Spiritual High: Alternatives to Drugs and Substance Abuse

SPIRITUAL HIGH: Alternative to Drugs and Substance Abuse BY John-Roger, D.S.S. With Michael McBay, M.D. Spiritual High is a comprehensive guide to anyone concerned about drug abuse. (I think that’s everyone!)Here’s the line-up from the Table of Contents: Hallucinogenics Pills Heroin/Opiates Marijuana Cocaine Specialty Category Drugs (ex. glue sniffing) Each chapter covers the substances under each topic clearly, often with line drawings. What I think is most important is that John-Roger is coming from a spiritual viewpoint, so the book is more than a listing and discussion of different drugs. As the back cover notes under his name, the drugs discussed can have many (negative) effects on the “human body, mind, emotions, and unconscious.” I know very little about which drugs do what, so this book is a “primer” about the effects of many different drugs that people use to escape whatever issues they may not be able to face in life. But the book does not leave the reader “hanging.” In Chapter 10 we learn about the many different recovery programs and their approaches, including inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, sober living facilities, and physical exercises. However, I think the author(s) save the best until last. Chapter 11 is entitled Spiritual Exercises: An Alternative to Drugs and Chapter 12 discusses our Spiritual Heritage. Here’s a quote from the end of that chapter that I believe is the crux of the book’s message (direct quote): The path of knowing your own Soul, which we call Soul transcendence, is simple but not necessarily easy…..Know that you are never alone once you turn toward your spiritual home and begin to claim your divine heritage. I found this slim book (105 pages) informative, helpful, and uplifting. It includes how to get in touch with the organization founded by John-Roger and makes available the daily Loving Each Day postcards I have been receiving for some time. The book is published by Mandeville Press in California, and is a good book to have as a reference as well as for inspiration. *****