His Grace: Prescription Drugs, Addiction and Hope for Change

Mormon Channel published a new video to YouTube yesterday as part of the ‘His Grace‘ series that shares the power of the Atonement and relying on our Savior, Jesus Christ.

While going to school, Jordan Hansen and his buddies began to use prescription drugs for recreation. Hansen’s craving for the pills increased and what started as a social experiment quickly became an addiction. It was not long before Hansen felt as though he needed the drugs to function. Of his addiction to the pain medication, Hansen says,

[pull_quote_center]There was no off-switch. There was no way to just say ‘OK, I won’t do it.’ It became a game… My happiness depended on whether I had them or not.[/pull_quote_center]

It took one large dose of Oxycontin for Hansen to realize the danger he was in. In the video, Hansen explains that he knew that if he were to continue down the path he was on that he would eventually leave his wife and daughter to finish their mortal journey on earth alone. Confiding in his wife, Hansen decided it was time to take action. He got medical attention, sought the help from religious leaders, and accessed the Atonement of Jesus Christ as he worked to recover from this life-controlling addiction.

“To say it’s easy and to say it’s magic or it just disappears is not realistic,” Hansen says. “But I certainly felt an extra help—a help from somewhere that was beyond me, that I wasn’t controlling.”

Watch ‘Prescription Drugs, Addiction, and Hope for Change – His Grace,’ posted above, to hear Hansen describe his journey to recovery. Listen to an interview with Hansen and his wife at MormonChannel.org and view more Mormon Channel videos on YouTube.