March 2020

 
 

paSTOR`S PAGE

March 2020

March 1


Addiction is a psychological resistance that is difficult to control, located in unconscious dimensions, meaning that the addict does not realize that he has a problem. The fact that some people become addicted and others do not is explained by the differences in genetic variability, history and family environment, psychology, social, economic and lifestyle differences, power of will, etc. Substance dependence is different from substance abuse in that in the case of addiction, tolerance and withdrawal occur.
Why do people start using addictive substances?
Neuropsychology is trying to find the cause of addictions and offers several variants: a childhood in which the person has not received attention and love, inborn genetics, the toxic environment of the family, a toxic environment, temptation, stress, decrease of inhibition in adolescents and young people, a precocious family situation, the desire for affirmation in a certain environment, conformity, boredom, routine, desire for fun, desire for integration, low self-esteem, others’ attention, need to consume energy, example or influence of parents, the desire to experience an altered mental state, family or friend problems, issues at school, financial crisis, frustrations at work and personal relationships, a precarious family environment in which the child is under the influence of parents with addictions (smoking, alcohol or drug use), child neglect by parents, the lack of attachment, affection and constant care for the child, poor school performance, belonging to a group of friends with deviant behavior, hope that it will give him strength, courage, success, etc.
Can believers become dependent?
Generally speaking, any person can become an addict when they begin to consume substances that lead to dependence. For a practicing believer, the hardest sin to commit is the first one, and then it becomes easier. In the beginning, man has the capacity to choose whether or not he will use the drug, but after installing the automatism, the addiction, the will of the man is exhausted.
What are the most dangerous addictive substances?
1. Heroin: increases the level of dopamine in the brain’s reward system by 200%
2. Alcohol: has many effects on the brain and increases dopamine levels in the brain’s reward system by 40-360%.
3. Cocaine – distracts the attention of neurons in order to stop the dopamine signal, thus resulting in abnormal activity in the brain’s reward system.
4. Barbiturates – also known as “blue bullets”, “gorillas”, or “pink ladies. They represent a category of drugs that have the role of treating anxiety and sleep.
5. Nicotine – the ingredient in a cigarette that creates the most dependence.

“There is nothing to take hold of you” (1 Corinthians 6:1).

(to be continued…)

 March 8 

 

One of every human being’s greatest dreams is to get married, start a family, and have children. This tendency is caused by several factors:
1. It is written by the Creator in the genetic endowment of man
2. It is a cultural influence
3. There is a feeling of living forever through his children even after passing away
4. It is one of the most personal things through which man is in competition with himself, through which he gives life and models life
5. It is an opportunity for every mortal to participate in procreation
All these tendencies and many more turn every married adult into a potential parent. However, a parent is not perfect until after his children have grown up and, through marriage, have established their own families. Every human being feels like he knows what he is doing, but the process of life exposes him to a change in mentality every ten years. From this point of view, life is an experience similar to visiting a museum that you know better with each room you visit, but the knowledge of the museum is only fully realized at the exit.
When a person becomes a parent, he is the product of all his life experiences up to that point. All the influences feeding his environment contour his personality, his mentality, his values and priorities. Every parent is marked by his childhood, by the influence of the parents that raised him, by the culture he was raised in, by his school and friends; he is the product of the influential factors of his life thus far. In every parent’s mind there exist baggage they still carry around in their soul that define them in their lifestyle and mentality. Despite this diversity given by the innate and acquired dowry, each parent is unique, but each parent is required to complete the same task – raise and educate the child he received from God for His glory. From this point of view, the parent is simply an educator, present in the life of the child during the “schooling years” that last approximately twenty years. This school that forms the child’s character determines his values and convictions in life and contours his behavior and priorities. If all these things are done in the family and the parent is responsible for the quality or lack thereof, this means that every child is in great measure, whatever the parent has formed him to be.
When we look at the life of a child, his training and upbringing from this perspective, a parent should exercise influence in three manners:
1. As a priest: the parent prays for the child and consistently lifts him up to God through prayer
2. As a prophet: the parent educates, instructs and teaches the child, consistently presenting God to the child through teaching
3. As an emperor: the parent guides the child through life, helping him form, mature, and become capable of being a person who follows God
All this and much more is the unseen and often priceless work of a parent, who goes into eternity with his mission accomplished before God and his own conscience, the mission of his family.