To learn that God is in control, not drugs

with contributions from Pearl Long

Until her recent retirement, Pearl Long was a counselor for the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration in Washington, D.C. During her seventeen-year experience there, she worked with people who have been addicted to drugs from five to thirty years. At the time of this interview, along with her other assignments she was conducting a voluntary nondenominational Bible-study group, one of several programs offered at this drug-abuse treatment center. We asked Mrs. Long to talk with us about lessons learned in that program. While she herself would be the first not to make extensive claims as to the success of the Bible-study group, the experiences she describes make one thing clear: The timeless answers found in the Bible can restore the dignity and meaning to lives that drug abuse has all but eaten up.

How did the Bible-study group get started?

A lot of the men I work with think of themselves as hardcore addicts, without any hope. And I decided in one of our sessions to ask them what they think about God. I went around and asked everyone, "Do you believe in God?" They'd say, "Yes!" But their actions were showing something different. Their chosen god was drugs. This was the controlling factor in their lives. I was trying to show them that even though they're saying one thing, they're doing another.

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