“Yo, wanna have a smoke?”
“C’mon, just one sip.”
“No one will find out!”

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt tempted to go against your morals so you could feel a certain way? For instance, the feeling of being ‘high’ is one we hear about all the time, but what does that actually mean? Why are people obsessed with getting high to the extent that they are willing to harm their bodies? And why do we believe that we can feel high only through harmful substances?

Chances are that you have probably already been high before – naturally high. To understand what I mean, you would first need to understand how drug highs work.

Drugs change the physical and chemical balance in your brain to give you that high feeling. A chemical in many drugs, called tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, activates certain receptors in your brain. This triggers your brain’s reward system and releases a feel-good chemical in your brain known as dopamine. Dopamine is the root of the feeling of euphoria associated with a high.

So, to get naturally high, all you need to do is get your brain to release some dopamine. This may seem difficult, but it is actually easier than you think. Many simple, everyday activities can lead to a release of dopamine if you approach them with the right attitude.

Start off with your hobbies – specifically, your accomplishments in these hobbies. Think about the school projects that took a lot of effort, and how you felt while working on them. Then think about that euphoric feeling you got once you completed them.

The following activities can also lead to a natural high: exercising, eating healthy, and even just laughing with friends. All these activities release dopamine in a way that does not cause damage to your body.

Getting naturally high feels amazing, and you will not be damaging your body in the way that drugs do. In fact, many of these activities are actually great for your physical, mental, and emotional health. We should strive to use natural highs not only to make ourselves feel better, but also to have a positive impact on our dunya and Akhirah¹.

[1] Dunya and Akhirah = life and afterlife