Drugs....why?

Tigger

Im new here, so go easy with me! Just wanted to know if any one has any idea's or personal experience in regard to drug and alcohol abuse in former JW's. All the one's I know have just lost the plot when it comes drugs and alcohol, especially drug use. Is this a way of deadening the little voice in the back of your head, or rather tasting the forbidden?

Maxee

Hi Tigger

How long have you been in the truth?

IMHO all of us always feel like we have to say sorry for anything we think or do.I believe that goes for persecution complexs too. Drug abuse as far as ex-witness goes would be a form of the individual blocking out the guilt the organisation and Jehovah puts on them. It may not apply to all.How can you say I know? I have experienced it. Thats how I felt.
One thing we can learn is we are all different and cope with things individually the common thread being the nature or conditioning we have in our choices of dealing with leaving the WTBTS.

Whats the forbiddon? Is it actually giving 'mankind'

those not following faithful and discreets slave direction

the benfit of the doubt that they may be nice people and may even display a truer christian love than those we call brothers.

Sometimes it may just be we are genetically prone to this form of abuse. If you have a drug problem and are asking this question that really is the first step in sorting things out within you.

Welcome aboard

Edited by - maxee on 20 July 2000 5:43:15

Pathofthorns

Wecome Tigger

This question has facinated me too. First of all as far as alcohol abuse goes, it is well known that people who are Jehovah's Witnesses have a drinking problem. As one brother put it "its the only vice we can have" after a "worldly person" exclaimed "Man you guys can sure drink".

As far as drug abuse by ex Witnesses goes I feel that the religion has attracted people or created people who are dependent on something to take away responsibility from themselves. These people are simply exchanging one fantasy world for another. Instead of "the new system will solve all my problems" its now the drugs that provide that escape.

In addition I've noticed that most Witnesses can only see 5 years into the future at most. There is no concept of life in this system beyond that. They have a hard time believing they will die.

This thinking creates poor short-term decisions and many taking drugs fail to see how the drugs or drug culture will harm them down the road.

Path

Dubby

Hi Tigger, and welcome.

I agree with the above posts. Alcohol IS prevalent among JW's. Beer was the first thing offered to me at most social occasions at JW's homes and get togethers. But then, I was not included in many get togethers because of having an "unbelieving" mate. Usually, eating out after conventions, the brothers downed several pitchers of beer. That's what I remember the most about conventions.

Trying to be a straight and hard line JW, I was often appalled at the brothers behavior away from the meetings. "God's" people sure acted strange outside the meetings, I thought.

Andyman

Well here is my take on the subject.

I really don't know to many ex-JW's except the ones I meet on the discussion boards. So I can't comment on the ex-JW thing very well, except for myself.

I had a alcohol and drug problem long before I became a JW. I finally decided my life was in need of a change and stopped using almost 15 years ago. I was clean and sober when I became a JW, and had been for about 4 years.

Now when I became a JW, I thought they didn't go for drunkeness, or abuse of alcohol or drugs. I found out different.

There used to be "big" parties on the weekends, and sometimes the party resulted in a huge amount of brothers and sisters missing the Sunday meeting. It was a common joke to make the comment that brother "so and so" had another party last night, ha, ha, ha!

I know that this "brother" would go to the liquor store and buy booze by the half gallons. Several "worldly" people have seen him, and have asked about it.

I know that I have been out with JW's who drank like I did when I had a problem with it. So I know that JW's have a problem. I have family members who are still JW's who have drinking prolems, one of them is an elder, the other is his wife. I know of seveal other elders who have drining problems. They have well stocked bars and don't hide it from anyone.

As for the drugs, I know that in the area I am in there is a big problem with prescription drug abuse. Many of the sisters have been using tranqs, prozac, pain pills etc. and passing them around to other sisters. Not a good idea! I pulled my back out one time and my neighbors wife came over, elders wife, and offered me several kinds prescription pain pills. I refused, but she left them for me anyway, said she had plenty more.

My wifes cousin was using Valuim, and my sister in law was getting them from him because she said she was having a hard time "coping" with here kids. She was driving and drinking while using them. Now that my friends is abuse!

