I don’t understand why people chase the feeling of drink & drugs.
I’ve never taken an illegal drug in my life, though I do consume a reasonable amount of alcohol (my excuse: I was recently president of a prestigious wine & food club). But I don’t understand why people take drugs or drink to excess.
I so wish that good beer & wine was alcohol-free, as I’d drink a lot more if it — I have absolutely no affinity for being ‘buzzed’ or drunk; these are not something I want, and certainly not get ‘high’ from, whatever that means.
Wanting to drink without getting a buzz is like buying Playboy Magazine to read the stories, but it’s true.
I’m a pretty happy & balanced person, so maybe I just don’t need it. However, I have plenty of stress and I find the concept of a glass of beer/wine relaxing and aluring all by itself, but not the alcohol. To me, the concept & atmosphere of drinking, plus taste is way more important. The buzz is unwelcome, at best, and makes me sick, at worst.
My parents don’t drink at all. Not because they are teetotalers, but because they never found it appealing, either. No prohibition in our family, just no interest. No one in my extended family drinks much nor has much interest in drugs, either.
Genetic
Perhaps this is somehow genetic — we know addiction can have a generic basis so perhaps an anti-addiction bias does, too. Some people fall off the wagon very easily, and repeatedly, but many, even most, do not; it’s not clear why.
My dad even ended up on an opioid painkiller after some surgery, and one pill was more than enough to make him throw them all away, as the whole loopy feeling was far from desirable. And the few times I’ve taken strong painkillers seemed to have no effect at all.
Are we weird?
Of course, a lot of people drink or self-medicate as an escape, never more so than with the opioid epidemic gripping America these days. And it does seem that once opioids get ahold of you, there is no escape, perhaps no matter what your life or genetics.
But opioids aside, escaping from life seems to be the lure of it all, all of which mystifies me. How & why is this an escape? Because you can be uninhibited, or feel free in some way? Being buzzed or drunk is the last thing in the world I want.
I don’t get it.
In the end, I don’t understand the high, where it is, why you’d want it, or how it’s worth the risks and challenges it eventually entails. Oh, and please work on the non-alcoholic beer & wine …
Questions:
Do you like the buzz or drunk feeling? If so, why?
What is the lure of drugs like Cocaine or Heroin?
Research:
Why genetics makes some people more vulnerable to opioid addiction – and protects others - Includes info on some genes that protect against addiction
Your genes and addiction at Harvard Health Blog