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This is a very challenging world to go through stone-cold sober. It’s actually challenging enough even if you do have something to take the edge off on a regular or occasional basis.
Even though this may seem sort of outside the scope of Rapid Regeneration I only bring up this topic because the use of mood-altering substances is so common. Either you are personally dealing with this, or you have others in your peer group (friends and/or family) who are to varying degrees. You will need to make a judgment call at some point about your relationship with these various items.
I am not addressing more synthetic, man-made chemical drugs because those are obviously an issue which would be called for avoiding — these pretty clearly create some level of synthetic, toxic chemistry in the individual who consumes them.
The three most common ingredients mentioned here are substances which are more tempting because they are natural after all (although there are some other natural mind-altering substances aside from these three). Alcohol can be made organically and from good ingredients like grapes, marijuana flowers grow out of the ground raw, and roasted coffee beans and/or caffeinated teas seem natural enough.
I am not making any kind of judgement about your lifestyle and how you choose to live it. I simply wish to bring a level of awareness regarding the chemistry of these substances and how your body reacts, so that you are aware of this should you choose to consume these substances. Trust me — if there were a way to get drunk, stoned, or buzzed without harming and acidifying my body, I would absolutely be doing it right now.
While it is possible to have a relatively healthy existence while consuming these substances, it is possible that these things can also hold you back and cause you to plateau in your journey of self-improvement, preventing you from breaking through and ascending the next level of being all you can be and reaching your potential. These activities could also over the long run shorten your lifespan, threaten your natural life force energy, or even lead ultimately to developing health issues. Let’s look more closely at these substances individually.
Marijuana at it’s raw level doesn’t seem to be concerning. After all, it’s an herb with many reported beneficial properties. The issues comes with trying to alter the chemistry of this plant in order to get the THC from it which creates the high. To do this, the three most common ways are to burn the plant, inhaling the smoke, or to cook the plant infusing it with oil and then ingesting that, or to heat the plant using a vaporizer and then breathing in the vapor.
Ingesting the heated oil is an issue because ingesting oil that has been heated creates major digestive issues, is mucus-forming, and of course creates acidic chemistry. The chemistry of the oil is altered dramatically after it has been heated and now this is acid-forming, not to mention the plant which has also been seared and all its chemistry bonded together in the heat.
I am not an expert on neurotoxicity in substances so I won’t testify extensively to the issue of that when ingesting marijuana, although I do know some individuals say that they feel high for days and it takes them a while to feel normal again after ingesting weed, so there could be some lingering neurological residues. The THC gets stored in the fatty tissues of the body and no doubt there could be long-term implications of this chemical affecting the neurological system as well — which could be harmful or toxic.
Let’s mention a side note that it could be difficult to find organic cannabis. Pesticides are used on many commercial pot farms which is certainly toxic and there is less quality control in a black market for example in a state without legal marijuana — it’s hard to know what else is in there.
If you smoke weed, then you are creating direct harm to your mouth, throat, and lungs in the form of hot smoke which is literally an offense to your body’s tissues and creates immediate inflammation. It would be less harmful if you cooled down the smoke, like through a smoking device which incorporates water, ice, and/or a frozen glass component which cools the smoke down.
You would then simply be breathing in carbon monoxide which is a neutral temperature but which is not burning your mouth, throat and lungs. In this case, carbon monoxide is still toxic, still would create acid chemistry, and causes the liver to work overtime when smoke is breathed in to transmute the chemistry that is created.
You could also side-step the carbon monoxide issue by using a vaporizer, so instead of breathing in smoke you would be breathing in steam. This would be a superior form of inhaling cannabis compared with smoking it, although the heat from the steam can still be considered harmful. The controversy of breathing in heated up marijuana in the form of vapor steam remains as well. It seems like there is still a risk of neurotoxicity when the THC passes the blood-brain barrier through the lungs and nervous system, regardless of the manner in which it is consumed.
There are other potential issues with using THC in whatever way it’s consumed, which can create problems from a mental or personal standpoint, but let’s move on since we have looked objectively at the chemistry and physiological implications of consuming it.
