Prayers for a son’s drug addiction

In a happy family, everything collapses the moment the adults find out that their boy, for example, smokes weed. Most likely, there will be statements: “I’m already big! Everyone does it! I’ll quit without any problems!” - DON'T BELIEVE IT.

The hardest blow of such news is for mothers who put all their soul and strength into their child. With the realization of the news, the search for doctors and clinics begins; many remember the Lord and beg for healing of the disease through prayers for their son’s drug addiction.

Drugs are the curse of our era, and a drug addict is a lost person: he can swear, beg, convince, but he alone cannot cope with addiction. Churched individuals protect their children through sacred rites and other rituals from bad attachments.

The article contains popular Orthodox texts and fast-acting white spells against the modern plague.

Which saints to pray to

Most often this question is addressed to:

Nicholas the Wonderworker. The saint loves children very much, helps them in their studies and, in a tender, fatherly way, will take away all the troubles from the child.
Matrona of Moscow. The health of the child is important to the saint. Helping the doctors, the capital's eldress will heal the sick person through strong prayer.
Boniface the Merciful. The martyr had a bad habit before accepting Christianity - he drank. Having become blessed, he saved those who asked him for help from alcoholism. Support is also provided to drug addicts.
Ambrose Optinsky. The righteous man served at the monastery in Optina Hermitage and spent his entire life struggling with illnesses, which subsided when he performed a prayer service to the Mother of God. In the temple where the devout arrived, there is a unique icon “The Inexhaustible Chalice”, which cured more than one hundred people from drunkenness.

Prayer to Nicholas the Wonderworker for his drug-addicted son

Well-known and beloved by most believers, Saint Nicholas the Pleasant never leaves without his attention those who find themselves in a difficult life situation. He does not leave without his protection and help any of those who seek it and believe that they will receive it. A prayer addressed to the Saint for his son’s drug addiction will reach him, and the one praying will receive the necessary spiritual support.

Chosen Wonderworker, saint of Christ, Father Nicholas! You exude peace into the sea, performing endless miracles. You maintain the strength of the spirit of sinners, you heal the sick and those possessed by the devil! I pray to you, Holy Father! Help the Lord’s sinful son (name). Ask for strength and strength for him, so that he can withstand the test that has become a burden on his body. Soar with your kindness above his mortal body. So that the spirit resists the misfortunes and wiles of the devil, unworthy temptations. To pray together with those whom the Lord accepted in heaven for His eternal glory! Amen!

Lyrics

Nicholas the Wonderworker

Wonderworker Nicholas, Defender and Savior. I beg you and ask for immediate help. Deliver the slave (slave) from drug addiction (say the person’s name). Cool down his (her) hunt and remove the obsession. Cleanse your soul and body from narcotic soot. Give me the strength to help the suffering person and guide us towards holy healing. Thy will be done. Amen.

Matrona of Moscow

Blessed Elder, Matrona of Moscow. Show us great mercy and help the sufferer get rid of drug addiction. Let the holy water clear away the ailments, and there will be no more monstrous pain. Ask the Lord to give you forgiveness so that you will no longer be attracted to drugs. I beg you and ask you, help, save us from destruction and need. Thy will be done. Amen.

Boniface the Merciful

O Saint Boniface, merciful servant of the Merciful Master! Hear those who come running to you, obsessed with the addiction to drinking wine, and, just as in your earthly life you never refused to help those who asked you, so now deliver these unfortunates (names). Once upon a time, God-wise father, hail destroyed your vineyard, but you, having given thanks to God, ordered the few remaining grapes to be put in a winepress and to call the poor. Then, taking new wine, you poured it drop by drop into all the vessels that were in the bishopric, and God, fulfilling the prayer of the merciful, performed a glorious miracle: the wine in the winepress multiplied, and the poor filled their vessels. O Saint of God! Just as through your prayer wine increased for the needs of the church and for the benefit of the poor and wretched, so you, blessed one, now reduce it where it causes harm, deliver those who indulge in the shameful passion of wine drinking (names) from their addiction to it, heal them from a serious illness, free them from demonic temptation, strengthen the weak, give them, the weak, strength and strength to successfully endure this temptation, return them to a healthy, sober life, direct them to the path of work, put in them the desire for sobriety and spiritual vigor. Help them, saint of God Boniface, when the thirst for wine begins to burn their larynx, destroy their destructive desire, refresh their lips with heavenly coolness, enlighten their eyes, place their feet on the rock of faith and hope, so that, leaving their spiritual addiction, entailing excommunication from the Heavenly Kingdom, they were established in piety, merited a shameless peaceful death, and in the eternal light of the infinite Kingdom of Glory they worthily glorified our Lord Jesus Christ with His Beginningless Father and with the Most Holy and Life-Giving Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

