Consumption vs. Practice
Nicotine. THC. Sex. Scrolling. Fast food.
Our society worships instant gratification and dopamine.
Meditation could help…but if I can get an instant hit of relief and pleasure— why would I delay it?
Intuitively, given how our brains and amygdalas are wired, the faster option is not only more practical (takes less time and energy) but also more desirable.
If you smoke a cigarette to destress, you look cool.
But if you sit in the corner to meditate or pray, someone’s going to label you as a weirdo.
Consumption is Easy
Consumption is easy, as long as you have money.
If you do, you can walk into a store or bar, buy a beer, buy some weed, cigarettes, McDonald’s, or coffee.
They all play on our neurotransmitters and send messages to our brains to release feel-good chemicals and hormones.
But just as quickly as that “high” is attained, it wears off.
And oftentimes, we feel worse after: hangover, withdrawals, brain fog, stomach ache.
Which ultimately leaves us craving the relief of the “high” even stronger —
Thus leading to the endless loop of addiction.
Practice Takes Time
A “practice,” on the other hand, takes time to learn and master —
and at times, gets even harder with time.
Meditation, for example, can feel challenging to sit still and meditate, even if you’ve practiced for years.
Going to the gym to get stronger and stay fit is more difficult than taking a weight-loss pill.
Every time you go to the gym, you have to lift a little heavier if you want to maintain and grow your muscles.
In a society where “productivity” is valued over sanity,
we’ll take any shortcut and call it well-being.
Slowing down would mean facing the demons and acknowledging the root cause —
which, for some, is just too painful, too demanding.
So we trudge along in life, picking up habits and addictions,
sleeping with people who don’t care if we live or die,
inhaling chemical vapours and cigarette smoke,
consuming trash and soda,
getting wasted every Friday —
and repeating it all over again the next week
till we die.
Isn’t that depressing?
The Purpose of Society
The purpose of society is to enable people to survive and thrive by working together, providing a framework for organizing communities, and meeting collective needs.
If society exists to help us thrive,
Why are so many people sick?
Suffering? Isolated?
Stressed and chronically fatigued —
taking a cocktail of medications and microdrugs:
alcohol, pills, vape, cigs, fast food, empty sex, and validation —
just to make it through the day?
I’m no better than my fellow human trying to make it out of this man-made suffering.
Working 9–5, tired all the time,
feeling my dreams slipping,
and the weight of the pressure to succeed on my shoulders.
I use weed and other dopamine-consumption activities to take the edge off.
It’s not evil,
But it’s us and the people closest to us who eventually suffer from our own actions and their side effects.
And is it sustainable?
Typically, when we overconsume, it also hurts people we will never know about.
The children in the Democratic Republic of Congo mine 73% of the cobalt produced worldwide, the mineral needed so we can flex the latest Tesla or iPhone and get a new vape every week.
The fast fashion factory workers whose fingers bleed for a few cents so we can get our trends faster and cheaper.
The family members who will have the burden of taking care of us if we end up falling ill or depressed from self-destructive habits.
The Solution
This kind of suffering sounds depressing, I know, and I don’t like to leave things on a sad note.
So I’ve thought about the antidote.
The antidote to dopamine addiction and overconsumption is awareness and mindfulness.
I know. I’m sorry.
But in the long run, I want the best for myself and everyone in my circle, and those outside it too.
And habits are contagious.
Our harmless little drinking habit doesn’t affect anyone else? Not necessarily. If we become angry and reactive every time we drink, we end up hurting the ones who love us the most. Over time, this can disintegrate our closest relationships.
If you want better for yourself first and foremost, and a ripple effect for those you love —
Try this:
PAUSE.
Next time you feel down — consciously or subconsciously —
and you reach for your phone to make a purchase, DoorDash a meal, or grab a vape, cigarette, beer, or joint...
Just pause.
Take a deep breath.
Deeper than you think you need.
Fill your entire belly with air, then do it again.
Take a moment to feel the feeling you’re trying to avoid.
Is it anxiety? Disappointment? Grief?
Maybe you’re on your period.
Maybe you’re just hungry.
It doesn’t have to be that deep of a reason (but it can be).
If you’re alone, take a few minutes to put your hand on your heart, ask your heart what it needs — and listen.
Write down what your heart says back to you.
Maybe it’s feeling neglected and exhausted and needs a night of self-care, rest, and a nourishing home-cooked meal.
Maybe it’s feeling lonely and needs connection and community.
Maybe it needs movement and nature — a gentle stretch or walk outside.
PAUSE — BREATHE — LISTEN — ACT.
Then reflect.
See how you feel after you complete one cycle of this.
Most likely, the craving will subside.
Keep repeating this and cultivating these moments of practice into your daily life until they feel natural.
See how intuition guides your movements toward a healthier space.
And if you don’t have time — say you’re at school, work, juggling multiple jobs, responsibilities, and businesses —
Take mini breaks.
You’re allowed to step into a washroom or outside and take deep breaths.
Scribble some words from your heart into your notes app.
Try to truly nourish yourself in some way, with what’s accessible to you.
I’m a practicer, not a practitioner —
So I won’t tell you what to do without trying it myself.
This week, I’m ditching the vape, cutting down on smoking weed and impulse buying.
Will I be perfect and never indulge in anything? No, but I’ll aim to live more intentionally.
We can’t shame ourselves into feeling better,
but we can look deeper inside and listen to what our inner child and heart are asking us for, leading to less suffering and more fulfillment.
I want my life to feel intuitive and intentional, and that takes effort.
More effort than being distracted and dopamine-disillusioned.
But the effort is the reward —
And my body, mind, and soul will thank me in the years to come.
Yours will too.
You already read this far, join me?