I feel that if there is a problem with ex-JW's and drug and alcohol abuse, it may have started while the were still active JW's. I know that even minors in the congregation have problems with the alcohol thing. Leaving the JW's can cause severe emotional problems, and if they are used to abusing these things already it could grow to an even bigger problem.

Being cut off from friends and family isn't easy to cope with. Many ex-JW's may find that alcohol and drugs kills the "pain" at least temorarily. It is not the answer, but it is something that happens.

Well thats my take on things.

Andyman:

TG-Jasper

I think there is a lot of truth in all of these answers.

I was raised by a strictly JW mother. Occasionally she would have a glass of wine with dinner, or one beer if we visited my nonJW grandparents.

I'd had severe depression and anxiety since at least the beginning of myteens, and at 15 was also diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder. My doctor and I had a massive struggle to get my mother to allow me to take the antidepressants that I needed, and she still gave me a hard time about it constantly. (I wasn't praying enough and my faith needed to be stronger and I wasn't "relying on jehovah". All my problems would go away in the "new system", so I didn't need to worry about them now.)

When I was eighteen she married a man who was also JW and who is very abusive towards her.

Around this time I started drinking regularly. I would often sneak large quantities of alcohol into the house at night without my mother or that arsehole knowing about it.

Soon though, that wasn't numbing the pain enough. There was a family in the congregation whose house I used to hang out at a lotbecause I couldn't stand being at home, and because at the time I thought they actually gave a damn about me. I knew the brother had a regular supply of strong pain medication and I started finding excuses to ask him for it.

Soon after that I managed to escape the grip of the JWs and moved to the other side of town.

Suddenly I hardly knew anyone; the brainwashing was over and I was able to see that everything I had been taught my whole life was all lies; the aspects of myself that I had burried because they didn't fit with cult law could surface; I was constantly being guilt tripped by my mother; I was vulnerable because I had always been totaly sheltered and then when I was preyed upon my mother said it was because I had "turned my back on jehovah".

The level of my drinking increased and since I was not under constant supervision I started seeking out more drugs.

Gefangene

I have been fading since November 2014.. i never had a drinking problem bit have fallen into a drug addiction in April 2015 and haven't been clean sincevthen. To the outside i live a normal life and nobody around me knows anything about my habit.. it has become a Highlight in a grey and dull life .. one of the only enjoyments in my current life as run down as it may sound. Having an emotionally unstable JW mother and an abusive (non jw) husband ain't pretty :(

JWdaughter

I never thought to turn to drugs before a recent experience as they held no appeal. My limited experience with prescription drugs left me muddy headed or delusional (literally). I don't like alcohols taste or effects. I recognized those things well into adulthood and far beyond the JW experience ( I didn't leave to experience the forbidden, but just because I recognized that I wanted no part of their arrogant claim to have the truth).

I recently had a experience that, with my broader knowledge of the way that drugs and alcohol messes with the consciousness, I can see it as being appealing when going through a serious struggle of any kind-and losing friends and family because of leaving a religion is definitely a miserable thing. I was as close to suicide as I could be (a JW played into it, but it wasn't really about the JWs) and wished that I was one of the people that enjoyed that kind of alteration of my consciousness. I'm just not one of them, but clearly a LOT of people like the feeling of being buzzed, high or drunk.

I think it is an escape from current reality and I would have welcomed it a few times if I wasn't more miserable using those things than otherwise and I know that my family is rather prone to addiction, so I am extra wary of all of it.

freemindfade

In my personal experience drugs would only be recreational, and alcohol I love to drink and enjoy far more as and EXJW but don't get drunk or overdo it like I did as a witness.

When I have voices in my head, I eat... thats my emotion crutch lol

Finkelstein

I think there is a probability that people who leave the JW religion/cult do so out of retribution to that overwhelming oppression of this religion of so many things, that they do get involved in drug and alcohol abuse.

There is also experimentation by young adults as well from non religious backgrounds.

Count myself in that category.

Years later on I realized what I was doing and what stimulated or influenced my decision making back then.

The best thing to do is always keep in mind your health as a personal endeavor with no religious association needed, required or necessary.

Wholesome inspired living dictates that illicit drugs soft or hard are to be avoided, including alcohol for it too is a damaging drug.

Drugs....why?

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