# Drug Abuse Prevention: The Spiritual Dimension

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-19 — 1 clipping.*

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Vahid Payman, Drug Abuse Prevention: The Spiritual Dimension, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> Drug Abuse Prevention
> The Spiritual Dimension1
> Vahid Payman
> 
> Introduction
> On behalf of the Victorian Bahá’í Community, I would first like to salute
> the efforts of the Victorian Education Department and the Australian Drug
> Foundation in embarking on their drug prevention programs. I have had an
> opportunity to read the Education Department’s manual, “Turning The Tide”,
> and, along with the presentation earlier, I am impressed by the depth and
> breadth of thought that has gone into its preparation. I am particularly im-
> pressed by its decision to make drug education in schools a continuous pro-
> gram, rather than an ad hoc approach, and also in recognising the importance
> of starting early by including primary schools under its rubric. Life attitudes
> are acquired early in life and these attitudes become values which then guide
> behaviour. It is important, therefore, also to include parents in the school
> strategy for we all know that it is parental attitudes and the examples they set
> for their children that have the greatest influence on their development.
> 
> Definitions
> In speaking about the spiritual dimension of drug abuse prevention, a
> few definitions are in order. This is important because many would con-
> sider the concept of spirituality as foreign to any consideration of impor-
> tant social problems such as drug abuse and its prevention. The World
> Heath Organisation’s definition of a drug is “any substance, with the ex-
> ception of food and water which when taken into the body alters its func-
> tion physically and/or psychologically. “ Drugs can be divided into three
> categories: I) depressants, such as alcohol, opiates, cannabis, inhalants,
> tranquillisers and sedatives, and non-narcotic analgesics; 2) stimulants, such
> as caffeine, tobacco, cocaine, and amphetamines; and 3) hallucinogens,
> such as LSD and mescaline. Drugs can be licit or illicit, prescribed or
> ‘over-the-counter’.
> 
> 1.   This is the text of an address given at a seminar in Melbourne on 19 November 1998 on the Prevention
> of Drug Abuse, organised by the Monash Bahá’í Community.
> 98                                              Australian Bahá’í Studies, Vol.1, No. 2, 1999
> 
> The fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
> Disorders (DSMIV) defines substance abuse as “a maladaptive pattern of
> substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as
> manifested by one or more of the following, occurring within, a twelve
> month period: 1) recurrent substance use resulting in a failure to fulfil major
> role obligations at work, school or home: 2) recurrent substance use in
> situations in which it is physically hazardous, such as driving an automo-
> bile; 3) recurrent substance related legal problems, such as disorderly con-
> duct: 4) continued substance use despite having persistent or recurrent so-
> cial or interpersonal problems caused or exacerbated by the effects of the
> substance, such as arguments with spouse about intoxication.
> The related term, substance dependence, describes a state of physical
> and/or psychological dependence characterised by tolerance to the drug
> and a characteristic withdrawal syndrome.
> Prevention can be divided into primary, secondary, and tertiary. Pri-
> mary prevention attempts to prevent the onset of a condition (in this case,
> substance abuse). Secondary prevention aims to identify and promptly treat
> an illness once it has already happened, thus reducing its duration. Tertiary
> prevention aims to reduce the residual disabilities caused by an illness.
> Examples of these different types of prevention include school programs
> that promote an understanding of the risks of drug use (primary preven-
> tion), programs that help teachers identify students who have a drug prob-
> lem (secondary prevention), or needle exchange programs, which reduce
> the incidence of blood-borne diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis 8 and C
> (tertiary prevention).
> The ‘spiritual dimension’ can be defined as that aspect of a person per-
> taining to the soul or psyche, as opposed to matter or the body. The soul or
> psyche has three capacities, namely the capacities to know (knowledge), to
> feel (love), and to act (will). Other terms that have been used for these
> three capacities are 1) Cognition, 2) Affect, and 3) Motivation. We know
> that most drugs of dependence can affect some or all of these three capaci-
> ties of the psyche through their actions on the cerebral cortex and the limbic
> system.
