What would you say or think if I told you that there is a
very simple way to understand the struggles that a drunk goes through on a
daily basis? What if I went further and
told you that is within the Bible as well?
Would you think you have missed a passage somewhere? Would you think I am reading a version or
translation that is not considered reliable?
Or perhaps, you would just think that I am just crazy. Whatever you think on this idea, please, hear
me out before you make a final decision.
On a regular basis the drunk wakes up and
1.
Thinks of the pleasure of alcohol.
2.
Thinks of the comfort it provides.
3.
Knows the pain and misery of it, but cannot seem
to break free of it.
4.
Comes to know again the physical and mental
discomfort.
5.
The restless nights it brings.
6.
Only to wake in the morning to start it all over
again.
These 6 ideas come from Proverbs 24:29-35.
The very little I have heard on
these verses has always been the take that they are a scare tactic in abstaining
from the drunk—a warning not to drink. Some have gone further to call the
actions of a drunk foolish, stupid and the suchlike. I concede that to one who
has not been taken by addiction that they actions do seem foolish, but I want
to give insight so that there may be a better understanding. So, I would like
to dissect these verses and give you some insight on a drunk’s perspective.
Verse 29
Many have told me that the pain
and grumblings are a direct result of the alcohol, but I am here to tell you
that the alcohol comes from the pain. We
drunks do not like taking personal responsibility for anything in our lives
that is negative. These problems always
come from somewhere else and we complain about the pain from them. We believe that things would be better if
only people or environment would change to suit us better that the pain would
go away. In order not to deal with these
things as a responsible, mature adult would, we drink to drown the problems.
Verse 30
I know that this answers the
question in verse 29 as to those who linger over wine, but a drunk lingers over
the wine because he does not know how else to cope with the problems of the
world. The drunk is very immature person
emotionally. The alcohol gives him the
answers that he wants without trying to do any growing. It allows him to stay where is and to let the
alcohol be what “solves” his problems—his pain and his strife.
Verse 31
I will give you that this is a
wonderful warning for anyone not to drink, but this is the waking thought of
many drunks. Each morning, stumbling out
of bed there is the promise and resolution not to do drink again today. It is an honest one, too, but one that just
cannot be kept because the addiction has taken hold and as of now, in the
middle of the addiction, there is no amount of personal power that can save
him. So, he falls back into the arms of lady liquor. The mind not being strong enough to break the
power of addiction, it calls him back, and reminds him how pleasant alcohol can
be. It is appealing to the eye, and to
the nose, but more importantly to the mind in the “promises” it has to give. The drunk takes a drink and that first one is
pure bliss. The smoothness may be in the
taste, but it is also smooth in how it relaxes the mind in that moment. The cares, the stress, and the pain are
carried away and he is able to feel at ease and have a bit of fun. All things painful seem to disappear from the
world.
Verses 32-33
As the drinking continues through
the day, those false promises start to fade away. The pains and stresses of life start to come
back and feel that much more intense, because the mind has lost its ability to
block anything due to the alcohol. By
this point, the only rational thought to the drunk is to drink more to see if
the pain will leave again. Of course,
they don’t and that is when the feeling of dying comes into the drunk’s mind
and body because he is able to feel what the alcohol truly is—poison.
Verses 34-35a
The sadness of a drunk’s life is
the fact that he drinks to find relaxation and peace, but in the end there is
nothing but tossing and turning in restless sleep. Even if the drunk is fortunate enough to pass
out, upon waking there is not a feeling of being rested. While there may be regret and anger for
getting drunk yesterday and do not want to do it again we…..
Verse 35b
“Wake to find anther drink.”
Do you think we drunks do not know
what to expect on a daily basis concerning alcohol?
We
do.
Do you think we drunks know not to
look and desire the alcohol?
We
do.
Do you think we drunks do not see
and feel the poison that is taking over our mind and body?
We
do.
I challenge you that while these
verses give reason not drink, they also give insight of the mind of a
drunk. That they need something more to
help them break free of the prison that alcohol has built. They need people to understand the daily
cycle/struggle that they may be able to obtain some help in breaking free. Do not think us foolish, but understand it is
a trap, and the lies of alcohol will not let go. These are what keep the drunk from growing
mentally and emotionally to deal with what causes him drink.
We drunks do not need
· Criticism
·
Questioning of our faith
·
Ignored
·
Gossiped about.
We need to know
·
There is something greater (God) than alcohol
·
There are those who care about us
·
There are those who want to try to understand
and help us
It is time for the church to learn
of addictions instead of turning a blind eye to them.
It is time for the church to learn
to help those who are brothers and sisters find a way out of addiction.
It is time for the church to stop
thinking that addiction is not within the church.
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