Alcoholism: Drug Abuse Facts

Question: Is religion just an escape from reality much like drug addiction and alcoholism?

(Posted by: nightowl1517 on 2010-01-04 13:43:05)

If someone is religious, does that mean that something missing in their lives and they are unhappy.

Posted by: imagine on 2010-01-04, 13:46:18

Sounds reasonable to me

Posted by: Ruth Ann on 2010-01-04, 13:47:04

No it is not an escape from anything. Most religions have rules and traditions to follow.

Posted by: iforget on 2010-01-04, 13:47:13

For some, but not for the hardcore Christians...but dude, u got to believe that there is a God and that there is an afterlife..

Posted by: Searcher 5.0 on 2010-01-04, 13:47:22

Yes...they choose to believe in the possibility of living eternity in hell because that sounds much better than reality.

Posted by: NO CHANCE WITHOUT BENNY on 2010-01-04, 13:47:25

Drug addiction has never helped me "escape from reality " its made me look at it from a different angle, and the only thing alcohol has ever helped me escape was my clothes...

Posted by: trippin2much on 2010-01-04, 13:47:30

It all stems from hope and fear. that's what religion boils down to. Why else would you believe something you never saw, heard, smelled, or touched?

Posted by: Brandon on 2010-01-04, 13:47:40

That sounds about right to me, throughout history humans have felt alone and feel the need to think they're part of something bigger than themselves. Wither that is true or not, can't be proven either way.

Posted by: Caity Sykes on 2010-01-04, 13:47:45

Wow i never thought of it that way but yeah lol yeah it does seem like it

Posted by: •♥♦♣♠• on 2010-01-04, 13:47:49

Most religious people were raised to believe from childhood, so it's their only reality

Posted by: Bible Believer on 2010-01-04, 13:47:59

My life was unhappy before I became a Christian and I tried to escape the unhappiness with alcohol. Thank God I am now free and have Jesus as my Savior. Nothing is missing from my life but thanks for your concern.

Posted by: misslabeled on 2010-01-04, 13:48:19

That's what I've always thought. A crutch is a crutch.

Posted by: Wishful Spirit on 2010-01-04, 13:48:26

I've found that my faith allows me to deal with reality in a healthier way. For example, my belief that God has a purpose for everything helps me think about what I can learn from any situation. Not that learning from everything isn't possible without a God concept, but that's the way I get there. I'm sure some people use religion to escape reality, though.

Posted by: Tails Turrosaki on 2010-01-04, 13:48:39

Yes. Religion escapes from the fact that there's no life after death. But people are afraid, and say that's BS and go off blissfully ignorant rather than except the hard, cold truth.

Posted by: Rico JPA on 2010-01-04, 13:49:03

I remember a T-Shirt from my misspent youth in the Seventies, "Reality is for those who can't handle drugs ".

Posted by: The Lord of Dreams on 2010-01-04, 13:49:11

No way, it has some elements of that, sure, but it's still much more than that.

Posted by: Imagine No Religion on 2010-01-04, 13:49:11

Yes it is but also it acts like a security blanket for people to feel better about themselves so that their sky daddy can protect them

Posted by: Rod on 2010-01-04, 13:49:28

Chairman Mao described it as the "opiate of the masses ", I think he hit the nail on the head with that one.

Posted by: Johnny on 2010-01-04, 13:49:42

Good question! alot of people believe in excapism. meaning, go to church to avoid a lifestyle of self destruction.

Posted by: HereticZero on 2010-01-04, 13:49:43

Once the religion starts to take hold, the person goes through a phase of self-loathing and this leads to baptism. People seek out religion to fill a void in their life because they have been told over and over than religion fills the void in our lives, our longing to be with our creator. This is an artificial longing that does not exist except in religious doctrine. People live product lives without religion and they are good people too. Religion brow-beats us into believing we need that something extra in our lives to be whole.

Posted by: Angelica on 2010-01-04, 13:49:57

Not always an escape for reality but sometimes a coping mechanism for reality. For example, Jane felt a terrible loss after the passing of her mother but was comforted by the belief that her mother was now in a better place with no more suffering. You see the reality is that her mother is dead, and Jane will never see her again. Jane accepts