Alcohol and drugs are consumed by millions of people each day, but have you ever stopped to think about why humans use these substances so widely and often? Some who use might claim to like the taste, but for most people drugs and alcohol provide one big perceived benefit: to experience less stress by not having to think and worry about problems. Put another way, we do not use drugs and alcohol to think more about our problems — instead, the relaxing and euphoric feelings provided from using allows us to enjoy a respite from mounting bills, an unsatisfactory job, and physical health ailments. When we are drunk or high, we don’t think about these things, but the problem occurs when we later become sober and learn that the problems did not go away, and in many cases our problems only become exacerbated. Most people don’t think about drugs and alcohol in terms of helping forget problems, but I bet if you pause and look at your own usage you might find yourself consuming for the very same reasons.
Actively problem-solve, or forget about problems?
Every person has issues to improve upon, but the question is whether you will actively direct behaviors toward solving a problem, or if substances will be used to ease the stress related to the problem and postpone taking actions to make things better? Practically speaking, is it easier to figure out creative ways to pay the bills, or just get drunk? Obviously, what is easier certainly isn’t always better, but people make these kinds of decisions literally every moment of every day — and many times the choice is made to get drunk. What price do we pay when we forfeit solving a problem in exchange for a few hours of forgetting about the problem? If it is just a one-time decision perhaps the cost is minimal, if even a problem at all. But what happens when the decision to drink or use another substance to cope becomes the go-to move, and the looming problems never get addressed, much less fixed?
These questions should be considered not necessarily from a moral or ethical standpoint (although those considerations are encouraged), but instead from a wellness and problem-solving perspective. For example, what cost is it to your body when your primary coping is by means of drugs and alcohol? And from a success standpoint, are you more or less likely to solve a problem by being drunk instead of focused and motivated to succeed? Over time, what is the cost to your mind and body through chemical abuse, and how big will problems become in the future by completing ignoring them?
Final thoughts
Drugs and alcohol are used recreationally by millions of people each day, with some using responsibly, while others witness their problems only grow as a result of their usage. When we are drunk/high, we do not think of our problems, and this is the primary reason why people use substances. The problem, however, is when actual productive problem-solving steps are postponed and ignored because of substance habits, resulting in problems only becoming more challenging and difficult. Sure, it may be easier in the moment to have a drink rather than figure out a big problem, but we must ask ourselves about the cost associated with such a decision and if a short respite is really worth bigger, long-term problems down the road?
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