Alcohol is a colourless volatile flammable liquid which is produced by the natural fermentation of sugars. But is it good or bad for us?
An interesting encounter happened to me the other evening.
While attending a Toastmaster event, the group was asked to share our goals and aspirations, so I shared mine. “I want to create workshops to help mums who are struggling to cope, have anxiety- or depression-related issues and are dealing with them through alcohol (a topic close to my heart) or recreational drugs.”
A lady approached me in the break to speak further about my venture. From the way the conversation went, it was evident that we shared the common ground of having been abusers of alcohol. As the conversation progressed, she advised me on a platform for sobriety.
I am not quite sure what my response was, but she proceeded to ask, “Do you not advocate abstinence?”
“No,” I replied. “Alcohol is not the problem; thinking about alcohol is the problem.”
I always support what works for the individual in question. I also stand by what you believe is right for you, and if sobriety is what you desire, I encourage you in that completely. There are occasions when abstaining is both recommended and essential.
Alcohol in Society and the Media
The clients who I work with usually request to be able to take back control of their drinking behaviour, so they can drink when they’re socialising instead of at home on their own. They often sneak a glass or even a bottle of wine when no-one is looking, and need to recognise this as a problem.
Once they are honest about what they are doing, we can find out what is beneath the behaviour.
There is a growing movement now among a younger generation that is completly abstinent by choice, not because anyone told them that they are alcoholics or they have all gone through a rehab programme. They have just decided through a range of thoughts that they do not want to drink.
Alcohol Is Not the Problem
I don’t believe alcohol is good or bad. It is one of the oldest substances man has created and enjoyed.
Think about the mother or doctor who uses alcohol for disinfecting a child’s wound or in the operating room. How many of you rinse your mouth with an alcohol-based mouthwash?
There are many other uses as well, not all of which are always for the good of the human race. It causes devastation in the families of alcohol abusers. Drivers under the influence cause unnecessary accidents, and not to mention the abuse and toll over the years on one’s own mind and body.
So where would we be without good old-fashioned alcohol?
I know people of all sizes and shapes as well as people with eating disorders, either overeating or under eating, but do I say that we should ban all food? No, I do not, nor do you. I am certain that there are plenty of judgements or stories told around the subject though.
Have you or anyone who you know been into hospital and been given morphine? Maybe an older relative for a hip replacement? Did they all come out and demand a phone number to get the lastest offer to be delivered to their door by their new best friend, the drug dealer? The chances are that the answer to this scenario is yes to the morphine and no to the drug dealer.
What Is Different About Alcohol?
Not everyone who has a drink becomes an abuser of alcohol. The reason we abuse any of the above, drugs, food, alcohol or any other form of addiction, is our thoughts. I cannot say what any individual is thinking or feeling. What I can say is that they often have feelings and ideas they don’t enjoy. They most often have a sense of disconnection: no real purpose or belonging.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs states that we need food and shelter first and foremost, then safety and security. The third tier is love and belonging. A need for a strong foundation is required for each level to sit on the next one up. So often in our western society, we feel and think that we have to work harder and longer and then we can have more. Yet we are missing the human connection of family and friendship. There are many personal reasons, and everyone has a unique back story to how they see their model of the world.
There is hope and many different ways to take back control of a behaviour that isn’t serving you. Contact me today to find out how I can help you take back control.
