Alcoholism, Drug Addiction, and Zombies
“I am going to bring it recovery and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security.”
I’ve decided to write a devotion on alcohol and drug abuse because it is so prevalent that it affects just about every family in this country. Friends and family of mine have died from this dreaded disease: a disease, but a self-inflicted disease. I had a friend say, “People shouldn’t judge me because I have a disease,” speaking of his alcoholism. My response, “Yes, but a cancer patient has a disease, and they get treatment. You are not willing to get treatment!” One of the worst aspects of the disease of alcohol &/or drug addiction is that the afflicted often do not think they have a problem or diminish the damage to themselves and others.
A brave writer, Sam Grittner, writes of his own addiction in his article, “Life of the Living Dead.” Grittner equates alcohol and drug abuse with being a zombie. He claims, “Once someone has ‘turned’ they become a paradox: They inhabit a person’s body but everything that made that person special has been extinguished.” Like a zombie, alcohol takes all life away, except the hunger. Since the only thing that matters is filling the hunger, they will calmly lie, steal, threaten, and excuse the worst actions, because nothing is as important as feeding the hunger.
You could argue that alcohol and drug addiction are worse than becoming a zombie. A zombie, at least, once they turn, you know who they’ve become and what to expect moving forward. Alcoholics and drug addicts hurt those who love them by getting their hopes up and having them dashed with relapses. Grittner shares his own pain. “When I relapse, the voice inside me, the one that hates me and is afraid of who I really am and the potential I have, the voice that tells me that I’m a failure and unlovable and that I should kill myself because deep down I’m just a junkie and eventually I’ll relapse-I will always relapse. Because that’s who I am. A *#@* [expletive] monster.”
You can feel Grittner’s honest pain, and it can bring memories back of your own pain with a loved one who has the disease of alcohol &/or drug abuse. While Grittner points out that there are no known cures for being a zombie or for drug and alcoholism, one can stave off the hunger and take control of one’s life again. Groups like AA and other treatment programs provide care with accountability. Accountability is key. Others can help the person not only remain sober, but also break the addiction to lying, lying to oneself as well as to others, and to God.
Today, pray for those with the disease and all those affected by the disease. Pray for God to bring healing by tearing away the excuses and lies that keep individuals from treatment. Through the Holy Spirit, help them embrace the truth that they are worthy, loved, and blessed by you, dear God. Pray for the loved ones’ wisdom to know how to respond in each situation. The wisdom to know when to reach out and when to let the person hit bottom. What is the key difference between a Zombie and an alcoholic &/or drug addict? The Zombie cannot turn back into a human being. The alcoholic &/or drug addict can become human again. Be prayerful, demanding, and deliver the hard truth, and watch their humanity return.
