Many people, however, rely on another, more limited resource when they
face psychological or social crises. They turn to psychoactive or mind-
altering substances. Although they may believe or hope that they are re-
lying on seemingly objective science, in reality they are placing their
faith in drug company marketing--and so are their doctors.

Consider the seemingly different situation with respect to recre-
ational or illicit drugs. For untold millions throughout the world, the
last resort is alcohol, tobacco, or substances such as marijuana and co-
caine. Many turn to them whenever they feel on the verge of experi-
encing painful emotions. In the extreme, they become addicted to
these substances and build their lives around them. When they even-
tually try to give up their addiction, they may discover that they have no
other resources left and nowhere else to turn. Their lives have been
emptied by their reliance on drugs. They must rebuild from scratch
their faith in God or other ethical convictions, their trust in other peo-
ple, and their reliance on themselves and their love of creative work or
nature.

If people do feel better when drinking alcohol or smoking marijuana, it
is because they feel better when their brain is impaired. Psychiatric
drugs are no different. The people who take such drugs may feel less of
their emotional suffering. They may even reach a state of relative anes-
thesia. But to the degree that they feel better, it is because they are ex-
periencing intoxication with the drugs. ¹

Most of us can empathize with people who are willing to sacrifice
brain function in return for a blunting of emotional suffering, but should
therapists or doctors offer this alternative? Should we ourselves turn to
this alternative in our own lives? Is the cost too great in terms of brain
dysfunction and the failure to deal with the real issues in our lives?

The resort to psychoactive substances, whether legal or illegal, recre-
ational or psychiatric, involves a compulsive narrowing of focus in the
search for solutions to life's problems. Almost always the emphasis is on
obtaining relief from painful emotions, too often regardless of the po-
tential cost.

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