Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 22
September 17, 1970
NUMBER 19, PAGE 7-8b

Drug Abuse: The Escape To Eternal Damnation

Glenn Reeder

The objectives of these articles will be to educate as to (1) the items of drug abuse, (2) how they may be abused, (3) the physical and emotional results of drug abuse, (4) how one may spot a drug problem and how to cope with it, and (5) God's word concerning the indiscriminate use of drugs and why it will lead to everlasting punishment in eternal fire.

If you have read today's newspapers, heard today's news, or heard today's "escape" generation talk, you are conscious of the existence of a drug problem. Young Americans by the thousands, perhaps millions, are testing, tasting and experimenting or going further (to the point of habituation and/or addiction) with marijuana, LSD, pep pills, sedatives, and with heroin.

Even in the face of overwhelming evidence, some do not believe there is a real drug problem. However, most people, especially parents, are becoming more and more aware of a drug problem existing with our young people. These people are perplexed, show disgust, cry out for more and harsher drug laws. In fact, they do about everything except take positive action to alleviate the problem.

Education is by far the most important weapon of all the available tools in the conflict being waged against drug abuse. Drugs, especially marijuana, have been introduced into, not only our universities and colleges, but also into our high schools and even into the grade schools. Many grade schoolers can obtain marijuana in a matter of minutes.

Inexperience and the paucity of research hinder the efforts to educate both the young people and their parents. Many professional organizations (AMA, APhA) civic groups (Jaycees, etc.) have picked up the ball and have started to score against drug abuse. Those who proclaim the Word in the church of our Saviour must heed the problem and devote sermons to the illegal and indiscriminate use of dangerous drugs. Not only is preaching against this evil effective, it is commanded by God to correct the erring. Paul wrote to Titus, "wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith" (Titus 1:13). He also admonished Timothy to "preach the word; be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine" (2 Tim. 4:2). If drug abuse is sinful, and it is, then the abusers must be rebuked.

Elders, as overseers of the flock, should be deeply concerned with this problem. Members of the flock are not immune to the over-indulgence of drugs. Therefore, the elders should engage qualified men to speak on the very real danger of misuse of harmful drugs.

For some people, drug use has become a way of life. Curious youth is prone to experiment. Fortunately, for many of them, the encounter with drugs is a one time event. However, some are very susceptible to certain drugs and they become dependent upon the drug and are hurt, sometimes irreparably, by this casual encounter.

No one really knows what the over use and abuse of potent drugs will do and is doing to the human brain and nervous system, but logic tells us that it must be constituting some drain on the intelligence and skills of the youth of today.

Why are drugs abused? Many "reasons" are given but the following are the most commonly cited: (1) To hit back at the older generation; they desire to embarrass their elders; (2) the world situation, especially the Viet Nam war, and the general unrest that prevails, (3) they are bored and are seeking new thrills; (4) to release their frustrations; (5) they are fatigued, (6) to escape the pressures of life and growing up such as the pressure to excel academically or athletically. These, which, when compounded by the over Specter of discontent, may cause the emotionally and/or physically weak individual to seek cures of his own or to try to escape reality.

Using drugs as a "cure" or an "escape," the individual may be seeking instant courage, immediate relief from his problems; he may wish to "turn on," "turn off," pep up, calm down or experience new kicks or intensify old thrills.

With such an apparently "easy" solution to problems and pressures, it is not too surprising that the drug abuser has infiltrated our community and is fast joining the ranks of another abuser in presenting a serious social problem. . . the alcoholic, who may also be referred to as a drug abuser. Alcohol is used both topically and systemically as a drug. But drugs are not the answer. They only provide a temporary escape and they may well cause serious physical and psychological harm.

Contrary to popular belief, our young people are not constantly hounded and surrounded by drug pushers. The main reason they submit to drugs is that they are influenced and induced by the insistence and persuasion of their friends, who exert the normal adolescent pressure to conform or to belong.

Young people, hippies, yippies, addicts, minority groups do not constitute all of the drug abusers. Drug abuse affects the families of well known politicians, the respected physician, the high school principal, the Sunday school teacher, etc. Drug abuse also enters into the homes of Christians.

People who take tranquilizers or sedatives in excess of the doses prescribed by their physicians; people who rely solely on stimulants to pep them up or to curb their appetites, are also drug abusers. These people are just like you and me; they probably present no great harm to society as a whole, but they are, nevertheless, drug abusers and they will eventually do harm to their bodies.

Exactly when does drug abuse occur? It occurs at that point when an individual misuses a drug to the extent that it becomes injurious to the individual or to society.

In the next article we will deal with some specific drugs that are being abused.

— Stow, Ohio