Do Addicts and Alcoholics Use Drugs and Alcohol to To Fill A Void?

Have you ever heard someone talking about using drugs or alcohol to fill a void inside? Maybe you've even thought that yourself or you thought that about a loved one who has a drug or alcohol problem. This video is for you because we're going to explore this issue a little bit more in depth. For those of you who are new here, welcome to Put the shovel down. This YouTube channel is specifically to help you understand the science and psychology of addiction so you can get your life and your family back on track. Okay, back to the topic of using drugs or alcohol or any other addiction or addictive behavior to fill a void inside. You see, we've all heard people talk about that. And I get the impression, though, that when people talk about that, they think that somehow that maybe, like people that are predisposed to addiction, they have this void. And so when they start using, that's what makes them turn into addicts or alcoholics. But my thinking is a little bit different. You see, I think we all have that void inside every single human being, and I think that void is supposed to be there. Now, sure, it's a little bit of an uncomfortable feeling, but I think that that uncomfortable feeling is designed inside of each one of us to help push us towards our greatness, towards our genius, towards our contribution in the world. It's what keeps us trying harder and going after the next thing or finding our passion. But yes, it's true that drugs and alcohol can complete that void. It can fill that void up. And that is essentially the problem, because once that happens, you start spending all your time and energy and thoughts about filling that void with drugs and alcohol. Which means there's no time or energy or mental capacity to put towards filling that void with other things, with going out there and living your best life, with fulfilling your potential. You see, I believe that each of us have inherently a unique set of skills, gifts, and talents. I like to call it your genius that only you have. Now, some of that comes from some natural gifts that you are given with, but it's molded by your life experiences. That's what makes it so special and unique. There is something that you have to offer to the world that no one else has. And if you're spending your life chasing and pursuing the next high or the next drink, or even just trying to relax or trying to calm down, you're putting a cork inside of that very thing that's designed to push you toward finding what that one thing is. You're closing the door on the very motivator that's going to allow you to go out there and fulfill your dreams and contribute to society. You know, a friend of mine named Leon, he's got a YouTube channel called Sober Leon. He made this video recently where he was talking about rich, successful people that are sober. And the top three people on his list, I'm going to tell you who they are in just a second. Specifically talk about how they made the choice not to use drugs and alcohol because they knew it would keep them from reaching their dreams and their potential. Now, he had a list of like 10, but the top three on his list were John D. Rockefeller, Warren Buffett and Donald Trump. Now, I'm not saying one way or the other if I'm a fan of these people, but there's definitely no arguing that they've had some impact on the world and they've gone out there and done some really big, incredible things. And you just can't do that if you're spending all of your time, energy and resources chasing a substance. So for those of you who feel like you can't find recovery because you have this brokenness inside, you have this emptiness, this hole, this void inside, what I'm here to tell you is that's exactly why you can find recovery, and that's exactly why you should find recovery, because there are other ways to find that completeness. And I promise you, when you go out there and you start contributing and living your genius and finding your best life, that little peace inside is going to feel so much better. And the best news about it is it actually stays feeling better. Whereas with drugs and alcohol, it's so temporary, and then you have to chase it again and again and again. So my message for today is stop being scared of that emptiness. Stop being scared of that void. It's there for a reason. And if you don't believe me, I want you to watch these inspirational recovery stories up next, because you're going to hear from these people about what happened in their life after they chose to get clean and sober. And I think you're going to see exactly what I'm saying.