Testimony of Healing June 16, 2014 Issue

Freed from drinking and smoking

Richard Arlen

I started drinking in high school with a few friends. Since we were too young to buy liquor legally, we would raid one of our dads’ liquor cabinets. It was the “in” thing to do. I started smoking in a similar way. Before I knew it, I was smoking a pack a day and drinking on a regular basis. But I thought that was OK, as it seemed to me that all the socially successful people did it. No one in my family smoked, though, and alcohol was rarely used in our home. My parents were not happy about my activities.

Going away to college gave me more freedom to continue the bad habits. My roommate was a Christian Scientist, and I went to Sunday School with him almost every week. I found Christian Science most interesting, but not enough to make me want to give up drinking and smoking, and the fun times I associated with them. However, the “good times” interfered with studying, which resulted in my flunking out of college.

A year or so later I joined the United States Air Force. It seemed that in the military everyone smoked and drank, so I felt right at home. Liquor and tobacco companies often gave their products away free, which added to the delusion that good times were rolling. Then one night after a party, I was so intoxicated I almost couldn’t walk. This was a wake-up call for me. I realized I had to find my freedom from these enslaving habits. I also knew that if I wanted to finish college, lead a productive life, and get married and have a family, these degrading habits had to go. I just didn’t know how I was going to get free of them.

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