Every green plant? Drugs and the Christian

I have a folder of articles on the benefits of smoking. It’s a thin folder. There are, however, a few noteworthy benefits: relaxation, settling effects for people with nervous disorders, increased concentration, suppression of appetite. You can’t say that smoking is all bad. Everything that God created is good and ought not be rejected but received with thanksgiving (1 Tim 4:4)—even nicotine. And yet, anyone taking up smoking today, in an age where it has been medically and legally demonstrated that smoking causes cancer and is likely to be the major cause of death by 2020, hasn’t done much work on the ‘pros’ and ‘cons’. The devastating biological damage which smokers experience outweighs any positive effects of smoking.

But smoking has come and gone in fashion among Christians. There have been times when, in some denominations, it was common to smoke—even in church. And there have been other times in which smoking has been almost a sign of leaving the faith. Smoking tends to get attached to a culture, but that culture has varied from time to time. For instance, a stereotypical photo of an erudite European theology lecturer from the middle of the 20^th century would often feature a pipe or cigarette. Such a photo is today unimaginable on the back cover of a book by, say, an American evangelical scholar. For the European, it was associated with a culture of learning and moral rectitude; for the American it represents a rebellion that ought not be associated with Christian living and thinking.

The relationship between drugs and Christians is not always as obvious as it seems. The drug questions facing Christians of the mid-20^th century seem petty when compared with the drug-related issues confronting Christians in the new millennium. The advances in medical technology have produced a vast range of drugs for ‘treating’ every conceivable human condition from pregnancy to depression to obesity to nausea. The growth of naturopathy and herbal remedies has paralleled the growth in medically-tested treatments. At the same time, use of ‘hard drugs’ such as cocaine, heroin and amphetamines is increasingly common and the consequences of long-term drug use increasingly visible in Western cities. It seems as if the answer to every human ailment, and the cause of many, is found in the form of a pill.

Is this a good or bad thing? Does the Bible provide guidance on an issue such as this? How do we decide what kinds of drugs we ought to take, and which we ought to avoid? Can we draw such distinctions?

This article covers a lot of ground very quickly, with the aim of providing some useful basic information for dealing with drug issues in our churches. After differentiating between kinds of drugs and their uses, the article presents some useful facts and figures on drug use in Australia (US readers see www.lec.org/WOD/USA. UK readers see www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds). It then considers what it is that attracts people to drug use and how we can improve our use of the Bible in responding to the issues.

1. Types of drugs

I began the article referring to smoking, but many people don’t even think of nicotine as in the category of ‘drug’. Likewise, with alcohol. Does the grandmother having a glass of sherry in the evening consider herself a drug user? She should.

A drug is anything that produces an altered chemical balance in the bloodstream and an associated altered mood. To this extent, Coca Cola is a drug; chilli might be considered a drug; coffee is a drug. Drug-taking has been part of human culture for as long as we have records. However, the last 200 years have seen the capacity to generate new chemicals, and the research to establish their modes of action. Today, when we think of drugs, we tend to think in three categories: medicine, recreation, and addiction

Medicinal uses of drugs are, by and large, considered a positive thing. There are many debates about what drugs should be allowed to which people, but there are few people suggesting that the availability of drugs to treat existing conditions or prevent likely conditions is a bad thing. Among Christians, there is a range of attitudes to medicinal drug use but it is not significantly different from the non-Christian population. Our questions revolve around the safe usage of the drug, understanding of effects and side-effects, and the consequences of drug use for others (e.g. contraceptives).

Recreational drug use is an area which causes much more anguish among Christians. Should Christians drink or smoke? What kinds of drugs are acceptable for Christians to use to relax? Is it an area of freedom, or an area of ethical distinctiveness? Should Christians mark themselves out from the rest of the community by their attitude to recreational drug use? These are all valuable and difficult questions and we will endeavour to see whether Scripture can shed light on them a little later. One of the key issues for Christians seems to be the level of mood alteration which a drug causes.

