Ways You Can Get High Without Drugs

[jholmes800]

by George A. Boyd

The quest for instant relief of pain and suffering, and seeking immediate pleasure and ecstasy through drugs has spawned countless addictions and unnumbered ruined lives in every generation. Whether the inebriating substance was a natural intoxicant like alcohol, tobacco, opium, coca leaf, hallucinogenic mushrooms, or any one of a host of modern medicine's psychoactive drugs, people have sought intoxication's quick escape from the cares and responsibilities of living.
When you ingest a drug, you tamper with intricate biochemistry of your nervous system. You destroy or deplete your neurotransmitters. The ability to enjoy all the good things that you may experience in our lives is meditated through release of neurotransmitters. By interfering with their natural production by taking drugs is to risk upsetting the delicate balance of your nervous system, creating illness, madness, addiction and death as a direct result.
Yet simply by doing any of the activities of listed below, you can experience the natural release of the euphoriants within your body, and receive endogenous pleasure from "your own juices."

Sustained Exercise. Running, swimming, bicycling, dancing, and other sustained sports activities will give you a healthy glow.
Good Nutrition. Eating a well balanced diet, together with vitamins and herbal supplements can increase your vitality and health.
Doing What You Love. A hobby that holds your interest, a job that challenges you with new learning and growth, or a career that expresses your potentials can bring you deep personal satisfaction.
Achievement. Reaching your personal goals and aspirations, making your dreams come true, can bring you moments of happiness in your the enjoyment of victory.
Adventure. Exploring a jungle, rafting on a river, riding a powerful motorcycle, skydiving, or traveling to a new country can bring you excitement and exhilaration.
Curiosity. An intense intellectual interest in a topic, the drive to know more about something through research, observation and study, can spark your mental faculties to heightened activity, and yield the satisfactions of new knowledge and understanding.
Invention. The urge to know how something works, how to solve a practical problem, or why a negative condition persists can result in research or an invention can create a breakthrough in knowledge and technology. Increasing our collective understanding and ability to live more conveniently and efficiently enhances your sense of esteem that comes from making a worthy contribution to others, plus gives you the victorious satisfaction of finding out and making it work.
Social Pleasure. The communication of your ideas to another human being, the unburdening of the sensitive issues of your heart, and the sharing of the tender emotions of love and appreciation contribute to your sense of being a part of other's lives, and your own feelings of being loved and valued.
Aesthetic Pleasure. Listening to your favorite music, going to an art exhibit, attending a museum, seeing a dance troupe perform, or watching a sunset with someone you love can satisfy your need for stimulation and variety.
Sensual Pleasure. Lounging in the warm sun, relaxing in a hot tub, having a invigorating massage, or lovemaking with your special someone can transport you to the soothing depths of comfort or the thrilling peaks of ecstasy.
Creativity. Painting a picture, taking a photograph, writing a screenplay or book of poetry, molding raw substance into finished sculpture by portraying the real world around you or the world of your imagination, can provide you with long hours of enjoyment. The challenge of wrestling with an impelling idea, capturing it, shaping it so that it is just right, and making it real before you can bring you profound fulfillment.
Playing. Going out and having fun with your family, children and friends at the beach or on a camping trip by playing games or sports can refresh your body and clear your mind, renewing you to tackle the challenges of your life once again.
Helping others. There is gratification in volunteering your time, or following an avocation to assist other people, animals, or to heal the environment. Using your spiritual gifts to enhance others' lives enriches your own life, as well.
Spirituality. Engaging in communion with your Higher Power through prayer and meditation, or celebrating your community through praise, worship and song brightens your life, enlightens your mind, renews your spirit, and fulfills your Soul's yearning for growth and expansion.

Yes, it is true that life has moments of suffering and misery, times of trial and stress. Yet if you weather these storms like an ancient tree, you will find that Life holds satisfactions that more than compensate you for the pain and sorrow.
You can no more cling to the bright side of your days than the sun can linger in the sky all 24 hours. But sorrow passes, misery lifts. You will again find satisfaction and value in the activities and people who bring you joy. And if it seems that your stars have all gone out, and your night is filled with clouds of despair, remember there is a star within that will never go out—Hope.

Reputation Comments on this post:

	Wow, nice post. It can open people's eyes!
	nice post
	great post!

[Riconoen {UGC}]

Sex is a great natural high, best one there is as I've heard an orgasm is the highest pleasurable sensation your body can achieve.

[Mona Lisa]

What about being in love?

