When I tell people that I am a happiness coach, I get mixed reactions. One reaction is complete disbelief that something like that even exists, as people sarcastically and mockingly say, “What do you even do? Do you prescribe drugs to be happy?” One person even said, “Do I need to perform sexual favors to be happy?” Naturally, the most skeptical people are often the most unhappy and in need of real intervention.
Still, the lesson, at least for me, is that people are completely delirious about:
– What happiness is?
– Why is it important?
– And how to become happy?
I mean, sure, drugs can help give short-term pleasure, but they usually result in long-term unhappiness, so naturally, it isn’t the best solution. Of course, there are some over-the-counter drugs designed to make people happier, like anti-depressants. However, most people who consider them already have very deep problems, which can’t be exclusively treated by drugging oneself. Sure, I can continue talking about some recreational drugs, but again, they lead to short-term pleasure and no real long-term improvement in well-being.
Of course, the whole drug discussion is a joke. They say “drugs,” but it could be anything like partying, gambling, retail therapy, overstimulation of emotions via comedy, social media, eating, and many other ways.
However, real happiness comes from within, not just from doing some random actions, as otherwise, drug dealers, heavily tattooed people, and people with cars and the latest iPhones would be happy. However, there are more than enough examples of people who are still unhappy despite having it all.
In fact, many times, things that we want to have in order to be happy, other people already have, and they are still unhappy, raising the question again:
– What is happiness?
– Why is it important in the first place?
– And how do we become happy?
The real solution is to cultivate happiness in our lives through “right decisions,” but these take time to learn and understand what exactly we need to do to be happy. Luckily, here at Optimal Happiness, we have already cracked the code for what happiness is and how to reach Optimal Happiness, which is an ideal state of well-being that we can all have regardless of who we are, where we are from, and what our life circumstances are. So if you or someone you know is in need of some positivity, send them to us.
Stay happy!
5 thoughts on ““Happiness? Do I Need To Take Drugs For That?””
Drugs are not the only way. Sometimes you just have to change your point of view
Right is thinking leads to right living.
Drugs can sometimes be seen as a first step towards happiness and spiritual awakening, provided they are used responsibly and not in excess. For example, I occasionally work with individuals who have overindulged in marijuana, which is now legal in many places. Interestingly, despite the pro-marijuana movements and clinically promoted benefits, people still experience negative long-term effects of overdoing marijuana and other “drugs”. This being said, even something socially accepted can be addictive and bad for us, such as social media, so in many cases, we could potentially call it “addictive” and promoting negativity in our lives.
In my view and decades long experience with drugs, the idea that drugs can be a step towards happiness and spiritual awakening is a dangerous and misguided notion. Drugs are addictive substances that can lead to negative long-term effects on an individual’s life, and they do not provide a genuine or sustainable connection to the divine. Instead of relying on drugs, individuals should focus on developing a genuine spiritual practice that is rooted in their own inner resources and connection to the divine. They are a stronghold for the enemy of your soul and the battle never ends as when you conquer addiction to one there is often subtle replacement of another behavior or seemingly lesser ‘distraction’ that keeps you stuck. Freedom from the bondage of drugs and distractions to commune with the creator of my soul has been the greatest ‘experience’ to long for. Thank you for helping people like me to do just that. Bless you!
I mean, I understand you, Joshua. Indeed, the current official position of Buddhism is “no drugs,” and as you said, people need to simply follow the spiritual practice as it is the fastest and surest way to achieve their spiritual awakening. However, at the same time, there is a subgroup of Buddhists who claim that they initially started with drugs, but eventually gave them up completely. Here, it is important to define drugs, as most people think of hardcore addictive drugs such as cocaine and heroin. However, there are also drugs (medicines) that can be obtained over the counter. Additionally, substances like ayahuasca are considered sacred and spiritual “drugs,” with American Indian shamans (and other cultures) having used plants to expand their consciousness. So, while the strict modern perspective states that drugs are bad and should be avoided, when I wrote the above, I was trying to express a more nuanced view.