|TOP|Christians around the world will unite this weekend in prayers of solidarity and to help all addicts around the globe break through the bondages of their addiction.

The 16th Annual Worldwide Weekend of Prayer for the Addicted is an initiative of the Just Pray NO! non-profit organisation and will focus on prayers against drugs.

The organisers are hoping to build on the success of the past fifteen years of united prayer against addiction which has taken place each year across six continents and is spearheaded by the US where it continues to take place in every state.

Substance abuse continues to be a massive problem in the UK, particularly among younger generations and the continuing binge-drinking culture. In the UK there are estimated to be between 250,000 and 350,000 dependent children living with parental drug misuse and 920,000 living with parental alcohol misuse according to a Joseph Rowntree Foundation study.

|AD|Just Pray No! founder Steve Sherman explained: "The Just Pray No weekend is based upon the fact that we have the answer to all addictions.

"We have the answer to all of spiritual bondages, and that is the deliverance that's brought through the ministry of Jesus Christ."

He added that addicts must first acknowledge that their problem is a spiritual problem.

"This is a battle that has to be fought with spiritual weapons," Sherman said.

Substance abuse has also been directly linked to organised crime and terrorist activities, with the organisers saying the “War on Drugs” directly impacts the “War on Terrorism”.

Since the first Weekend of Prayer for the Addicted was first held in 1991, millions of Christians around the world have responded to “Just Pray NO!’s call to take part in intercessory prayer on behalf of the addicted and their families.

The organisers are hoping that this year’s event, to be held on the weekend of Apr. 22 to 23, will be no different.

In the bigger picture, the organisers are looking for Christians who will commit themselves to pray weekly on behalf of the addicted and their families and join with the other millions of Christians taking part in the event to fast and pray together throughout the weekend.

Churches around the world will hold special concerts of prayer, rallies and marches to promote awareness, and conduct special church outreach to the addicted living in their local communities as part of the weekend’s events.

The organisers said in a statement on their website: “Make a formal commitment to join with believers in Christ from around the globe this coming April. Put on the full armour of God and fervently pray in spirit and in truth.”

Just Pray NO! is hoping to rally together one million Christians for the global prayer initiative this weekend.