Some of the things that influence the levels of national consumption of cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs include cultural and religious traditions and stigmas, the legal availability, the number of licensed premises, along with the cost of the substances and consumer buying power. The amount of harm caused by these ills in our society tends to rise and fall with the level of use in the U.S. The more these are used in our society, the higher the level of harm to our society. Their use is known to be associated with a wide range of social problems, from crime to absenteeism and inefficiency at work. Almost a quarter of all assaults occur near places of public entertainment where alcohol and drugs are present, with under-age drinkers often being involved in the violence and disorder. Both perpetrators and victims of violence tended to be young adult males in the 18-30 age range, who are manual workers or unemployed. Problem drinkers and drug users have a very high rate of deaths from violence, including suicide. But alcohol or drugs are not always noted as a contributing cause of deaths. The total number of deaths caused by alcohol and drugs is much greater than the number actually given to specific alcohol or drug causes. Alcohol and drugs contribute to deaths from a range of other causes, including accidents, suicide and other forms of violence. The suicide rate for problem drinkers is significantly higher than that of the general population. Almost a third of people who commit suicide are excessive drinkers and/or drug users. Suicide attempts are often indicative of deeper spiritual problems, with drinking and drug use being a way to dull the consciousness of what is truly the problem. Often this masks the emotional pain of some earlier abuse, such as childhood sexual abuse, physical abuse or rape. Christians should be aware of these underlying causes of alcohol and drug use, and be willing to help others explore these latent causes and heal from them both physically and spiritually. Often those who were abused in some way have deep spiritual issues, concerning their trust in God and other human beings. The Christian community needs to be willing to reach out to those caught up in the cycle of addiction and show them that they have a choice in their behavior and that they can know the truth and that truth will set them free.
