I'm done with drugs and alcohol

[Tenet Nosce]

No doubt the use of marijuana and alcohol has both benefits and detractions. Personally speaking, while I have found value from a "spiritual awakening" standpoint, that particular value has long since passed. This is not to say that it is bad to use it for that purpose, but to simply be aware that the purpose is rather limited.

That being said, and based on both a limited education in counseling, and having been counseled myself, and in my opinion, the nature of psychological addiction is such that the inherent "wrongness" or "rightness" of a given addictive pattern is secondary to the judgement one places upon oneself for engaging in the behavior. It is this charge of self-judgment which keeps one indebted and locked in the cycle, and effectively "condemns" one to repeat it.

(The word condemn comes to mind as my understanding of the original intention behind the teaching of sin/repentance is that sin is to be stuck in a particular behavior pattern, the solution to which is to learn to change one's thinking, or literally re-pent. The root pen refers to thought.)

Paradoxically, it would seem that even though drugs and alcohol are often abused in order to "detach" oneself from the outer world, it is this the ability to "detach" oneself from one's use of substances which holds the key to being free from addiction. The ability to look at oneself, and say, "Ah yes, there I am again engaging in this addiction. Hmm. Isn't that interesting. I wonder why I am doing that?" is what allows a person to eventually change their thinking, and thus their behavior.

Therefore, as one may see, the placing of a strong charge on a certain behavior, including the avoidance thereof, actually serves to feed and perpetuate the selfsame behavior. Ironically, the detrimental impact of addictive behaviors seems to be independent of whether or not that behavior is deemed "good" or "bad" from a social, or even a health, standpoint. Example: People who are addicted to exercise.

So this is my long-winded way of setting up to say to you, GreatSpirit, that I support you in your efforts to become bigger than your addiction. For you truly are. However, in the interest of your expedited success, I would advise against the wisdom of making public declarations where you swear off drugs and alcohol "forevermore".

What I have experienced this leads to is for your subconscious mind to begin a process which eventually results in the attracting of a circumstance that, on the surface, appears as a "test". Again paradoxically, whether or not the test is "passed" or "failed", the outcome is to further embed yourself in the very pattern from which you would like to transcend.

The reason for this is because it is essentially a lie to yourself to act as if you are "one thing" but not "another thing". By saying I AM THIS, NOT THAT, you are effectively casting your own veil upon your consciousness, and limiting yourself from experiencing the totality of who you really are. The subconscious mind responds positively to "NOT". Thus the more you declare yourself to NOT be something, the more that your subconscious draws experiences to you which prove you to be a hypocrite.

There is an old spiritual teaching which sums up the course of human development in three stages: 1. I AM THIS. 2. I AM THAT. 3. I AM.

When "NOT" enters into the equation, there is surely trouble to follow.