…as someone who’s never done any drugs, or even smoked a cigarette, I’ve always had that same question…but then I have to ask myself why I started to drink even though I knew it wasn’t good for me, and continued to drink even after seeing the negative consequences it had on me and those around me.
Since trying to sober up, and especially since joining TS, my eyes have truly been opened. I’ve realized just how fucked all addicitons really are, how absolutely destructive it can be, the lengths we’ve gone through in chasing that feeling, as well as the work everyone puts into their recovery.
When I was growing up my friend had a dog. We would pour the remnants of our beers out in a bowl and the dog would drink it. My friends were heavily into crank, a nasty version of crystal meth. If they left any where the dog could get it, he would eat it. My cats would lick up spilled beer. When I smoked weed they would eat it if they could.
Not everything is cut and dry, be it with animals or humans. We humans also are prone to cause and effect, just like animals. But it doesn’t work the same for everyone. If the effect is pleasurable at an early stage then it triggers a reward system, which changes the cause and effect relationship. I never found coke or speed pleasurable. To be honest, I never tried them because they were uppers and my ADHD doesn’t need anymore up. But downers, hell yes. Porn never did anything for me, I can’t watch it, it’s too graphic. Romance novels, especially the cheesy ones, are more attractive to me. Never been addicted to either. Because I am different than others.
I can’t say much that hasn’t been said well already.
Like @TeejLazer, I stayed away from drugs. It was largely out of fear knowing addiction was a common story in my family, and seeing where it led close friends when I was young.
Did it stop me from being a cig smoker and alcoholic? Nope. As been said, I was still wanting to change how I felt. It’s a slippery slope.
I don’t doubt for a second now where diving into drugs would lead me. It’s in me. Booze almost did the same, it was just taking longer.
Does addiction make rational sense? Today I’d say not in the big picture. But trapped in the loop of addiction my picture was pretty small and I was anything but rational.
Thankfully, turns out the universe is bigger than my addiction.
Maybe porn addiction worked in my favour for once, keeping me safe from getting more into drugs, who knows
Once You have Your learned addiction, others might not seem so attractive and also once You realise that the pay off is not worthy of the supposed benefits of drugs, then You’ll know what to do.
In my opinion exception goes to psychedelics, since I can’t really put them on the same shelf as other psychoactive substances.
The driver to alter the chemical balance in your brain is seen in the animal kingdom.
There are squirrels that seek fermented fruit when the main population have a built in instinct to avoid it.
Monkeys that steel tourists drinks on the beach and the main population search for fruit juice drinks but some little monkeys search out alcohol to get pissed up on the beach.
Lamars that collect these snails and then sit in a tree and squeeze the snails so they ooze with this toxin. The Lamar’s end up stoned to fuck and fall out the trees.
There’s also something about just not giving a fuck while you’re high. Same goes for being drunk. Of course that’s bullshit because when you sober up you have to deal with all the mess you made while you were fucked. But again the idea of that feeling of freedom can be pretty intoxicating.
Yes. It seems to suggest that a percentage of the main population go against there natural survival instinct.
Interestingly though for the human race it’s a massive percentage and ye we are the smartest animal on the planet. It’s the brain washing about booze that is so unbelievable. Look at alcohol in its true form it’s a poison. We would never dream of consuming any other poison knowingly.
The artificial euphoric sensation gets boring after a while.
When something comes easy, then it loses the value it could have, when achieved in sorrows.
I know what I’m saying, because I could get high for free from masturbating to porn.
I quite enjoyed the high of coke so much that I never allowed myself to come down. Which is how it became a problem for me.
Same with alcohol. I enjoyed the feeling so much I kept drinking.
It took me out of the hell that was my real life. And unless you have lived the hell I have lived or that if anyone else for that matter it’s hard to determine why one uses.
Most addicts aren’t actually using because they like using it’s because the feeling gets them out of their own life for that little bit. That is what you get addicted to. Not all but a lot. You start by getting addicted to that feeling of being yourself without being yourself if that makes sense. And then without you even realizing it your body becomes physically addicted while your mind is just happy to get away from your everyday life.
Well, since it’s based on primal instinct body sensations, that nonverbally states that a person must be doing something good. Though this all is based on instant gratification, which is a really bad point of verification as good life choices go.
I’m real lost as to what is going on here, but when I started using drugs, the negative consequences weren’t very apparent (I was young) and the dopamine release was second to none. Basically speaking, I absolutely loved doing drugs and getting high. It was pleasurable. I wasn’t masking trauma, I was creating it. I could describe the feelings more in depth, but everyone here already knows for the most part. But basically I did drugs because I loved doing drugs. Then one day it got to the point that I hated doing drugs, but I couldn’t stop. I had absolutely no defense against that first drink, that first shot, that first hit. It took a while, until I found my secret, which was accepting I was powerless, and letting others guide me in recovery, and that guidance led me to my higher power. And as long as I rely on a higher power, the 12 steps, and the people in the rooms, I will not have to pick up that first one.
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