Substance Abuse
- Mar 13, 2006 - comment
History
Substance use and abuse has been around for thousands of years. The use of narcotics began sometime around 4000 B.C. Marijuana was used medicinally as far back as 2737 B.C. in China. The early Egyptians are known to have consumed wine1. Hippocrates advocated the use of opium2.
Substance abuse, however, took on a whole new dimension with the discovery of methods to extract addictive substances such as cocaine, laudanum, and morphine. For many years, these drugs were unregulated and were available not only from physicians but also from local pharmacies, traveling salesmen, and even through the mail. Opium use was common. Morphine, an opium derivative, was commonly used during the Civil War to treat dysentery and pain3. It is estimated that by the early 1900s, there may have been as many as 250,000 opium addicts in the United States alone4.
In 1906, the first law was passed in an attempt to regulate drug abuse. That law, the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, required that labels accurately reflect the presence of opium, morphine, alcohol, cocaine and certain other drugs5. Over the course of the next two decades, several congressional acts and Supreme Court decisions placed more and more restrictions on addictive drugs. The Eighteenth Amendment prohibited the use of alcohol in 1919 but that amendment was repealed in 19336.
The U.S. government has tried, with varying degrees of success and failure, to regulate addictive substances but the social and cultural revolution that began in the 1960s brought an increase in drug usage. The present availability of newer types of drugs such as crack, Ecstasy, PCP, methamphetamines, and a host of others is cause for continued concern.
The Current Situation
According to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA), there was an overall increase in the abuse of alcohol and drugs among Americans aged 12 and older between 2000 and 2001. Tobacco usage remained steady, although the use of cigars showed an increase. Young people between the ages of 12 and 17 showed an increase in marijuana and alcohol use while usage of other illicit drugs remained statistically unchanged. There was also no change in the 12-17 age group with regard to the abuse of alcohol or illicit drugs7.
Smoking by adults continued to decline in the year 2000. In that year, approximately 23.3 percent of adults were current smokers. That figure was down from 25 percent in 1993. Preliminary data for 2001 indicates that the decline continued with early estimates being about 22.8 percent of the population who smoke8.
While figures for the adult population are not yet available, the year 2002 brought some encouraging news regarding substance abuse among teenagers. Overall, substance abuse declined among teenagers in almost every area for the year. The only two classes of drugs that showed a modest increase were “barbiturate sedatives and minor tranquilizers9.”
One possible explanation for this overall decline is the increased awareness among teenagers concerning the risk of drug use. For example, in 2000 only 38 percent of 12th-graders said there was great harm in using ecstasy. In 2001, that percentage increased to 46 percent. And in 2002, 52 percent of teenagers believed that taking ecstasy placed one in great danger10. Individual statistics vary from drug to drug and from age group to age group. Even though drug use remains almost unchanged among high school seniors, declines were reported among 8th-graders and 10th-graders. Apparently, the younger teens are getting the message that drug usage is harmful and they are listening11.
That same good news extends to teen use of tobacco. Teenage smoking has been declining since the peak years of 1996 and 1997. Between 2001 and 2002, cigarette smoking declined by 4 or 5 percentage points in each grade surveyed (8, 10, and 12). That is a larger percentage drop than in any previous year12.
Arguments Against Opposing Views
Drugs
There are those who believe that drugs should be legalized and their use should be decriminalized. There are four main arguments given: (1) drug trafficking and the violence it engenders would disappear, (2) with government regulation, drug dosages could be standardized and harmful contaminants could be eliminated, (3) legalization would result in lower prices for the drugs and reduce the need for criminal activity to secure money to make purchases, and (4) billions of dollars could be saved from supply reduction programs that could be used for anti-drug education and treatment of those currently addicted13. The facts, however, suggest just the opposite.
- The Dutch decriminalized marijuana in 1976. While there was little impact at the beginning, by 1996, because of social acceptance, usage climbed sharply and consistently and resulted in a 300 percent increase among 18-20 year-olds14.
- OxyContin, a powerful painkiller derived from opium, is a legally prescribed drug for those in severe pain. It has become one of the most abused prescription drugs on the market today resulting in “numerous deaths, physicians facing criminal charges, and addicts attacking pharmacies”15.
- In 1975, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that adults in that state could possess marijuana for personal use at home. In 1988, the University of Alaska conducted a survey that showed marijuana usage in Alaska to be twice the national average16.
