History and contemporary perspectives on alcohol and other drug abuse

Is the desire to alter consciousness a part of being human? As we take chemical dependence more seriously it would be hard to argue that there is not some basic human drive to experiment with consciousness. These ways are not always self-destructive but rather self-enhancing. For many centuries art was an expression of honoring the divine spirit and mysteries of life. Ecstatic dancing was found throughout the world in ceremonies to celebrate life's milestones: birth, death, marriage as well as to honor the great forces or deities that brought rain and abundant harvests. Through dancing, singing, art, prayer, meditation and fasting people have sought to be in touch with their 'higher selves', their creative spirit and to express godliness through mind and body movement . Perhaps sometimes we have not known what motivates our movement or creative impulses but they feel good and necessary in the moment. Many people today have rediscovered the power of their dreams as an altered state of consciousness in answering personal questions and gaining greater perspective on their challenges and conflicts.

In his book From Chocolate to Morphine noted authority Andrew Weil states:

Human beings, it seems, are born with a need for periodic variations in consciousness. The behavior of young children supports this idea. Infants rock themselves into blissful states; many children discover that whirling, or spinning, is a powerful technique to change awareness; some experiment with hyperventilation (rapid, deep breathing) followed by mutual chest squeezing or choking, and tickling to produce paralyzing laughter. even though these practices may produce some uncomfortable results, such as dizziness or nausea, the whole experience is so reinforcing that children do it again and again often despite parental objections. Since children all over the world engage in these activities, the desire to change consciousness does not seem to be a product of a particular culture but rather to arise from something basically human. (Weil, p.14-15)

We would add to these observations the exclamations of glee from children as their parents swing them upside down or as adolescents and adults ride roller coasters, tilt a whirls, or bungee jump. There is a rush of adrenaline in these experiences that leave the participants giddy and invigorated and wanting to repeat the experience. Drugs are another avenue to this same kind of alteration of consciousness. The mental need to repeat the experience and the physiological craving produced by certain substances can result in addiction.

Contemporary thinking is beginning to focus on the physiology of addiction in relationship to brain chemistry. New research is examining the "reward center" of the brain, neurons that comprise the ventral tegmental area, the nucleus accumbens and the prefrontal cortex, raising the levels of certain neurotransmitters. For a more in-depth look at this research, go to Scientific American : http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=0001E632-978A-1019-978A83414B7F0101&pageNumber=1

Drugs have been used for many purposes throughout history. They have been used in religious ceremonies, to heal the body, to attain different states of consciousness for a greater understanding of self, to loosen inhibitions, celebrate and have fun, and to lose one's emotional pain resulting from loss or trauma. It is only when the need to escape the pain or to continually be celebrating and having fun becomes obsessive that becomes dangerous and addictive. It has also been argued by Anne Wilson Schaef that our current western industrialized society with its longer leisure periods, heavier focus on production over process, and increasing speed to obtain results has been a fertile breeding ground for addiction.

Bill W., is rumored to have discussed the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous with analyst C.G. Jung. He was proposing the idea that a group of alcoholics could assist each other in recovery. Jung supposedly added: "But what is alcohol? It is spirit in the bottle." In symbolic interpretations fire is equated with the realm of spirit and water with the realm of emotion and the unconscious. The references to alcohol as firewater can speak to the idea of spirit as being easily ingested and assimilated. As we witness in our society today, however, there is also the possibility of fire and water eliminating each other as is the destructive nature of progressive alcoholism.
 

From Ancient Egypt, Greece and India alcohol and other mind altering substances have been used as offerings to the Gods as well as being used by devotees to reach the higher spiritual consciousness. It has been discovered that Ancient Egyptians had beer as a regular part of their diet. The Greeks worshipped Bacchus as the God of wine and the harvest. Continuing today in Tibetan Buddhist rituals alcohol is often drunk from a skullcap to honor the principle of the spirit transcending poison. In Native American societies the revered peyote ceremony is thought to enable the participant to transcend the day-to-day physical world and enter into an altered reality wherein answers to troubling questions and personal insight may be attained. Roman Catholic and other Christian communion ceremonies involve the drinking of wine in honoring the Last Supper and the blood of Christ.

So we see a long history of altered states, across ages and cultures. How does a person navigate between the life force of altered consciousness and the death force of addiction?

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