John of Kronstadt

O great servant of Christ, holy and righteous Father John of Kronstadt, wondrous shepherd, quick helper and merciful representative! Raising praise to the Triune God, you prayerfully cried out: Your name is Love: do not reject me, the erring one. Your name is Strength: strengthen me, who is weak and falling. Your name is Light: enlighten my soul, darkened by worldly passions. Your name is Peace: pacify my restless soul. Now, grateful to your intercession, the all-Russian flock prays to you: Christ-named and righteous servant of God! With your love, illumine us, sinners and weaklings, grant us the ability to bear worthy fruits of repentance and to partake of the Mysteries of Christ without condemnation. By your power, strengthen our faith in us, support us in prayer, heal ailments and illnesses, deliver us from misfortunes, enemies, visible and invisible. With the light of your face, incite the servants and primates of the Altar of Christ to holy deeds of pastoral work, grant education to an infant, instruct youth, support old age, illuminate the shrines of churches and holy abodes! Die, most miraculous and visionary, the peoples of our country, by the grace and gift of the Holy Spirit, deliver from internecine warfare, gather the scattered, convert the seduced, and unite the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. By your grace, preserve marriage in peace and unanimity, grant prosperity and blessings to monastics in good deeds, give comfort to the faint-hearted, free those suffering from unclean spirits, have mercy in the needs and circumstances of our lives, and guide us on the path of salvation. In Christ living, our Father John, lead us to the Everlasting Light of eternal life, so that with you we may be worthy of eternal bliss, praising and exalting God forever and ever. Amen.

Miracle-working church prayer against childhood drug addiction

God! Creator of all creatures, adding mercy to mercy, You have made me worthy to be the mother of a family; Your grace has given me children, and I dare to say: they are Your children! Because You gave them existence, revived them with an immortal soul, revived them through baptism for a life in accordance with Your will, adopted them and accepted them into the bosom of Your Church, Lord! Keep them in a state of grace until the end of their lives; grant them to be partakers of the sacraments of Your Covenant; sanctify by Thy truth; may Thy holy name be sanctified in them and through them! Grant me Your gracious help in raising them for the glory of Your name and the benefit of your neighbor! Give me methods, patience and strength for this purpose! Teach me to plant in their hearts the root of true wisdom - Thy fear! Illuminate them with the light of Your wisdom that rules the universe! May they love You with all their souls and thoughts; may they cleave to You with all their hearts and throughout their entire life may they tremble at Your words! Grant me the understanding to convince them that true life consists in keeping Your commandments; that work, strengthened by piety, brings serene contentment in this life, and in eternity - inexpressible bliss. Open to them the understanding of Your Law! May they contribute to the feeling of Your omnipresence until the end of their days; plant in their hearts fear and disgust from all lawlessness: that they may be blameless in their ways; May they always remember that You, All-Good God, are a champion of Your law and righteousness! Keep them in chastity and reverence for Your name! Let them not discredit Your Church by their behavior, but let them live according to its instructions. Inspire them with a desire for useful teaching and make them capable of every good deed! May they acquire a true understanding of those objects whose information is necessary in their condition; may they be enlightened with knowledge beneficial to humanity. God! Manage me to impress with indelible marks on the minds and hearts of my children the fear of partnerships with those who do not know Thy fear, to instill in them every possible distance from any alliance with the lawless; let them not listen to rotten conversations; Let them not listen to frivolous people; May they not be led astray from Your path by bad examples; Let them not be tempted by the fact that sometimes the path of the wicked is successful in this world. Heavenly Father! Grant me the grace to take every possible care to tempt my children with my actions, but, constantly bearing in mind their behavior, to distract them from error, correct their mistakes, curb their stubbornness and obstinacy, refrain from striving for vanity and frivolity; Let them not be carried away by crazy thoughts; Let them not follow their own hearts; Let them not forget You and Your Law. May iniquity not destroy their mind and health, may sins not weaken their mental and physical strength. Righteous Judge, who punishes children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generation, turn away such punishment from my children, do not punish them for my sins, but sprinkle them with the dew of Your grace; let them advance in virtue and holiness; May they increase in Your favor and in the love of pious people. Father of generosity and all mercy! According to my parental feeling, I would wish for my children every abundance of earthly blessings, I would wish them blessings from the dew of heaven and from the fatness of the earth, but may Thy holy will be with them! Arrange their fate according to Your good pleasure, do not deprive them of their daily bread in life, send down to them everything they need in time to acquire a blissful eternity; be merciful to them when they sin before You; do not impute to them the sins of their youth and their ignorance; bring their hearts into contrition when they resist the guidance of Your goodness; punish them and have mercy, directing them to a path pleasing to You, but do not reject them from Your presence! Accept their prayers with favor; grant them success in every good deed; do not turn Your face away from them in the days of their tribulation, lest temptations befall them beyond their strength. Overshadow them with Your mercy; May Your Angel walk with them and protect them from every misfortune and evil path. All-merciful God! Make me a mother who rejoices over her children, so that they will be my joy in the days of my life and my support in my old age. Honor me, with trust in Your mercy, to appear with them at Your Last Judgment and with unworthy boldness to say: Here I am and my children whom You gave me, Lord! Yes, together with them, glorifying Your ineffable goodness and eternal love, I extol Your most holy name, Father, Son and Holy Soul, forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer before the “Inexhaustible Chalice” icon for drug addiction

