Drug Addiction and Physical Abuse
- by Dr. Usher
- Q & A
- Copyright December 19, 2020
Question:
Dear Dr. Usher,
I have been re-married now for 5 years. My current husband has always struggled with drug addition. He is not a believer. I just found out that my teenage child is addicted to drugs, and I know he uses the money I give him to buy drugs. And to make matters worse, my youngest 7 year old has confessed that my husband has abused him. What am I supposed to do?
Answer:
The first thing that would need to happen is to see if your husband desires to repent and submit to the lordship of Christ through salvation. If he person is not willing to make Jesus Lord over his life, then he will more than likely continue to make drugs the lord over his life. If he willfully accepts Christ as his Savior, then he would need to go through a detox program, while at the same time fasting and praying. Only the power of the Holy Spirit can break the power of drug addiction.
The teenage child on drugs. You as the parent must be taught not to tolerate his behavior, and not feed the addiction by giving him money. Your child must be sent to a detox program. Once your child enters a program, you as the parent must stand firm, and not allow your personal feelings interfere with your child’s recovery. If there are problems within the family that are triggering his drug abuse, then those problems must be dealt with. The goal is to get to the root, and make the changes necessary to the foundation of the family in order for the child to stand on a firm foundation to build his recovery.
In regards to the child who is being abused by the addicted father. In this case, the child or the abuser must be removed from the household. (I say have the father removed.) The police must be called. Once the child is in a safe environment, then the healing process can begin. Your child should be told that he was not to blame or at fault for the abuse by the father, nor did your child deserve to be abused. Your child will need years of intensive love and assurance in order to regain the emotional strength that he had prior to the abuse.