[K Galt]

Quote:

I feel like those of you who keep repeating how difficult it is to not drink have a hard, hard road ahead of you.

It's common to think that way about booze...but then again, who here wants to be like the average person? The average person can't even keep Big Macs out of their mouth.

How do they change that (should they want to be something more)?

Not through willpower - rarely works.

If you want an uncommon life, you have to look at things from an uncommon point of view. So they change it through a paradigm shift, whether intentional or not...

And that's what you've got to do.

Because when it comes down to it, not drinking is like anything else in life. You really change your mind about it - your entire perspective - and it becomes easy.

No willpower needed.

It isn't some attribute of liquor that makes giving it up hard; it's an attribute of the way you see liquor. That's a really crucial point because it puts all the power back in your hands.

Hey, if alcohol causes problems in your life, or you lack discipline and think quitting for an entire year will help you develop discipline, I got no beef with you.

However, people need to understand something - alcohol is a medicine. Like any medicine, you can abuse it and overdose and wreck your life by taking far more than necessary. Take 2 tylenol when you have aches and pains or a headache, and your pain goes away. Take 14 tylenol, and you can literally die from liver failure. Learn to calibrate your dosage and you won't have problems anymore.

Here's the thing...the culture of binge drinking and getting wasted makes many people view alcohol itself as a total negative. A scourge on society. A vile poison that destroys lives.

But the facts are undeniable - moderate consumption of alcohol is good for your health. Moderate drinkers live longer, healthier lives than either teetotalers or heavy drinkers.

And it all comes down to how you view alcohol, and the habits you develop in using it.

I spent my entire teens and 20's and early 30's as a typical 9-5, M-F working stiff, then spending Friday and Saturday getting hammered in out of control binge drinking sessions. I've had family members and friends tell me their concerns that I was on the road to alcoholism, I needed an intervention etc.

Except, when I got older, I realized something - I got tired of hangovers, and tired of black outs, and all the crappy things that happened in my life from getting drunk.

Did I quit drinking? No. I quit getting drunk. I quit binging.

Instead, I became a moderate drinker.

Instead of drinking 20 beers and 4 shots over the weekend, I now drink 2-4 drinks a day, 5-6 days a week.

Enough to get "loose" and pleasantly buzzed, but nowhere near inebriated, out of control, etc.

It's all in how you view alcohol and the way you use it to enjoy life.

After a long hard day of work under the sun, my entire body is aching and sore. 3 beers later, I'm relaxed, loose, no longer sore and ready to eat a nice dinner, go to bed, and get up and do it all over again the next day. It's been years since I had a hangover.

Alcohol is medicine. Like any medicine, it's effects depend on the dosage.