my year of abstinence from "drugs"

My definition of a drug* is something we use with with the intention of removing ourselves from our current situation. Drug use is based in the mentality of insufficiency. Not happy, smart, full, content, beautiful, spiritual, ________ enough. We use drugs to fill these perceived voids.

The drug of choice doesn’t matter much; it could be shopping, herbs, alcohol, sex, cannabis, gossip, food, MDMA, crack, whatever. Obviously there are more serious personal, community, & environmental risks to using some of these drugs, while others may actually have beneficial effects. That noted, I believe that any substance or action we habitually use to alter/ remove ourselves from feeling and experiencing is a drug. Hypothetically, one could walk the poison path without being a “user” of drugs. It’s about intention.

I intend not to use drugs for a year starting from this date.

This will deal with inner work much more than anything else. It will require honesty and clarity about my relationships with everything around me. It will require courage to experience the depths of my feelings. It means not “using” pleasure or novelty to numb myself. It will involve giving up demands on myself and those around me. It is the opposite of rape mentality. It will allow me to listen to the signals of my body that are telling me to nourish myself.

Negative feelings and sensations can often be tools to get closer to our experience of the present moment. However, we are often willing do anything to try to get away from what we feel. This is a sensible reaction to the insane collective situation we are in. Joanna Macy’s World as Lover, World as Self deals with the idea that facing our pain for ourselves and our world requires connection, community, honesty, and gratitude. In the sharing and experiencing of our pain, tremendous energy is released; we can utilize this to facilitate potent action for the healing of our world.

Her work is part of what inspired me to start this blog, to share what I’m learning on my journey, to listen to where you’re at on yours, and to encourage myself (and hopefully you!) to continue opening and connecting.

The Radical Heart will touch on what makes me feel connected and alive. I would love to use this platform in a way that makes simple actions powerful and possible, for us to share, listen, and be heard.

What are your thoughts on abstinence from “drug” “use”? What do healthy relationships to people, substances, and experiences look like for you?

*at least for the purposes of this post…. it certainly shifts & flows.

#healing #global #environmental #individual #health #drugs #addiction #connection #empowerment #community #social #activism #art #joannamacy