People suffering with addiction do not want to admit these problems. They can include divorce, abuse of various kinds, being raised in an alcoholic or drug addicted family system and/or being raised in a family where one or both parents were or are mentally ill.

These life circumstances can cause a great deal of difficulty for people. Even if the parents were not alcoholics, if personal primary needs were not met, any person can fit into the category of being dysfunctional. One primary manifestation of this pattern of dysfunctional family interaction is the increase of alcoholism and drug addiction. There is probably not one family in America that is not immediately impacted by the abuse of, or addiction, to drugs and alcohol. We all know people that have been or are presently addicted to some type of substance or compulsive behavioural patterns that enables them to “survive” life. However, these learned dysfunctional behaviours do not help any of them to function adequately in life as a whole.

Almost all families have at least one member usually hidden “in the closet”: a homosexual, drug addict, alcoholic, habitual criminal behaviour, etc. To achieve a better understanding of this dynamic of dis-ease in family life, we are going to look at the natural mind, family dynamics and the psycho-social medical models of substance abuse, along with their treatments. Furthermore, we will investigate the scriptural revelation of substance addiction and abuse, co-dependency as well as providing a broadened theological framework for treatment and ministry to the abuser and the family.

Substance abuse is one of many forms of compulsive behaviour, where people attempt to meet legitimate needs in illegitimate ways. Our responsibility as spiritual leaders in a world of physical pain is to minister God’s grace and mercy with knowledge and understanding to the wounded, especially for those caught in the destructive pattern of alcohol or drug abuse.