A. What Is a Drug?

For Mickey, it wasn’t just fun that drove him to drink, but also fear. Mickey’s father died of Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the young age of 40 … and three other relatives succumbed to the disease before their 40th birthdays. Afraid his life also could be cut short, Mickey decided to “party hard”—his drug of choice, alcohol—because he might never see his sunset years. A therapist commented: “Mickey is totally controlled by fear. He is filled with fear about everything.”

His father’s death was precisely what pushed Mickey over the edge—the critical turning point when his playful partying turned debilitating. The “baseball great” slid into a self-made addiction—running from his fear instead of facing it. With death all around, if Mickey had learned to yield his life to the Lord he could have faced his fear and found comfort by claiming the fourth verse of the 23rd Psalm.…

• Drugs are chemical substances introduced into the body that produce physical, emotional, or mental changes.
• Some drugs are helpful; some drugs are harmful.
• Drugs are used in three primary ways:
  • Ingesting (swallowing pills, powders, liquids)
  • Inhaling (breathing in powders, smoke, fumes, and other inhalants)
  • Injecting (inserting a substance directly into the veins for a faster effect or injecting the drug underneath the skin—called “skin popping”—which allows the drug to be absorbed more slowly into the blood stream)
• Drugs are obtained in three ways:
  • Over-the-counter drugs (legal drugs acquired without a prescription)
  • Prescription drugs (legal drugs prescribed only by medical doctors)
  • Illegal drugs (unlawful to purchase or even possess, although the legal status of certain drugs varies from state to state and country to country)

One of the side effects of living in a world where evil abounds is that the very things God created for our good can be misused for our harm. Such is the case with drugs. Those who take what God intends for good but instead use for harm need to heed these words of warning …

B. What Are the 4 Major Drug Classifications?

What Mickey hoped would help manage his life … ultimately messed up his life. He turned to alcohol to both stimulate and soothe—to rev himself up during the day, then settle himself down at night. But what once went down smooth later left Mickey with a bitter aftertaste in his mouth. “I couldn’t go on the way I was living, drunk and sick and depressed, covering up with lies, trying to remember where I was going or where I had been.” Then the greatest switch-hitter of all time gave this gut-wrenching statement: “Don’t be like me.”

Drugs are generally classified into four major groups depending on their effect on the body. (Note: Certain drugs can fit into more than one category.)

#1 Depressants are drugs that produce a calming effect and slow down the central nervous system.

• Prevalent types: alcohol, sedatives (sleeping pills), tranquilizers (Valium), barbiturates (“downers”), and organic solvents (fast-drying glues and adhesives, gasoline, and aerosols)
• Psychological symptoms: poor concentration, distorted thinking, lack of judgment, and aggressiveness
• Physical effects: drowsiness, slurred speech, lack of coordination, tremors, decreased energy, coma, impaired vision, decreased pulse rate and blood pressure, respiratory depression, and even death

Interestingly, Isaiah 28:7 refers to those who “… stagger from wine and reel from beer … and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions.”

#2 Stimulants are drugs that excite bodily functions and speed up the central nervous system.

• Prevalent types: cocaine, crack, meth, and amphetamines (“speed” or “uppers”)
• Psychological symptoms: excitability, increased energy, exaggerated self-confidence, heightened sexual drive, temporary exhilaration, irritability, apprehension, and intensification of all emotions
• Physical effects: hyperactivity, restlessness, insomnia, loss of appetite, dry mouth, bad breath, itchy nose, dilated pupils, rapid and unclear speech, perspiration, headaches, dizziness, elevated blood pressure and heart rate, psychosis, and even death

The book of Proverbs describes those who walk without wisdom, those who are victims of sudden disaster—similar to one who dies after taking stimulants, “Disaster will overtake him in an instant; he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy” (Proverbs 6:15).

#3 Hallucinogens are drugs that distort and alter the perception of reality.

• Prevalent types: LSD, marijuana, PCP (“angel dust”), and mescaline.
• Psychological symptoms: hallucinations, heightened sensitivities, anxiety attacks, lowered inhibitions, and out-of-body experiences.
• Physical effects: vary with the drug. LSD acts as a stimulant and marijuana acts as a depressant. Reactions differ with each individual: sleeplessness, loss of appetite, increased energy, increased pulse rate and blood pressure, eyes fixed in a blank stare or rapid involuntary eye movements, slurred or blocked speech, higher rate of accidents and violence, disorientation, and even death.

Although the Bible does not directly mention hallucinogens, it does address the hallucinogenic effect of alcohol, which can be disturbing and frightening. Proverbs 23:33–35 says, “Your eyes will see strange sights, and your mind will imagine confusing things…”

#4 Narcotics are drugs that reduce pain and elevate a person’s mood.

