Abstaining from intoxicants

Self-explanatory!

 

i have no intention of abstaining at this point in my life.

 

neither did I when I was your age!

 

sorry really shouldve explained this poll wa sintended for people inetrested or who consider themselves buddhists.

 

i'm interested in buddhism.
i don't consider myself a buddhist though...

 

Total absinence works for me very well. I hate being drunk or on drugs. Breathing is much cooler.

 

After 45, the body doesn't process substances like it used to...at near 57, I'm a very happy abstainer from alcohol, actually abstainer isn't a good word because that implies effort; I just don't care to drink anymore. There are a couple of prescription meds I take but they're near zero on the "abuse potential" scale...not worth taking for a buzz.

 

It's my opinion that psychoactives are a tool, just another facet of dukkha.

There is inherent wisdom in all things, and likewise there is wisdom to be gained in taking psychoactives. Perhaps the typical person is not ready to learn that wisdom, but it's there. And like all good books, when you've read through the book, you close it and put it away. The same is true with all things dukkha.

I value the time I spend in an altered state of consciousness, and I also value the time I spend in sobriety. There is much to contrast between the different states of mind, and so for me, it has always lead to much introspection about the self, and the nature of reality, and so forth.

 

alcohol is a drug.

 

While the Buddha taught for us to abstain, he also taught moderation (in everything!) because he knew that not everyone would be able to adhere to abstainence.

So that's what I do. I do not use drugs (with exception to prescription and tylenol) because it would completely inhibit my faculties (which the Buddha taught for us not to do). I do drink alcohol, but never to excess. One or two beers is good enough for me, I also only drink in social settings, not on a regular basis. So I've never been drunk.

Also, Peterness - tread lightly. The Buddha never taught to judge people, he taught acceptance. If people chose to live their lives a certain way, let them. Perhaps they have self-destructive habits, but remember, Siddhartha lived as a hedonist until he grew tired of that lifestyle. Then he began the path to becoming the Buddha we know. Perhaps those who indulge in drugs and alcohol will have greater insight into the Buddha than those who don't! We may have much to learn from them because of that!

That's the beauty of any religion, we learn from each other and build one another up.

 

yes... somewhat gathered that from the fact it's in the Buddhism catagory. Did something make you believe neither of us were Buddhists or were you just clarifying?

 

i don't put a lot of weight on this. what anyone else does to themselves is their own concern. my own feeling, what i've found for myself to be true, is that empairing my judgement gratifies nothing, and so i little or no desire to engauge in doing so.

rather, if anything, it interferes with what i do find gratifying, which gives me that much more incentive to not do so.

the only thing my beliefs have to do with this is that for a long time i was, by my own conscous choosing, a fallower of a belief that abstained. and that among my reasons for joining it was that i had found that when you tell people you're not interested they seem to have a hard time believing you, immagining as they do, that you are somehow asceticly denying yourself what they appearantly seem to think of as some sort of pleasure, but that if you tell them it is agains your religeon, somehow this they are more likely to believe.

well it wasn't the only reason i joined of course, nor does it have anything to do with why i am no longer active in it.

and yes i have consumed alcohaul and other 'mind altering' substances.
never got to where i felt like i had to have any, but only on random chance,
social circumstance, or for a brief period when it was neccessary, self medication.

i just don't find empared judgement itself that pleasurable or gratifying.
perhaps partialy because those things that i do, involve the use of my mind
and have little to do with human society.

=^^=
.../\...

 

I created this thread purely out of curiousity...Not to judge people and try to change there decisions...Since everyone is on a different stage of their paths that would be completely pointless to attempt anyway don't you think??

Personally i've experiemnted with pretty much every type of drug you could think of to excess (not paticulary proud of this fact)..So how could I possibly be in a position to judge anyway?! lol It would be ever-so slightly hypocritical.

Anyway it doesn't matter...

I have slowly realised over a gradual process that I can be happier without substances and I have realised more and more the neagtives of using drugs and alcohol over time. Perhaps it is the meditation making me more aware? I don't know but i've slowly drank less and less and totally abstained from illicit drugs (for a long time now) because I no longer see it giving me any benefit whatsoever.

I'd agree with people who say that psychedelics like mescaline, LSD, Psilocybin, and DMT as well as dissociatives such as Ketamine can be used as affective 'self-help' tools if used responsibly correctly...I had some absolutely amazing groundbreaking 'spiritual' revelations on many of the above drugs and went through a phase of only using them for that purpose alone. Not really for pure recreation...For example if I ever felt the need to think about a certain aspect of my life , like a problem I or one of my friends or family had, or if I just felt the need for some fresh ideas and creativity then i'd plan a night in and get take mushrooms or acid. Often they presented fresh ideas and potential solutions to problems in my life (with some practice!) and I can honestly say I had very few problems with my psychedelic use , bar an odd 'bad trip' here and there (which I still learned from anyway)...They allowed me to view life in a different way from a vastly different perspective...Perhaps i'd even go as far as saying this is not so dissimilar to meditation!

However that said I believe everything I learned from psychedelic use could've been learned through practicing, study and meditation...Only with eating mushrooms costs more, runs a slight risk, and makes me see really cool patterns and colours!

So to sum up: I'm feeling gradually more aware of my body and workings of my mind so i'm more aware of what goes into it and the negatives and positives that brings...Right now I feel that most drugs only lead me to disatisfaction so seem rather pointless for me...However I don't regret my past drug use at all as it was a steep learning curve and without it I possibly would've never come into contact with the dharma and meditation...The longer I abstain the better I feel and the more I notice how I don't need drugs.

Or, quite possibly, i've taken so many drugs for so long that sobriety is like a whole new drug in itself! lol

 

No, just clarifying

 

Unfortunately drug use, and I use this term to cover both illegal substances and alcohol, is something that I personally have an issue with completely abstaining from. I no longer feel it necessary to constantly be on some sort of drug, however. I feel that until I truly do not care to ingest these substances complete abstainance would be allowing them to control me as they used to. Just at the opposite end of the spectrum. And I will not allow them to control me.

 

Never taken anything! I don't plan to.

 

Im not a big fan of drinking. I smoke pot ocassionally.

 

abstaining from intoxicants was one of the first things my buddhist proffesor brought up. It was one of the reasons why I dropped the class.....not that Im a heavy drinker/drug user...it just seemed a little extreme. He explained why he wanted us to, but it didnt fly with me.

 

I abstain from alcohol as advised by the Sakyamunni Buddha.
I understand that drugs can cause harm to me. And that harm is a big rock in the middle of the road. A mind clouded by drugs is of no use.

But, I also understand that I am on my quest. I am not perfect. I still have attachment, and desire. As I progress on my path, I quit substances. I am down to tobacco (used in moderation - I do not smoke everyday) and cannabis. And I am starting to feel the urge to quit down on cannabis use, for it tends to cloud my mind too much lately...

gassho,

 

I'm a heavy enough drinker and take drugs occasionally, but I'm planning on giving up the drink. Drink is very destructive and I found before when I went 5 months without drinking that my mind was so much clearer and it's much easier to meditate.