What Can We Do?

By Judy Davis –

While sitting in the dental office I picked up a People magazine and started reading an article. What I read gripped my heart!  It gave staggering statistics for powerful and highly addictive medications. According to the article more Americans will die this year of drug overdoses than in any other type of accident–including car crashes. In most cases those deaths are caused by pills that are in many peoples’ medicine cabinets.

Drugs are now the number one accidental killer in the U.S. with the vast majority of deaths caused by prescription medications. Addiction to drugs and alcohol is a powerful and sinister evil in our society. Many of these drugs are given by the individual’s physicians. According to statistics there is one death every twenty-four minutes.

Wikipedia states avenues of obtaining prescription drugs for misuse are varied: sharing between family and friends, illegally buying medications at school or work, and often “doctor shopping” to find multiple physicians to prescribe the same medication, without knowledge of other prescribers. Increasingly, law enforcement is holding physicians responsible for prescribing controlled substances without fully establishing patient controls, such as a patient “drug contract.” Concerned physicians are educating themselves on how to identify medication-seeking behavior in their patients, and are becoming familiar with red flags that would alert them to potential prescription drug abuse.

What can parents do to help their loved ones overcome this problem that is destroying lives?

1. Take them to a professional and/or a rehabilitative clinic. They need to get help to overcome the desire to take more than what is prescribed by their physician. Give them the medication when it is scheduled and lock up the rest.

2. Pray and seek Godly wisdom for your loved one.

3. Hope that those who are caught up in addiction to drugs will have a desire to change their life.

4. Don’t ignore the Word of God.

“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:8 NIV).

PRAYER:  Dear Father, so much evil is destroying our families. Guide us daily to seek You with all of our hearts. Help us so we will have an answer to give to those caught up in the awful addiction to alcohol and drugs. Only You, Lord, can help them to overcome in Jesus’ name.