Drunkenness in Russia and in the world is a big problem. Families, loved ones and the drunkard himself suffer. Mortality from alcohol poisoning has reached global proportions. We struggled for many years with a cousin's addiction, which caused him to lose his job and his family. Prayer to the martyr Boniface against drunkenness helped defeat the green serpent and free the human soul from mortal sin. In this article I will tell you how to pray correctly.
Troparion, voice 4*
Audio:
Martyrs were sent to the class, / you were a true martyr, / having suffered for Christ most powerfully, most valiantly, / with the power of you you returned by the faith that sent you, blessed Boniface, / / pray to Christ God to receive Forgive us of our sins.
Translation: Sent to the assembly of martyrs, you yourself became a true martyr, having courageously suffered for Christ, glorified by everyone, and with your relics you returned to the one who sent you with faith, Blessed Boniface, pray to Christ God to receive forgiveness of our sins.
Prayer 1
Oh, holy passion-bearer of Christ, warrior of the Heavenly King, despising earthly voluptuousness and ascending to Heavenly Jerusalem through suffering, martyr Boniface! Hear me, a sinner, offering prayer songs from my heart, and beg our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive all my sins, both in knowledge and in ignorance, committed by me. To her, martyr of Christ, showing the image of repentance to sinners! With your prayers to God, be my helper and protector against the evil enemy of the devil: I tried many times to escape the snares of his wicked ones, but I was caught in the trap of sin and was dragged away from him. , I can’t get rid of it if you don’t stand before me, the situation is bitter for the one who endures; and how many times we tried to repent, but they lied before God. For this reason I come running to you and pray: save me, Holy One of God, from all evils by your intercession, by the grace of the all-powerful God, in the Trinity of the Holy One, glorified and worshiped, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy of the Spirit, now and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
What to do if your husband, son or other loved one becomes a drunkard
Here is what Archpriest Evgeniy Peikov says about this:
“A common mistake is that most people are looking for a quick and painless solution to their problem through some one-time actions that would help an addicted person change, even without his desire. “What prayer service should I serve and what prayer should I read, who should I light a candle for and what monastery should I go to so that he (she) stops drinking?” Everything seems to be correct. And prayers with akathists are performed and candles are lit on them, and whoever drank, as a rule, continues to drink, despite the fact that all the “recommendations” are being followed properly.”
According to the priest, the reasons for this can be divided into two categories. The first stems from a misunderstanding of spiritual life in general. A prayerful request for a loved one is not pleasing to the Lord if it is not combined with sincere humility, repentance for one’s own sins and forgiveness of offenses. On the advice of the priest, every time you light a candle in church, remember the words from the Gospel:
“If you bring your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. (Matt.5:23,24).
And the candle is our bloodless sacrifice to God.....Most women who suffer beatings from their men, their bestial behavior and have spent a lot of money on healers and private charlatans who bring them out of drinking in a short course of sessions, do not come to confession and communion because they think it's unnecessary. They don’t understand how this can help a drunk at all. But there can be no correct spiritual life without communion. After all, Jesus himself said:
“...truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you.” (John 6:53)
The second category is indulging the whims of a drunkard or, conversely, putting excessive pressure on him. In the first case, the wife (mother, mother-in-law) herself offers to get drunk, following the principle “it’s better to let him get drunk at home, and not somewhere unknown.” It is impossible to drink “culturally,” that is, little by little, so if the path of sobriety is chosen, then it must be followed to the end.
In another case, the relatives of the drinker are prone to malicious reproaches and accusations, which in no way contributes to the peaceful resolution of the conflict, but only gives rise to another sin in the souls of both - anger. Here, rather, a peaceful and gentle exhortation, spoken as if by chance, about the need for prayers and Holy Communion, will bring more benefit.
And looking at a wife (mother) who regularly attends church and, perhaps, in the evenings with her family tells something from the lives of the saints, a desire may stir in the heart of a dependent person and turn to God himself. If this happens, you must carefully fan the spark of good intention into a fiery desire to overcome your illness.
Truly difficult work awaits a woman, because she needs to separate a person from his illness in her mind. To hate sin and love the sinner, to learn to be calm about his antics, understanding that the reason is not in himself, but in the vodka that dominates his consciousness and enslaves his body and spirit.
It is very difficult to try to understand his feelings and thoughts, because those who do not experience the torment of addiction are inclined to cut off the behavior of a loved one with the approximate phrase: “Eat less, then it won’t be bad.” Even worse is another: “Yes, I don’t know what it’s like for you and I don’t want to know.” But this spiritual path is so difficult because the spouses must do it together.
Archpriest Evgeniy Peikov says that it is important not to succumb to the provocations of an alcoholic: do not give money for drinks, do not buy false work certificates about temporary disability, do not cater to binge drinking. Don't take on the burden of responsibility for his actions, otherwise he will never realize that he is sick and needs help.
“For the sake of true, saving love, one must learn to restrain manifestations of false, destructive “love.”
Cases of the Mother of God helping people to get rid of this passion
The “Inexhaustible Chalice” is one of the images of the Mother of God, before which it is customary to pray for deliverance from drunkenness and drug addiction. Here are a few stories testifying to the intercession of the Mother of God and real miracles.
First miracle
This happened in 1999 to a Moscow resident Oleg. He started drinking while still studying at a technical school, and by the age of 25 he was already drinking heavily. With “absinus”, psychosis and other things. When the painful frenzy passed, the young man was fully aware of his swinish behavior, both at work and at home, and felt the greatest shame for it.
