According to the World Drug Report, an estimated 585,000 people died from drug use in 2017. More and more people illegally use drugs each year, and marijuana is now legal in ten states for both recreational and medical use. There are many health risks involved with taking drugs- marijuana smoke contains 50%-70% more cancer-causing substances than tobacco smoke, and many drugs can cause a loss of appetite, which often results in extreme weight loss. People turn to drugs to escape from the real world, as they give them a feeling of ecstasy that they are unable to find elsewhere. They feel hopeless and lost, so they turn to drugs to try and relieve that feeling. And, before they know it, they’re caught up in a whole new cycle of sin. Drugs make them feel good, but in order to maintain that feeling, they have to take more and more of them. In a way, the drugs become the master of their body rather than them, and they find themselves unable to stop. It is a vicious and cruel cycle, like so many things on earth. It seems to bring happiness, but once you start something so addicting, it is almost impossible to stop. What at first produced happiness later produces the exact opposite. Earthly things can only bring about so much satisfaction. Drugs may satisfy people’s wants and desires temporarily, but in the long run, they bring about more bad than good. Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Worldly things are tainted with sin- nothing that is of the world can be truly good. Nothing in this world has what we truly need, so instead of looking for a solution here on earth, we should turn our eyes to the things that are above. Christ brings us a peace like no other- nothing even close to it can be found on earth. Our temptations will not disappear. They will still be there, but through Christ, we can overcome anything.
The pseudo happiness that drugs and other worldly items produce is temporary- it lasts for but a short while compared to the eternal happiness we will one day have with Christ. Through Christ, we can quell our materialistic temptations, and find a sense of security that we could never hope to find on earth. The temporal joy that earthly items bring us is nothing compared to the happiness that we can find in Christ.
Marie Birkmann – 9th Grade