Drug use is really no joke. I can’t tell you the number of people I see in my practice and my life who are suffering from; the numbness of having been on antidepressants for 15 years; the serious side effects of ADHD drugs (amphetamines- ie. speed); gradual mental decline, bordering on schizophrenia or bipolar, from habitual marijuana smoking; the acute fear from recent mushroom (or other) trips that went bad.
I used to be very open-minded about drug use, but further research and direct experience has changed my mind. I quit even drinking alcohol in 2020, when I hit a point in my consciousness of no longer wanting to be less conscious. (And it was terrible for my sleep.) We may tell ourselves we need these drugs, but I will tell you in 99.999999999…% of the cases we do not. There are other and much better ways to cope with the intensity and suffering of life in this world.
We may not know it, but we are sacrificing the blissful experience of our True Selves and our best life by telling ourselves why we need drugs to get by. We do need support and guidance, but from those who know the way, not from sources that lead us down a deluded and sometimes very dark path.
When I finally recognized that a family member was going quite literally crazy from regular drug abuse, I started to wake up to the unseen epidemic that is all around us. Opioids may get headlines, but dependence and addiction are everywhere. This is a helpful read to explore further the topic of the dangers of marijuana (which have been recognized for a long time in some cultures), and which are a more acute problem today due to the extremely high THC content compared to the ‘old days’.
What follows is a long quote from Guru Jagat, who recently died at the young age of 41. She and Kundalini Yoga were instrumental in my rise in energy and awareness to the point where I no longer wanted or needed any consciousness-altering substances. The non-religious and totally scientific Truth of what I AM, and what we all are, is beyond our wildest dreams.
‘Life is not a joke. Your life is sacred and precious. You were created in infinite beauty and wisdom by the awing universe or creative force. Drugs and alcohol are often addictive and physically/mentally damaging. Loving yourself is what gives you the ability to navigate life.
It’s crucial, necessary and important for children who have never tried drugs yet to at least hear once, somewhere, that drugs are actually negative. Literally 100% of the education & advertising out there is either moralistic/dogmatic (i.e. fear-mongering and not fully explaining what the physical dangers are: the equivalent of abstinence-only education), or actively pro, positive, pushy and anti-fact: excusing drug abuse as positive with health benefits or as “spiritual experiences.”
If you’ve ever done drugs, please keep scrolling because no one wants you to feel bad; that’s not a helpful way to navigate your wonderful and blessed future.
The issue with drugs is that they take you out of your own hands; the number of people who have accidental overdoses or unintentionally harm themselves or others is unbelievably sad, tragic and astonishing for themselves an everyone around them. There’s nothing recreational about hurting yourself and leaving children, friends and family behind.
One time someone asked Yogi Bhajan why people think it’s fun to party and drink too much, and he said that deep down they just don’t like themselves that much. These are socially-accepted relatively “minor” ways of harming the self that accumulate over time into self-destructive behavior that is very difficult to reverse.
As yogis you would never want to tell someone what to do or to stop drinking or doing drugs, you just present an alternative way to get high (pranayam, meditation, yoga) if they ask.
There are maybe two drugs out there that aren’t “that bad” for you. Marijuana is one of the worst drugs to even try once because it stays in your fat cells, kills brain cells and interferes with brain function and cerebrospinal fluid in a way that is very, very difficult to reverse the effects of completely, and never 100%.
Other drugs are even worse because they’re addictive, so you physically can’t stop even if you want to. Class A-D & some E class drugs are life-threatening, mentally and physically and you need to put a little forethought into your choices if you’re going to, say, smoke marijuana while pregnant as is somehow the casual fad nowadays.
Medical science is always behind; we prescribe Ritalin to 10 year olds and highly addictive barbiturates to people who don’t need it so pharmaceutical companies can make a buck off the lives of everyday people. The human body is extremely sensitive.
As a yogi, you become extremely sensitive to internal and external energies. Yoga is essentially the science of manipulating your internal energy. This is a very exact and precise system of moving energy and substances just impede your future yogic progress in practice, point-blank.
There’s a self-sensitivity & gentleness we’re tuning into with yoga practice and trying to allow a space for. Be nice to yourself. Then be nicer to yourself. We want to create a space where being kind to yourself is rewarded or at least accepted, unlike in the rest of the world where it is actively punished.
If you’re a child or young person wondering why the whole world seems so crazy, please keep in mind almost all of it is due to the mental and physical illness drugs, alcohol and fast-paced culture create in the system. Drugs are a short-term solution to short-term non-realities that universally end up doing far more harm than good.
If you have any drug history, of course, please do not ever feel bad. We have plenty techniques to help undo the effects.
“You’re not allowed to use [this technology] to feel bad about yourself.” – Gurujas Khalsa
Letting everyone have their own opinions, obviously. You would never walk up to someone about to have a Brazilian Butt Lift & remind them of the high mortality rate; give people space, acceptance & respect.
Opinions are not facts anyway; facts are facts and from there everybody gets to make decisions about how they navigate their lives. We just want you to know where reality is.
We want people to have self-esteem and common sense. From there, you’re nice to yourself and others and you can develop and make progress. Common sense and deep, lasting self-esteem are virtually non-existent in society at large.
Politics has used us all as pawns, and the issue is taking control of your own health & consciousness. We want you to become empowered; empowered people are not nosy, controlling or pushy.”
There are ways to heal from addiction that go way beyond talk therapy. Homeopathy is a potent and safe system of medicine that actually works to uproot mental and physical ailments. With even a little willingness, you CAN overcome dependence and the pain and trauma that led to the desire to go unconscious and escape oneself in the first place. Learn how to transform negative feelings back to unbroken wholeness and uncover your innate clarity of mind.
Emily is a psychotherapist and homeopath who works with clients to heal on all levels. Online, or in person in Glenwood Springs, CO. Schedule a session. Affordable, efficient, effective therapy.
For more, visit the FiVE STAR HUMAN blog archives.