Do ppl who lead hedonistic lives (go to nightclubs, raves etc) suffer less than ppl who don't? Is life less full of suffering for them?

[Deleted member 23885]

I'm wondering as I was raised in a devout Muslim family, and never went to nightclubs. So, is life easier if you are a hedonist or is it still full of suffering? Or do they have better coping mechanisms? Please explain.

 

[BitterlyAlive_]

If you go by the simple definition of hedonism, yes, these types of people suffer less. But people are more complex than that. Why do they seek out a life of pleasure? Are they entitled to it, are they afraid and running away from something? Etc etc. Suddenly their life ain't so peachy after all.

 

[Deleted member 23885]

So, in the short term, they have a good time. But, their lives are just as difficult in the long-term?

 

[Good4Nothing]

I used to have a rock and roll band. We played at clubs a lot, and even our practices were parties. I had a lot of friends, and we had a lot of fun. I could get girlfriends then.
I was definitely less miserable then than I am now. I'm utterly alone now, I have no one to have fun with, women don't approach me anymore. The loneliness is soul crushing. I miss those days.
I was still manic and depressed. I was still a self sabotaging screw up. But I had friends to help me through it. It's much harder when you have no one.

 

[Frauw]

They're just using a different type of coping mechanism.

 

[Deleted member 23885]

Oh okay. I use constant distraction :)

I used to have a rock and roll band. We played at clubs a lot, and even our practices were parties. I had a lot of friends, and we had a lot of fun. I could get girlfriends then.
I was definitely less miserable then than I am now. I'm utterly alone now, I have no one to have fun with, women don't approach me anymore. The loneliness is soul crushing. I miss those days.
I was still manic and depressed. I was still a self sabotaging screw up. But I had friends to help me through it. It's much harder when you have no one.

I had no friends for a long time. I don't think its a question of hedonism so much as friendship/quality relationships. You could lead a quiet life & still be okay due to your relationships.

 

[sadsadinfp]

I'm wondering as I was raised in a devout Muslim family, and never went to nightclubs. So, is life easier if you are a hedonist or is it still full of suffering? Or do they have better coping mechanisms? Please explain.

They do have problems, just like anyone else. I didn't do any partying or go to clubs until I was in uni. I think there are a lot of people who really enjoy those environments, they're energized by being around big groups of people, the noise and the action. It seems to me that extroverts tend to be less neurotic than introverts, but just because someone is smiling and dancing at a club doesn't mean that everything is fine in their lives. I think people who actually enjoy going out to clubs (as opposed to people like me, who only went because of peer pressure ) just want to let off steam and have fun for a few hours, to escape from the stress of everyday life.

Having said that, my friends who went to clubs and bars on a regular basis tended to have a huge amount of drama in their lives, because of things they and their friends said while drunk, lol.

 

[BitterlyAlive_]

I used to have a rock and roll band. We played at clubs a lot, and even our practices were parties. I had a lot of friends, and we had a lot of fun. I could get girlfriends then.
I was definitely less miserable then than I am now. I'm utterly alone now, I have no one to have fun with, women don't approach me anymore. The loneliness is soul crushing. I miss those days.
I was still manic and depressed. I was still a self sabotaging screw up. But I had friends to help me through it. It's much harder when you have no one.

Just wanna crush you in a big bear hug. It's not fair

 

[Fragile]

These hedonistic lifestyles are often the result of suffering that already existed, that and the fact that they are extremely unsustainable and end up leading to more and more issues, it's a terrible cycle that you can get hooked-on extremely easily, even more so if you are using it to escape your own life.

to put it as an example, the vast majority of alcoholics could also be diagnosed with depression, in fact, alcoholism and substance abuse are sometimes seen as a side effect of it.

 

[sadsadinfp]

These hedonistic lifestyles are often the result of suffering that already existed, that and the fact that they are extremely unsustainable and end up leading to more and more issues, it's a terrible cycle that you can get hooked-on extremely easily, even more so if you are using it to escape your own life.

to put it as an example, the vast majority of alcoholics could also be diagnosed with depression, in fact, alcoholism and substance abuse are sometimes seen as a side effect of it.

Yes, I think that's absolutely true in the case of some people. I think some people are also looking for some kind of transcendent experience, or a way to overcome their reserve - like what they show in movies - through alcohol and partying, and when they don't find it, they drink more and more and party harder and harder and get stuck in a cycle.