He tried to hold on, but it was not enough for more than a month. Then he turned to the doctors, sewed in a “torpedo”, then “esperal”, but this did not help. According to Oleg himself, he constantly heard “like an enemy of the human race” whispering to him to take a sip from the bottle. The rest can drink on holidays and in pleasant company, and do not become alcoholics - with such thoughts Oleg again fell into the abyss of his destructive passion.
But then one day my wife bought and brought into the house an icon of the “Inexhaustible Chalice” and began reading an akathist in front of it. Oleg himself began to read a little and drink water from this shrine, but there was no faith in his soul. This is how his life went: from ups to sobriety to falls into the darkness of continuous drunkenness. One night, lying in bed, he strongly prayed to the Mother of God, so that the Mother of God would heal his illness and save him from his addiction.
He still doubted in his heart, but despite this, the merciful Mother of God heeded his call. Somehow it happened that Oleg fell away from the circle of drinking companions, and at the same time the temptation decreased. So gradually Oleg completely renounced the bottle, and his life returned to normal.
“Dear brothers and sisters! - he says in the letter. “I am writing this because I see in the story of my sinful life and healing from drunkenness the true help of the Queen of Heaven.”
Second miracle
Another Muscovite Denis is addicted to heroin. I sat on the needle tightly and consumed it in large quantities. When I realized the scale of my personal tragedy, it was already too late - I couldn’t refuse on my own, and specialized centers didn’t help either.
Once, while preparing a dose, the man was shocked: the drug drawn into the syringe simply melted in his hand. He told his mother about this, and the devout woman admitted that she went to the Vysotsky Monastery and prayed to the Blessed Virgin Mary in front of the “Inexhaustible Chalice” icon. She also read an akathist for forty days and tearfully prayed to the Heavenly Queen for a miracle. And it was not slow to appear.
Prayer 2
Oh, long-suffering and all-praised martyr Boniface! We now resort to your intercession; do not reject the prayers of us who sing to you, but graciously hear us. See our brothers and sisters (names), overcome by the serious illness of drunkenness, see for the sake of your mother, the Church of Christ, and eternal salvation falling away. Oh, holy martyr Bonifatius, touch their hearts with the grace given by God, quickly raise them from the falls of sin and lead them to saving abstinence. Pray to the Lord God, for whose sake you suffered, that having forgiven us our sins, may He not turn away His mercy from His sons, but may He strengthen sobriety and chastity in us, may He help His right hand For those who are sober, to keep their saving vow to the end, day and night, oh He is awake and a good answer will be given about him at the Last Judgment Seat. Accept, O saint of God, the prayers of mothers who shed tears for their children; honest wives, weeping for their husbands, children of the orphans and the poor, abandoned by the pianists, all of us who fell to your icon, and may this cry of ours come through your prayers to the throne of the Most High, granting to all according to their prayers health and salvation of souls and bodies, especially the Kingdom Heavenly. Cover and keep us from the evil deception and all the snares of the enemy, in the terrible hour of the departure of our help, we will pass through the airy ordeals without stumbling, and through your prayers, deliver us from eternal condemnation. Beg the Lord to grant us unfeigned and unshakable love for our Fatherland, before the enemies of the Holy Church, visible and invisible, invincible power, may God’s mercy cover us forever taken forever and ever. Amen.
Martyrdom of Boniface
When the nobleman saw the young man’s feelings for the tortured Christians, he demanded that he make sacrifices to idols. The brave young man categorically refused to worship dead idols, for which he was hung upside down. During the torture, Boniface prayed to Jesus to strengthen his spirit. The miracle of instant healing could not go unnoticed, because the wounds from blows and spears completely disappeared from the body of the brave young man.
Then the nobleman of the city ordered red-hot tin to be poured down Boniface’s throat. However, this cruelty agitated the people, and the torture was not carried out. In order to moderate popular unrest, the order was given to cut off Boniface's head. Thus died a martyr for the Christian faith, who was canonized.
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The young man’s companions, with whom he came to the city, bought the remains of Boniface and brought them to the Roman lady. A rich woman built a temple in which she placed the relics of Boniface. Since then, many miraculous healings have occurred in that place. The woman spent the rest of her life in fasting and prayer and quietly went to heaven with a pure soul and heart.
Brief Life
Memorial Day December 19/January 1
He was a servant of the rich lady Aglaida, and before his conversion to the faith of Christ, he spent his time in drunkenness and debauchery. Afterwards, he was sent by the mistress to bring particles of the relics of St. to her house. martyrs, confessed Christ and himself accepted torture and death. Through prayers to him, he repeatedly delivered people from the passion of drinking wine.
Menea. December 19th.
- Voice in the Dictionary.
- Akathist to the holy martyr Boniface.
- Canon to the Holy Martyr Boniface.
How to pray against alcohol addiction?
Drunkenness is a destructive passion, leading over time to complete degradation of the individual. Alcohol destroys the limbic system, responsible for memory, and a person’s mental abilities become impoverished. Drinking, which turns into a daily need, is comparable to the dose of a drug addict - if it is present, the person will experience euphoria, if not, shaking hands, a loudly beating heart, shortness of breath and other “delights” of physical withdrawal. It is very difficult to get a drunkard out of a vicious circle, so how can prayer help with this?
Icon of the Mother of God “Inexhaustible Chalice”
Church books contain numerous stories of healings from drunkenness through people’s prayers to the icon of the Mother of God “The Inexhaustible Chalice.” However, one should not believe that the Lord, through a petition to His Most Holy Mother, will perform a miracle as if by waving a magic wand and the addiction will disappear by itself. Behind every miracle lies intense prayer work, and not only prayer!
