Sep 11 Fri
Is there a good defense against drugs?
There is no better defense against drugs than a good family.
By “drugs,” we understand any substance—with or without medical applications—that is self-administered for non-medical purposes, causing a physiological or psychological alteration. The resultant condition may be pleasant or unpleasant. In the first case, drugs are usually addicting; that is, they gradually lead to the need for larger doses, creating a state of dependence on the part of the consumer.
Addiction is a more or less irresistible urge to habitually consume a certain drug. Its nature can be physiological, psychological, or both. Sudden interruption of supply causes a typical and violent reaction called withdrawal syndrome. Its actual symptoms vary widely with age, degree of tolerance, and type of drug. However, in all cases, it produces serious or even very serious psychopathic alterations. In some cases, the dependence may be so strong that the subject feels the compulsion to use any licit or illicit means to satisfy this craving.
The term “soft drugs" is commonly applied to marijuana, hashish, amphetamines, and some sedatives and analgesics. Yet we must distinguish between occasional use, habitual use, and intoxication.
Although the occasional use of soft drugs does not cause serious alterations in the organism, it should be considered in principle a serious sin. It risks becoming a potentially serious sin. It endangers psychological health, increases propensity to impurity, may cause scandal, and constitutes a proximate danger of slipping down the path of vice.
Morality of habitual use: After some time, there is a clear and proximate danger—even moral certitude—of becoming a drug addict. This implies a misuse of one’s life and faculties, an abuse that is a grave offense.
Intoxication, the third stage, is a serious sin.
Clandestine production of and trafficking in drugs constitute direct cooperation in evil, since they encourage people to engage in gravely sinful practices.
Pope Leo XIV recently spoke on drug addiction: “The suffering of young people calls for comprehensive responses: community-based prevention, scientific care, justice with a human face, and close pastoral support.”
Pope Leo then pointed to four “bridges” that converged at the meeting, representing four paths of cooperation.
First, a bridge “between the Church and international organizations, as no one can tackle the problem of drugs alone.”
Second, a bridge “between science and faith. The Church does not intervene in the issue of drugs with the intention of competing with or taking the place of neuroscience, psychiatry or public health. Rather, she seeks to shed the light of the Gospel upon it through an integral understanding of the human person.”
Third, a bridge “within the Church as people with common goals come together to share their suffering, hopes, and pastoral enthusiasm.”
Fourth, an ecumenical bridge, “practicing a common language rooted in faith to accompany and assist young people in their needs and dreams.”
Pope Leo said, “the family is the place where life is nurtured, cared for and given direction. There is no better protection against drugs than a good family.”
Through the families, the Church seeks to “touch human misery, to touch the suffering flesh of others.”