Sobriety

There is a current hysteria about a ecstasy-like drug called "Molly" here in Boston after two young clubbers died from an overdose of a tainted form of the drug. The city expended extensive police resources this past weekend at a public rock concert in reaction. Molly, taken by mouth in pill form, would be nearly impossible to detect without blood analysis. The policing was most likely a token response to calm reactionaries. 

I am a strong advocate for voluntary sobriety from alcohol and mood/mind altering drugs as part of a health practice. The benefits of sobriety far outweigh any benefits of alcohol or drugs, despite the hype used to promote their usage. That is not a denial of the benefits of alcohol and all mind altering drugs. Some people for whatever reasons are better off intoxicated than sober at certain times in their lives. Someone I care about, for instance, must take mind altering pain medication to maintain his mobility. A tough choice, but an effective one when all is considered. 

Voluntary sobriety is often the liberating choice of those who have most likely experimented thoroughly with intoxication. The chemically dependent person who chooses sobriety is usually a person who has made a significant life passage from denial to consciousness, from retreat to progress, from the cyclical to moving on. Kicking back with marijuana, beer or wine every evening is not the harmless process it is portrayed to be. It is a choice to cyclically treat stress with a substance which is potentially toxic to brain, lungs, liver and kidneys. It can become an habitual escape from addressing stress in a rational way to work beyond it consciously and intentionally with the developed skill it takes to do so.

I have worked with the elderly frequently as a nurse. A common issue of old people in institutions is detox. A large percentage of elderly patients with brain issues in my experience had extensive histories of alcohol and/or drug use. These folks become agitated and often psychotic with the withdrawal (absence) of alcohol. Their suffering from the condition which caused their hospitalization, such as a broken hip, was multiplied exponentially by their detoxification. It is helpful to remember there is a broken hip or equivalent in all of our futures.

I see those who are facing aging in an alcoholic haze in my environment. I see those who are facing aging in a sober state. The physiological difference is quite remarkable. I recently spent several hours with a man my age (in his 60's) and a woman who is in her late 80's. We were engaged in physical activity as part of a community service event. The man, a regular drinker of alcohol, became fatigued and disengaged quickly. He struggled and grumbled as the work went on. The woman, a proudly sober and physically fit person, sustained her activity with a pleasant attitude for the entire time, despite dealing with arthritis and osteoporosis. 

Our identities are our brains. Our perceptions of the world are measured by the health or sickness of our brains. Experimenting with altered consciousness may have its benefits in expanding perception. However, no drug-induced state can rival the state of consciousness of a developed, educated and sober brain when dealing with the inevitable challenges of life that come with aging.