> 
> Adolescent Drug Abuse Why did it happen?
> There are many reasons why young people take drugs. Some of these
> are: fun and excitement; curiosity; relief from stress and distress from prob-
> lems at work, school or relationships; the need for group acceptance, to
> impress the opposite sex, or to boast about improved sexual performance,
> pressure from friends, society, media, or role models; parental example; to
> anger parents; and to self medicate against mental illness, such as depres-
> sion, anxiety, or schizophrenia.
> Drug Abuse Prevention The Spiritual Dimension1                                                     99
> 
> If we take all these reasons and try to group them we can see that drugs
> are taken as 1) a diversion against boredom or aimlessness, 2) a
> psychological anaesthetic, akin to ‘soma’ in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New
> World, 3) a performance enhancer, or psychological steroid, 4) a way of
> achieving acceptance amongst peers, or 5) a form of protest. What this
> suggests is that we have individuals who are bored, in psychological pain,
> unhappy with themselves, feeling alienated and angry with society. If this
> is the case, I would suggest that our society is in a state of crisis, a crisis of
> meaning, purpose, and connectedness.
> Mental health statistics seem to support this suggestion. The National
> Health and Medical Research Council reports that up to a quarter of ado-
> lescents will suffer major depression by age 18, and, in any six months,
> 40% will suffer from prolonged sadness and unhappiness.2 Suicide rates
> have tripled for young males and doubled for young females over the past
> fifty years.3 And whilst suicide is an uncommon event – 0.02% of young
> people take their lives each year it is the tip of an iceberg insofar as up to
> l0% will make a suicide attempt .
> The factors contributing to this situation include: “family conflict ...
> lack of a close relationship with caring, dependable adults, increased ex-
> pectations, peer and media influences, the perceived lack of meaningful
> opportunities in mainstream society, and an inadequate cultural framework
> of meaning, belonging, and hope.” 4
> In an address given in I997 at the “Exploring Adolescent Spirituality”
> Seminar in Melbourne, Richard Eckersley of the CSIRO suggested: “The
> bottom line of psychological wellbeing seems to be having a sense of mean-
> ing and purpose in life ... Positive life meaning is related to strong reli-
> gious beliefs, self-transcendent values, membership in groups, dedication
> to a cause and clear life goals.” 5 Eckersley then proceeds to quote Bruce
> Headey and Alex Wearing from their book Understanding Happiness:
> “Clearly a person cannot simply invent a new mission in order to achieve a
> sense of purpose and meaning in life, but it is worth remembering that in
> the long haul this is what matters most.”
> Spirituality, therefore, lies at the heart of any campaign to solve the
> drug problem. A spiritual model which addresses the questions of pur-
> pose, meaning, suffering and connectedness, is crucial, I believe, for the
> success of our prevention programs.
> 
> 2.   R. Eckersley, “A View from the Mouth of a Cave: Spirituality, God, science and the future”, Youth
> Issues Forum Summer I997/8.
> 3.   R. Eckersley, “A View from the Mouth of a Cave: Spirituality, God, science and the future”, Youth
> Issues Forum Summer I997/8.
> 4.   R. Eckersley, “A View from the Mouth of a Cave: Spirituality, God, science and the future”, Youth
> Issues Forum Summer I997/8.
> 5.   R. Eckersley, “A View from the Mouth of a Cave: Spirituality, God, science and the future”, Youth
> Issues Forum Summer I997/8.
> 100                                                               Australian Bahá’í Studies, Vol.1, No. 2, 1999
> 
> A Spiritual Model of Human Nature
> I would like to offer a spiritual model based on my understanding of the
> principles of the Bahá’í Faith, of which I am a member, a model which is
> probably consistent with the principles of the world’s other major religions.
