Addiction has the power to hurt everyone around it. Addiction kills relationships and traps people who are hopelessly lost. Those who suffer from addiction find themselves lost and hurt with no apparent way out. Unfortunately, addiction is not always so apparent, like methamphetamine or cigarettes.
In most cases, addiction disguises itself as something seemingly harmless until people cannot live without it. My story is like most who believed that there could never be too much of a good thing. It was a bumpy road, and it was also challenging to re-establish my faith and relationship with God as well.
From a very young age, I was taught the Word of God and taught all about Christianity and being a good Christian. My family took my brothers and me to church regularly until I turned about twelve or so. Then, there was a lot of family strife going on between my mother and father, so we stopped going to church, and my relationship with the Lord waned.
It got to the point that when I was fifteen, I wanted absolutely nothing to do with Christianity. I believed in God but did not want to identify myself with any group of Christians. This was a pivotal point in my life because, at that moment, I did not care about the morals or lifestyle Christ wants his children to follow.
When I was sixteen, I started working and was exposed to much more than ever before. For the first time, I was exposed to people constantly cussing, talking about vulgar subjects, poverty, drinking, and drugs. I met a boy who became my boyfriend within a matter of days of us talking. He was from Mexico and incredibly sweet to my family and me, but he had one major flaw: pot. I am an inquisitive person, it is just in my nature, so I did not object to him offering it to me on one of the first times we hung out.
Most people would argue that marijuana isn’t addictive, and they’re right; it’s not. Marijuana is not physically addictive, but it is mentally. From the first time I took a hit of his pipe, I was in trouble. At first, it was just a fun way to relax and hang out, later it became something much bigger. Finally, it got to the point where I could not physically fall asleep without getting high. I did not find any enjoyment out of friends or life unless I was under that influence. One night when I was incredibly unstable, I called out to God, begging for help because I knew I could not handle that by myself. I was emotionally a wreck and did not know what another way to escape. I screamed out, “God, what am I doing that is making my life so difficult?” It was as if a light bulb went off in my head. There was only one thing that I had been doing that had been the instigator of my emotional breakdowns. The answer popped into my head immediately, “stop smoking pot.” From that day on, I pledged to give it up entirely.
I gave my pipe and remaining Weed away and set out to find new things that would take that place, including re-establishing my relationship with Christ. Whenever I sinned and fell short of the glory of God, I always felt like I had to hide from Him in shame. This life-changing event changed my entire perspective because God already knows what we have done and what we will be done, and He doesn’t love us any less than if we were perfect. God loves us for our shortcomings, and He wants what is truly best for us: to follow His will. I came to this realization and rededicated my life to Christ and Christ alone.
It was tough for me to give up my sinful lifestyle. For a few days after giving all of my things away, I felt incredibly depressed and unstable. My mind wanted that high and was unhappy without it. Socially, it was also complicated. People nowadays do not realize how many kids smoke pot and just how easy it is to get it. I had to distance myself from my close friends to avoid being tempted by marijuana. Because of that, my social life dwindled, and I relied more and more on my family. However, God has a plan for my life, and if that means not dabbling in illegal things, then I will do all I can to follow Him and give my life as an offering to Him.
Originally posted 2021-06-11 07:56:29.
