I understand exactly where you are coming from.
I rely on Kratom for optimal performance. Now there are no health issues related to Kakuam, in fact, there are a myriad of health benefits. However the thought of "needing" something to get me through the day just doesn't sit well with me.
Take a trip over to Thailand, though, and it is simply not thought of like that. They utilise it as a perfectly reasonable tool to get them through the day. Why fix it if it aint broke?
Now both sides of the coin appeal to me: not having to rely on something for one reason or another and using nature's tools to get through the day.
It kills my anxiety stone-dead, relieves my depressive states and makes the most mundane tasks interesting.
Provided there are no side-effects, why should we stop something like this?
Well I guess it boils down to choice of substance, it's impact on your health and well-being and potential impact on social and work life. My kratom use has never impeded on my work life, my relationships (it's enhanced this), nor has it caused my any health issues or side effects. Why should I stop this and go back to a life of boredom, anxiety and depression?
It's a tricky cycle, but what it all amounts to is COMFORT. Everything in life is about comfort - our avoidance of discomfort and suffering. In the end it boils down to the fact that our reliance upon external factors (anything from anxiolytics or your dex and DHC to cars and central heating) ultimately shapes how well equipped we are to deal with any stress that may arise. This involves anything. When we push ourselves beyond our comfort zone, we enter new territory. How well we deal with it depends upon the frequency and severity of comfort-pushing.
I know, I know, I always seem to go on about it, but hell, it's very apt here: Take a cold shower for example. It might seem like just 5 minutes of standing under cold water to the observer, but how you react to this transitions into your daily life. If you flinch, scream and panic (and god forbid switch it to hot water out of fear!) then how will you ever train yourself to deal with anything life throws at you? Everything we do has a knock-on butterfly effect in our day-to-day lives. As the great Aldous Huxley once said, “All that happens means something; nothing you do is ever insignificant".
If we consistently take the easy way out through means of drugs, escapism, cars, shortcuts, ready-made meals, laziness, central heating and so forth (there is nothing wrong with these things, please note I am not against these things) then where does this leave our ability to improve and better equip the one place we can make a real difference, that is, our own minds?
There are more wholesome ways to find the energy you require. There are various forms of meditation and yoga specifically for vitality and energy.
Ishnaan therapy revolves around the use of cold water therapy (freezing cold baths and showers) for vitality. Google "cold shower benefits" ( I swear I say this every day!) and "yoga for energy".
We all have the energy deep inside us, like when we were children full of boundless energy! This does not just magically disappear, accepting that as adults we are useless, futile and lazy. For abstract motivational purposes, one may liken this to the consequence of the law of Conservation of Energy, whereby energy is neither created nor destroyed.
It just so happens that modern civilization has constructed so many means of perpetuating the laziness inherent in all of us that we find we are constantly fatigued, rely on a caffeine fix, sugar etc.
This can be stopped. I have never felt so ALIVE and energetic, naturally, than after a cold shower and weight training. I used to use all manner of drugs constantly and was a real "nah i need my fix, i'm just too tired without it" until I manned up and did something about it. I swear to god, if you were to exercise frequently and shower in freezing cold water, review your diet (this is the fuel for you energy - eat crap and expect to need a fix of dexedrine and DHC or coffee or whatever) and have a healthy sleep pattern.
Rather paradoxically, the more you exercise and expend your energy, the more energy you find you have to expend each day. Weight training is fantastic for giving you energy in day to day life. It keeps you on the ball both mentally and physically.
Ginseng is a healthier approach to gaining the energy you may require. It's slow and steady and effective with no real crash.
You may have a "block" of qi or energy flow in your body. Acupuncture and yoga may help drastically, especially yoga and meditation.
I don't need to alert you to the reasons against continuing with a DHC and Dex habit, i'm sure you are already aware.
This message is long enough...I could go on and on (i have an habit of doing that!) but you've probably fallen asleep already
All the best pal