[Forthesevenlakes]

Originally Posted by Riconoen {UGC}

Sex is a great natural high, best one there is as I've heard an orgasm is the highest pleasurable sensation your body can achieve.

SWIM would probably agree. SWIM has had sex which was more euphoric and dissociative than any drug.

As far as love goes, SWIM seems to remember a study he once read where people "in love" were shown to have a higher content of a neurotransmitter (may have been serotonin) than people who were not in love. It's been a while since he read this study so the details may be a bit different, but SWIM sees no reason why affection for someone wouldn't change the architecture of the brain a bit, certainly in some cases this could lead to a subjective "high".

[Pinkavvy]

Hmmm. There are those CRAZY FOLKS out there, like swip, who believe that the human brain HAS the ability to mimic and/or re/create the chemical balance and effects of any high drugs can give you. Of course that would take harnessing a part of the mind that only a few munks in the past have come close to understanding. That's right, eventually you should be able to CHOOSE which high you want right now. Wouldn't THAT be cool?

You can start now by practicing seting and trigering anchors. For example, those of you out there who grew up in a very dramatic church; for example swip who grew up in a "filled with toungs" and "dancing from the holy spirit" penticostle church. To this day swip can remember back when he was a kid and belived in this garbaldygoop and sing along to a particular song that really "moved" him as a child. To this day, by trigering that "anchor" that was placed as a child swip can get an IMMIDATE release of saratonin and dopamine which can cause swip to reach levels of being high that far surpass that of MDMA... and it's all natural chem control of his mind caused by trigering anchors. (not actually being filled with the Holy Spirit, woohooo!) lol // that's right churches are just legal drugs that keep people addicted. //

So, now next time your on MDMA concentrate realy hard on something. Draw a picture on your arm and validate that picture by singing to it or scratching yourself over it or something. Do this a few time while you're on MDMA. After a while you'll be able to draw that picture on your arm and sing to it, or scratch it, or whatever you did to "activate" and "entrench" that anchor and you feel the effects of MDMA filling your body. When infact, this is simply your body learning to release so much seratonin to reach the effects that your anchor trigers.

Get it? It is possible to train ones mind to the point of simply choosing to be happy and high.

Ohhhmmm......
Ohhhmmmmm.....
Everybody now ... "Ohhmmmmmmm"

[Forthesevenlakes]

Originally Posted by Pinkavvy

Hmmm. There are those CRAZY FOLKS out there, like swip, who believe that the human brain HAS the ability to mimic and/or re/create the chemical balance and effects of any high drugs can give you. Of course that would take harnessing a part of the mind that only a few munks in the past have come close to understanding.

SWIM actually forgot about that one...he's had dreams which have recreated the effects of drugs quite well, among them, cocaine, opiates, and ecstasy. Now, if SWIM truly got a "high" in his dream, this means the brain must be able, at least to an extent, mimic the effects of drugs as swiP is saying. But how to establish conscious control over this phenomenon is something quite beyond SWIM.

[pankreeas]

Sure all those things are great.. but they're all even better when you're high.. thats the ultimate paradox of drugs in our society tho

[420lb]

Swim think suffering and misery should be apart of those highs, also crying. In swim's experience as unwanted the negative experiences are, they are still somewhat satisfying at short moments. It just wasnt the kind of feeling swim wanted to acknowledge because finding something satisfying out of pain is kind of weird.SWim guessing the masochistic pleasure of spicy food and endporhan surges is a similar idea in a smaller less significant scale. Not trying to get smart, but isnt everything about a "high"? All our actions are pretty much motivated by the anticipation of simple feelings like accomplishment, fullness, confidence, self awareness, and etc. Some people would give a million dollars for a pat on the back, that probably gets them high. Swim beleive as long as we use feelings as the driving force that makes us do the things we do, we are getting high without drugs all the time. SWim also read once something about the biology of human starvation, for more hardcore life druggies you can try concentrating co2 levels in the blood through meditation. You can also try fasting and not sleeping for awhile. Swim also heard prayer causes hormonal surges of chemicals that cause euphoria.

[Psych0naut]

Originally Posted by Forthesevenlakes

SWIM would probably agree. SWIM has had sex which was more euphoric and dissociative than any drug.

As far as love goes, SWIM seems to remember a study he once read where people "in love" were shown to have a higher content of a neurotransmitter (may have been serotonin) than people who were not in love. It's been a while since he read this study so the details may be a bit different, but SWIM sees no reason why affection for someone wouldn't change the architecture of the brain a bit, certainly in some cases this could lead to a subjective "high".

