Some people are trying to wake up and fully experience life.
Others are trying to escape it.
The question is…
Why?
There are many ways to avoid life.
Some people stay busy.
Some hide in work.
Some hide in distractions.
And some discover what appears to be a shortcut.
Alcohol.
Drugs.
Chemical escapes.
Temporary relief.
Temporary comfort.
Temporary numbness.
The promise sounds appealing.
The price is devastating.
Before we begin, let me be clear.
A glass of wine with dinner.
A beer at a family barbecue.
Prescription medication properly used under medical supervision.
These are not what I am talking about.
I am talking about excess.
I am talking about using substances to escape yourself.
To avoid reality.
To numb pain.
To silence the inner voice that keeps calling for attention.
That is where the trouble begins.
SEDATION
Why would someone deliberately sedate themselves?
Why would they drink or use drugs until they can barely stand, walk, think, speak, or remember?
The answer is often simple.
Pain.
Sometimes emotional.
Sometimes psychological.
Sometimes spiritual.
Sometimes all three.
The substance becomes a temporary refuge.
A hiding place.
A chemical vacation from reality.
The problem is that reality waits patiently.
When the effects wear off…
There it is.
Still waiting.
STIMULATION
Others use substances for the opposite reason.
They want energy.
Confidence.
Courage.
Motivation.
They need something outside themselves to activate what should already be functioning within.
The real problem is not the lack of stimulation.
The real problem is the disconnection from themselves.
Something has been ignored.
Something unresolved.
Something wounded.
Instead of listening to the deeper message, another shortcut is taken.
The cycle continues.
GUILT
Poor choices create guilt.
Repeated poor choices create compound guilt.
The burden becomes heavier.
The person feels trapped.
To escape the discomfort, more drinking.
More drugs.
More avoidance.
Now the solution has become another problem.
The cycle feeds itself.
The prison becomes self-made.
THERE ARE PEOPLE TRYING TO COME OUT OF COMAS…
AND OTHER PEOPLE TRYING TO GO INTO THEM.
That statement has always stayed with me.
Some people are fighting with every ounce of strength they have to become more aware.
More present.
More alive.
Others are trying to become less aware.
Less present.
Less alive.
Something about that should make all of us pause and reflect.
WHAT COMES OUT
Alcohol and drugs often reveal things already hiding inside.
I have seen rage emerge.
Bitterness emerge.
Old wounds emerge.
Regret emerge.
Self-hatred emerge.
Loneliness emerge.
Embarrassing truths emerge.
Repressed emotions emerge.
The substance did not create those things.
It revealed them.
They were already there.
Waiting.
The real work is not learning how to escape them.
The real work is learning how to heal them.
THE WAY OUT
The first step is honesty.
Admit something is not right.
Admit that life is not working the way it should.
Admit that the escape is not solving the problem.
That takes courage.
The second step is to stop adding to the damage.
Stop digging.
Stop creating new problems on top of old ones.
The third step is to begin asking questions.
Seek answers.
Seek understanding.
Seek wisdom.
Talk to people.
Read.
Learn.
Reflect.
Be willing to revisit old wounds if necessary.
Many of the answers are hidden in our earlier experiences.
Old fears.
Old disappointments.
Old hurts.
Old beliefs.
Not to blame.
Not to stay there.
But to understand.
To heal.
To move forward.
LIFE IS WAITING
Everything worthwhile is still available.
Peace.
Purpose.
Joy.
Connection.
Love.
Meaning.
Growth.
The things people seek through substances are often found by facing life directly instead of avoiding it.
You do not need a false life.
You were given a real one.
A precious one.
A meaningful one.
My hope for every person struggling is simple.
That they become well.
That they become whole.
That they discover their worth.
That they do great things.
And that they learn they were always worthy of being loved.
Always.
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
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