The Killer Solution

Someone said that when they first drank they understood the word "serenity."  They knew peace.  Alcohol did for them what they could not do for themselves. It gave them escape from self-centered fear.  I can relate.  Many of us find early on solutions to feelings and life difficulties.  But then this same person said that the spiritual experience of alcohol began to lessen and eventually it was overtaken by raw compulsion and obsession.  The early on solution had diminishing returns.  So I try to find solutions to life's difficulties in things that continue to grow and strengthen me.  Eat right, exercise a little regularly, meditation, gather with others on the journey, and be of service.  And I read about solutions that work and don't work for others.  Why reinvent the wheel?  Lots of wisdom out there.  Solutions that will kill us are generally discovered all by ourselves.  We can be our worst guides.