Troparion, tone 4:

Today we are the harbinger of faithfulness to the Divine and wonderful image of the Most Holy Mother of God, filling the hearts of the faithful with the heavenly Inexhaustible Chalice of Her mercy, and showing miracles to the faithful. Seeing and hearing, we spiritually celebrate and cry warmly: O Lady of Mercy, heal our ailments and passions, beseeching Thy Son, Christ our God, to save our souls.

Kontakion:

We have been granted a chosen and wondrous deliverance—Your honorable image, Lady Theotokos, as having been delivered by its appearance from mental and physical ailments and sorrowful circumstances, we offer grateful praise to You, All-Merciful Intercessor. You, the Lady, whom we call the Inexhaustible Chalice, bow down graciously to our sighs and heartfelt cries, and grant deliverance to those suffering from the disease of drunkenness, so that with faith we cry to Thee: Rejoice, Lady, the Inexhaustible Chalice, quenching our spiritual thirst.

Prayer:

O most merciful Lady! We now resort to Your intercession, do not despise our prayers, but mercifully hear us, wives, children, mothers and those obsessed with the serious illness of drunkenness, and for this, for the sake of our mother, the Church of Christ, and for the salvation of our fallen brothers, sisters and relatives, heal. O merciful Mother of God, touch their hearts and quickly raise them from the falls of sin and bring them to saving abstinence. Pray to Your Son, Christ our God, that He may forgive us our sins and not turn His mercy away from His people, but may He strengthen us in sobriety and chastity. Accept, O Most Holy Theotokos, the prayers of mothers who shed tears for their children, of wives who weep for their husbands, of orphaned and wretched children, of the lost ones abandoned, and of all of us who fall to Thy icon, and may this cry of ours, through Thy prayers, come to the throne Almighty. Cover and keep us from crafty deception and all the snares of the enemy. In the terrible hour of our exodus, help us to pass through the airy ordeals without stumbling, with Your prayers deliver us from eternal condemnation, may God’s mercy cover us for endless ages of ages. Amen.

The power of Orthodox prayers against drugs

Drug addiction has become a pathological disease of millions of people since the middle of the last century. The peculiarity of addiction is that only a few people have immunity to drug use (that is, to use without experiencing repeated cravings). The reason for rapid addiction to drugs is the similarity of the chemical composition of the drugs with hormones that regulate positive mood.

When such substances enter the human body from the outside, the production of hormones stops. This results in a transition to external borrowing instead of self-reproduction.

But everyone who tries drugs for the first time (out of imitation, curiosity, to relieve stress, to enhance creative imagination) is sure that he is not in danger of turning into a drug addict who has lost his human appearance. Drug addiction medications do not last long. They only stop the craving for drugs for a while. Without a drug addict’s strong desire to “get off” the needle, it is impossible to cure him.

The power of Orthodox prayers for drug addiction lies in the fact that the Lord, the Mother of God, and the holy saints help a person overcome his weakness and strengthen his willpower and spirit. Because, as often happens, drug addicts who understand the harmfulness of their condition are unable to get rid of their harmful addiction. The prayers of the patient and his loved ones will be heard, and salvation will come.

