My Experiments with Tobacco and Alcohol

Up until a few years ago I had been dependant on Alcohol and Tobacco. For years, drinking Beer, Wine or Whiskey had remained a social sort of thing that caused no problems. During the mid nineties when I exhausted my savings in building the house that I presently live in, I even brewed my own wine to save the expense and became rather good at it. However by early 2000 I once again had surplus wealth and returned to whiskey. Over the following years the consumption of whiskey increased until it did become a problem. The problem became very serious in early 2007 and by September 2007 it became clear that if I had to survive the habit must be given up. Therefore I just threw away the bottles, locked myself up at home for more than a month and with the grace of God succeeded in overcoming the habit. Now I drink wine or beer on rare occasions (sometimes less than once a month) since it is no longer a problem and helps to brighten a social event. Instead of sulking in the corner one giggles and laughs like a stupid fool.

The story with tobacco has been different. I began smoking seriously in the late seventies while pursuing doctoral studies in Canada. It was my intention to give up the habit as soon as the rather tough doctoral studies were over. Unfortunately though that was easier said then done. It is very difficult to give up on addictive substances once the habit is acquired. The habit continued until Late 2007. By this time the habit had become really difficult to maintain. Besides the ill health effects of smoking it is now prohibited in offices and most buildings. In the seventies one could smoke anywhere – offices, airports, airlines etc. I recall having to step outside the office in snow to puff away every hour or so in Canada during the early nineties. On some occasions I hid inside toilets to do that. On an airline flight to Canada I confided in the airhostess of my need to smoke and she let me into the empty first class to share a smoke with the co-pilot secretly. Moreover, cigarettes have also became more and more expensive with time and it all seems like an unnecessary waste of hard earned money especially when there are so many deprived persons in the world who often have to go without a meal every now and then. In December of 2007 seeing that I had given up on alcohol, I made another serious effort and with the grace of God quit smoking too. However, as an aid to giving up the habit I took up on chewing tobacco. In India tobacco is available in neat little filter packs called Chaini Khani (probably translates as chew with peace) that one can chew on without being noticed. That habit has continued until three days ago. For the last three days I have been struggling with the withdrawal symptoms.

It is amazing how a little tobacco; alcohol or any number of other drugs can change the entire psychology and consciousness of a human being. On a rare occasion I have tried things like cannabis that is widely available as a weed in India. Last summer a bush had come up in the backyard. A village lad Hari comes to live at my place from time to time to work in the city. I give him a spare room and kitchen to live in return for helping out in the garden and with some other heavier chores around the house. He dried the entire bush after it matured and has taken it back to the village. I just forgot to ask him to leave some for me. It seems that the human psyche is vast indeed and we live through most of life using only small portions of it. Various drugs that include tobacco, alcohol and a variety of less widely available things e.g. magic mushrooms suddenly awaken rarely used parts of our psyche causing dramatic even magical changes in perception and behavior. Over the years, I have been quite interested in meditative and yogic practices and have realized that similar dramatic shifts in perception and behavior can be induced through breathing and meditative practices without the undesirable side effects and risks. If one gets addicted to these that is even better. I am hoping that these shall be the drugs of choice for me in future or at least until I move on to a new body. True there are many occassions when one is unable to induce a meditative state unlike with a bottle of whiskey where one can always pour oneself a peg, but here there are no side effects, one cannot overdo it, one does not become shaky and stupid, rather one becomes more alert, and best of all it is free.

Image is Fractal Art by Author