THE BEST MEDICINE
ADDICTION
My son give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them In the midst of your heart; for they ore life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh” (Proverbs 4:20-22),
One of the most alarming problems of wealthy societies is the overuse of medications. Besides their adverse side effects, there is the high risk of addiction, especially in the use of opioids for pain treatment, sedatives (barbiturates and benzodiazepines) for anxiety and stress, and the very common sleeping pills. In the United States alone, there are 16 million people (5% of the population) who abuse medications according to the National Institute of Health (NIH) The European countries are behind, but their rates are gradually increasing. Germany is a typical example with almost two million people (2% of the population) that abuse medicines according to Europe for Action to Drugs (EURAD). The percentages almost double when the data relate to adult population.
Behind these numbers, there are the endless stories of human beings who suffer the consequences, like in Olga’s case who began to suffer insomnia in moments of discouragement. The doctor prescribed her some sleeping pills. But when she completed her treatment, Olga had already been trapped in their use and went to another doctor to prescribe them. Her sister suggested that it was dangerous for her health, but Olga got angry with her for interfering with her life. These were the signs of ad. diction. Secretly, she felt guilty and tried to quit the habit, but she could not because when she did, the insomnia came back stronger than ever and she would tremble in anxiety and pain. She needed them to calm these symptoms and, thus, it was con. firmed that she was hooked. She had to attend a specialized group therapy in a Christian rehabilitation center where they combined clinical techniques (discussions and exercise) and spiritual therapy (prayers, religious music and biblical meditation).
Today’s text describes a powerful drug that acts like medicine and spreads life into our body. Nowadays, a huge part of the suffering and poor sleep (reasons for which most of the drugs are prescribed) is due to lack of inner peace.
God urges us to pay attention to His Word. If you would like a good dosage of heavenly medicine, listen to the Lord through the written Word a follow His guidelines as they will keep you away from evil and will act as an effective medicine.
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Taken from: Daily Devotions for Adults 2020
“A Cheerful Heart Is Good Medicine”
From: Julian Melgoza-Laura Fidanza
Colaboradores: Yudith C & Alejandra Zavala