugs. But just as it is easy to depend on the doctor to make us better, it is very easy to slip into the situation where we need a drink to relax or to cope with any new or uncomfortable situation.

In the Bible the Apostle Peter urges us to 'live as free people' (The Bible, 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 16). We believe in liberty for all and jealously guard our individual freedom of choice. But one person's freedom can be another person's prison. This is particularly so in the case of alcohol and other drug abuse. For the person who is drug dependent and addicted, there is little freedom of choice. Such a person is imprisoned by their psychological or physical need for particular substances.

Dependency, sometimes described as addiction, is a state which is not easily defined. Some drugs are physically addictive, but all can cause powerful psychological dependence. Dependency may be directly related to a substance or to a process. It may be a constant state or related to intermittent activity (e.g. binge drinking). It can be triggered by personal crisis (e.g. debt or family loss). In other words, it can be a complex phenomenon which may relate to a number of factors other than the chemical effect of a substance.

A basic cycle or pattern of addiction is: A mounting desire to do something - if this desire is resisted or prevented, there is a growing anxiety and preoccupation with the act in question - carrying out the act stills the tension, satisfies the desire and briefly eliminates the need. Biological drives conform to the sequence and many activities, apart from drug-taking, fulfil this addictive sequence.

Jesus said 'If the son sets you free, you will be really free.' (The Bible, John chapter 8 verses 36). What does it mean to be really free? People whose lives depend on the next shot of alcohol, nicotine or other drugs, face an imprisonment which is so frightening because it is unseen. Whilst Peter tells us to 'live as free people' the other side of the coin is that we must not use our freedom to cover up evil (The Bible, 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 16).