I still spend a lot of time reflecting on the phenomenon of marijuana quitting me rather than the other way around. Well, it goes without saying that it’s a hell of a lot easier to quit a bad habit if it quits you first!
What these meditation experiences have impressed upon me is the power of the mind to heal itself through its ability to create powerful visualizations. Through these we are able to make peace with all kinds of things we didn’t even realize we were still dealing with.
I’ve been questioning the increasingly slippery slope of my use disorder and considering a path toward sobriety for years now.
When I began to appreciate what I had, a loving family, a roof over my head, gainful employment, health (despite being overweight and a little achy), and hobbies, my outlook improved. While momentarily pleasurable, intoxication does not create happiness. It will never create happiness. Ever. Realizing this caused a seismic shift in my perspective.
Thus, while religion and adherence to it varies widely from person to person and place to place, the ‘god’ the unites us all is money, or more accurately, our collective faith in it. It’s the story you’ve been told all your life: money = happiness, money = freedom, money = everything.