Prayer is a powerful tool in helping a loved one with a substance use or mental health disorder, but prayer and and action is even more powerful.

In this video, I want to talk to you about the power of prayer. That’s right, the power of prayer.

I had a call just last week from a family whose loved one, a man in his 40s, had been suffering from substance use, specifically alcohol. He had been in and out of various treatment centers for many years. He was currently in a facility but had only been there two days and was already talking about leaving. They had been referred to me by a colleague. They called to talk about the Marchman Act, Florida’s involuntary commitment statute for somebody with a primary substance use disorder. Chapter 397 of the Florida statutes enable families to keep their loved ones in treatment for a significant period of time, usually 90 days. This has been a very useful tool for us in helping people so they can experience the miracle of recovery. We spent 15-20 minutes on the phone, and they seemed like they agreed with it, so I sent them a copy of our e-book, which you can find on the Drug and Alcohol Attorneys website.

The next day, they sent me an email saying, “We’ve decided we’re going to pray on this, and right now, we’re not taking any action.” Frankly, I was a little bit sad because they desperately needed help. I thought back to my own childhood. I was raised in a religious family where prayer was very important, and I certainly support anybody’s religious affiliations. I believe that the power of prayer is essential. However, one thing is better than the power of prayer. The power of prayer is accompanied by action. Action is needed when somebody has a substance use disorder and cannot decide for themselves to go into treatment and stay there long enough.

If you have a loved one with a substance use disorder, I encourage you to be positive. I encourage you to pray. But more than that, I encourage you to take action. Because if you don’t take action, horrible things happen, like somebody going to prison and ending up dead. They end up in a ward of the state, meaning they end up in a state institution that is not what you want. You’re the family, you know what’s best for them, you’re the one that loves them, and you’re the one who’s best situated to make decisions that are in their best interest. I hope you found this video helpful.

Until the next time, take care, and be well.