Concerns With Drugs

The use of chemical substances to enhance our lives is a notion that creates taboo ideas of drug use. But using the properties of items that grow around us is a common feature of everyday living. Herbal chemicals such as liquid zeolite, ellagic acid, fish oil and omega 3 are often used to enhance different aspects of our lives and improve our well being. This use of herbs and natural flora to help us can also be seen in the indigenous cultures of the Australian and Canadian Aborigines, Native Americans, and additionally African cultures. Nowadays, however, the idea of taking certain chemicals has become taboo due to the effects on the mind they are proven to have. Can there be benefits to using these substances?

Many additives are added to drinks and foods for what are basically drug-like qualities. The use of guarana in energy drinks, for instance, is a well known chemical additive used to enhance the alertness and energy levels of the drinker. While these drinks are quite legal, they’re not suitable for young people or pregnant women, and doctors advise against having a large amount of these kinds of liquids, if at all.

Along with the plant-based chemicals in the drinks, they are also very high in caffeine. This is a substance which has become incredibly popular. The fact is, of course, that drinking a large quantity of coffee or energy drinks will cause a reaction in the body that is highly similar to that given by amphetimenes or known toxic chemicals. The difference, it seems, lies in the view our society has of such substances.

This taboo has not always been the case, however. While hallucinogenics are today seen as some of the most dangerous chemicals it is possible to take, the properties of natural substances such as ayuhuasca and psilocybin mushrooms was commonly used in the shamanic rituals of native peoples.

The idea of starting use of hallucinogenic drugs to receive the wisdom held by indigenous individuals is a tempting one. But it has to be remembered that psychedelics were taken by indigenous peoples as part of a wider relationship with nature, these were “local plants” just as creatures were local food and day- to -day life was a local big screen entertainment system. How can the mind-expanding capabilities of psychedelics be fully realized within such an unnatural environment as that which we live in, beyond the momentary high?

The answer is that with any chemical, it cannot be believed that drugs will be the whole answer. It’s only through a wider understanding of ourselves and our connection with the Earth that we can begin to look into deeper questions of what it is to be human, and how we can most effectively use our limited time on this planet. The negative effects of all drugs can be easily seen in those who regularly take them, and it’s vital to remember the dangers every kind of drug has.