Recently I was pondering on why I hate alcohol. I realised there were personal, societal and religious reasons for this hate and that they all stemmed from how much I love people and how much I hate the damage alcohol causes to individuals, families, organisations and society itself.
Personal
I hate alcohol because:
- When I used to drink alcohol, I turned into a completely different person – and I hated that person. I became loud, silly, often argumentative and sometimes even sexist.
- When I used to drink alcohol, I hated how I lost control of myself and gave in to having sex with men I hardly knew. I was even raped while I was under the influence of alcohol.
- Now that I no longer drink alcohol I hate the effect I can see, smell and feel that alcohol has on others. They become different people entirely and, although sometimes it can be funny watching others being as silly as I used to be, in reality it is not funny at all – it is very sad.
- I hate how alcohol detrimentally affects my relationship with my husband, whom I adore. I find it hard to be with him as he is not his normal gentle, tender self when he drinks alcohol. This affects my connection with him.
I love my alcohol free life now. It feels very different when I attend events – yes, even parties – where there is no alcohol. I had a gathering recently without alcohol and it was so joy-full being able to talk to people without the influence and interference of alcohol – everyone simply stayed themselves and so we had true and meaningful conversations and loving connections. Everyone said how much they had enjoyed it.
Similarly, with other gatherings or when I am with people where there is no alcohol present I have observed a much deeper level of conversation and discussions and everyone seems so much at ease with themselves and each other. I am therefore able to connect with people at a much deeper level and I love feeling their essence (who they truly are inside) and how we are all equal in our essence. Everything appears so simple and loving and time seems to slow down somehow.
Societal
I hate alcohol because:
- Alcohol is a big factor in why men and women are in prison, especially for violence charges. It is estimated that about 80-90% of crime occurs under the influence of alcohol and drugs or is committed to feed an addiction (1).
- Alcohol is a huge contributor to road accidents and the consequent clogging up of our hospitals and the endangering of others’ lives, including those of our medical personnel.
- Alcohol fuels domestic violence, which is largely against women and children – domestic violence is escalating in New Zealand, which has the worst rate of family and intimate-partner violence in the world, even though it is estimated 80% of incidents are not reported (2).
- Alcohol causes arguments, brawls and altercations, between friends, family members and strangers.
- Alcohol can be a big factor in marriage split-ups. It can cause financial strain and can lead to violence, bullying and neglect.
- Alcohol related issues cost the country one heck of a lot of money – would this money not be more wisely spent on health, education and reducing poverty?
- Alcohol causes many health issues including liver disease, heart disease and some cancers. The recent May 2018 expert report released by the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research on the link between diet, nutrition, physical activity and cancer found that there was strong evidence linking alcoholic drinks to an increased risk of breast, colorectal, stomach, mouth, pharynx, larynx and oesophageal cancers (3). As such, not only do these health issues cause much pain, grief and stress to sufferers and their families, and their employees/employers, they are also a huge strain on our health system.
Imagine what our society would be like if we didn’t have alcohol?
Many families would have more money to spend on essentials such as food, power, clothes and rent, which could improve their quality of life. Not as many school children would go to school hungry or be poorly dressed for the cold weather. We would have way less people in prison, which would not only mean more money in the national and regional budgets available for health, education and reducing poverty, but would also mean way less men, women and children detrimentally affected by being in prison. Not as many women and children would be injured, maimed or killed through beating and not as many people would be subject to psychological, emotional and verbal abuse. We would feel safer in our homes and on our streets. Our emergency medical staff would not be subjected to abuse by drunk people in hospital emergency departments, and our health budget would not need to include the huge amounts set aside to treat alcohol-related illnesses and diseases. Our police would not be put in as much danger, nor would they have to deal daily with drunken people or with domestic violence – one call every five minutes in New Zealand (2).
Without alcohol we would have more chance of returning to being who we truly are, living to our potential and with solid purpose in our lives. Our relationships could improve immensely without the influence of alcohol because they would be based on truth and love, without the damage caused by alcohol. We may even be more kind and loving to all we meet and our organisations would be more caring as a result.
In short, our societies would be far more loving, kinder, equal and inclusive of all, and our lives far more joyful.
Religious
I hate alcohol because:
- Drinking wine as part of communion in many churches is a bastardisation of the life and teachings of Yeshua (Jesus). After Yeshua commenced his teachings he would not have drunk any substance that was poisonous for his body. He loved himself and all of humanity too much.
- Drinking wine as part of communion in many churches is a bastardisation of the Last Supper, which symbolised the letting go of food and drink which does not honour and support our bodies.
- Because some institutionalised religions sanction drinking and some sects even manufacture alcohol, it normalises and enables the drinking of alcohol by their congregations.
Now I’m not perfect, so sometimes some reaction creeps in when I think about alcohol. But mostly I hate alcohol because I love humanity so much and I hate to see and feel the huge harm caused by alcohol.
You often hear the old “moderation in all things” argument as an excuse to keep drinking alcohol, i.e. “I only have one or two drinks a day – where is the harm in that?” The harm is that alcohol, a substance that is poisonous to the human body and to societies, becomes ‘normal.’ Children see their parents and other adults drink alcohol, so they drink it when they grow up. Indeed, many people believe they cannot ‘celebrate’ major milestones without it and so there is often a lot of pressure on everyone to drink to “help them celebrate.” So many end up drinking alcohol, not because they want to or because they like the taste (remember your first taste of alcohol? Yuk!): more so to ‘be social’ or to ‘fit in’ or to be “one of the boys.”
