Why Would I Want to Stop Using Meth?

Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart. And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile. Exodus 7:23-24

Working in addiction medicine, I routinely meet those who want to be sober, but they struggle to get there. That’s the job. It’s always surprising then, when I meet those who simply have no intention of changing. When asked if they want to stop using meth, they say, Hell no. I have no intention of quitting. I can try to help connect the dots between drug use and the painful consequences they’ve experienced, but sometimes, that’s just not enough. With their brains hijacked by the drug, they simply haven’t been through enough misery to desire change. This is a dangerous place to be – I have no intention of stopping. I just pray that the painful consequences, which will inevitably come, don’t kill them or someone else. I hope that they have a chance to find recovery before they find the grave. Jail isn’t the worst thing that will happen.

I’ve been there. When I first faced minor consequences for my opioid use, I had no intention of giving up my drug use completely. I just wanted to be able to control it. This was absurd. I didn’t control the drug. It controlled me, and as long as I insisted upon my right to use, I was headed for self-destruction. I was warned. Still, I refused to stop. I have no intention of changing.

This was the defiant posture of Pharaoh and the Egyptians in today’s passage. In the story, Moses demanded that Pharaoh let the Hebrews go, but he refused, at which point God turned the Nile River to blood. This was catastrophic, cutting off the life-giving water of the Nile. Still, Pharaoh refused to change, and the Egyptians dug wells, working around the bloody river problem. We have no intention of changing. Little did they know the destruction they were bringing upon themselves.

Most of us have been here. Maybe we’ve faced a health scare due to our unhealthy lifestyle. Maybe we’ve been caught viewing pornography by a spouse or parent. Whatever our self-destructive behavior is, we’ve been warned. Still, we refuse to change. This is a dangerous place to live. If we insist on seeking self-destruction, we can be confident that it’s only a matter of time until we arrive at our destination. If we desire to avoid self-inflicted misery, then daily, we must do whatever it takes to turn our lives around and seek God’s path instead of our own. This will require daily hard work and sacrifice, but in the end, we’ll experience blessed life and peace instead of misery and disaster. Daily, the choice is ours.