Food, Stuff and Drugs

Let’s get some definitions straight first. Food – any solid or liquid you take into your body orally. Stuff – a material object that you purchase or is given to you. Drugs – any, and I mean any, substance that causes an altered state or that one can become addicted to, including prescription drugs, illegal drugs, tobacco, and alcohol. (And don’t even try to argue that tobacco and alcohol aren’t drugs. Just because they are legal, doesn’t mean they aren’t a drug. Plenty of people are hooked on prescription medications and they are plenty legal.) In fact, anyone can become addicted to food, stuff, or drugs.

Food, stuff and drugs are good. They make us feel good. We get addicted to them because they fill an empty space in us or they give us a pleasure that we can’t get anywhere else. Food tastes good, makes our bellies full and satisfies that hunger we all get. Stuff satisfies that need to have and hold things, that need for material possessions, and in the case of DVDs, books and CDs, it provides us with an escape from the things that trouble us. And talking about escape, drugs are one of the major suppliers of escape. From that beer at the end of the day, to the cigarette break at work, to that late night bong hit, they all provide a much needed break.

But, most of you know this shit already.

Here’s something you may not have thought of before.

Have you ever thought of how dependable food, stuff, and drugs are when they are compared to people?

And that we are hooked on our substance of choice because humans are so undependable?

How many times have you eaten an entire pint of Ben and Jerry’s (which should be a single serving anyway), or gone binge shopping, or had a double Jack and Coke because of someone and not something. Food, stuff, and drugs are always there for us. They are pretty darn consistent. They will always treat you well, at least better than most people do. The same cannot be said of people. Now, I’m not talking about the “hey, I can’t help you move because NASCAR is on” kind of “not there for you”. I’m talking about the “we’ve been friends long before you met you wife but after you split up with her, I’m going to be on her side”. I’m talking about “yeah, I gave birth to you, but I’m going to treat you like shit”. I’m talking about the kind of hurt and betrayal that shouldn’t come from someone that you care about and that claims to care about you.

Maybe if people were more dependable, thought before they acted, actually cared for one another, we wouldn’t have to turn to food, stuff, and drugs to fill a need and to always be there when we need them. Maybe we would have less addicts and alcoholics. Maybe we would have less people with weight problems. Maybe we would have less people spending all their money on stuff from QVC and we wouldn’t have hoarders and crazy cat ladies. Maybe.

But, that’s not going to happen, right?

Be good,

Grey