ON CHRISTIANITY

DEAR REV. GRAHAM: We’re worried about our son because he’s been arrested twice for drunken driving since leaving for college last fall. He says we shouldn’t worry because it’s just a phase all college students go through. Should we be concerned?

  • E. McN.

DEAR E.MCN.: Yes, you certainly should be concerned - not just for your son, but also for people he might injure or even kill if he drinks and drives. We’ve heard it so often that I’m afraid we no longer take it seriously, but it’s still true: Drinking and driving simply don’t mix. Ask any police officer or funeral director.

But even if your son never got behind a steering wheel again while drinking, you still should be concerned - because what’s happening is exactly how many people begin their tragic descent into alcoholism. Not every young person who experiments with drinking will end up an alcoholic, of course, but some will, and the time to deal with it is now, not when alcoholism has trapped them in its terrible grip. The fact that your son didn’t learn from his first violation should concern you.

Talk candidly with him about what’s happening in his life. Let him know you love him, and because you love him, you don’t want him to go down a wrong road. Urge him also to be honest with himself. Why, for example, does he give in so easily to the pressure of the crowd? Has he turned to alcohol to escape from some problem or fear? If he needs professional help, urge him to get it.

Most of all, pray for your son, and encourage him to build his life on a different foundation - a foundation of faith in Christ. Jesus, the Bible says, is “a firm foundation … so that (we) may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:19).

Write to Billy Graham in care of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, N.C. 28201 or visit the website at billygraham.org

Food, Pages 30 on 04/24/2013

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