Why Drugs? by West End Church of Christ

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Why Drugs? Why do people resort to drugs? Why is drug abuse the number one problem American society faces? Why has the government declared a "war on drugs?" The reason for any or all of the above is not because sick people are trying to regain health. It is not due to the need for physical or psychic healing. The reason why is also not simple. The complexity of the drug abuse problem has challenged the best minds in our land. In this short piece look with me briefly into some of the reasons offered for this terrible plague that has fallen upon our people. Today, we will look into this problem, but first ... The West End Church of Christ presents these fifteen minute lessons every Sunday. We have only one reason for doing it -- we want to preach the truth of God's word without being restricted by human doctrines, creeds, and wisdom. That is why we repeatedly ask anyone who listens to communicate with us if you do not agree with what we teach on this program. This is not done out of a spirit of dare, or challenge, but in sincerity and in the interest of being absolutely right about the most important issue of this life and of eternity. We also want to invite you to attend our services. Bible study begins at 9 a.m. Sunday morning. We have classes for all ages in which the Bible is discussed and made relevant to living in this world today. At 10 each Sunday morning we assemble to worship -- we honor God in the reading and teaching of His word, several prayers, gospel songs, giving of our means, and partaking of the sacred memorial feast of the Lord's Supper. Sunday evening we assemble for worship at 6 p.m and mid-week Bible study is each Wednesday night at 7 p.m. It is helpful to limit what is meant by the use and abuse of drugs in society. Drug abuse is not easy to define. Robert M. Julien, of Oregon University's Health Sciences Center, wrote, "In general it seems to imply the use of any drug for other than its assigned purposes. However, the concept of assigned purpose is vague. Does it refer to use only in medicine, or to use only according to a doctor's prescription? Does this mean that all uses of drugs for other than the treatment of medically diagnoses disorders is abuse of drugs?" (A Primer of Drug Action, 3rd Edition, page 209). One reason why it is difficult to pin down what drug abuse is centers in the lax attitude society has developed toward certain socially acceptable drugs. Specifically, nicotine and ethyl alcohol have been "galvanized into respectability." It is socially acceptable to have a drink with friends. Cigarette smoking, while dangerous to both smokers and non smokers, is still quite legal and accepted. With the repeal of prohibition came the influx of alcohol related difficulties. And, if society and the government become consistent one may well look forward to the day when all psychoactive drugs will be legalized and controlled. Again Robert Julien rightly observes, "Our experiences with alcohol pose a dim future for a society whose only form of escape becomes drug oriented." (Ibid.) Using drugs provides a person with an escape route from pressures and difficulties in day to day existence. The use of drugs is attributable to either medical or recreational usage. Medical usage of drugs involves treatment of a diagnosed disease, disorder, or malady. Sometimes medication is prescribed as a preventative to ward off disease or pain. Medication is often used to alleviate physical or mental disorders. All of this is legitimate and right. But the so-called recreational use of drugs is another story. Those who use drugs recreationally seek relief from anxiety and tension, or as a means into a state of euphoria. Recreational use of drugs includes the desire to alter ones state of consciousness, expansion of one's creative abilities, efforts to make one oblivious to internal moods and pressures, or simply an escape from anything unpleasant. Those who simply seek the thrill of experimentation with something new are among recreational drug users. Of the two categories of drug users only the first is legitimate. Recreational use of drugs is positively illegal, therefore is a misuse and abuse of drugs. Julien gives a fairly good definition of drug misuse. He calls it, "the use of any drug (legal or illegal) for medical or recreational purpose when other alternatives are available, practical, or warranted, or where drug use endangers either the users or others around them." He is a little too mild in his definition. What is legally forbidden is always more than simple misuse of a product -- it is an abuse pure and simple. It is odd that within just a couple of generations drug abuse has sifted down to our generation from the "hop head" in some opium den to elementary students in our schools. In a book published by The Child Study Press, the authors observe, "People in every era, in every generation and in every country have turned to drugs to reduce the pain of existence or to produce a special experience which was otherwise not available." You, Your Child, and Drugs, page 5. And yet the availability of any kind of psychoactive drug such as marijuana, LSD, amphetamines, barbiturates, and alcohol is overwhelming. One note of interest is that often people either do not know or simply ignore the fact that nicotine and caffeine are also psychoactive drugs. One of the most frequently stated reasons children give for misusing drugs is that their parents drink beer, wine, or distilled spirits, smoke tobacco and drink caffeinated coffee. We seem to have learned to accept some drugs while rejecting others. Young people learn to misuse drugs for several reasons. It is fundamental, however, to know that the decision to use an illegal substance by a child is in fact a conscious decision. The staff of the Child Study Association of America makes this remarkable comment. "Another reality is frequently overlooked: young people decide to use drugs because this seems to be the best choice available to them. True, some young children are introduced to drugs by irresponsible older children or adults at an age when they really do not know what they are doing. But for most youngsters, there is a moment when a decision is made ... Only when the young person uses drugs to the point where psychological dependency or physical addiction develops is his power to decide weakened." (Ibid., page 16). Children are not merely the product of their influences -- they are what they decide to do when influenced by others. The drug problem in young people cannot be attributed to environment alone. Children are not nonresistant casualties of their environment and influence. They