Help! I’m struggling with substance abuse/misuse
Nowadays, nearly every famous local artist has a hit song that mentions one drug or another.
Substance abuse seems like a heavy, scary term that you probably don’t think you know much about, but it’s all around us and heavily ingrained in our current society. Whether you hear it in songs sung by famous local artists like “Weed is My Best Friend” or it’s just a game you used to play because you thought it was “fun” when you were in primary school. Yes – we’re talking about ‘chalk puffing.’
Substance abuse is the excessive use of a remedy (cure or reliever) in a way that is harmful to oneself or society. It refers to the excessive use of something as a remedy (cure or relief) in a way that is detrimental to oneself or society. It appears at the juncture where addiction (or the incapacity to restrain one’s addiction) starts.
Note: An addiction isn’t always to an innately harmful substance; it can be to your favourite foods, too, such as skittles, M&M’s, peanut butter, etc. To what are you addicted? Think about it. How does it make you feel?
WHY DO PEOPLE TURN TO SUBSTANCE ABUSE?
But why? Why do we turn to these things that are actually bad for us? Let’s explore this together!
One major influence we would have mentioned before is music or influencers, but let’s take it a bit further. The influencers are easily seen, but the ones who ensure that their actions are spread are your peers.
Studies show that peer pressure causes 21% of teens to use an illicit substance or drug at least once. Substances like LSD, morphine, tobacco, cocaine, ecstasy, molly, weed brownies, and gummy shots, just to name a few,
Some are cultured into the destructive habit by their own parents, guardians, or family members. For example, casually taking a beer to drink every day after work to ‘wind down’ or seeing them going to smoke a cigarette or blunt to ‘clear their mind.’ Children learn by observing those around them, so naturally they think, ‘Oh, maybe there’s nothing actually wrong with it.’ At school, they’re being told that it’s not good for them, but at home, another song is being sung. Oftentimes, the children in households or environments such as these are introduced to the substances by these very people; an uncle might offer them a cork of rum, or a cousin may offer them a cigarette to smoke.
Other reasons people tend to gravitate towards abusing illicit substances include stress, loneliness, depression, and anxiety, among others. Users tend to ingest the drugs that fill the gap or provide what they are lacking. One such example is magic mushrooms, which envelop the user in a euphoria that sometimes mimics a false sense of motherly love.
OVERCOMING (NOW THAT I KNOW…WHAT NEXT?)
No man is an island, and no man walks alone. With community, you can overcome your addiction. Proverbs 11:14 (KJV) says this: “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.”Safety is present within accountability; if we confess our faults one to another, there will be healing. If we seek accountability, we will gradually get over an addiction.
Proverbs 13:20 teaches us that, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” What kind of friends do you keep? What is your environment like? If the environment you are in produces the fruit of addiction again and again, is it really the environment in which you should be? A change of environment is necessary for growth; the same old thing cannot continue. In order to grow out of your addictions, a change of environment is compulsory.
Change your environment. Seek accountability. Seek help.
Most importantly, be vulnerable with God. Be open before Him. Let Him change your heart. Psalm 51:10 states: “Create in me a clean heart and purify me.”
God is able to transform and change us to be completely free of any addiction. He truly sets us free, free from sin, and free from the hurt and shame that come with it. If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. (John 8:36).
There are various substance abuse/misuse treatment programmes available locally, including one that is Bible-based being carried out by Teen Challenge Jamaica. Look out for an upcoming feature on their work, and the true story of a teen who took one puff too many, and the havoc that has ensued.
We are praying for God to break the chain of substance abuse over young people’s lives all across the globe, for He is more than able to deliver anyone who calls on His Name.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. (Psalm 51:17)
Youth S.O.U.l.diers, join Youth S.O.U.L. every Friday at 6 p.m. on TBC Radio, 88.5/.9 f.m. as we discuss a variety of topics affecting youth. You may also stream via online radio platforms. Contact us at [email protected].
