Alcohol, Drugs and Happiness

I am sure that quite a few people have been impacted by alcohol or drug use in their own life or with someone close to them. Nineteen percent of alcoholics are married. One out of thirteen deaths in the U.S. are alcohol related. Since many alcoholics and drug users resort to drinking or doing drugs to escape from the real world or to elevate their mood, this blog will look at the summit and source of real happiness.

Alcohol/Drug Use

Simply stated: drugs and alcohol, if abused, ruin lives and can destroy marriages. Most people who use drugs or abuse alcohol have had trauma in their past and are wounded spirits. They are depressed and are seeking something else to fill void.

As Father John Corapi brilliantly described in his talk on Humility, if we are wounded physically, lets say we get shot with a bullet in our arm, we bleed. But eventually the wound heals up. Yes, sometimes an infection can set in. We have antibiotics for that.

But when our spirit is wounded, Satan is an opportunist and loves to enter these wounds and inflict more damage.

What is our antibiotic spiritually? Jesus Christ.

Instead of using alcohol to fill the void, fill yourself with the third person of the Blessed Trinity--The Holy Spirit.

• Ephesians 5:18: Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

Since most people who use or abuse alcohol or marijuana suffer from depression, how much sense does it make to put something into your body that is a Central Nervous System (CNS) depressant? That is the equivalent of throwing gasoline onto a fire.

Alcohol doesn't make you a rational thinker, more peaceful or wise.

• Proverbs 20:1: Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

And being around those who have had problems with alcohol, do not do anything that could cause them to stumble.

• Romans 14:21: It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.

Happiness

• "Indeed, man wishes to be happy even when he so lives as to make happiness impossible." -- Saint Augustine

Happiness in today's fallen world can be traced to human psychology and the desire to have everything we want in life now--I called it our Drive-Thru Happiness mentality. There have been studies on humans (and lab mice too) that show we tend to opt for immediate gratification without regard to future consequences. That is, we place more emphasis on current happiness than what is really best for us in the long run.

Blend this with all the wounds that our society receives in early life and what are the outcomes? Drug and alcohol problems, sexual promiscuity, eating disorders, materialism, high divorce rates, spending problems, etc.

This desire for instant happiness is an example of emotional immaturity of lost souls and relates to what Dr. Jerome Murray calls stimulation hunger:

Stimulation Hunger- This includes demanding immediate attention or gratification and being unable to wait for anything. Stimulation hungry people are incapable of deferred gratification, which means to put off present desires in order to gain a future reward. Stimulation hungry people are superficial and live thoughtlessly and impulsively. Their personal loyalty lasts only as long as the usefulness of the relationship. They have superficial values and are too concerned with trivia (their appearance, etc.). Their social and financial lives are chaotic.

It is important to remember that patience and self-control are fruits of the spirit that identifies us as Christians without wearing a crucifix around our neck.

• Galatians 5:22-23: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

The Ultimate Happy Meal

If you feel empty inside, how about the ultimate Happy Meal? His name is Jesus Christ.

• John 6:35: Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.


• John 6:53: Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

And don't overrate happiness of earthly things or think the purpose of marriage is to bring happiness. Happiness comes from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ--through His Love, His Forgiveness and the promise of heaven and eternal life. The purpose of marriage is to make us more Holy. The purpose of hardships in our life is to test us and draw us closer to Christ and to make us stronger Christians.

• 2 Corinthians 12:10: That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

French philosopher Joseph Joubert once said: "Happy is the man who can do one thing: in doing it, he fulfills his destiny."

True, but let me expand on that:

Happiest is the man who lives a life for Christ. His destiny is the greatest reward: heaven and eternal life.

• Matthew 13:44: "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."
  

Get high on the Holy Spirit and eternal life, not on drugs or alcohol.

And always remember:

"The only real failure in life is the failure to get to heaven at the end of it." -- Father John Corapi

Peace be with you,

© Michael J. Cox

Vacation

If you are the average American, you are probably thinking about what you are going to do with your vacation time this year. A part of living the American dream is taking the family away somewhere each summer. You work hard, grind it out each year, endure a lot of stress but the carrot-on-the-stick is always the summer vacation. Whether it’s a trip to the beach, the majestic mountains, an ocean cruise, a journey to a beautiful tropical island resort or driving across America with the kids in the backseat (another reason to love the seatbelt law). We all look forward to the vacation.

It is kind of ironic how this parallels life. The purpose of the vacation is to replenish our energy banks for another year, go to some beautiful destination and to have happy times around our family. In life, we are in pursuit of happiness with the hope of eternal life with our family in the real paradise called heaven. How great is heaven?

• Matthew 13:44: "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."

Jesus Christ is our travel agent & guide in the Big Picture.

You can try to get to navigate to heaven without Christ but you will fail. You may have some good times and see some beautiful scenery. And in our life on this earth, just like in the National Lampoon movie Vacation, you'll see some underwhelming things along the way like the World's Largest Ball of Twine. You'll experience some unfortune like having your hubcaps stolen in East St Louis, sadness and bad timing with Aunt Edna dieing, financial hardship like Cousin Eddie, temptation by the Blonde in the red Ferrari, and the fear and agony of being stranded in the desert like the Griswolds.

• John 1:2-3: Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

But in the end, this WallyWorld called heaven won't be closed to believers.

"Good God, Morning!"

If you are in search of happiness, never underestimate the importance of refilling your spiritual bank with the Holy Spirit on a weekly basis by attending church. You should strive to refill it daily.

As Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said, do you wake up and say "Good God, Morning!"? Try waking up and saying "Good Morning God" and thanking him for the many ways he has blessed your life--and he has when you take time to think about it. Pray more as praying establishes a friendship with God and Christ.

We can achieve gratification and happiness from things of the world but they are temporary. Why? Ultimately, sustained happiness comes through our Lord.

• Ecclesiastes 2:26: To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Are we there yet?

Are you happy? What is happiness? Being at peace with yourself. Saint Augustine said it best:

"Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee, O Lord" -- St. Augustine

When we finally arrive at our end destination in this life on earth, we all hope to hear: 'Well done, good and faithful servant! Come and share your master's happiness!'

Until then...

Romans 15:13: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Peace be with you

© Michael J. Cox