Consequences

It's an ongoing debate. Some call alcoholism a disease triggered by genetic disposition. Others brand it a character defect or a moral failing--in other words, a sin. One thing is clear: There's no disagreement over the effect of substance abuse on the user and his or her family and friends.

It is devastating.

Some sincere Christians preach temperance or abstinence when it comes to alcohol. Others practice moderation responsibly. Yet some--too many--are snared in addiction, steadily destroying their bodies, their relationships, their careers. And, tragically, some alcoholics drown a once-vital connection to Jesus and His Church in the false god of a momentary high.

I've seen strong men and noble women whose lives unraveled, whose marriages crumbled, whose faith could not hold them up under the frightful weight of their need to numb their senses and drown their despair or insecurity in drink or drugs.

Hope

I've also seen the miracle of restoration and rebirth that can occur when an alcoholic or drug abuser acknowledges his or her condition and turns to others for help. Millions of those triumphant stories are told each week at Alcoholics Anonymous or other substance abuse meetings. Though not always overtly Christian, many such meetings close with a recitation of the Lord's Prayer or the Serenity Prayer.

If you are trapped in alcohol abuse, or if you love someone who is, I have a word for you.

The word is not "shame." It's not "sinner." It's not even "stop"--because on your own, you probably can't or won't.

The word is "trust." I encourage you to trust that God and His people will offer you the hand of friendship and, where necessary, forgiveness. Trust that God, in his grace, will give you the strength to say "No" to any addiction that enslaves you and diminishes you. Trust that God will provide someone in your life to offer you a message of healing and hope through Jesus. It is Jesus, after all, who is the source of life's truest high.