You suspect your child is doing drugs. Maybe he has been hanging out with the wrong types of friends after school, or maybe she’s been looking “out of it” when she comes home from school or work.
Your child’s behavior is erratic, and you’ve seen so many changes lately that you think drugs might be involved. Or maybe you’ve caught him red-handed with a stash of weed or pills right in your home. You’ve confronted him, or maybe you’re planning on confronting him, but you don’t think it did or would do any good.
What would God want you to do?
What God Says About Drugs
Although the Bible doesn’t mention weed, smack, or crank by name, the Bible does address God’s will when it comes to getting high. Consider this passage:
1 Peter 5:8 English Standard Version (ESV)
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
That is a very clear statement. When you can’t be sober-minded, i.e. high on drugs, you open the gateway of your soul to the devil. Obviously, God does not want you or your child to fall victim to the devil because of lack of clear thinking. Let’s look at another Bible passage.
Galatians 5:21 English Standard Version (ESV)
21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Paul, the writer of Galatians, would have equated getting high with drunkenness because of the lack of control substance abuse imposes. He understood the problems that putting substances in one’s body caused. What is more, it puts the soul in peril for its salvation.
Lastly, let’s look at the body, itself.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 English Standard Version (ESV)
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
Again, this Bible passage makes it clear. Your body is not your own, but God’s. Those who abuse their body through drugs are destroying the relationship with God, because drugs are indeed harmful to the body. Even marijuana is dangerous, especially to a growing adolescent. It can cause a decrease in IQ among teens that is never recovered, even when they stopped using. It makes teens more susceptible to other problems such as schizophrenia and psychosis later in life. Furthermore, it is a gateway drug that often causes users to explore more dangerous drugs in search of that “high.”
What Should You Do if Your Child Has a Drug Problem?
Drugs — even cannabis — are not safe. With the legalization of marijuana in many states, teenagers are now tempted more than ever to try this drug, and are getting hooked. But confronting your child in an angry way may not work. After all, you’re dealing with a drug, and not a person when your child is addicted. Instead, consider the words of Jesus Christ:
Mark 2:17 English Standard Version (ESV)
17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Your child is sick and needs to be treated for her addiction if he or she has done drugs more than a couple of times. Talk to your child about the seriousness of substance abuse, its consequences, and how it affects her relationship to Jesus Christ.
Whether or not you’ve tried drugs in your youth is immaterial to the argument. You are not talking about your past transgressions, but your child’s health and soul. If you had been addicted, you know how tough it is to quit. Your past sins do not give your child an excuse to sin as well. You overcame the urge — it is now time for your child to come clean.
It is imperative to get your teenager started in a Christian drug rehabilitation center, or one that has a Christian tract, that will help him with detoxing and help him fight his addiction. Drug abuse is rampant in this country, and will may continue to worsen over time if stronger political action isn’t taken with regard to the widespread heroin epidemic.
Drug use is linked to mental health issues, so be sure to have your child treated to ensure that he or she may stay healthy and follow Jesus Christ.
~ 1776 Christian