Addiction occurs when a person becomes physically, emotionally and psychologically dependent on a substance for daily living. Addictive drugs are often illegal or restricted in availability. Drugs such as cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and amphetamines have addictive qualities which seriously compromise the ability of users to give them up. They also have broader, more overwhelming effects than other drugs. Some involve dream-like ‘trips’, but the individual is usually immobile during such experiences (in other words, they have no physical impact upon other people). Cocaine is the most addictive; heroin is the most organically damaging. Ecstasy and marijuana seem to cause less problems but still generate overwhelming sensations. The Christian attitude to such substances is clear so long as they are illegal (we shall discuss this later). But it is important that we consider now what attitudes we might have to them if they become legally available.

2. Facts and figures

A great deal of research is becoming available on the medical, social and cultural consequences of drug use. Inevitably, it is used by politicians to push their particular agenda, and the statistics are ‘angled’ to support the kind of social policy that is being promoted. Below are some facts and figures which seem relevant to a Christian discussion of the issue. Most of this information is available in The National Drug Strategy Household Survey, 1995.

Use of illicit drugs in Australian society has become common. According to a New South Wales Drug Summit Communiqué, 20% of Australian adults have used cannabis in the past year; 5% have used ecstasy; 5% have used cocaine; and 2% have used heroin.
Around 70% of inmates in Australian prisons were under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time they committed the crime.
Drug use has major detrimental effects upon society in medical expenses, crime, accidents, law enforcement requirements, and loss of productivity.
New South Wales Police estimate that they detect only about 10% of imported illicit drugs.
In 1996, 739 people died in Australia as a result of illicit drug use. As a comparison, around 6,000 people died as a result of alcohol use, and around 20,000 died as a result of smoking-related illnesses.
It costs a heroin user around $55,000 a year to support their habit. Outside of merchant banking and stock exchange speculation, this kind of money can only be made through criminal activities, with drug dealing being the most obvious choice. In other words, the cycle of drug use is self-perpetuating.
It is as yet unclear whether there is a ‘slippery slope’ in drug use. People who use alcohol and nicotine are more likely than others to try cannabis, and people who use cannabis are more likely than others to try heroin or cocaine. However, the majority of drug users do not move from ‘soft’ to ‘hard’ drugs.
Most drug use in Australian society is neither abusive nor problematic to the individual or the community and could be described as recreational or ‘experimentational’. People who use drugs in this way do so for short periods of their lives (most commonly as 20-29 year olds).
Ongoing use of illicit drugs has a strong correlation with the following factors: disordered family relationships, socioeconomic disadvantage, early and prolonged homelessness, long-term unemployment, increased availability of drugs. It is also correlated with personality traits such as addictive predisposition, lack of self-esteem, stress, and emotional disorder.

3. The culture of drug use

These facts and figures tell us something about drug use in our society, but they only begin to hint at the wider factors involved. It is not just that a certain percentage of individuals use particular drugs; it is just as important to note that they do so as part of a particular sub-culture.

For example, it is increasingly common for young people to dabble with illicit drugs. Why do they do that? The followingreasons seem to be most significant:

An expression of rebellion. As well as being a rebellion against the government, illicit drug use is clearly a means of rebelling against authority figures such as teachers and parents. It is part of a complex of teenage rebellious activity which includes music, sex, clothing, and language.
A hunger for freedom. It is a cliché to describe drugs as an escape from reality. For some young people, they may provide an alternative to abuse, poverty, unemployment and loneliness.
A search for meaning. Some young people believe that drug-taking will give them access to otherwise closed dimensions of reality. They try drugs in an attempt to get in touch with the ‘other’.
To relieve anxiety. In their increasingly pressured lives, some young people seek the anaesthetic effects of drugs.
A reflection of social isolation, helplessness or self-destruction. Drug use can be a less final solution than suicide for the depressed person.
Recreation and experimentation. For many, the initial attraction to drugs is the desire for new experiences, to find out what everyone is talking about, to escape from the boredom of reality, and just to feel good.

