It is so important to pay attention to our emotional experiences to properly grow and heal. Our emotions are a tool for us to get our conscious mind in touch with our subconscious experience. Oftentimes our emotions and bodies respond to an experience before we are even aware of what is causing those feelings. That being said, sometimes our immediate reaction to the more difficult emotions, such as loneliness or anger, can cause us to act impulsively.

Let’s be real: when it comes to drugs and alcohol the reason most of us use them is because they’re fun—we like the way they make us feel. We also may enjoy them for their ability to help us “escape” from our daily grind, or from certain problems we are facing or emotions we don’t want to feel—from anxiety to depression to chronic stress.

For some of us, when we first start experimenting with drugs and alcohol a light bulb turns on. It’s like we found the thing we had been looking for our whole lives; the thing that is going to make us feel OK. We think, “Now I have something that can help me deal with almost anything!”