decide to experiment with some mind altering substance or not. When they are confronted with the first opportunity to taste intoxicating beverages, sniff some souped up inhalant, or take a "toke" on a marijuana cigarette, they either decide to do it or not to do it. As the Child Study group says, "Bad decisions as well as 'bad influences' are at the core of the drug problem." Chief among the reasons children decide to use illegal drugs is peer pressure. At an early age children develop a keen sense of personal identity and that means being accepted by their peers. It starts in the family. Children develop a sense of being part of something larger than themselves and the family relationship provides it. When their world becomes a bit larger and they branch out into society, that desire to be part of something is exacerbated. They want to be accepted by those they wish to be part of. Thus their actions and attitudes are formed within them in keeping with their perception of what it takes to be accepted. Peer pressure is immensely strong. If the community exists where there is not a youthful user of illegal drugs, it is a rarity. If in fact such a community did exist it is not likely that it would remain that way very long. There is some child, boy or girl, who urges the other children to try that which is forbidden. Forbidden pleasures seem extremely sweet to youth. It may be something foolish such as stealing something, experimenting with sexual immorality, drinking an intoxicant, whiffing up some fumes from glue, or smoking marijuana. Again, the Child Study Association says, "For a number of youngsters, one of the most pressing reasons for experimenting with drugs is a need to belong to a group who are already taking drugs. This may be coupled with unusually strong curiosity, or ignorance about the effects of drugs, or with a need to take risks." (Ibid., page 18). Another strong reason children begin using illegal drugs is what they see in those they admire. It begins at home. A young man from Bridgeport, Connecticut said, "In my house, you can't sneeze without getting a pill. My mother is always taking something for headaches and my father is always taking something to keep awake to get his work done at night. They're not drunks but they sure drink a lot. So, now I'm a criminal for smoking pot?" When youngsters see rock and roll musicians using illegal drugs, when they read of strong athletes who use drugs, or even national personalities such as the mayor of Washington, D.C. using drugs, they are influenced to mimic those they look up to. The news media often sensationalize the drug problem and, believe it or not, this whets the appetites of some youngsters to find out for themselves what it is all about. Inconsistency in adults can give young people a reason to use illegal substances for a thrill. Alcohol is the number one drug problem world wide, yet it is legalized, advertised, aggrandized, and galvanized into respectability. Parents who take a cocktail before dinner, a sleeping pill before bedtime, and all those other little pills they somehow think they cannot get along without, put before their children an example that leads to the use of the drugs of their choice. Some children experiment with illegal drugs to escape from tension or boredom. They are led to believe that drugs will elevate them into a "beautiful experience." Why do you think they call the effects of drugs a "high?" They think it will boost their consciousness, their skills, and bring them to a plane of experience such as they have never known before. What they are never told, until it is too late, that what goes up must come down. The trip up is much more exhilarating than the trip down. Other youngsters turn to drugs out of rebellion against authority. Somehow, some children build up an great feeling of resentment against being told what they can and cannot do. Whether this is parental authority, school authority, or civil authority, they begin to think they must rebel. They have to show their independence. Some young people began the use of illegal drugs just to show their parents they didn't have to listen to them. This is their way of showing their aggression. They find it thrilling to upset their parents. And sadly, their rebellion is often simply an attention getting device. Basically, youngsters turn to drugs when they lack something basic to them. Something that should be there is missing in their lives. They feel cheated. It may be that had parents provided the right example and instruction to a wayward child a tragedy could have been avoided. There should have been something equally as attractive to the child as drugs offered -- but there wasn't. Those who need a "high" and achieve it through the use of illegal drugs have never sought the right kind of boost in life. There may be some collective fault, but there is no escape from the fact that as rational beings, children must learn that the decisions they make require acceptance of the consequences. Many drug rehabilitation programs now are offering what are called "alternatives." A list of "levels of experience" includes physical, sensory, emotional, interpersonal, social, political, intellectual, and creative esthetic. For each of these, which some seek in drugs, alternatives are listed. The fullest sense of pleasure, satisfaction, and accomplishment comes from enjoying the fullness of blessings in Christ Jesus. In Him, one may be fully satisfied, and complete. To seek a so-called "high" in Christ is better expressed as seeking to know the peace that passes all understanding. That is the direct result of faith that obeys without question what the Lord has revealed. To execute His will, to live for and in Him is not only fully satisfying, it is a great honor and privilege. Why drugs? The addict could respond by asking, "What do you have that is better?" And the best offer is a life free from all the sins of the past, free in Christ from the power of sin, and possession of the power to resist anything that is evil and sensual. There is really only one sure drug rehabilitation program -- faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God manifested daily in a life of complete surrender to His will. If you have a question about any of these things that have been said -- please contact us. Our mailing address is West End Church of Christ, 1609 Parkside Drive, Bowling Green, Ky. 42101. If you would like our free monthly paper, or any kind of Bible study materials, we will try to help you. Well, thank you again -- we appreciate the opportunity to come to you each Sunday on this radio station and hope you'll be back here again next Sunday -- 8 a.m. Goodbye and God bless you. Radio Sermon No. 34