S1-Day 12: God in dirty places: Drug Abuse

“I understood myself only after I destroyed myself. And only in the process of fixing myself, did I know who I really was” (Unknown). 

These are words of a person who recovered from drug addiction. It only shows how a recovered person is in search of life after drug abuse/addiction. Drug Abuse in India is a common term. I am very particular about Drug Abuse, because this topic contains many things to retrospect from various angles, and not all sides have the same conclusion. This proves, how important a topic it is for today’s society. How do I view Drug Abuse? What sort of connection does it have to the present situation? Want to know more? Let us read through.

As a chaplain I have heard many women's voices from gardeners, housekeeping staff, canteen staff etc. This is one of the teary-cry of a woman whom I encountered. 

One night, I was waiting for my husband, expecting him to be back soon. Late in the night her came home drunk. He started beating me for more money to buy liquor again. In my struggle and tears I could only search for God from this situation. In search for a God from my very own dirty place asking for strength to protect my children and myself. Though, I waited to have dinner with him, he would just eat everything and sleep, even without looking at me or inquiring if we had eaten. At that point, I wished atleast God would look at me. In the midst of the smell of his vomit, I searched for God, praying, when will you change this, O God, and make my life into a pleasant fragrance? In my loneliness I searched if God would atleast listen to my loud silence. When the lights of our house are switched off I sleep with a pitiful hope that one day my God will save me and my daughter from here.

According to my understanding, I have viewed Drug abuse in two ways, firstly, as the over usage of drugs to get addictive by using cocaine, tobacco, ganja, heroin, even alcohol to s major extent etc. These types of drugs will keep the person in a trance. Secondly, Drug abuse is also over using tablets and medications. It can be with the advice of doctor or it can be taken by self. On the whole it is all about using legal or illegal substances in ways one shouldn’t be using. We may think that only a certain age group of people are targeted and only they are addicted to drugs. But the truth is we are all involved in one or the other way. Knowingly or unknowingly we have become a part and parcel of drug abuse in our society. Now the question is how do we get out of it? I think short illustrations about various situations might help us.

I heard a news that a kidney failure patient who used to go for dialysis regularly for a couple of years. But once when he visited the doctor for checkup, he complained of uneasiness and discomfort. When the doctor asked for his other prescription it was found that the tablets he is consuming is a higher dosage for sugar, it was mistakenly given to him in pharmacy and his sugar level dropped very low which led to death.

The other side not only the adults, today many students are illegally getting drugs. They are consuming it excessively just for the sake of pleasure/pressure. On one side the lack of understanding and knowledge of drugs throws people into blindly following the prescription as per the advice of a physician. And on the other side many students, youngsters even adults use drug as a norm and as a pride of student’s community.

The other situation: when recently the liquor shops opened we could hear many voices of women and children crying out from their houses. This too is a type of drug abuse  that results in domestic violence in many cases. The person may have spent the money on liquor, instead of buying food materials for a day’s meal for the whole family. the queues in front of shops to purchase liquor ignored social distancing and other guidelines of COVID-19. Who is to be held responsible? Is is the government or the ones who want to satisfy their addiction/pleasure? When a person does not have money to buy milk or bread for their children, but stands in the queue to buy alcohol, how then can the family afford to buy costlier medicines for those in need in their respective homes? In the midst of such addictions and abuse, how one will find God? How are they going to search for God in their own Dirty places? At least before quarantine on Sundays the family members had an opportunity to cry out everything to God. But now everything has changed, their own places became as a place of finding God in the midst of hunger and drug abuse.

Drugs keep a person away from normal and decent life. They are to realize what they are doing and get out of their addiction. At the same time we as member of the church and society ought not send them away but rather embrace them in love and correction to help them realize their responsibility towards their family, church and society. Let us look around, and be sensitive to those who suffer and listen to their cries. This issue is a reality in many families. Excluding such people is never an answer. As a Church let us join hands, to embrace them all. Remember 1 John 4:10, 11 God is love, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. May God guide us forward, especially in guiding those from such abuses towards their liberation.

Prayer: Our Gracious God, as we come before you from our dirty place, hear our cry. Help us to overcome the temptations, addictions, abuses which we come across in our lives. Help us to find our paths to be connected with you all the time. Be with us guiding us in your path. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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Author: G. Christinal Nesa Preethi

About the Author: Christina belongs to the Indian Evangelical Lutheran Church, Ambur. She completed her Bachelor of Divinity from the United Theological College, Bangalore. At present she is working as the Chaplain of Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS). She ministers with the patients, students and staff community of PIMS, Pondicherry.