Self-Medicating

I'm reading Live From New York, an uncensored history of Saturday Night Live, and it talks a lot (in the years between 1976 and 1980) about the presence of drugs. Different interviews vary the measure between moderate and over excess use among cast, crew and even the band. The one thing they all seem to agree on, however, is the idea of "self-medication."

Fame is a huge thing that is in your life, and we know now that taking drugs is self-medicating. What are we medicating? Something that is hurting us. Usually it's a depression of some kid of some sort of sadness or something stressful, right? That's what we're self-medicating.
-Chevy Chase

Most of this was in reference to John Belushi.

When John started making too much money, and started doing too many drugs, the sweet John was gone, and the ambitious John took over, and that's what was difficult to deal with. His ambition as just overwhelming, as was his need to self-medicate.
-Jane Curtain

Regardless, it seems like something everyone deals with almost everyday. Self-medication. Finding ways to deal.




(The last one is obviously compliments of perezhilton.com)

For the most part, I've started to notice that we're all pretty bad at self-medicating. It's why we're not all doctors. We misconstrue instant gratification with eternal satisfaction. Everyone's looking for their own personal "high." But, we weren't meant to fly at all times. It's why we're not all birds. Or insects. (insects that fly) There's something to be said for chasing a more "pure" liberation.




(oh, perez)
I think openness and simplicity can serve equally strong medicinal purposes. Self-medication seems to distract people from finding happiness in their true selves.

While, self-meditation can bring you to a certain level of consciousness; no interferences, no ups, no downs, just you. Scary, eh? Just you and yourself, one on one. Ah! But, I don't want to deal with me, how do people deal with themselves??



From John Belushi to Stuart Smalley, the world comes full circle.