Even though, we all have our unique and distinct reasons, I think it boils down to this: because it’s an easy fix.
Whenever life got uncomfortable, a drink would fix it.
We kept going to that well and we forgot any other solutions, just the drink. It became a habit.
Some of us went to that well too often and we became addicted. Not drinking, in of itself, made us uncomfortable, therefore the easy fix was to drink some more. It was a vicious cycle.
Embrace the discomfort and soon, life becomes comfortable again and we lose the need to drink.
Don’t disagree at all with what you’ve written, @HoofHearted, just wanted to add that I personally found maintaining and feeding my addiction to alcohol far from easy!
When i truly think about WHY i used drugs, it was essentially to fix what i thought was wrong with me. I could never just sit with my emotions. I was always altering how i felt by using substances. I couldnt stand being in my own skin, so id use to escape my reality. Then drugs and the lifestyle I led, caused alot of trauma, which in turn pushed me to use harder. Emotions were one of the SCARIEST things for me getting clean. I was literally petrified to feel emotion. Now, after some time… and practice, i am able to work thru how i feel without that first thought being to pick up and use drugs. Its been one hell of a journey
Yeah, I totally agree. Yet that didn’t make any sense at all to me until at least many months sober.
In the middle of it, not drinking sounded impossible. When I finally got sober, holy crap… I wasted so much mental and emotional energy trapped in the habit.
Dang brother. That’s a lot to process. It definitely seems to be a device to easily manage boredom although it ultimately turns out to be a distraction and a waste of what I would say is true potential. It’s an easy out I think. Having the discipline to make the choice to abstain is incredibly difficult once you’ve gone though addiction and it’s extremely admirable and inspirational for anyone actively struggling to reach a sober state. You can only live this current moment and consciously make decisions presently never in the future. The past will never be again and the future is only a concept . Take it easy my friend
Very well put I agree! I feel I drink (currently, as it has perpetually evolved over time) to firstly over come boredom and the every day stresses of a monotonous cycle of work and sleep. Secondly as a device to overcome social awkwardness or more lr less to remove the barriers of reluctance. I agree that these drugs just completely alter your reality and perception of what is truly happening and that I think is a subconscious effort to (in simple terms) “take a shortcut” so you temporarily feel satisfied. It isn’t a lastinv feeling and I know it’s sourced from something deeper within that we’ve not yet addressed. I applaud you for your strength and determination in this struggle. Never give up.
