The drug crisis: a spiritual response

Many people in our community are actively working on solutions to the problems associated with drug addiction, particularly with the rise of prescription-opioid misuse and heroin. Prayer can be part of the answer, whether it lifts an individual out of addiction or guides concerned citizens in how best to help our neighbors.

Speakers from four organizations are coming together to share their insights about spirituality and how it can shape effective answers to the challenges at hand and bring healing. The free public talk is titled, “The Drug Crisis: A Spiritual Response” and will take place on Saturday, May 14, at 2:30 pm at Harbor Care Health and Wellness Center, 45 High Street, Nashua, N.H.

The panelists will be Janet Valuk, director of the Nashua Prevention Coalition; Ann McIntyre, who helps run a faith-based recovery program at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Nashua; Ryan Gagne, founder and director of Live Free Structured Sober Living, a home for men’s substance-abuse treatment in Manchester, N.H.; and John Adams, CSB, a Christian Science healer and traveling lecturer based in New York City.

During his portion of the talk, Mr. Adams will reference the original sourcebook on Christian healing, the Bible, along with Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, a book of universal ideas on practical spirituality. Adams was healed of a serious drug habit through his study of Science and Health.

“There is nothing that compares to the moment of healing, of realizing God’s actuality and one’s innocence as His child,” Adams says. “Healing directly impacts families, friends, neighbors, and communities.”

The talk is sponsored by First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Nashua. Time will be included for questions and comments from the audience.