• Prevalent types: opium, morphine, codeine, heroin, methadone, and meperidine
• Psychological symptoms: temporary euphoria, dulled senses, lethargy, and confusion
• Physical effects: relief of pain, droopy eyelids, constricted pupils, slowed reactions and motor skills, drowsiness, lack of coordination, depressed reflexes, dry mouth, constipation, scars or abscesses at injection sites, and even death

When you are in pain, ask for the Lord’s wisdom and direction for relief of your pain. Instead of being dependent on drugs, learn to live dependent on the Lord.…

C. What Is Substance Abuse?

Mickey Mantle not only abused alcohol, but he also abused the people around him. His children have spoken of his inattention to the family while they were young. He was depressed, irritable, and when the Yankees lost a game or when Mickey struck out, the children knew to leave Dad alone. The entire family walked on eggshells, hoping to prevent what had become inevitable verbal attacks. Not only was Mickey in denial about his alcoholism, but his wife also minimized the problem. Mickey made excuses for his absences, which often included time spent with other women. Ironically, the baseball great’s increasing dependence on alcohol was a desperate attempt to boost his self-esteem. More and more, alcohol became necessary to function during the day … then more and more was needed for him to sleep at night. Mickey later reflected, “I am embarrassed by what I did when I drank: the foul language, the rudeness, having to face people the next day that I didn’t remember insulting the night before.”

Substance abusers are identified in five ways:

1. Experimental users … try drugs simply out of curiosity.
2. Recreational users … “get high” on drugs on special occasions (parties, celebrations).
3. Regular users … habitually abuse drugs, while attempting to live a “normal life.”
4. Binge users … abuse drugs uncontrollably for a brief period of time and then abstain until the next binge.
5. Dependent users … live emotionally, physically, and psychologically hooked on drugs. Their lives are continually obsessed with getting drugs because of their all-consuming addiction.

While it accurately describes everyone, this truth is illustrated by the lifestyle of the substance abuser.… “All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:12).

D. What Is the Downward Spiral of Dependency?

If only … the downward spiral of dependency had been diagnosed sooner.… If only … Mickey had acknowledged his alcoholism and received help early on, his titles of “champion” and “hero” wouldn’t be smeared by years of drinking. If only … Mickey had processed the pain from his past—his childhood agony and his fear of death—then the downward spiral of dependency could have been deterred. If only … Mickey had found a meaningful way to spend his free time rather than downing yet another drink in airport lobbies and hotel rooms. If only … Mickey had learned to nix his need for alcohol, his four sons might not have followed in his footsteps and become alcoholics. If only … Mickey had heeded these words …

LEVELS OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE:

• Intoxication occurs when the influence of a substance in your body causes changes in your behavior, including mood changes, faulty judgment, slurred speech, poor coordination, unsteady gait, sexual impropriety, aggressive behavior, and impaired social functioning. Intoxication can result in a coma or even death.
  • Dorland’s Medical Dictionary defines intoxication as “poisoning; the state of being poisoned” and “the condition produced by excessive use of alcoholic stimulants.”
  • Moses said, “Their grapes are filled with poison.… Their wine is the venom of serpents, the deadly poison of cobras” (Deuteronomy 32:32–33).
• Abuse occurs when your use of drugs causes you to fail to fulfill your responsibilities, fail to maintain healthy relationships, or put yourself or others at risk of harm.
• Addiction occurs when you experience: Drug tolerance (needing more), Physical dependence (withdrawal symptoms), and Intense craving (compulsive use).
• Other indicators: Loss of control, targeting activities where drugs are available, and continual use despite negative consequences.
• Withdrawal occurs when the distress caused by a lack of the drug severely disrupts daily life and drains emotions until all joy is gone.

E. What Is Codependency?

They surround sports heroes and stars of stage and screen … they’re known as “enablers” … those who make sure the alcohol keeps flowing and the pills keep pumping. They keep giving addicts what they want—or what they demand—but to their detriment, and often to their demise. One case that made international headlines in 2009 involved Michael Jackson, the “King of Pop.” His attending doctor has been accused of providing, to appease the superstar, the drug that ultimately caused his death. It was a premature death … an unnecessary death … perhaps even a wrongful death. While Mickey Mantle’s dependency was solely on alcohol, there was much codependency in his life. While loving enablers think they’re doing what is right …

The term “codependency” is often associated with addictions, specifically with the dysfunctional relationships between the addicts and the “people pleasers” around them.

• Codependent was a word first used in the 1970s to describe a family member living with someone dependent on alcohol. The prefix co- means “with” or “one associated with the action of another.”
• Codependency became a term describing the dysfunctional behavior of family members seeking to adapt to the alcoholic’s negative behavior. The dynamic of codependency is similar to that of having an elephant in the living room that no one talks about but everyone maneuvers around.
• Codependent people or “enablers” enable the alcoholic to continue on with the addiction without drawing and maintaining boundaries.
• Codependency is a relationship addiction. Just as the alcoholic is dependent on alcohol, the codependent is overly dependent on the relationship with the addict.
• Codependent, today, refers to anyone who is dependent on another to the point of being controlled or manipulated by that person.