Same as it Ever Was

"Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem."
This was a difficult insight for The Chemical Buddha to come to. Difficult in the fact that he had to loose someone very close to him before realizing it. Had he learned it earlier, he might have been able to prevent his friend's senseless death. The story goes that this awareness came to TCB after he lost one of his good friends. The friend decided to end it all because his girlfriend of 8 days decided to break up with him. (We're not sure if they were actually going out or if he just though they were and he became distraught when she didn’t return his 100th phone call of the day.) So instead of seeing the pain and the problem as a temporary one, his friend choose to see it as permanent situation that would never change. And it would therefore be impossible to go on without Rebecca (or whatever her name was, because we're not even sure the friend knew it).
What molehills do you make into mountains?
What are you obsessed with now, that you won't even think about 6 months from now? A year from now? Five years from now?

It's Good to Help

“Most people’s help doesn’t help.”
The Chemical Buddha couldn’t understand why people felt the incessant need to help people who didn’t ask for it. He figured it was so they could feel superior by showing someone they’re smarter or wiser or more enlightened. (That was why he did it.) Then there were other times people wanted to give TCB help with his problems or addictions. Except he didn’t ask for their help because he didn’t see it as a problem. But that didn’t stop them from pouring all his booze down the drain, flushing his stash down the toilet, and putting his Twinkies under lock and key. Their actions were usually followed by, ‘it’s for your own good.’ The Chemical Buddha couldn’t get over the self-righteousness of people who thought they knew what was best for someone else. By the way, now is a great time to write a check to help support The Chemical Buddha. PayPal is also accepted. Remember, we’re only doing this because we care and because it’s for your own good. Not because we’re about to go on a beer run.
What do you do for people because it’s for their own good?
How do you feel when you help people who don’t ask for help?
How do you feel asking for help? How do you feel when other people ask?

Yes, TV Loves Me. The Bible Tells Me So.

“When in doubt, blame your family of origin.”
The Chemical Buddha’s family of origin was filled with creative, successful people who managed to have a connection with each other and themselves. Although they had addictions and problems in their lives, they always managed to overcome them and have a generally optimistic view about life. So how could TCB compete with that? It was their fault he couldn’t form close bonds with others unless he was unbelievably high. Their fault he couldn’t hold down a job. Their fault he had trouble with personal hygiene. Or, at least that’s what he thought after watching lots of late night Jerry Springer. TV always had what The Chemical Buddha needed to feel good about himself. It always showed him there were people more fucked up then him out there in the world.
How do you think you got to where you are now?
What changes would you make, if any?

Party on a Dime (or Nickel)

“Money is the root of all good times.”
Before The Chemical Buddha was able to turn his lifestyle into a lucrative means of supporting himself, his life was in the shitter. He could no longer afford the sex, drugs, and food he’d become accustomed too. So he was relegated to huffing gas out of the neighbors car, buying Nutty Bars from the discount bread shop and masturbating. For TCB, this was his rock bottom. And while he could have blamed himself for the situation he was in, it was much easier to blame his fascist boss that made him quit. Or the greedy credit card companies who ruined his chances of getting more credit cards or even a credit limit. Yes. It was everyone else’s fault he wasn’t having a good time.
Who do you blame for your life?
What hard truths might you have to accept about yourself in order to move on?

Little Run Away

“You may be able to outrun the cops, but you can't outrun their radios.”
The Chemical Buddha discovered there are some things that have to be experienced before they can be truly learned. And this one he learned the hard way. By that we mean the lesson was as hard as the asphalt the arresting officers threw him down on. As TCB laid there with his hands cuffed behind his back, he realized he would have just been better off stopping and taking the consequences, rather than trying to outrun them. In fact, trying to outrun them just made the problems worse. Of course, this first learning was lost to the mists of drugs and alcohol and it would take several more ‘learning opportunities’ for The Chemical Buddha to fully integrate this insight.
What problems are you running from?
Does running make them go away? Or make them worse?

Old Faithful

“There’s nothing a good blowjob can’t help you forget.”
We know it may not seem like it, but there actually were times when The Chemical Buddha got depressed, angry or overwhelmed with his problems. When that happened he found surrounding himself in natural beauty: the stars, the ocean, the Grand Canyon or a good blowjob had the power to help him forget his petty mole hills that he’d built into towering mountains. All that he required was a way to put problems into the proper perspective. Of course looking at the stars, ocean, and Grand Canyon never gave him an orgasm, although they did have the power to make him sleepy. But then he never, ever got too much teeth from any of those natural wonders either.
What problems do you make into big, dramatic, life altering events?
What’s one way you could do to put them into their proper/more accurate perspective?