When you've reached the end of the line …

God offers you a lifeline

Alcohol and drug abuse is nothing new. The Bible often speaks about the effects of alcohol abuse which apply equally to drug abuse.

The author of Proverbs warns that:

Drinking makes a fool of you

and leads to fights.

Proverbs 20:1b

Substance abuse leads to shameful behaviour

Lot’s story is a good example of how alcohol abuse breaks down morals and leads to shameful behaviour.

One day his elder daughter said to her sister, “Our father is old, and there are no men anywhere for us to marry. Let’s get our father drunk! Then we can sleep with him and have children.” That night they got their father drunk, and the elder daughter got in bed with him, but he was too drunk even to know she was there.

Genesis 19:31-33

Too many mornings after the night before?

You will feel tossed about

like someone trying to sleep

on a ship in a storm.

You will be bruised all over,

without even remembering

how it all happened.

And you will lie awake asking,

“When will morning come,

so I can drink some more?”

Proverbs 23:34-35

Time to take stock

Act like people with good sense and not like fools. These are evil times, so make every minute count. Don’t be stupid. Instead, find out what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t destroy yourself by getting drunk, but let the Spirit fill your life.

Ephesians 5:15-18

Depend on God, not drugs

God blesses those people who depend only on him.

They belong to the kingdom of heaven!

Matthew 5:3

You belong to God

You know that your body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives. The Spirit is in you and is a gift from God. You are no longer your own. God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honour God.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

God empowers you to take it one day at a time

Each day that we live,

he provides for our needs

and gives us the strength

of a young eagle.

Psalm 103:5

Set your eyes on the goal

I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize. My friends, I don’t feel that I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead.

Philippians 3:12-13

God makes all things new

Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Remember!

It’s not the past, but what you do with the future that matters!

For help with addiction call:

Alcoholics Anonymous 0861 435 722

Narcotics Anonymous 083 900 6962

SANCA 0861 472 622

*Scripture verses taken from the Contemporary English Version.

Published and distributed by the Bible Society of South Africa.

www.biblesociety.co.za

Bibles and audio Bibles are available on the BibleSA-app