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The Negative Spiritual Effects of Drugs and Alcohol

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Ninae

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I know this will probably be a bit contraversial, but I think it's one of those topics that are actually important to keep in mind.

When I was a teenager and just starting out reading about these things I remember reading when you take drugs it lowers the vibration of the physical body which gives you an illusion you have heightened the vibration of your soul, or subtle bodies, so you initially feel a sense of upliftment. But over time your consciousness becomes wise to this and knows it's just an illusion so it doesn't produce the same rewards for you. And over time it can serve just to keep you on the lower levels of consciousness and hold you trapped there.

I didn't understand much of that then, but now with experience I guess I can see how that could work. I know there are many who will refuse to accept and be in denial about this and there are many who see drugs and spirituality as something that goes hand in hand (and it can). But even if you don't want to believe or can't accept there are negative effects on the spiritual levels, it doesn't necessarily mean there aren't, and in that case it can be helpful for people to be aware of them and be in a position to consider if they think it's worth it.

I won't give that much of my own thoughts on the subject as it's not really a personal issue, but there must be many with something to say about it, and there is a lot of material about it out there. I think all the traditions have their own version of that. The Hindu understanding of it is quite interesting, describing drugs and alcohol as attracting negative Tama energy and something that should be avoided for serious spiritual students. It describes it in quite extensive detail, and can be a bit more enlightening than the usual "Just say no" religious approach we're more used to, and actually give you a personal reason to stay away. This can also be a good motivator for sobriety, which are precious.

Anyway, I don't particularly want it to be the case, but from experience and just common sense I would have to say it probably is. It's not something that is possible to really prove or disprove and I don't really want to start an argument for/against. But it would be interesting to hear people's take on it (and don't kill the messenger).
 
I am also of the opinion that drugs CAN be used to enhance your spiritual connectivity. For me, psychedelics certainly have, and currently do, raise my awareness and connection. However there was also a period of time where I abused them heavily and even though during those times I felt more strongly connected than ever, I see now that it was holding me back.
 
Moderation definitely seems like a condition for it to be used in a healthy way in this way too. Abuse seems to always lead to a downhill path like on all other levels. And for sure, with all uplifting substances there is a threshold that when it's reached it's not uplifting anymore.

Like, opiates can be wildly uplifting at first, but then as someone becomes more and more tolerant it loses its effect, and with a long-term dependent user the positive effects can be practically all gone. All it does is keep withdrawal at bay, but underneath they can be deeply depressed and feel worse than most who live off drugs. I've never got to that point with anything, but we've all seen those walking-death type people.

But, yes, all downers work for me by increasing my sense of connection to the whole, or unity-consciousness, and just positive feelings of love and connectedness to other forms of consciousness in general (by weakening negative feelings that get in the way, or that's how it seems to work). Although I am aware they are only working to reinforce feelings and tendencies that are already latently there, and I do think there has to be some love in a person for them to get loved up by that kind of aid to begin with.
 
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i don't know much about spirituality, but this is a solid explanation of what drugs feel like ...
Ninae said:
it lowers the vibration of the physical body which gives you an illusion you have heightened the vibration of your soul, or subtle bodies, so you initially feel a sense of upliftment. But over time your consciousness becomes wise to this and knows it's just an illusion so it doesn't produce the same rewards for you. And over time it can serve just to keep you on the lower levels of consciousness and hold you trapped there.
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I thought it was a good explanation, too, or it made sense at the time even if I had no experience with it.

I sometimes wonder about the effect of different drugs on your energy system and energy centers. It can definitely help to cause a kind of clearing of negative energies and help bring you in touch more with positive ones, although just how this works I don't know. I can just feel a form of clearing of my aura and sometimes like the blocks in my heart have been clear and it's open to process energy (love). I think it's this miracle-like effect that people seek out so much.

At the same time drug-addiction also has a way of attracting negative energy and entities. Seems like a double-edged sword.
 
