Caller: My question is about an alcoholic who blacks out and perform crimes or sins, such as murder or rape, but they don’t remember or recollect the event, are these demons possessing the individual or are these the effects from the influence of alcohol or drugs on the brain?
Pastor Doug: Good question. I’m going to restate your question because of feedback on your phone. When a person who is drinking has a blackout and they commit some terrible crime, murder, robbery, are they doing it with their subconscious under the influence of alcohol or is it demons? Well, I think it’s a combination. The devil can’t make you do anything. But they certainly have less resolve to be good when they’re under the influence of a drug that’s distorting their mind. So obviously they’re being inspired by demons but they are responsible for what they do under the influence of alcohol.
I’ve been in some countries where they have this philosophy that what a person does when they’re drunk, its not really them and they’re not responsible. And that’s how they justify some terrible things. I know of a grandfather who suffocated his granddaughter behind the seat of his pickup because he and his buddies got drunk and threw her back there and no one in the family held him responsible because they said he was drunk. That’s their culture. But I would disagree. They are responsible. That’s why you don’t take the drugs. Because you’re going to do things that you’re ashamed of, that are wrong, and you’re putting yourself on enchanted ground.
Caller: So its actually not spirits or anything demonic or anything?
Pastor Doug: Well, it is demonic influence that has more power when they’re under the influence of a drug. It’s easier for the devil to tempt someone to do something wrong when their mental faculties are weakened by drugs or alcohol. So, yes, devils are involved. But I’m not going to blame it on the devil and say “The devil made me do it”. They had to choose.
Caller: So if a person is an alcoholic, should he seek counseling in an alcohol program, if he’s attending a church, because a lot of times they say we’ll wait until there’s a medical happening or due to the studies at the church…
Pastor Doug: You should send for the book that we’re offering tonight on Alcohol and the Christian. I would say that the church is a great support group and any good AA program gets its initial principles from the Bible. The guys that founded AA were Christians and they trust in a Higher Power. They can’t promote it that way socially as much as they used to, but if an alcoholic is trying to recover, go to an AA group and a church, because not all churches are as user friendly to alcoholics—they’re not all the same. You need to go to an alcoholics or 12 step program, to get some very specific support, as well as a church.