There are no specific prayers for drug addiction in Orthodoxy. But there are saints to whom those suffering from drunkenness have turned since ancient times. Prayers to the holy righteous John of Kronstadt are effective. In his youth, God's saint Boniface indulged in revelry and drunkenness. When he was sent for the relics of Christian martyrs, the Lord removed the “veil” from his eyes. Boniface realized how great his sins were, repented and began to preach the commandments of Christ. After torture, the pagan rulers sentenced the saint to execution.

A great sinner was Moses Murin, who, being a robber, shed a lot of innocent blood.

After repentance, Moses changed his lifestyle:

became an ascetic;
constantly prayed to God;
tortured his flesh with backbreaking labor;
fought with pride, humbly accepting all misfortunes.

These saints are an example of willpower, faith, and dedication. If you turn to them for help, their prayers will be heard by the Lord. You can contact God without intermediaries. The main thing is faith in God, in his omnipotence. The Mother of God is always merciful to those who come to her with a tearful request, especially to mothers praying for their children.

Those suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction are helped by prayers before the icon of the Mother of God “The Inexhaustible Chalice.” The holy image was discovered by chance in a church in the city of Serpukhov in the 19th century. One soldier, depressed from drunkenness, had a dream in which a command came that he should appear in Serpukhov, find the image of the Mother of God “The Inexhaustible Chalice” and pray in front of it.

The man did not immediately believe in his dream. After the third such dream, he went to Serpukhov, where they had difficulty finding an icon with such an inscription. After the prayer service, the soldier was cured of drunkenness. Hundreds and thousands of people suffering from alcoholism and their relatives began to come to the holy image, wanting to save their husbands and relatives from their addiction.

Fervent maternal prayers will have an effect if the mother prays to John the Baptist, the Great Martyr Barbara, the guardian angel of her son/daughter.

Rules and recommendations

People rarely think about the drug problem until it affects them. Children are given a good upbringing, correct manners are instilled in them, and they are taught what not to do. The news of addiction usually comes as a shock to loved ones. Where did the system fail? This is simple curiosity, childish interest. A child can learn about poison in a club, a group of friends, or from an older brother, and it doesn’t matter whether your son is an excellent student or your daughter a medalist.

When heading to the monastery, first of all, submit a note about the health of the drug addict, buy candles, place them near the icons of Jesus Christ and the martyrs, ask for healing from each face, bow low, cross yourself. Buy home an icon of the great martyr (you need to read the petition in front of it) and several church candles. It’s good if you have holy water in your home - add it to the food and drinks of a drug addict.

It is recommended to carry out traditional treatment, follow all the advice of doctors, and avoid self-medication - otherwise complications may arise in the form of mental disorders such as schizophrenia.

Right John of Kronstadt

The prayer to St. Righteous John of Kronstadt is important because this saint and almost our contemporary during his earthly life in every possible way helped many disadvantaged, poor people abandoned by everyone, who were often prone to drunkenness and, possibly, drug use. Therefore, now, being in heaven, he can all the more help those who have fallen into this misfortune

Lord, look mercifully on Your servant (name), seduced by the flattery of the belly and carnal joy. Grant him to know the sweetness of abstinence in fasting and the fruits of the Spirit flowing from it. Amen.

Reviews and examples of miracles

Elena June 15, 2018

You need to try everything! Something may seem funny, but you have to believe and try methods to get rid of this destructive disease...

Irina 03/01/2017

“The Inexhaustible Chalice” helped my son a lot: I went to Serpukhov, prayed, read the akathist. My son agreed to treatment, and has now been healthy for a year and five months. Of course, it’s difficult for him, but I pray for him every day. In June I went to Serpukhov again, ordered a thanksgiving prayer and a memorial service for my son’s year “for health”...

Tatyana October 18, 2016

A mother’s prayer is strong and we must, without giving up, fight for our child. It’s difficult, but the Lord hears us and helps us - I’ve tested it myself.

^ What a person who begins to pray for the suffering needs to know

When you begin to recover the lost, get a blessing for this from the confessor or priest of the temple where you usually pray. This blessing will more than once support you in moments of despair.

Remember the great patristic thought: we must fight not against the sinner, but against the sin that disfigures a person. Treating your neighbor (in Slavic - sincere) as a spiritually ill person who needs your support and understanding, you should expect that sacrificial love will be required from you (that is, not requiring reciprocal love). It is clear that you will have to endure a lot both from the sick person himself with his ingrained habits of pleasure, and from the demons who will certainly rebel him against you. What a great lesson in discerning spirits can be learned from this feat of struggle for the soul of one’s neighbor!