For SWIM it's definately rock climbing, preferably free-solo(without a rope) or traditional(where you place your own belays), when you've done a very hard and dangerous route, you get a adrenaline rush which can last a couple of minutes up to 10-15 or so, and it feels even better than an orgasm, now imagine how good that must feel ..

[DrMuffy]

Well SWIdr can NOT attest to this, (and beleives barely anyone can), but meditation such as the Dahli Lama (sp?) does is supposed to ceate the best feeling known to mankind. Tibetens have meditated for centuries, and sometimes days at a time to try and acheive this godly feeling called "Nirvana". SWIdr thinks if one could acheive this state "Nirvana" he would be overcome with the best euphoria all the drugs combined could not even touch. Of course to be able to fully meditate, one must go through tough conditions and be in a very peaceful place and state of mind, which SWIdr is now considering trying.

[blinkKDX]

out of all, i believe running is the best natural high you can get that can be sustained longer than the little time sex lasts, when looking at the "big" picture.

[Forthesevenlakes]

Originally Posted by blinkKDX

out of all, i believe running is the best natural high you can get that can be sustained longer than the little time sex lasts, when looking at the "big" picture.

SWIM always found that sex lasts a lot longer than running for him, and the feeling is much more profound and enjoyable, a greater natural high! Running is supposed to release endorphins for a "runner's high", although SWIM as also read in certain pro-cannabis publications that the release of anandamide is the "REAL" reason for a runner's high. either way, people seem to gain a great enjoyment when they run often. SWIM suspects a similar mechanism is behind the natural high of sex, although there is also the aspect of physical pleasure there, and dopaminergic activity in the brain's reward centers like the nucleus accumbens. Interestingly, this dopamine activity in reward centers also occurs with many drugs, which is why they are self-reinforcing.

SWIM remembers some studies done by a researcher by the name of Blood (at least he thinks the name was Blood, its been a while since he read the papers) where classical music performers were played classical pieces that gave them goosebumps or great pleasure, while they were in an fMRI or a PET scan. During the passages they enjoyed most, dopamine activity in the reward centers skyrocketed, in a similar pattern to what one would see with someone using drugs or having sex. Therefore, music is also a pretty good way of getting high without drugs, if you really love the song being played!

[blinkKDX]

swim completly agrees with swiy on music..

there's something about "that part" in a song swi(us) that just is amazing.

[Nagognog2]

Cruising the stars and cosmos in general with a good telescope - while letting the mind reflect on time, space, and quantum theories.

[Wflash]

Originally Posted by blinkKDX

out of all, i believe running is the best natural high you can get that can be sustained longer than the little time sex lasts, when looking at the "big" picture.

Nah. SWIM's with Mona Lisa on this one. Being in love's the highest of the natural highs.

Best avoided though, as it tends to be followed by the worst natural crash and a tricky natural rattling cold turkey. And you don't get to choose when to kick it.

[CrookedEye]

Also, if someone has enough stamina to run for hours, why not practice that technique with sex (ie do it for hours)? Love and sex combined are the most ecstatic state SWIM has ever experienced.. There is nothing better, other than enhancing it with drugs on occasion, in SWIM's opinion, of course..

[Beeker]

I race cars and skydive. Great drug-free drugs.

[Beeker]

Originally Posted by Mona Lisa

What about being in love?

That feeling has a HUGE crash though ... WHY DID SHE LEAVE ME!!! *runs off*

[Nicaine]

Originally Posted by Flimmar

But so far it's been nice. SWIM doesn't have the same negative sort of sad feeling inside himself (which SWIM had when he was not doing drugs), and does not experience as big ups and downs in mood.

SWIM agrees on the depression part, but wonders about the other. Isn't it more interesting to experience the highest highs and the lowest lows, i.e. doesn't it make life a whole hell of a lot more interesting? SWIM certainly thinks so. Now that he's discovered such peaks of euphoria and depths of despair, he almost hates leaving the whole thing behind!

Oh sure, in the end inner peace is the only worthwhile spiritual state... but almost nobody's going to achieve it anytime soon after quitting drugs. What it seems like (from SWIM's current perspective) is a sort of bland, unmotivated, uninteresting existence, quite possibly becoming a "consumer" in the classic sense i.e. living for material goods and services like the big corporations want us to. But maybe SWIM is wrong, and has just forgotten what it was like to not be high on something all the time.