Alcohol is another fun substance which the whole world loves to consume. You will also consume it at some level throughout your whole life in a sense, because sugar alcohols are created constantly at varying levels. For example, when foods are combined poorly like with sugar and protein eaten at the same time, the sugar can get held up in the stomach, where it ferments and turns into sugar alcohol. The individual who just ate a sandwich or pizza, for example, not only enjoys the delectable taste, but also may feel a sort of buzz or satiation from the alcohol that is created in his or her stomach after the food is consumed.
Alcohol when derived from certain substances is objectionable for the mere fact that the source from whence it came has its issues. Beer, for example, is no better than eating bread — they both come from grains, which are not a health food and these create numerous digestive problems and acid chemistry. Beer is actually worse than bread because it is basically liquid fermented bread.
A not-as-bad alternative would be if you avoid the alcohols which come from a source from which you wouldn’t eat the food in its solid form (like grains or potatoes), and let’s say you are considering a drink like wine or tequila, coming from grapes and the agave plant, respectively. Please consider the fact that other chemicals can also be added to these beverages — like sulfates in the case of wine — which can be quite toxic and harmful when consumed.
If you do find alcohol that is all natural which no added toxins, are there issues with consuming it? Believe me, I wish I could say there were none and we could share a cold one together. I want to shoot you straight and so I will admit there are indeed a few issues.
Alcohol is acidic and upsets the alkaline balance of the body chemistry. The chemistry of the alcohol is harsh to the mouth, throat, stomach, and GI tract of the body. The fermented nature of the alcohol creates an imbalance of the flora in the body and in many cases contributes to a fungal overgrowth including candida. Alcohol is dehydrating, creates toxicity when consumed in excessive amounts, taxes both the liver and kidneys, and also causes added stress on the heart. There are many other well-studied effects of consuming alcohol, including on the brain, which are concerning, and I have listed only a few problems here with the popular and intriguing liquid.
Alcohol surely is tempting, especially with the way that it makes you feel, it’s unique and pleasant taste, and the social aspect of drinking it. You may be able to get away with drinking it, and many people do, while still achieving certain health goals. These are people who have what I would call a ‘Keith Richards complex’, and can engage in self-destruction without too much bad effects for a long while. If you are super serious about solving a health problem and lack the luxury of being able to behave in this manner — where you take one step forward towards your health goals and one step backwards (after drinking alcohol) — then just go ahead and cut it out.
For me personally, I continued to consume it for a while after getting into self-healing and a healthy lifestyle. My desire to drink it became less and less over the years to the point where I only did once every few months for a social function. Eventually, I felt that even very occasional consumption of alcohol was holding me back and taking away from me more than it was contributing. After I stopped consuming it completely, I felt my vibration and life force energy rocket to a whole new level, my personal healing accelerating, as well as other mental and cognitive benefits.
There are social ramifications of not drinking alcohol or behaving like what is referred to as a ‘teetotaler’. However, if you want to blend in during a social function and not be treated like a goody-two-shoes, there are some things you can do and most people won’t even think twice. For example, you could order juice, or you could order sparkling mineral water in a glass, with a lime wedge in it. Sip this through a straw, and people will slap you on the back, confide in you embarrassing things, and you’ll be included in the antics of the evening, clinking glasses with everybody else.
It is a personal choice and not for me to decide what you do, but just know what you’re doing and keep an awareness about it. Don’t have blinders on and pretend what you’re doing has no consequence if you do consume an adult beverage.
Caffeine is a very tricky one. After all, it is referred to as ‘America’s Favorite Drug’ (and is probably the world’s favorite drug as well). This chemical which is naturally created from coffee beans, tea leaves, or other plants, is very stimulative and creates a feeling of energy and even elevated mood. I don’t have to tell you how nice it makes you feel, as I’m sure you’ve tried it for yourself.
Unfortunately, for every action, there is an opposite reaction — and the law of cause and affect is in force here with caffeine. First of all, grinding the beans and then boiling coffee beans to make coffee creates a very acid-forming liquid from an ingredient which is acidic in the first place. This liquid is acidic and dehydrating to the mouth, throat, stomach, and intestinal tract. Even if you can find a tea that gives you the same kick, while it may be less acidic, it can still cause damage to your body tissue and cells as well.
