Can a person be a true Christian and have a problem with substance abuse?

Can a person be a true Christian and have a substance abuse problem? I'm not talking about living a double life by going to church and acting all 'holy' and then going home and smoking crack. I'm talking about being open about the problem and trying to curb it..but curbing the addiction takes a long time because of the psychological aspect of substance abuse. Or do you think that is very hypocritical and so even though substance abuse comes with harsh physical and psychological consequences they should be able to be 'cured' by God very quickly? What are your opinions on this?

Seektruth....cute answer, but clergymen who abuse children keep it a secret. I'm talking about a person who would put their problem in the open, possibly even before the church.

Christianity is the perfect religion for imperfect human beings. A true Christian is one who follows the teachings of Christ and struggles against the evil things of this world, whether they are found within or without.

Sure, you'll fit right in... Most Christians have just traded their addiction to sex and drugs into a new addiction called Christianity because they were too weak to handle the truth, didn't believe in themselves, and fell for the oldest trick in the book...

All saved believers are still sinners. Of course a saved believer can fall into the bondage of sin again, like drugs.

They don't lose their salvation, because it is impossible to lose salvation. They do lose the freedom from sin that is found in Jesus. And they can pray to Jesus to have that freedom restored.

Sure. I've known several christians and other religious people who've struggled with drug abuse. Some draw hope from their beliefs. But the physiology of drug addiction has nothing to do with religion. No matter what faith an addict claims, the monkey on their back is an atheist.

Yes. Christianity isn't about being perfect. It's about being forgiven and turning to Christ to surmount tribulation.

Well, most catholic priests have an obsession with little boys, and still claim to be christian - what do you think?

anyone can be a christian if they're good at lying to themselves. which druggies usually are.

Yes, we all fall short from the glory of God. We should let Jesus to give us power to overcome our shortcomings

I believe that you can if you became a Christian while you were addicted. Or you can be a Christian and backslide to different priorities. And then want to come back but you have a substance abuse problem. Maybe even get injured some how and need pain medication but the medication all of a sudden is hard to kick. The thing to do is get help. There are Christian organizations that can help. If you have a problem or you know someone with a problem, yes God can and will help. But He can help through other Christians along with prayer. It probably took time to get this way and from what I have seen in the way that God works, it will take time to get healed. You need to ask yourself this question. Who knows you better. You or your maker? If God just miraculously healed someone from drug addiction and then just left them to themselves, do you think that they will ever do it again? The answer is yes with many people. Of coarse there are some who would never do drugs again. But the majority of people who have a problem with substance abuse have an addictive nature and will return to it at a moment of weakness. Most people need counseling, prayer, and time to learn with the help of the Holy Spirit. It all depends on priorities. With this kind of problem, a quick fix from God may cause someone to think that they can do it again and again and again by just asking God to help them out of it again and again. God knows the heart. And He will deal with a person according to their heart.