
The French philosopher Pascal said there is a “God-shaped vacuum” inside every human heart. Since nature abhors a vacuum, if we don’t fill it with God, we will fill it with something else. So many of us have filled our hearts with the junk food of the world . Some have gone past junk food and gone chemical to the point of addiction. Chemical cravings are as old as time. The Bible gives ample proof that excessive drinking of intoxicants was a common vice among the Hebrews, as among other ancient peoples (Noah, Gen. 9:21; Lot, Gen. 19:33, 35; Nabal, 1 Samuel 25:30; Amnon 1 Samuel 13:28; Elah, 1 Kings 16:9) . Despite the long history, there is hope, help, and healing for those caught in the enslavement of substance abuse.