The Sunday Mail
Pastor Tinashe Zinyemba The Christian Youth —
Schools are open and most people are back at work, I pray that 2017 will be a productive year. Production will only come when you apply yourself and take the necessary steps towards achieving your goals.
Focus is essential. An interesting quote says, “Feed your passion and starve your fears”, let nothing limit you this year.
In the coming weeks, we will tackle a disturbingly growing scourge amongst the youth. If it is not dealt with, it will snuff out destinies and ultimately destroy our corporate future as a people.
Genesis 9 will anchor our discussion. Scripture says, “And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.”
Noah got so drunk that he fell asleep in a drunken stupor while he was naked. Quite embarrassing if I may say! Most of us can relate to drunkenness either from relatives or colleagues. Drug abuse is on the increase in our society, particularly among the youth, and is of great concern.
Some young people are selling illegal drugs while others are either smoking or drinking banned substances. Some are now addicted to prescription medication or alcohol. Some are addicted but not aware of it.
We will dedicate the coming weeks to addressing this deadly scourge, may God help us.
The term “drug” can refer to any chemical substance that alters your brain chemistry, affects your feelings and perceptions, or changes the way your body functions. Drugs may include prescription medications, banned substances among them marijuana or alcohol.
Some users seek drugs supposedly to relax and unwind while others do so supposedly to expand their perceptions or get energy.
For many addicts, drugs are a way to relieve physical or emotional pain. Drug addiction rarely happens overnight. Addiction is a chronic disease characterised by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences.
The initial decision to take drugs is voluntary for most people, but repeated drug use can lead to brain changes that challenge an addicted person’s self-control and interferes with their ability to resist intense urges.
Here are a couple of reasons why people take drugs. The list is not exhaustive. Before users realise it, they are hooked and cannot do without a fix.
- People suffering from anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression or other mental illnesses.
- Stress relief or feelings of emptiness.
- People figure if a drug is prescribed by a doctor, it must be okay .
- Some get physically injured and unintentionally get hooked on prescribed drugs.
- People chase the sensation they once experienced and think drugs will help. The thrill of being a rebel.
- Peer pressure.
- Drugs and alcohol are more accessible these days than ever.
9.They feel that alcohol isn’t enough.
10.Experimenting
The apostle Paul says in Ephesians 5:18, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit”.
Drug addiction is a significant problem that presents so many unnecessary challenges in our lives. I remember one time when I was called to minister at a particular church.
When we were done, a woman approached me in tears with her teenage son, asking me to pray for him because he was a drug addict. Just by looking at the young man, you could tell that he was in a bad state. I have counselled addicts who got to the extent of stealing and selling everything they had just to get high.
The Merck Manual provides an analysis of the stages of drug dependence as follows:
- Tolerance
Your body gets used to a certain amount of the drug. You can tell that you have reached a state of tolerance when you find yourself needing more of the drug to get the effects you are looking for.
- Psychological dependence
You have gotten used to the sensations that a drug generates and you feel disoriented, edgy or unable to function when you cannot take the drug. Psychological dependence does not necessarily mean that you are physically dependent on the drug. But the compulsion to use the substance may be so powerful that it feels like a physical addiction. Drugs that often cause psychological dependence include marijuana, meth and hallucinogens.
- Physical dependence
Your body experiences strong withdrawal symptoms when you stop using the drug such as nausea, vomiting, sweating, shaking or seizures. Drugs that can cause physical withdrawal symptoms include alcohol, heroin, benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax and Ativan) and cocaine.
- Addiction
Although there is no universal definition for drug addiction, this condition is often defined by a compulsive need to seek and obtain the drug of choice. Addiction is also defined by the dangers that it presents to the user, including the danger of physical illness, the threat of violence, exposure to crime, the destruction of personal relationships and the loss of personal integrity.
By the time a drug user reaches a state of addiction, he or she may be beyond the point of asking for help. Intervention by loved ones, employers, social workers or law enforcement may be necessary to keep the addict from harming the person.
The consequences of Noah’s drug or alcohol abuse in Genesis 9 are such that the Bible had to record it, he cursed his own son and grandson. Drug abuse is bad for the abuser and those they associated with.
If you are an abuser of drugs, you need help, both divine and human. Find someone to talk to. If you know someone who needs assistance, do your best to intervene in wisdom and love as early as possible.
Till next time, take care and God bless.
Tinashe Zinyemba is a pastor with New Life Covenant Church. Feedback: [email protected]
