How Happy Are We?

   A total of 13,909 Canadians aged 15 and older have participated in a survey, sponsored by Health Canada and the Canadian Centre in Substance Abuse, to investigate the use of mood altering substances. The results show that the use of illicit drugs by Canadians at least once in their lifetime rose from 28.5 per cent in 1994 to to 45 per cent in 2004. That's nearly double. You have to wonder why. Are we getting into the gap between the haves and the have-nots being part of the problem? Is it being compounded by the TV's and magazines out there that show us what some of us have in the way of instant gratification, while the rest watch, and want, and have not? Drinking stats show a rise, as well. The number of those who reported drinking alcohol in the past 12 months rose to 79.3 per cent in 2004 from 72.3 per cent in 1994. What's going on? Here in North America where we have blessings galore to count, why are more and more people seemingly so unhappy that they need to look at their world through a filter of drugs or alcohol? The solution to the problem may, in part, be something that very few really want to consider. It's an altruistic solution. As soon as that word leaves your lips, you know most of your listeners are going to run screaming from the room. If only they would stay for amoent and keep an open mind. Too many North Americans are far too focused on themselves. They are truly unable to see any further than the end of their own noses. If only they could get themselves out to volunteer, out to put someone else ahead of themselves, just for a couple of hours a week, they might be surprised. They might actually find that this strange new experience will become a new addiction; an addiction that comes with no negative side effects at all. After spending an afternoon helping in an adult literacy class, you can safely get behind the wheel of your car and drive home without any worry that mind-altering drugs may cause you to end up in a major traffic accident. After helping a visually impaired person to do their grocery shopping, you can head home feeling good about yourself, and know that your afternoon's activity is not going to damage any tissues in your body. In fact, the "feel-good" state produced by giving to others can actually trigger the release of beneficial brain chemicals ... you know, a natural high! Becoming "addicted" to making a positive difference in the lives of others can be an incredible part of your personal arsenal in the fight against stress. No drugs, no alcohol necessary, just doing the unpopular and the "un-cool" and caring more about someone else than you do about the latest acquisition the media says you need to be happy.