Ninae said:
The Hindu understanding of it is quite interesting, describing drugs and alcohol as attracting negative Tama energy and something that should be avoided for serious spiritual students.
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Then there's ancient native american shamanism that prescribe mescaline, DMT, mushrooms and other psychotropic substances as the way to spirituality. Which religion is right? Probably ultimately none, there's different ways of attaining spirituality, but for me personally ego-loss is a way of spirituality....and psychedelics do the same things that meditation, yoga, and spiritual dancing do, sometimes to a greater extent, depending on the individual. Of all the religions I've studied, native american shamanism based upon psychedelic drugs has been the most enlightening for me.
 
By the way, I've been off benzos for 6 months and I'm glad, I'm never going back. But I have started using Kreatom extract (UEI) once in a while.

This has been going on and off for years and I don't know if I'll be able to break it, it's one of my favourite opiates. But it doesn't have the bad side-effects the other opiates do and as long as you don't get addicted it's not really bad (much more benign than alcohol abuse).

Anyway, it helps clear my aura for negative energies, and I can feel the effect for about 24 hours after taking it.
 
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Yeah at first kratom was truly a blessing to me when I found it (in 2003), it banished any negativity and made me feel like everything was working perfectly. Then I let my use get more frequent until it was daily and then I was addicted to it for 7 years before switching to poppy tea because I couldn't get high from kratom anymore. Fortunately I've been off opiates totally for over a year with no desire to ever go back, I truly don't miss them, ever. I'm just saying, keep an iron hold on yourself. Using it once in a while is probably harmless.
 
An iron-hold on myself? Are you sure you're speaking to the right person?
 
I'm glad I took psychedelics before I tried to grow my spiritual side, and I'm glad I developed my spiritual side before I started taking lots of psychedelics. When I abused psychs — almost daily tripping — I stopped valuing what the insight could do for me in reality. It became more like "how far can I blow my mind?" It takes time for blown perception to settle and do something for you in life. I deprived myself of that integration when my psych phase really started. I was and still am a devoted student of self-discovery. I thought I might have the makings of a shaman. It wasn't a totally grandiose delusion; it started happening to me. I started existing in a new world and started forgetting the old one. It became familiar and normal. There was something benevolent guiding me. It blew up in my face though when I shared what was happening prematurely with my parents and they got really concerned. My trips weren't the same. It wasn't just about me anymore. I was too devoted to truth to hide from them then. I stopped somewhat traumatically and am still dealing with the scar that it left. It's hard to make sense of your life after trying to become a shaman, i'll tell you that much.
 
jammin83 said:
I believe certain drugs definitely will suck the life force right out of you. Psych meds are the worst, IME. Benzos and opiates a close second. Even psychedelics have the ability to diminish spiritual development. Some substances can be used for good and will be different for every individual. I know that me tripping on acid every weekend for years probably wasn't helping me any. To be fair though, substances do allow you to see a things in a different light that you may have not looked at things in otherwise. I am not entirely convinced though that the realizations you have on psychedelics can't be had from a sober mindset.

For the most part though, I get where you are coming from and generally agree. I still use a little alcohol and mary jane and go an occasional trip but have things under control now. My own experience states that drugs have been damaging to me in the long run but I am making a fierce recovery. It's one of those things that is negative but can be turned around and put towards a more positive outcome. Sometimes pain creates beauty that can't be fully appreciated unless you have experienced the polar opposite. In that regards, I have no regrets.
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They certainly CAN come from a sober mindset. For me, the greatest value in psychedelics has been revealing things to me I had never considered. I was in a very non-spiritual place and so, even though I have abused psychedelics as well, that first trip for me utterly changed my life, and I'm not sure whether I would have gotten there without them. Then again, maybe I would have, it seems so natural to me now.
 
I've never tried acids or used any psychedliecs really, but I've had some ingenious spiritual experiences I imagine would be a lot like it. Specifically, I attained God-identification one time after Christmas in a completely sober state (painfully so, so much I believe I was practically pushd out of this reality). I've also had many smaller mind-expanding experiences, but that was probably the most extreme.

