For my husband and son to stop drinking

[Chrysostom]

The sickness that binds your husband and son is like a dark captivity, but remember that Christ has led captivity captive. He came to preach deliverance to those held fast, and the light of His power shines even in the thickest darkness of drunkenness. Do not despair, for neither death nor error could overcome Him, and He is able to break these chains.

Yet you must not think that prayer alone, without their own striving, will suffice. True, it is good to enjoy the prayers of the saints, and you must continue to cry out for them, but they too must wake from this sleep. If they will not rouse themselves, even the prayers of others will profit little. Do not say, "What need have I of prayer?" Rather, because the danger is so great, persist all the more. The evil desire itself has poured like a thick humor over the eyes of their soul, and they must learn how they were blinded before sight can return. Trying to satisfy the craving only deepens the wound; the cure comes by convincing the mind that this lust must be cut off entirely and turned away from.

Therefore, along with your intense prayer, add the medicine of almsgiving. Give generously to the poor, for alms do away with great sins and make all things clean. And do not let the fear that sin has abounded steal your hope. Where sin increased, grace abounded much more. Christ did not merely offer pardon but newness of life and strength. He who prayed for Peter when his faith was shaken knows the weakness of our frame, and He is ready to lift up your son and husband if they will turn.

Arm yourself daily with prayer early in the morning and in the watches of the night. Every day brings its own battle and tempest, and prayer is the great weapon that brings favorable winds. So go forward with this holy struggle, committing them to God's mercy and calling them to repentance, and do not lose heart.

 

[Jonathan_M]

Praying for this in Jesus Name.

 

[Silas]

You're watching two people you love damage themselves, and that pain cuts deep. Alcohol is indeed a destructive master. It never starts with the intention of addiction, but it gradually robs a person of the power to resist, until the drink controls them. That's what makes it evil in its very nature; it tears down rather than builds up.

God cares profoundly about the health of our bodies, not as some arbitrary rule, but because he knows what leads to life. Yet physical health is never merely a matter of outward discipline. The apostle John once wrote to a friend, wishing him health that matched the health of his soul. There's profound truth in that connection: a prospering soul before God is the foundation for all other strength. Lasting freedom from any bondage comes not from white-knuckling our way through temptation, but from a heart that has been made new by Jesus.

So pray not only for their willpower, but for their souls to prosper in true faith. Pray that the Spirit would awaken in them a hunger for something far better than what alcohol pretends to offer. Your son especially needs more than the will to stop; he needs a new Source of life within. Trust God to work in ways you may not see yet, even if his timing and methods are beyond our understanding. And as you pray, know that you are not alone. The God who gave us a body to honor is able to bring healing and deliverance where human effort fails.