Essay 2. A Brief Discussion of Alcohol and Drug Use

In the first essay, we learned that we acquire belief systems which may help or hinder any given individual. If you are committed to the idea of obtaining emotional freedom, then common sense dictates that we have a discussion early on about the problems associated with alcohol and drug use as they apply to your efforts to achieve emotional freedom.

There is simply no need to lecture anyone on this topic nor do we know of anyone that enjoys receiving a lecture. In that sense, we offer a belief and a suggestion which you are under no obligation to accept as true.

Alcohol and drug use have become a widely accepted practice in the United States and indeed, in many cultures world wide. There are real and negative consequences for those that over indulge or abuse alcohol and drugs and various social and legal problems attach. Because of the very nature of alcohol and drug use and those associated stigmas, abuse may be far more prevalent than anyone actually realizes.

Having a drink or two, smoking marijuana now and then, or using prescribed drugs in the appropriate and assigned amounts may have very little adverse impact on your ability to achieve emotional freedom. For that reason, we render no judgment and we leave that to the sole discretion of the individual. We offer no opinion or guidance on what you find acceptable.

However if you are committed to the idea of emotional freedom, if you want to improve your life and relationships dramatically, you may want to take a look at your own drug and alcohol use and decide if your current consumption levels are going to give you the best chance of success. The use of alcohol and drugs, particularly in large amounts, presents barriers to achieving emotional freedom. Altering your state of consciousness, your ability to comprehend and remember conversations and events, is going to prevent you from being aware and present for those that are depending on you.

As we talk about Plato's Cave, we begin to see that alcohol and drug abuse may represent shadows. A manifestation of a bad belief system that an individual has acquired which he/she is attempting to cope with.

This then becomes the individual's responsibility to weigh and assess. We accept the possibility that someone can still absorb some of the lessons of emotional freedom and still manage to improve their lives. Ultimately, it is your call.