Now I'm feelin' so fly...

Day 14 - Your thoughts on drugs and alcohol.

You know what they say, anything in moderation... And for the most part, this is how I stand on both drugs and alcohol. Now there are certain exceptions to this. There's really no need to try heroin... or meth... or any other hardcore drug that can potentially ruin your life. But the natural ones, marijuana, mushrooms... the ones that grow out of the earth and CANNOT kill you, those are good to go... IN moderation. You don't want to base your happiness or life around a substance. There are good things out there in sobriety land. I enjoy being intoxicated from time to time. This doesn't make me a bad person, nor does it make anyone else a bad person, but the second it goes from an enjoying pastime, to something you need to do everyday, it's time to take a good hard look at your life.

I think everyone has a love/hate relationship with alcohol. Many fun times can come from it, but it can also ruin everything. I think every single one of us has had a relative or friend who has battled, or is battling, alcoholism. Some of us come away from it with a tattered sense of the drug (yes, alcohol is a drug). Some then choose to abstain from it, and some start following down the same road... Alcohol is dangerous. And when it comes between alcohol and marijuana, marijuana is probably a safer drug to use. Why alcohol is legal and pot is not is completely beyond me. When you're drunk, you're completely out of control. You lose your motor functions, you do stupid, stupid shit... You can even become violent towards other people, even those you love. Pot? I have never once heard of someone flying into a fit of rage after they smoked a bowl. I have never once heard of someone dying because of pot, but alcohol... drunk driving accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, domestic disputes, physical altercations... They've all been reported because someone was stupid and drunk.  Not to down on alcohol or anything... but it makes you question why it's legal in the first place if pot is illegal. ESPECIALLY when marijuana can be used medicinally. 

I like to drink, but I try to do so in moderation. Since I'm still somewhat shy I sometimes find myself using alcohol as a social crutch. It's much easier to interact with people once you get a little buzz going, but every time I catch myself doing it I have to question why. I'm still myself, I'm just a drunk version of myself. Why is it easier to just let go, be yourself (for the most part) once you've had a few? Is it more acceptable? If I do something horribly wrong can I just blame it on the alcohol? Even then, I still feel stupid... So why? I've been trying for years to not have to do this, and every year it gets a little better... but every so often, especially when I find myself as designated driver, I think about how much easier it would be to interact if I was messed up. Alcohol... such a complicated thing.

But back to the question... Drugs and alcohol.... totally okay in my book. Just don't be stupid, don't abuse them, try not to use them as a crutch, and never, ever put them before the people you love. I will never judge you based on your extracurricular activities (as long as you do them within moderation), and neither should anyone else. Everyone has their vices... and if it's not drugs and alcohol it's usually something else.