Aside from its negative chemical effect, caffeine is also overstimulating both to the digestive system, as well as neurologically and mentally. This can cause a consumer of it to become dependent on caffeine simply to have regular bowel movements, as well as to get ‘energy and focus’ needed to complete his or her daily tasks. Take away the caffeine, and the individual can become constipated, lethargic, and in a poor mood. The overstimulation of the nervous system should be of serious concern over an entire lifetime, as this can ultimately weaken the nerves and adrenal glands, leading to systematic decline or even failure in an individual over many decades.
Trust me — I struggled with dependence on caffeine for a long time. I always liked it, and given my unique set of health problems with lethargy, exhaustion and brain fog (before I recovered), I relied heavily on it. After getting into natural health, it took me about four years before I completely stopped drinking caffeine. First I was drinking organic coffee. Then, I switched from coffee to a tea drink made from Guayusa leaves, and then slowly lowered my intake of that. Ultimately, I went cold turkey off of caffeine entirely.
This was extremely challenging and for about two to three weeks I was really struggling. Then, as soon as I made it out of the woods, it was clear meadows and blue skies. I suddenly discovered a long-lost dynamic energy that I had forgotten I had. After that, I didn’t ever really miss caffeine, although I did end up getting back into it for a short while a few years later under circumstances of extreme pressure (it was equally hard to kick the habit the second time).
The difference between the artificial, stimulated energy of caffeine and the natural, long-lasting, slow-burning, dynamic energy when you are really operating at full-blast doesn’t even compare. Think back to a time in your life before you started drinking caffeine, when you were a child or a teenager. How did you feel? Can you remember having an enthusiasm and zest for life, going from activity to activity with fervor and rigor and without any thought of the need for stimulation? This is how you can actually feel now, without the need to overstimulate your nervous system.
Apply this same thinking to alcohol and/or marijuana or other substances — was there a time in your life (in your younger years) when you were enjoying life, in a great mood, social, and possessing high levels of energy? Perhaps during summer vacation, summer camp, playing sports, being with friends, or doing something you really enjoyed? Think back to how you felt and how purely you just felt good then without any stimulation from mood-altering substances. This can be your new baseline of how you feel now.
It is true that eating a healthy variety of foods, getting the body cleaned out and functioning at a high level, and increasing your vibration can give you a natural high and put you in a good mood throughout the day. As somebody who used to chase substances that would give me a good buzz during my wilder years, I can definitely appreciate the pleasant sensory quality about a healthy lifestyle and especially the buzz that comes from eating a lot of fruit and raw foods.
There are other substances which are natural but which fall out of the mainstream — things like magical mushrooms for example. These are natural occurring substances as well which may be able to be consumed with only small levels of toxicity. I do understand with magical mushrooms for example there can be substantial benefits, and I have personally benefited from this even after embracing a healthy lifestyle. So I do acknowledge it is possible that the benefits outweigh perhaps a small amount of toxicity created with mushrooms, as opposed to the seemingly larger amount of toxicity created with the other aforementioned substances in how they get consumed.
Marijuana can also have beneficial effects on an individual similar to magical mushrooms. But what kind of chemistry does it create in the body? You have to weigh — is consuming a certain substance harmful or acidic or toxic? This to me is a critical question to be answered before considering any sort of enlightenment or special insights that you may be able to get from consuming some kind of special natural substance.
Ultimately, I can’t and won’t recommend magical mushrooms to anybody, as it’s a personal choice and there are benefits and drawbacks that each person should uniquely consider. I bring them up to say that my personal attitude towards mind-altering substances is not completely monastic and insistent of 100% abstinence. I am looking at this from a more wholistic point of view.
If you choose not to consume these common types of substances, surely you’ll be surrounded by people who do. It can get a bit lonely, but you’ll feel comforted by the high of your regular healthy lifestyle, and ideally won’t feel the need to lift yourself with a temporary, fleeting, acid-forming high with side effects of neurotoxicity, acid chemistry in the body, and overstimulation and subsequent enervation of the nervous system.
Stay strong, and ask God for help to get you through any lonely times when you feel tempted. Ultimately, I hope that the natural high from building a truly strong and resilient life for yourself will give you a long-lasting satisfaction that will make it easy to not indulge in these things, as has been my experience.
Good luck, and cheers!