By Tommy Acosta
Sedona, AZ — Stoned. Drunk. Wasted. Pickled. Trashed. Messed Up. Buzzed. Smashed. Hammered. Plastered. Tanked. Lit. Sloshed. Drugged. Loaded. Sauced: These are just a few of the many words we use to describe one who is under the influence.
But why is it that people feel the need to escape reality by ingesting alcohol or drugs? What drives this seemingly universal thirst for relief?
Every day, we’re inundated with headlines about the latest cocaine or fentanyl bust, as government agencies assure they’re working tirelessly to eradicate illegal drugs from society.
Yet, the use of legal substances—those prescribed by medical professionals or sold by the liquor, caffeine, and nicotine industries—often goes unregulated or ignored.
Dig deeper, though, and you realize that the issue isn’t simply about legality or enforcement.
Illegal drugs rake in billions for cartels and black-market dealers, while the legal drug industry generates even more profit, legitimized under corporate banners.
But profits aside, the critical question remains: Why does the demand for these substances never seem to wane?
As long as there is pain, boredom, a sense of worthlessness, or hopelessness, there will always be a need—a craving—for substances that offer even a fleeting escape.
Drugs, alcohol, and other vices provide a brief reprieve, a momentary oasis of relief.
Whether bought from a liquor store, prescribed by a doctor, or procured on a street corner, these substances serve society’s collective need for distraction—a break from the mundane, the painful, and the terrifying.
But it’s not just about the users. The entire system is intertwined with the economics of addiction.
For criminals and law enforcement alike, drugs are as much about sustenance as escape.
The drug lords amass fortunes, while government agencies and private prisons benefit from the endless “war on drugs.”
Imagine, for a moment, if all drugs were legalized. What would happen to the billions of dollars funneled into enforcement? What would become of the drug lords’ lucrative empires, or the for-profit jails that thrive on incarcerating sellers and users alike?
The impact extends far beyond those who use. Families are torn apart by addiction. Innocent lives are lost to overdoses or drunk-driving accidents. Even those who never touch a substance can feel the ripple effects of a society grappling with its dependence on escape.
At the heart of it all is one word: desire.
The desire to numb physical pain. The desire to ease the ache of loneliness. The desire for confidence. The desire to fill the void left by hopelessness and fear. The desire to forget—to find even a fleeting moment of peace, free from guilt, fear, and regret.
This is why people drink. This is why people turn to drugs. It’s about escaping the unbearable weight of existence, even if only for a little while.
Until that deep, primal desire is addressed, the cycle will continue. Alcohol, drugs, and other substances will always hold an allure, promising relief from the pain and monotony of everyday life.
As we approach the end of another year, we’re bombarded with images of people celebrating, glasses raised, smiles wide, indulging in the very substances that often lead to tragedy.
New Year’s Eve, for many, becomes a paradox: a night of revelry that so often ends in regret, car accidents, overdoses, and broken resolutions. Promises to quit drinking, to stop using, to make a fresh start dissolve as quickly as the confetti is swept away.
Perhaps it’s time to think differently. Legalizing all drugs could be a starting point, though it’s a controversial and uphill battle.
The pharmaceutical industry, along with criminal enterprises, would fiercely resist any attempt to disrupt their cash flow. But imagine a world where addiction is treated as a public health issue rather than a criminal one, where resources are directed toward healing instead of punishment.
So, as we move into a new year, let’s take a moment to reflect on the pain, the fear, and the hopelessness that fuel this endless cycle of escape. And let’s hope that someday, we’ll find a way to heal not just individuals, but the society that perpetuates their suffering.
Regardless. Let’s look at 2024 as a year of past tribulations through the world and look to 2025 for relief from the pain this planet spins.
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4 Comments
“But profits aside, the critical question remains: Why does the demand for these substances never seem to wane?“
Fortunately recent studies have found that drug and alcohol use amongst teens is way way down compared to when I was in high school and drugs and alcohol were considered “mature behavior” like going into the military. We lost more than 10 students in my 4 years of high school to drunk driving/drunk hunting “accidents”.
Building Dump’s Border Wall is NOT going to STOP illegal drug flow into the US. Stopping it requires that there is NO demand for it. And as you have pointed out- there’s a “high” demand for all things illicit here in the US especially hardcore drugs like heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and fentanyl. Fix that and you will fix a majority the drug problems here.
Well knowing many young people 40 years or younger than me is kinda simple………..They dont care….No future, pay sucks, they see what their parents did, and know its just impossible to even get a home. Rooms are very hard to find and astronomical to pay. Face it Boomers sold their futures by, outsourcing, union busting, collage many could never afford. And is a collage right for all? Is collage worth it anymore?
If your future looks bleak, they rather just escape…………….Just ask any kid from just out of RRHS, to someone in their 30s…..Its the norm….I dont understand a lot of it, but they wont hold back and tell you how hard it is to keep their heads above water!
It all may start out as a desire to numb the pain…or simply to enjoy the “high” that comes with some addictions….but then it becomes ADDICTION. That means pain if you DON’T take the drug or alcohol (nothing to do with the ORIGINAL pain) .and an urgent, desperate desire to numb that different pain. My mother was alcoholic and this is what I learned. An alcoholic will be furious at anyone who even suggests they’re addicted. They hide from themselves the addiction, and make excuses that someone said the wrong thing to them, made them angry, or they have some other problem (not alcoholism) that is driving them to take another drink. It’s a disease of denial and they will fight tooth and nail to hide it from themselves and deny ferociously to friends and family members that they could even possibly be alcoholic. And it often changes the victim’s personality…making them blame everyone else for tiny infractions that make them want to drink more. It also is one of the things that can run in families…genetic… Those who have a close relative who is alcoholic should take note and beware. It’s easy to blame everyone else, but addiction is the road to ruin… You simply add to your pain and to the pain you bring to others.
@Marcie, I do not disagree at all on your points. Lots of this is not an addiction, just as the article points out. Its the escape, the escape from a world no matter how hard they try its stacked against them. Sure some are doing good, most are not! Look at home prices, not here, in Cottonwood, Clarkdale, even Camp Verde. Junk that needs so much work is now in the $400k range. a $425k home with 25,000 down is still about $2,500 a month. You think they can save $25,000?
If you get $20 or $25 an hour, think you can find full time work? Healthcare? 401k? Do the math.
When everything is a fight, and the deck is stacked against you, people look for a way out of their struggles.
Ive said it a thousand times. Go to any business and ask the workers, how they are doing.Were you living? what does it cost a month? How old is your car(if they have one)? I think you will be shocked by 95% of the people you talk to. Ride the Verde Shuttle, see how many happy people are on it? Get to know the real Verde Valley.
Like I said, I am old, doing fine, but having so many good young friends, male and female, all have the same struggles!