> The model consists of the following principles: 1) That humans have a dual
> nature, spiritual and material, and that our reality is our soul; 2) The soul is a
> divine trust that has the potential to manifest its capacities of knowledge,
> love, and will. These capacities are expressed as attributes, such as truthful-
> ness, patience, humility, love, compassion, tolerance, joy, determination, and
> service. These are, in fact, all attributes of God, and, having been created in
> His image, we are all capable of expressing them. 3) The purpose of life is to
> develop these attributes. 4) In the same way that the body needs food and
> water to grow, the soul requires spiritual sustenance in the form of prayer and
> meditation., in particular, meditation on the Word of God, found in the Scrip-
> tures of the world’s major religions. 5) Life’s challenges provide the situa-
> tions in which to develop these attributes. As we develop them, we master the
> challenge and move on to greater challenges. 6) Tests and difficulties, there-
> fore, are necessary for the progress of the soul. They are to be welcomed, not
> avoided.
> This spiritual model can assist in drug abuse prevention by addressing the
> problems of discontent, boredom, pain, alienation, and anger, which psycho-
> logically underpin the drug abuse epidemic. It provides meaning and pur-
> pose consistent with the essence of our beings. It teaches that humans are
> ‘mines rich in gems of inestimable value’, of virtues, which, through educa-
> tion, can be unearthed for the benefit of humankind. It teaches that psycho-
> logical pain is part of growth., in the same way that a plant is pruned in
> winter so that it can flower abundantly in spring. It resolves the problem of
> alienation by reuniting humans with God, and, through God, to God’s uni-
> verse such an individual will then begin to look at constructive solutions to
> society’s problems, rather than railing against them.
> 
> How Can Such a Model Be Implemented?
> A successful program using a spiritual model already exists. ‘The Virtues
> Project’,6 developed by Linda Kavelin Popov and Dan Popov, a social worker
> and child psychologist wife and husband team from Canada, teaches and
> encourages virtues in children, youth and adults. Designed primarily for
> parents, it also used by schoolteachers and others working in human devel-
> opment. It honours the world’s sacred traditions and offers simple principles
> for paying attention to a child’s spiritual development, helping them set spir-
> itual goals. The four key principles of the project are: 1) the parent is the
> 
> 6.    L.D. Popov & J. Kavelin, The Virtues Guide: a handbook for parents teaching virtues. Gold Coast: The
> Virtues Project Inc. I995.
> Drug Abuse Prevention The Spiritual Dimension1                                         101
> 
> primary educator of the child; 2) children are born in potential: their natural
> qualities can develop into positive or negative traits depending on how they
> are educated in the early years; 3) character develops as children learn to
> make responsible, moral choices; and 4) self-esteem is a natural outcome of
> living by spiritual principles.
> The Virtues Project is being promoted amongst parents, in schools, in
> mental health and forensic settings. One of its authors, dare I say it, recently
> appeared as a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show! Such a program would be
> an important addition to existing drug prevention strategies like “Turning
> The Tide”. It would also be important to offer it to parents of preschool
> children, as it is in these early years that personality and character are formed.
> 
> Conclusion
> Of course, the spiritual dimension is not the only dimension. There is the
> material dimension; the tasks of curbing the production of, and traffic in,
> drugs of dependence, providing young people with opportunities for training
> and employment, making them aware of the risks of drug taking, and pro-
> moting concepts of healthy living. But underpinning all these efforts must be
> a recognition of the potential nobility of the human condition and the lofti-
> ness of one’s purpose in life. In the words of Bahá’u’lláh:
> 
> “I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to poverty?
> Noble I made thee, wherewith dost thou abase thyself? Out of the essence
> of knowledge I gave thee being, why seekest thou enlightenment from any-
> one beside Me? Out of the clay of love I moulded thee, how dost thou busy
> thyself with another? Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me
> standing within thee, mighty, powerful, and self subsisting.”7
> 
> 7.   Bahá’u’lláh The Hidden Words. New Delhi: Bahá’í Publishing Trust. 1957 edition.
>
> — *Drug Abuse Prevention: The Spiritual Dimension (Used by permission of the curator)*