Determine for yourself from the very beginning that the struggle for a person’s soul will require ascetic efforts and exertion of all your strength, using all your spiritual experience. Beware of treating this as an everyday, everyday, ordinary matter.

Take a look at yourself: aren’t you yourself a slave to some strong long-term passion? Wouldn't the person who is overcome say to you: “Doctor, heal yourself.” In order for your heart not to be troubled and for your word to have power, you need to have a certain experience in defeating passions.

Using your experience of spiritual invisible warfare, do not give straightforward advice, saying: “Here I am, for example...”. The best pedagogy is a pedagogy of indirect, indirect action. Remember the words of St. John Climacus: “Not everyone benefits from the same medicine, although the disease may be the same.” The Fathers of the Church advise: teach others as you yourself teach (for who has completely conquered sin?). Make it a rule to always turn to the Lord with a prayer: “Lord, give me understanding, what to say, how to act .

Remember the rather limited power of exhortations: both due to the peculiarities of spiritual healing (the soul is healed through cleansing the heart), and due to the fact that relationships in the family are usually always familiar, and therefore our word has little weight, no prophet is accepted in his own country (Luke 4:24).

Try never to stoop to the level of conversation of a sick person, who may make harsh verbal attacks, insults, etc. towards you.

Be careful about the time and place of exhortation. Thus, the period of withdrawal syndrome (hangover) or “withdrawal” for a drug user is almost always unfavorable for bringing him to his senses . Not every sufferer will agree to have their ailments become the subject of discussion in public, with strangers.

Look inside yourself: don’t you need to repent for the suffering that your neighbor is experiencing? Isn't this your fault too? Parents may recall that, as if jokingly, they gave alcohol to their teenage son or daughter to drink. Have you always been a model of sobriety or moderation in drinking wine? Is it because your spouse started drinking because you did not want to resolve the family conflict for a long time? Do you have any reason to repent if, remembering only your own affairs and concerns, you did not notice that your child has lost interest in studying, has become resourceful and cunning, comes home from a disco with dilated or constricted pupils from drug use?

It seems that there is always a reason for repentance. Impose on yourself a fast, intensify your prayer, confess and partake of the Holy Mysteries.

St. Moses Murin

Moses Murin needs prayer for alcoholism and drug addiction because this saint was initially a fierce robber, extremely mired in grave sins associated with this evil deed. But then, having repented, he achieved holiness. Therefore, he can help those who are also mired in drug addiction and cannot get rid of it themselves, without outside help.

“O reverend one, you have achieved wonderful virtues from grave sins, help the servants of God (names) who pray to you, who are drawn to destruction because they indulge in the immeasurable consumption of wine, which is harmful to the soul and body. Bow your merciful gaze upon them, do not reject them or despise them, but listen to them as they come running to you. Pray, holy Moses, the Lord Christ, that He, the Merciful, will not reject them, and may the devil not rejoice at their destruction, but may the Lord have mercy on these powerless and unfortunate ones, who have been possessed by the destructive passion of drunkenness, for we are all God’s creations and redeemed by the Most Pure Blood of His Son . Hear, Reverend Moses, their prayer, drive away the devil from them, grant them the power to overcome passion, help them, stretch out your hand, lead them to the path of good, free them from the slavery of passions and deliver them from drinking wine, so that they, renewed, with sobriety and a bright mind, they loved abstinence and piety, and eternally glorified the All-Good God, who always saves His creatures. Amen".

Literature:

Vaisov, Sanzharbek Bakhtiyarovich. Drug and alcohol addiction: a practical guide to the rehabilitation of children and adolescents / S. B. Vaisov. - St. Petersburg: Science and Technology, 2008. - 268 p. : ill., table; 21 cm.
Protsenko, Evgeniy Nikolaevich. Drugs and drug addiction: hope in trouble / E. N. Protsenko. — [2nd ed., revised]. - Moscow: Triad, 2006 (Kirov: House of Press - Vyatka). — 240 s.; 20 cm.
Kulchitsky, Gennady Petrovich. Your child. How to protect yourself from drugs [Text]: instructions for parents from the chief narcologist / [Kulchitsky Gennady; with the participation of Evgeniy Alekseevich Bryun]. - Moscow: Eksmo, 2012. - 238, [1] p.; 22 cm.
Emelyanova, Elena Vladimirovna. Crisis in codependent relationships: principles and algorithms of counseling: [16+] / E. V. Emelyanova. - Saint Petersburg ; Moscow: Rech, 2022. - 315 p.