But just one experience like that can definitely competely flip around your mindset when it comes to these things. Especially while you're still young it might be something that will take some time to achieve, as the whole childhood phase is all about re-orientating yourself from a spiritual mindset to one that primarily focuses on the material world, so it's quite a challenge to reverse that process and I don't think it's always meant to be right away as in a way that's what this life is all about (so the seeming conflict between those of us who can see and those who can't is a bit of an illusion).

Now that it's summer it's also possible to get more into such a state of mind with the assistance of the power of nature. Spending some time in the sun is definitely good in all sorts of ways, you can become quite "high" by lying 90 minutes in the sun. And also the pure spiritual energies of the plant kingdom and the water can all contribute to that end.
 
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The highest I ever get is going into the mountains and climbing rivers and waterfalls, which I do every week in the summer (and spring). :) Gonna do it tomorrow in fact.
 
Sitting by a waterfall definitely gives you a very strange energy. There's meant to be a strong force field and a lot of prana around it and it's very cleansing.

When you get used to cleansing your aura and charging it with positive spiritual energy in natur like that you can definitely become dependent on it. It has an addicting effect, I grew up by the sea with beautiful scenery and for a long time I was in the habit of walking in nature every day. Drugs can hurt those healthier habits as it's a quick and easy way to achieve those effects, but not really of the same quality.
 
There are drugs, and then there are drugs. It is not really all that hard to figure out which ones are actually raising your vibrations and taking you higher ;). An honest internal assessment of your mental, emotional, and spiritual states will show you the truth of the matter very quickly. Also worth keeping in mind, that what might be a normal baseline state for one person will be a spiritual revelation for another, and spiritual mud for yet another. It is all relative and very individualistic.

I can tell you personally that I have had psychedelic experiences that have literally had my soul singing in chorus with the music of the cosmic. Do not dismiss these experiences out of hand, there is a great deal of truth and personal revelation to be found in them, if they are in harmony with your path.
 
Every moment counts for spiritual development. you either purify or un-purify in this one moment. theres no way in this universe to say stationary (even spiritually).
imo, theres always only two possibility: either the activity we have chosen to do can develop our spirituality and increase our purity, or in the contrary, the activity we chose take us away from the spiritual qualities.

IME, psychedelic drugs can awaken people to spirituality. and I see psychedelics as actually much more spiritual then most of our modern activity.
therefore, compared to what 99% of what people do with their time and life, I consider that psychedelics drugs are actually POSITIVE for spiritual growth compared to most of what people do for entertainment.
 
When you seek a spiritual experience of the Divine that involves hours, weeks, years of training and devotion, you are probably actively attuning your "vibration" to a "higher frequency" and experience things that correspond to that level. You open yourself to receiving "Angelic" energy as I think you have described it. Drugs open the doors to all levels at once. If you don't know how to direct your experience, you expose yourself to Good and Evil.
 
socko said:
When you seek a spiritual experience of the Divine that involves hours, weeks, years of training and devotion, you are probably actively attuning your "vibration" to a "higher frequency" and experience things that correspond to that level. You open yourself to receiving "Angelic" energy as I think you have described it. Drugs open the doors to all levels at once. If you don't know how to direct your experience, you expose yourself to Good and Evil.
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you are already ''exposed'', psychedelic merely remove the filters that gives you the ability to see it all. whatever the evil can do or not do, imo, there power is very limited.

but if, in a trip, you are exposed to ''evil'', you are to blame. especially if it hangs around for long. you have to learn something from that and the sight of evil can be very helpful spiritually imo. as paradoxical as it seems :)
 
This is an interesting, and pretty wild, article that sees it from a Hinduism viewpoint. I like some of the Hindu ideas about spiritual evolvement. They correspond with some of my experiences (like kundalini-psychosis, etc.)

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritual-living/health-effects-of-food-and-drinks/spiritual-side-effects-of-alcohol-drinking/


Subtle%20picture%20of%20the%20effect%20of%20alcohol.jpg
 
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