addiction

The realities of addition; the truth about living under, above and beyond the influence of drugs and alcohol.

The Apartment Upstairs
Start writing...I heard the footsteps again. Every night, around 11:23 PM, without fail, the floorboards creaked above me. Just three slow steps. Then silence. Not the scurry of mice. Not the groan of old pipes. Just steps.
By Qaseem Ahmadzai9 months ago in Psyche
Happiness Is Chemically Impossible to Sustain
Introduction: The Pursuit That Never Ends For centuries, humans have chased happiness like a finish line just out of reach. It’s embedded in our cultures, religions, and even national constitutions. But what if the real problem isn’t that we haven’t found happiness — it’s that our biology makes it impossible to hold onto?
By shoaib khan9 months ago in Psyche
Aesthetic Exhaustion
Somewhere between choosing the right filter and adjusting the lighting, we began losing sight of ourselves. We are living in an era where the performance of life often overshadows its experience. Each day, millions of people around the world scroll, pose, post, and repeat — carefully arranging moments to fit within the narrow frames of aesthetic appeal. But beneath the beautifully edited breakfasts, sunset selfies, and #softlife reels, a silent fatigue is setting in. We are, perhaps, becoming exhausted — not from living, but from constantly curating.
By Mehtab Ahmad9 months ago in Psyche
🖤 “Suicide Doesn’t Want to Kill You — It Just Wants the Pain to Stop”
🌧️ Introduction: The Hidden Crisis Suicidal thoughts aren’t always loud. They often whisper quietly in the dark —
By DR. Allama iqbal9 months ago in Psyche
Choosing Purpose Over Pressure
There was a time in my life when pressure dictated everything. I measured my worth by how busy I was. I lived by checklists, deadlines, and imaginary timelines that left no room for rest or reflection. I mistook exhaustion for excellence. I confused constant striving for success.
By Irfan Ali9 months ago in Psyche
You Don’t Owe the World a Constant Glow-Up
We live in a world obsessed with transformation. There’s a pressure to always be improving, always becoming, always polishing the next version of yourself. We're flooded with “before and after” stories. With glow-up reels. With 30-day challenges. With self-help books promising to upgrade us into shinier, sleeker, more loveable versions of ourselves.
By Irfan Ali9 months ago in Psyche
The Sacred Rage That Saved Me
There are emotions we are taught to fear. To hide. To silence. And rage—especially sacred, feminine, soul-splitting rage—is chief among them.
By Irfan Ali9 months ago in Psyche
Trusting My Intuition in Uncertain Times
We’re taught to trust logic. To follow the facts. To look for proof before making a move. And in a world that craves certainty, intuition often gets dismissed as unreliable or naive. But during one of the most uncertain seasons of my life, when nothing seemed clear and every plan had unraveled, it was intuition—not logic—that quietly led me home.
By Irfan Ali9 months ago in Psyche
Why I Stopped “Doing It for the Gram”
At some point, without fully realizing it, my life became content. Sunsets weren’t just beautiful—they were photo ops. Coffee wasn’t just comforting—it was an aesthetic. Even my moments of peace had to be curated to fit a certain mood. I wasn’t just living—I was performing. All for one silent, ever-watching audience: Instagram.
By Irfan Ali9 months ago in Psyche
Finding Stillness in Movement
For a long time, I thought stillness could only be found in silence. That peace required slowing down, sitting still, closing my eyes, and detaching from the world around me. I believed calmness belonged to quiet places, and motion only stirred chaos.
By Irfan Ali9 months ago in Psyche
Becoming Comfortable with Not Knowing What’s Next
We’ve been conditioned to crave certainty. From the moment we’re old enough to dream, we’re asked: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The question never stops. What’s your plan after graduation? Where do you see yourself in five years? What’s your next move?
By Irfan Ali9 months ago in Psyche
When the Signs Stop Showing Up
For a long time, I felt like I was in constant conversation with the universe. I would see repeating numbers—11:11, 222, 444. Songs would come on at just the right moment. A stranger’s words would echo my thoughts. Even a feather on the sidewalk felt like a wink from something bigger than me.
By Irfan Ali9 months ago in Psyche