- About 24 percent of drug offenders in state prison systems are violent, habitual offenders. Eighty-three percent have prior criminal records. Only 17 percent are first time offenders. Most people charged with drug violations are often allowed to plea bargain to avoid serious charges17. The high recidivism rate argues against legalization.
- A report in the New England Journal of Medicine concerning domestic violence indicates that the risk to women is increased four-fold when their partner is under the influence of alcohol or drugs18.
- Alcohol and tobacco are both legal. While less than five percent of the population (roughly 16 million people) uses illegal drugs, 66 million use tobacco and 109 million use alcohol19. The high volume of alcohol and tobacco users suggests that drug abuse would soar to new heights rather than declining.
Alcohol
For several years, medical researchers have suggested that moderate alcohol consumption, especially red wine, lowers the risk of heart problems. But with the added risk of alcoholism that is a bad idea, especially since researchers have also found that the select flavonoids in purple grape juice will accomplish the same thing20. Additionally, researchers have also found that drinking alcohol has other side effects such as raising fat levels in the blood, high blood pressure, heart failure and high calorie intake21.
Tobacco
In light of all of the recent research on the use of tobacco products, there is no longer a question about the risks involved. The American Cancer Society points out that tobacco use causes many types of cancer, heart disease, bronchitis, emphysema, and stroke. In women, it also raises the risk of miscarriage, preterm delivery, stillbirth, infant death, and low birth weight in infants. And since the use of tobacco is a learned behavior, it is one of the most preventable health hazards22.
Biblical Response
The Bible declares that alcohol is deceptive (Proverbs 20:1) and that we are to avoid the company of those who consume too much alcohol (Proverbs 23:19-20). We are also informed that the consumption of alcohol may cause us to do things that are immoral (Proverbs 23:29-33). Paul instructs that we are to be filled with the Spirit of God rather than alcohol (Ephesians 5:18). The Bible indicates that our bodies are the temple of God and that we are not to defile that temple (2 Corinthians 6:16-17:1). Instead, we are to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God (Romans 12:1). While the Bible does not speak specifically to drug abuse and the use of tobacco, much of the its counsel on alcohol use would certainly also apply to these other destructive drugs.
The question might be asked, “What if I don’t abuse these things? Is it okay to consume them if they are not abused?” Paul indicates that anything that “does not come from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23b, NIV). Consuming alcohol, taking drugs, or using tobacco cannot possibly be a matter of faith.
1 “Drug Addiction and Drug Abuse: History,” http://www.infoplease.com
2 “Substance Abuse: A History of the Opiods,” http://www.nurseslearning.com
3 Ibid.
4 “Drug Addiction and Drug Abuse: History,” http://www.infoplease.com
5 “The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906,” http://www.coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~hst203/documents/pure.html
6 “Drug Addiction and Drug Abuse: History,” http://www.infoplease.com
7 “2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse,” http://www.samhsa.gov
8 “Cigarette Smoking Among Adults—United States, 2000,” http://www.cdc.gov , July 26, 2002
9 “Ecstasy Use Among American Teens Drops For the First Time in Recent Years, and Overall Drug and Alcohol Use Also Decline in the Year After 9/11” http://www.monitoringthefuture.org , December 16, 2002.
10 Ibid.
11 Ibid.
12 “Teen Smoking Declines Sharply in 2002, More Than Offsetting Large Increases in the Early 1990s,” http://www.monitoringthefuture.org , December 16, 2002
13 “Drug Addiction and Drug Abuse,” The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2001, http://www.bartleby.com
14 “Don’t Legalize Drugs,” http://www.wsj.com , July 19, 2002
15 Ibid.
16 “Drug Legalization Doesn’t Work,” http://www.washingtonpost.com , October 9, 2002
17 “Don’t Legalize Drugs,” http://www.wsj.com , July 19, 2002
18 “Violent Injuries Among Women in an Urban Area,” New England Journal of Medicine, December 16, 1999, p. 1899.
19 “Drug Legalization Doesn’t Work,” http://www.washingtonpost.com , October 9, 2002
20 “Grape Juice, But Not Orange Juice or Grapefruit Juice, Inhibits Human Platelet Aggregation,” http://www.nutrition.org (see also “Select Flavonoids and Whole Juice From Purple Grapes Inhibit Platelet Function and Enhance Nitric Oxide Release,” http://www.circ.ahajournals.org)
21 “Alcohol, Wine and Cardiovascular Disease,” http://www.americanheart.org
22 “Cigarette Smoking,” http://www.cancer.org
Further Learning
Learn more about: Family, Addictions, Substance Abuse