I subscribe to a weekly email newsletter called Skrufff-E, and amidst all of the vaguely lefty dance music related stories and self-promotion of the DJ behind it, we get treated to some wisdom from the Barefoot Doctor.
These tidbits are of the self-help variety but frequently venture into spirituality. Much of what he says makes a great deal of sense and one finds oneself nodding in agreement. Much self-help is, after all, just uncontroversial common sense. Mariella Frostrup’s Observer column is particularly good at cutting through bollocks and probably causing consternation. Alas, the Barefoot Doctor is a bit too much of a hippy to be provocative. You know the drill; mistakes are just opportunities to learn, as you cannot control other’s behavior; you should learn to just control your reactions to it, everybody hurts (sometimes) yadda yadda cling clang (the silly Buddhist stuff can often detract from the relatively-sound message).
Last week he offered an interesting piece about what one can do if one has given up drugs but is in a social situation where one has previously indulged but now does not wish to despite the protections of others. His advice, to stick to your guns and to ’see through to the hurting little inner child in them causing them to act out self-destructively and have compassion for them rather than admiration’. That awoke in me a slight feeling of ambiguity that I find interesting.
Two things;
a) Isn’t it amazing that this situation is even being described? Is it really so commonplace for groups of people to get together and take drugs? I don’t mean smoke a bit of dope after dinner. I mean a couple of grammes of coke, maybe some pills, interspersed with whatever is new such as 4mmc (‘forums’ as my educated friend calls it). And alcohol (if GHB/GBL isn’t involved). I’ve been to many such events. ‘Events’ is too strong a word. These are just commonplace gatherings of friends. Being in London for nearly ten years, I am beginning to think that, in many cases, it is these drug-fuelled nights-into-mornings that bond relatively disparate individuals in such a huge and otherwise impersonal city. But then, the use of drugs to facilitate sociality is really nothing new.
b) Is Barefoot Doctor right? Is the drug use a cry of the child within. I know that I love taking cocaine in particular. I went through a phase of really, really wanting it for a few months. I looked for opportunities where it would be socially-acceptable (“Let’s go round X’s”. “Let’s have X and X over for dinner!”). I stashed away some so I knew there would be some when I wanted it. I went for the longest line. I was happy to have my arm twisted into having one for the road and so on. I did enough of these things to start monitoring my consumption and why. I did enough to make me think that I should perhaps slow down a little. Still love it though, but I guess I’ve developed some kind of internal check and balance. (Daniella Westbrook has much to be thanked for perhaps!)
So, what have we learned? I like coke. I don’t like ‘No shit, Sherlock’ advice (particularly when infused with wafty nonsense). I do reflect on my drug consumption; I’m not thoughtless in that respect. Whether that’s written as some consolation to myself (I have had three glasses of wine) or not, I might think about later. But I do think that the Barefoot Doctor may be on to something in that, yes, we drug users might be a tad fucked up, but I’m not sure this is anything that we didn’t already know.
