Here in Ohio, USA drug addiction seems to be increasing, especially Heroin use. As a result, quite a few people, young and old, are dying from overdoses or ending up in accidents. They are also losing their jobs, families and livelihoods.
Many men and women in high places are discussing the problems and some are asking the state to allocate more money for treatment. One approach is to give a wonder drug to Police and EMT professionals to wake those who overdose from their stupor and save their lives.
What can the churches do to help stop these problems? We are not very likely to keep expensive drugs on hand or train people in emergency medicine.
First, allow me to remind us that there are 5 Levels of need.
1. Very healthy in body, soul and spirit with no life interrupting problems.
2. Healthy with some symptoms of medicating ourselves with food, tobacco, work or religion.
3. Over medicating with some substance or activity with harmful results.
4. Habitually over medicating, compulsive & dependency in need of professional insights, assistance and interventions.
5. Desperately addicted and in need of special treatment.
Where do you put drug addiction? For me it is a 4 to 5. Few churches are prepared to take on the Ebola epidemic or the heroin epidemic. However, every church can do some things to slow the epidemic down.
The church is especially suited to help individuals in 1 and 2 develop prevention programs. They can also sponsor Recovery Groups for people in 3 and 4 and follow up for those in 5. seeking treatment.
All Christians need to:
1. Show compassion and concern without condemnation, guilt or shame. Preach on accepting all persons. Preach on healing, growth and change. Offer HOPE!
2. Equip some of the healthy people in the church to serve as Peer Helpers. Start by teaching classes on family health. Raise the level of health in the congregation.
3. Start Coaching and Lay Caring programs for any and all people in distress. Remove shame from the church. If healing and growth are not available for normal, daily problems, no addict or his family will believe you want to them them.
4. Start a weekly time of healing prayer for anyone with mental emotional, relational or physical problems.
5. Start an Alanon meeting for family members.
6. Start an AA meeting for addicts.
7. Bring in ex-addicts to offer testimonies.
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Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and one other singing Gospel Music. All suffered from over medicating themselves.
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