Pill pandemic in America. It started long before COVID, and this problem has been growing in intensity for years. Wealthy Americans have developed an addiction to opioids through prescription pain pills. Many people who can’t afford these designer drugs may develop a problem with marijuana; for others, it’s alcohol addiction.
But this post isn’t about drugs or alcohol. Instead, it explains why people are looking for a chemical solution to their problems in the first place. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not one of those crazies that believes you should never take medicine. I believe that God has created medicine to treat genuine illnesses. However, I’m also convinced that many people turn to synthetic drugs to try to fix something wrong deep down inside them.
In this short article, I want to describe why pills and alcohol can’t fix life’s most profound issues.
The big problems in life must be confronted and dealt with the hard way. No medicine on earth can fix your biggest problem. And here is the biggest problem that you’ll ever face in life: Unfortunately, no prescription can cure the symptoms of the problem of SELF. Here are four visible symptoms of SELF.
Shortcomings
Humans are inherently imperfect. Therefore, we will all fail to measure up on occasion. It’s a painful day when you must confront your shortcomings. Modern medicine has made incredible advancements in almost every aspect of human existence. However, no treatment can fix your shortcomings. This is part of being an imperfect creature.
Happy hour isn’t all that happy for many people. Bars are filled with people who self-medicate on Friday night because they don’t want to face up to the mistakes they’ve made all week long. Confronting your errors and learning from the situations when you didn’t measure up is the only way to avoid making the same mistakes in the future.
Egoism
Most people think about themselves much more often than they should. This incessant navel gazing causes people only to see their side of a problem. This comes up almost every time there is a conflict in human relationships.
I wish there was a magic pill that could fix the human heart… but that medicine doesn’t exist.
War, divorces, and even broken hearts would end worldwide if humans could stop getting in their own way. This is a heart-level problem that can’t be treated by any cardiologist. If you’re going through a problem in a significant relationship right now, why don’t you try looking in the mirror and asking yourself if you are at least partly to blame? This could be the first step toward fixing an important relationship in your life.
Loathsome
I don’t know anyone who believes they are a terrible person. Even the worst criminals and terrorists in human history all thought they were pretty good people on the inside. How is it possible that people can think so highly of themselves while doing such low things to others?
You can’t find the solution to character flaws in a pill bottle or alcohol bottle. The fix for these issues starts with recognizing that something deep inside you must change for your life to be different.
Failures
As much as we hate to admit it, we all fail occasionally. Our failures are the direct result of our shortcomings. Since this is a universal human trait, there would be an unlimited profit in the pharmaceutical company that discovers a pill that could prevent failure. That pill will never be made, though, because failure goes down to our DNA level.
Like the other problems listed above, the only way to address failure and grow from it is to confront it head-on.
Dan Wise was a guy who had a lot going for him until he finally had to confront the kind of man he had become while serving a 42-month prison sentence. During a prison-sponsored treatment program, Dan got serious about dealing with his shortcomings, ego, loathsomeness, and failures.
Dan found a solution to the most profound problems in his life when he confronted his own character in prison. He became a completely different guy because of this prison program. Now, Dan uses what he learned to help others that are struggling with alcohol and drug addictions.
Listen to my fascinating recent interview with Dan HERE.
Read about Jeff’s military career.
Get your copy of his biography
