Question:If you have someone close to you who has a dependency/addiction – one caused over years of prescription medication – and the person does not realize they have a dependency/addiction to the medication, yet they have realized they have a medical issue and are taking action to stop prescribing the medication, how do you pray for that person? If it is not the person’s will or desire to realize the dependency/addiction and they don’t want anyone’s help, how could they be prayerd for against their “Free Will”...

Answer: Thank you for asking this question. First, I am sure that this situation is very difficult for you. It is never easy dealing with people who are involved in an addiction of any kind.

In terms of what you can do, you are on the right track, but you can also take more definitive action. Prayer is important, but sometimes you need to create an intervention and make the person realize his or her addiction and how it is affecting everyone around them. By assembling all of the people they care about together and intervening in this way it can have a powerful result that you may never be able to have on your own.

While all of this is true I do not want to minimize the power of prayer. Keep praying that this person realizes his or her addiction and how it affects everyone around them. Also, it is appropriate to pray that they should find their rock bottom so that they can experience what it is like to have to deal with the problem head on. Sometimes it takes having to hit that personal low in order to see that help is needed.

I wish you a lot of Mazel (good fortune and success) in this situation.

Be Well,
Rabbi Litt