For these and other reasons, a large percentage of young people dabble in illicit drugs. Most pass through the phase. What is so damaging for those who do not is that ongoing drug use not only becomes physically destructive, but sweeps the user into the destructive sub-culture of ‘users’, with all its attendant problems. This dysfunctional sub-culture is as much the problem as the effects of the drugs themselves.

This is compounded by the affects of addiction. The addiction can be physical, but it is often emotional and psychological. It may amount to an insurmountable desire to recover the feeling of the last ‘trip’, regardless of the consequences. Addiction is almost always an unwanted consequence of drug use. Very few people begin taking drugs with the intention of becoming addicted; everyone thinks they will be able to ‘control’ their use. Addiction is usually a gradual process, and one which is hard to track. In other words, it can be very difficult for a drug user to ascertain when they are becoming addicted.

As a physical and psychological condition, addiction requires proper treatment. Whilst it is likely the outcome of sinful behaviour on the part of the addict, it is not a state which the addict can necessarily recover from on his or her own. Help is required (see ‘Tips For Helping Friends’ below). We have to recognise addictive behaviours of all sorts (pornography, physical/sexual abuse, gambling) and get proper counselling for addicted people.

An addict has surrendered his or her free will to the control of an external force. It’s not the same as idolatry (which involves elevating creation to the level of God), but has some similarities. Addicts are often seeking peace and comfort from sources other than God and his provision. If the addict is a Christian, they have returned to a kind of slavery which most likely makes it impossible to serve Jesus Christ. “Live as free men,” Peter writes, “but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God” (1 Pet 2:16).

4. Christian approaches

We come now to consider some Christian approaches to the issues surrounding drug use. Our use of the Bible in responding to the issues has been inadequate thus far, and the usual arguments for why people should not use illicit drugs are founded more in conservative culture than in Scripture. By looking more closely at the gospel of Jesus, we can find stronger foundation for dealing with this issue, perhaps with some surprising outcomes.

There are three common Christian responses to this issue. Each has some value, but two of the three are also flawed.

a. As a Christian, I shouldn’t use illicit drugs because they are illegal.

This is the watertight answer to the drug question. As long as they are illegal, and as long as their illegal status is not jeopardising the gospel of Jesus and our allegiance to it, then there is no excuse for Christians using illegal substances. The Bible is clear: “Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established … Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgement on themselves” (Rom 13:1-2).

b. As a Christian, my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit so I shouldn’t pollute it.

The command of Scripture is clear: “Honour God with your body” (1 Cor 6:20). However, the meaning of this phrase is not quite so clear. How do we honour God with our bodies? We know that we ought not be sexually immoral, but it is less clear how drugs are implicated in this command. Alcohol, for instance, is explicitly commended in Scripture, given by God to “gladden the heart of man” (Ps 104:15). So, drugs per se are not the problem. The fact that we are filled by the Holy Spirit rather than alcohol emphasizes the way in which our lives ought to be totally ruled by God’s will rather than anything else. Inasmuch as drug use is similar to drunkenness, this is a prohibition against overuse and intoxication. But it does not say that any drug use is wrong.

c. As a Christian, I need to have self-control (it’s one of the fruits of the Spirit, according to Galatians 5).

Again, this is true, but there needs to be more attention to what self-control involves. For example, if someone is highly anxious but becomes calm by smoking cigarettes, are they or are they not pursuing self-control? If a tired, listless editor (for argument’s sake) has a strong cup of coffee to help him through the morning, is that or is that not self-control? Does self-control mean not taking any medication because this would mean surrendering control to the medication? It seems unlikely. Speaking about food and sex, Paul writes “I will not be mastered by anything” (1 Cor 6:12). Does this apply to drug use?

The idea of self-control in Scripture seems to revolve around restraining the sinful nature and patiently waiting for the time of salvation (Gal 5:23; 1 Thess 5:6-8; 1 Pet 4:7, 5:8; 2 Pet 1:3-9). Self-control seems to involve maintaining perspective on yourself, your standing before God, and your future as a part of the body of Christ. It is often mistakenly thought of as ‘saying no to everything’, and this may prove to be counter-productive.

