Â鶹Éç

When I was very young, we had a family friend who would occasionally visit us unannounced and often late at night. When I think back to how he was in our house, a man spiralling, I now realise he was suffering either from alcohol addiction or drugs. I was too young to know what was really going on but I can remember the compassion with which my parents looked after him and comforted him. They never discussed the matter; he would usually stay with us for a day or so and we wouldn’t see him again for months.

I remembered him again last week with the news that the Scottish government has called for the decriminalisation of all drugs for personal use; despite a slight drop in the number of people who died of drug misuse, Scotland has the highest drug death rate recorded by any country in Europe. It wants the UK government to change the laws to allow people to be as it says "treated and supported rather than criminalised and excluded". Against the view that the war on drugs has failed, there is a call for users to have more access to emergency treatments and services without fear. Decriminalisation of drug possession doesn’t mean legalisation and those wanting the change say that criminalisation kills compassion. But for those resisting this view the argument remains that removing the criminal penalty would cause greater social harm.

The drug therapist Donald Lynn frost said that ‘drugs take you to hell disguised as heaven.’ We know that many people use drugs as a coping mechanism, a refuge - everything from lives of neglect and deprivation to numbing feelings of loneliness, trauma and abuse including having substance abusing parents. And yes, across cultures and generations, stimulants can also be an antidote to deal with the ordinariness of life. But the journey from seeking momentary relief or pleasure to addiction is often quite short.

It seems to me that at the root of all addiction, lies a search for a certain fulfilment, even though it can cost you your family and your freedom. When the Qur’an says, ‘eat and drink but waste not by excess’ it’s a reminder that we can enjoy our life with God’s blessings but also destroy our life with these same blessings. But while the Qur’an discourages excess, it demands that we show compassion. The beauty and terror of life can overwhelm us all, but helping those in need and suffering should be for Muslims the most profound act of worship, one which can give everyone a glimmer of hope and self-worth.

Show less