Like I say, drugs are like ice cream, there may be many flavors to choose from, but it's still all just ice cream. The only difference is, this ice cream has deadly poison in it that can destroy your life, kill your body, and possibly send you to a very unpleasant afterlife before your time. Drugs were originally created and designed to help treat physical and emotional problems, and if used properly they can be a very good thing. The problem is, some drugs have very pleasurable side effects, and humans can be prone to abuse these kinds of drugs very easily, especially with someone trying to feel in control of their life, because of a deep fear of life.

People all over this globe are in emotional pain over something, and they just want some peace, happiness, and a sense of protection against the possible threats they perceive around them. If there is no physical problem in a person, or no neurological reason to be taking a drug, then we are taking it because we are trying to relieve our fear of life and emotional pain with the pleasure that the drug gives. Even anti-depressants can be a drug idol. The key is whether you are taking it to relieve a genuine problem, or just to feel in control of your fear. God wants us to trust Him to be in control, and to protect us from harm. We are looking to something to be what we need in place of God because we don't really trust Him. Many of us were deeply abused as children, and we trust no one. We want a god that we can control and administer as we choose (drugs), plus many of us are angry with God because of the seemingly bad things He has allowed to happen in our lives.

We need to get to the root cause of what has been fueling our addiction, and the fear of life it is generating. Many of us came to believe as children that we were naturally defenseless, because we had no power to fend off or control the harm around us. We took this lie into our adulthood and gathered extra means of defending ourselves, much like a knight would put on a suit of armor to give extra protection from his foes. These lies become weeds that start to grow in our hearts as kids, and now as adults these weeds have become very large. We need to face and pull these huge weeds of fear and idolatry out by the roots, or even if we do succeed in quitting drugs, we will just run to some other new addiction. Cross-addiction is very common among addicts because this main root of fear is left intact. You may have stopped being a crack or heroine addict, only to abuse over the counter medicines, anti depressants, or food. We need to see God in a new light as He really is and that He really is capable of responsibly managing our lives, protecting us, and giving us just the right amount of everything we need in our lives to keep us happy and healthy. God has made a world full of pleasure and good things, and He watches over our safety very carefully. Satan's lie is "God just wants to control you, and keep you away from what you need." Eve believed that lie in the garden, and look where it got us. God may have allowed some pain in your life, but He only allows it to show you that you need His help.

Drugs also alter your personality more than you know when you are using them. We become paranoid, aggressive, fearful, and less capable of saying no to temptation when it comes along. We offend people and say things to them that we would never dream of saying without that drug coursing through our veins. The drug becomes number one, and everyone else around you becomes your enemy because they are trying to get you to stop using the drug. We watch our spouses and children drive away and we end up alone. We now have a fresh heartbreak that needs even more drugs to try to deaden the pain with. It's a nightmare. The downward progression of drug addiction worsens with each month you use, and you may no longer be able to keep a job. Without a job, you can't pay for a home, and without a home you are on the streets, and on the streets you then have to steal or become a prostitute to make money to get your drugs to relieve the now "mountain" of pain inside you. I used to run a home for recovering drug addicts and some of them used to be very reputable wealthy businessmen and women. One guy in our home had spent all his wealth (over 2 1/2 million dollars) shooting drugs into his arm, and the police were after him for dealing. He showed me the nice house he used to live in and it was really nice. He also had a wife, family, and many friends. Drugs took it all.

So what is the answer, how do we get off drugs, stay off drugs, and still feel happy and safe at the same time? The answer is, just letting God take control of your life and start healing you from the inside out, right where you at. Jesus said that He came for the sick, not the well. He used to deliberately hang out with all the drug addicts and prostitutes in town because He knew their need was so great. They may not have had crack or ice back then, but they did have alcohol and a few other things that could knock a donkey to his knees. Jesus is the answer to overcome any and all addiction problems. There is no problem that is harder or easier for Him. This same Jesus that sat with the addicts back then, is sitting right beside you now. He's not judging you, or asking you to do anything beyond what He knows you are ready or capable of doing right now. If you are waiting to fix yourself to come to God, then it will never happen because you can't fix yourself without His help. As far as the mechanics of how to quit, or when to quit, just ask the Holy Spirit to lead you through this as to the right method or timing. But obviously, if you are days from death, you might want to quit right now. He will walk with you and get to the root of all your fear, and the lies you have believed that have caused you to feel like you need drugs to survive life’s pain.