Alcohol and drug abuse is often an attempt at escape from the pain-body.. an escape of not wanting to feel the pain anymore. In some people, the pain-body is active almost all the time, and that is dreadful way to live. And those people.. often they will seek some kind of escape from it because they can't live with that pain anymore. Their chance of awakening is also quite great.

A number of people with exceptional abilities have used drugs and alcohol as self-medication to ease the pain of their high sensitivity, or as a way to enhance thinking and creativity. Sometimes they risk addiction.

It's no secret that alcohol use is alive and well on college campuses across America. New research studies investigate a largely unexplored area -- the relationship between heavy drinking and social anxiety.

Replacement "units" can be tailor-made to the previous addiction. A cigarette, for example, burns down in about eight minutes. The idea is to make eight-minute poems, paintings, or whatever. These units can be repeated in about the same frequency and timing as the previous addiction. This is habit management and it can be a lot of fun.

In a recent interview, Philip Seymour Hoffman [Best Actor Oscar nominee for “Capote”] admitted he used drugs and alcohol earlier in his life. A lot. - An exceptionally talented actor, Hoffman is far from alone: many of us use and abuse.