Whilst valuable and important, these three standard Christian arguments have at times been misused to support either a conservative or a liberal approach to drug use. Stepping back just a little, there are two larger theological truths which can help our thinking about drugs.

The first is that God has made the world for mankind to inhabit, rule and enjoy according to the structures and laws that are built into the fabric of the creation. In other words, there is a right way to live in the creation; a God-given way to participate in it and rule it (often referred to in the Old Testament as ‘wisdom’). Now insofar as a drug (or any substance) assists us to participate fully in the reality of the world (to live well and rightly) then it should be received with thanksgiving. The wine that gladdens man’s heart, the medicine that restores our health, the cup of coffee that lifts and energises us—these are good things. Conversely, insofar as a drug hinders or subverts our participation in the reality of God’s world, it is harmful. This is why drunkenness and intoxication of all kinds are fundamentally wrong— they are ‘anti-reality’. They prevent us from thinking and acting rightly, or in accordance with reality.

The second important truth that should inform our thinking is that God has a future for our world. The death and resurrection of Jesus have brought about the fulfilment of God’s plan of salvation. We live in the end times, when we expect Christ to return to judge the world, and to usher in the new age of eternity. We long for his arrival, and we trust that it will come in God’s good timing. Until then, we recognise that this is the hour of salvation, when God is gathering more and more people into his church.

Everything we do in this shadow-world, this vale of tears, needs to be seen in the light of this future. The New Testament reiterates this perspective over and over again: to live is Christ, to die is gain (Phil 1:21); our present sufferings are nothing compared with the glory that awaits us (Rom 8:18); we are to set our hope fully on the grace that is to be given us when Christ is revealed (1 Pet 1:13).

Such language may seem too broad and impractical in the face of earthly issues such as drug use, but it is surprisingly practical when it becomes a means of directing one’s thinking. It gives us an angle from which to view all of our decisions: do they take us towards the risen Christ, or away from him?

It even gives you a way of approaching the question of smoking. If you want to rush yourself into an early grave and meet the saviour, take up smoking. If you want to serve him here on earth for as long as possible, give it a miss. Then again, for argument’s sake, if smoking helps you to serve him by calming your nerves, and that outweighs any responsibility to (say) family that means you need to prolong your life, might you smoke for the sake of your ministry? An aspirin and a good lie down, some counselling, or properly prescribed relaxants might all be better options, but the point is that all decisions, even those concerning drug use, take place within our attempts to give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord.

Tips for helping friends

Rob and Claire Smith, who minister at St Clement’s, Mosman in Sydney, have come up with 10 brief suggestions for dealing with alcohol and illicit drug use amongst one’s Christian friends. Their tips are:

Build a strong relationship with the person.
Pray and get others praying (mindful of confidentiality).
Reinforce hope through Christ’s transforming power.
Be realistic about the size of the problem (major addiction or minor teenage rebellion?).
Don’t get irritated; rather, be patient.
Meet regularly—keep your friend accountable.
Talk about Jesus, read the Bible, and pray together.
Discuss a strategy for ‘radical amputation’—find a way to stop the use.
Love always (remembering that love sometimes needs to be ‘tough’).
Don’t try to be a hero. If the problem is complex or long-term, find professional help at a drug and alcohol service.

Here’s a hypothetical question to help your small group work out a Christian attitude to drug use:

It is the year 2020. Marijuana and many other currently illicit drugs are legally available under certain guidelines. At a dinner party of Christian and non-Christian friends, you are offered a chardonnay with your nibblies, a nice red with the main course, followed by coffee and a stick of marijuana.

How do you decide whether or not to take each drug?

Sources

The National Drug Strategy Household Survey, 1995, 1998 (not available at time of writing). (The 2001 Survey is now available at http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/phe/ndshs01)

‘Towards a Diocesan Policy on Drugs’, Sydney Diocese Social Issues Committee, www.anglicanmediasydney.asn.au/socialissues/publications/drugs.htm.

Thanks to Rob and Claire Smith for providing some of the data which appears in this article.