A few years ago, I would be waking up right about now with a wicked hangover.
Why?
Cause I had a drinking problem.
Friday nights meant hanging with my buddies, and slamming 13 beers until 4 in the morning.
By the end of the night I’d be so incoherent that I didn’t know which way was up.
The next day I’d proceed to spend the entire day laying on my couch, fighting my hangover.
This ritual went on for years.
However, I didn’t think there was anything strange about it.
I was still in my 20’s, so most of my friends were doing the same thing.
It was the same shit we did in college.
But somewhere around my 32nd birthday, I had a realization…
I wasn’t just drinking to have fun anymore.
I was drinking to numb the pain I was feeling.
I didn’t fully realize why I was feeling it, or where it came from, but I knew that’s what I was doing.
So I stopped drinking for a bit.
Most of my buddies couldn’t believe it.
They’d try to goat me into taking shots with them.
But I stuck with it.
What’s interesting is that once I stopped drinking, my ways of “medicating” shifted.
And one of my new ways of medicating, was through “learning”.
So everyday I’d have Audible on, and would be listen to a new book.
I’d listen to podcasts for hours on end.
At least 3 hours of my day were dedicated to learning.
I didn’t think there was anything wrong with this.
I mean who’s ever heard of someone with a “learning” problem.
Not me.
I chalked it up to being more dedicated than everyone else.
But after a few years of drowning myself in audio books, I had the same realization again.
I was listening to audio books all day so I didn’t have to feel things.
They were a way for me to check out.
The same way drinking was for me.
Only this time it was a problem that wasn’t as obvious as pounding 12 beers in a night.
Over the years, I’ve realized that what I was doing is quite common.
Everyone medicates in some way.
At different points in my life I’ve used work, learning, alcohol, social media, pot and women to medicate.
Those things allowed me to not have to feel the pain I was going through at the time.
They allowed me to temporarily check out.
Like I said, everyone does this in one way or another…
And among entrepreneurs, it’s even more rampant.
So I recommend giving it some thought.
In what ways are you medicating?
What are you doing to check-out and not have to feel what you’re feeling?
Give it some thought…
Like me, you might be surprised at what you discover.
Have a good one,
– Justin
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