One of the reasons we become so dependent upon alcohol and other addictive substances is how they can make us feel, how they influence our self-perception, and how they can cause us to feel differently about ourselves relative to other people and to the world. When we drink or use, we can feel changes in our personality, shifts in our perspective, and totally new outlooks on life. We can feel as though we’ve become the person we’re meant to be. We can feel less inhibited by nervousness, insecurity, and self-doubt. What is liquid courage?
Liquid courage is a term given to the feelings of self-confidence and self-assuredness we can have when we drink or use. Sometimes when we’re high we can leave behind the social anxiety that has been holding us back and making us isolate ourselves. We can feel more comfortable talking to people, more grounded within ourselves, and more at ease. We can feel as though our drug of choice has given us the courage we need to reach for our goals, to strike up a conversation, to come out of our self-imposed isolation. We might feel courageous and strong enough to go after something we’ve always wanted, to pursue that person we’re interested in, to stop holding ourselves back in all the limiting ways we’ve grown accustomed to. We think we need to be high in order to accomplish what we want in life. We think that our drug of choice is giving us the courage we wouldn’t have otherwise.
A Disease of Perception
When we use drugs and alcohol to change our personality and feel better about ourselves, we not only become dependent upon it and how it makes us feel, we also never give ourselves the chance to develop our real selves fully. We’ve gotten to know the version of ourselves that is under the influence, rather than our authentic self. We’re not allowing ourselves to develop our true personality, to figure out who we really are, or to foster the kind of lasting courage that can bring us true happiness and a sense of accomplishment. We’re using an artificial substance to create these feelings for us rather than developing them for ourselves.
As a result, we stay totally disconnected from the truth of who we are, and we stunt our personal development and growth. We keep ourselves from learning what we genuinely love about ourselves, and we prevent ourselves from developing the self-love and self-acceptance we need in order to heal. We keep going back to our drug of choice because it gives us this sense of self-confidence we’ve come to rely on. Over time, however, we realize that this false courage is just an illusion. We’re not actually feeling confident or good about ourselves, and our liquid courage doesn’t last. It’s fleeting, and we have to keep drinking and/or using in order to sustain it. Not only is this not sustainable for us and our health and well-being, but it’s also highly unfulfilling, and over time adds to our feelings of insecurity and self-rejection.
At The Guest House Ocala, we have personal recovery experience and over 12 years in the recovery industry. We have helped countless people recover, and we’re here to help you too. Call 855-483-7800 today for more information.