Read: Luke 15:11-32
The prodigal son in Jesus' parable had a father. We can surmise
that he had a living mother also. When the son left home, was it
on good terms or bad terms?
As you fast, pray, listen, and respond today, try to imagine what the
parents of the prodigal son felt like as their child walked out the
front door. Did they think he would ever simply gather around a
dinner table again as a family? Did the mom and dad blame each
other for causing the son to leave? Or maybe, was there finally
peace in the house after weeks of fussing and fighting?
How long did it take for the parents to start worrying about their
child? Had they started to worry before he left, or only after he
really left and it was obvious he was not coming home soon? Was
their lost child a passing thought during the day, or did they worry
consume them all day long? How did they feel as they thought
about their son squandering everything they had ever given him?
He had so much potential, so many resources...and yet he seemed
to be ignoring all common sense and wasting it all.
We have parents and grandparents living all around us today who have
watched their children "leave home" because of their addiction to
opioids. The very children they would give their lives for
have walked out of the door and appear to be squandering their lives
away.
Ask God to show you how we can be in ministry to these hurting souls.
How would God have us get to know them and walk with them through
their valley of shadows? Listen for God's answer...EXPECT God to
answer!
It is not enough for us to open the church doors and wait for the
parents of the prodigal sons and daughter to come in. We must
leave our sanctuaries and find them!
I
Education
Recovery and All That Is Involved:
Part 1- Detoxification
Recovery from opioid addiction involves multiple steps.
The first step is detoxification. Detoxification is
the process of getting the opioids out of one's body. This can
take 30, 60, or even more days. It is an extremely painful
process where bones and muscles ache, one cannot sleep, high blood
pressure, fever and anxiety. While all of this is going on day in
and day out, there is a little voice in their head saying, "You know
what will fix this...just another dose of heroin or oxycodone."
As one an imagine, it would be very hard to just stop using by
oneself in the same neighborhood where one knows where and how to get
more opioids.
The experience of detoxification is so painful, addicted persons who
have experienced detoxification, but later continue to use opioids are
terrified of experiencing the detoxification process again.
Addicted persons call this being "dope sick." Many addicted
persons say they would do anything to avoid being "dope sick."
This is where many addicted persons get into real legal trouble.
There are some opioid drugs that help a detoxing person avoid being
"dope sick." Methadone and suboxone are opioids but do not cause
the high that heroin or oxycodone do. Prescribed by physicians,
methadone and subaxone help the addicted person come off stronger
opioids and begin long-term recovery without fully experiencing
detoxification. The positive to this is that persons can begin to
live a normal live. The negative is that the person is still
addicted to an opioid and has not truly gotten all of the opioids out
of their body.