• Philosophy and Spirituality
    Welcome Guest
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules
    Threads of Note Socialize
  • P&S Moderators: JackARoe | Cheshire_Kat

Drug addiction or Loss of self-identity????

dissociative_freak

Greenlighter
Joined
Nov 21, 2010
Messages
10
Location
USA, Central Illinois
I have searched through hundreds of threads and can't find anything on self-identity so..Who are you? No...really...have you ever really considered that question? In the small of the night, when you are sitting naked in the dark, what is it that defines you? In these uncertain times, it is an imperative consideration because, when things are seemingly out of control(drug/alcohol use) and the center has been lost, when we find ourselves having to give up the people and things that we love for a time or forever, there is a place within ourselves to which we must return. What is that place for you? And finally, do you think your sense of identity when you first started using drugs has played a significant role in your drug use today?
 
We get drawn off of our true identity because we get pulled into the world and that world, as well as our attachment to it, can regrettably become the basis for the manner in which we ultimately define ourselves. This can be a great a source of pain and consternation; not for any airy-fairy metaphysical notions about clinging and suffering, but for the simpler reason that, in defining ourselves by virtue of things impermanent, we become lost to ourselves and lose our point of reference for our being in the world. The suicide rate has been climbing steadily since the advent of the economic crisis for a reason - no personal point of reference, no tangible sense of self-definition which equal no way out.
 
there are no combination of words which will suddenly make you feel whole, or whatever you're searching for with such grand questions. at the end of the day it is futility. how do you capture that which is dynamic, from within it no less? i dunno... seems like a waste of time to me.

or maybe
you are what you eat
or
stupid is as stupid does

self consciousness gets in the way of just being. as for drug addiction, they say half the battle is recognising the problem. if that's where you are, is that what you want? see, this is a greater question to ask: what is it that i really want?


many years ago, i had tolerance and anger issues. they led to my tattoos which read "it doesn't matter" and then "let it be". once these mantras did their work, i became far more contented and chilled out. then i had a motivational issue, and i almost tattooed "what do you really want?".. but never got around to it. ... it's been in mind ever since, and so worked anyway. i'm very motivated and productive atm. so much so, many friends ask me how i manage all the things going on. :)


good luck and welcome to bluelight.
 
I failed to explain my theory of self-identity in greater lengths. Due to society as a whole, the majority of our population is confused to truly who they are. Whether its media influence on who we are supposed to be, or possibly even family/friends expectations. This boils down to the problem of who we really are. Perhaps we lose our identity because we are unsatisfied with who we are and want to mimic or relive an identity we wish could live. An easy example to say at the least would be the influence pop culture and its grasp over young teens. The youth, that tend to relate to anything they hear in music for ex., does that mean they truly view their identity as a street thug or a provocative vixen? They do, but the fact is they aren't. This is a prime example of false identification. To bring this into even more perspective, not just youth, but all of society has deemed themselves as something they are not, consequently finding false relations in culture(religion), or what society expects of them. Overall, who are we really? We all know who we are, but are we anything more than what society has molded us to be. YES, hard to believe, it all starts with your parents as one starts with their parents identity. We are shaped by their values and morals, whether good or bad and that's who we are. However, did our parent's identity come from nothing more than the cultural influences that faced in their day? In conclusion, there are many outside influences in society that derail us from truly understanding and acknowledging what really defines us as our own. Not culture, religions, cliques, fads, or expectations can legitimately represent us. WE ALL HAVE A INTERNAL VOICE THAT TELLS US THE TRUTH OF OURSELVES, MORALS, DECISIONS AND MOST IMPORTANTLY WHAT WE STAND FOR, IT COMES DOWN TO WHETHER YOU CHOOSE TO LISTEN TO THAT VOICE SAYS, OR FOLLOW EXTERNAL INFLUENCES. FOLLOW YOUR VOICE AND YOUR TRUE IDENTITY WILL BE REVEALED.
 
If you haven't, read on Jungian psychology, and Jungian archetypes, I suggest you do. I think you will find them quite interesting, not that I agree with all of his theories, but Jung was a very bright individual.
 
Top