But… would you give a baby even a ‘moderate’ amount of alcohol? If not, why not? Let’s be absolutely honest: we all know deep down that alcohol is harming us and harming our societies.
Is it not time that we de-normalised the drinking of alcohol? There will come a time when the harm caused by alcohol will no longer be sustainable. A future without any alcohol is coming – how about we bring that time forward?
By Anonymous
References:
- co.nz. (2018). Qualified addiction counsellors not wanted in NZ prisons | Pundit. [online] Available at: https://www.pundit.co.nz/content/qualified-addiction-counsellors-not-wanted-in-nz-prisons [Accessed 10 Aug. 2018].
- Leask, A. (2016). Family violence incidents increasing. [online] NZ Herald. Available at: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11674698 [Accessed 10 Aug. 2018].
- org. (2018). [online] Available at: https://www.wcrf.org/sites/default/files/Summary-third-expert-report.pdf [Accessed 10 Aug. 2018].
Further Reading:
The Abuse of Alcohol – The True Harm
Giving up Alcohol
Shopper Dockets & Alcohol Abuse – Is There Such A Thing As Responsible Service Of Alcohol?
445 Comments
We are often told to not consume any alcohol when we are pregnant because it can be harmful to the baby. This to me confirms that alcohol is poisonous.
Feeling how much we hate who we become when we accept poison is a crucial firs step. But what comes next is celebrating and loving how great we feel free of it’s influence. It’s this that cements true change.
It’s very telling that there is not one part of me that misses drinking alcohol, in fact whenever I think about not drinking I’m immensely grateful that I am no longer addicted.
If we didn’t have alcohol there would be a substitute. I accept alcohol. There is a place for it and at this time we need it. I also hate it, it destroys but we have to realise that there is always going to be a root cause for the reason we consume alcohol and until that time we are willing and ready to go to the underlying cause, then there will always be a demand for this substance in society.
It’s great to share this honest and real experience – alcohol is glorified on so many levels and yet the truth is it causes such disharmony and it is quietly distructive to our bodies
Would you give alcohol to a baby? Of course not. But why are we taking it as adults? Are our bodies more fit for it? Of course not, we only have been impregnated by society that alcohol is part of life, so we think we should handle it, even the first sip tasted awful and our body reacted to it strongly.
Everything can be placed in one of two categories, either it takes us away from who we naturally are or it supports us to remain/return to who we naturally are. Alcohol takes our hand and yanks us away from who we naturally are. It’s a very ugly bedfellow.
The harm of alcohol is so pronounced and so well known in society. It is interesting to see that despite the fact, it is still so demanded and consumed in excess by many.
I agree Joshua, the same can be said about cigarette smoking; we are all aware of the dangers and yet we still do it.
In a blog I read recently a line from a wise man was shared:
“No one does drugs or drinks alcohol because they feel good about themselves.”’
For me this says it all, if we would live the love we are and honor the divine beings that we are we would not consider putting anything harming into our bodies. So another question is what are we avoiding and why? Could it be the power of each of us and even bigger of us united in brotherhood?
Children do watch their role models I thought drinking was what you did as you get older…I couldn’t wait for my chance, I was a complete pro..and it was my false friend for many years. However its offering is nothing but pain, disillusion and harm for society, it offers nothing of worth and what does normalising it say about where we are really at…lost in escapist irresponsibility…. confronting maybe but true.
We have created a sense of superiority by becoming a connoisseur of wines, whiskey and the like, which feels to me like just a higher level of sophistication and justification for ingesting a known poison.
The issue is us drinking alcohol more so than the alcohol itself. We would also say I hate petrol if we started drinking it – it is ok in our cars (at present) but not in our human bodies. The question is why do we want to imbibe, snort, smoke and indulge in substances that disconnect us from ourselves and each other and not only do that but as a society champion it and berate others who do not subscribe to that harm?
I reckon it is because the people who do not subscribe to these abusive behaviours are reflecting responsibility and a deeply loving way to society and the reactions are simply a resistance to the loving reflections.
The effect of alcohol in the world is huge and this brings a great clarity and understanding to something the world does not want to see. I have always hated alcohol and drugs since I was young and its effects but simply accepted it as part of the world and now realise how living without in daily life in families and in occasions also is deeply beautiful allowing the realness of who we are to be honoured and treasured and respected to a deeper level of love and commitment to life if we choose it.
If you see a small child around others drinking you will clearly see the harm caused by alcohol.
I’ve often been told that if alcohol was invented now it would not be legalised. Whether that is true or not it does say a lot about the absurdity that we have a drug which is not only legal but celebrated, normal and totally acceptable within society. When we look at the shocking figures of domestic violence that are showing no signs of abating, is it not time to really look at the severity of the harm done by alcohol and do something about it collectively?
It is great to see that the younger generation are waking up to the fact that alcohol is a poison and is the cause of so much illness and disease. In time we my look back and wonder why we ever ingested such a substance.
I haven’t been around alcohol for a while but earlier in the year I went to a 50th birthday party where I was the only one not drinking and there was quite loud music so anyone that talked to me would get in quite close and I couldn’t believe how bad alcohol actually smells on the breaths of people and to think that used to be me on a daily basis. I totally understand why we drink, I did it for years but I also love my life so much more now that I don’t.
It is incredible how we can have aspects of life that most of us know have huge harming repercussions yet we still choose to have them as a major part of our life, to an extent that if someone chooses to refrain from it, they have to justify themselves. Alcohol is a great example.
Although I would never encourage alcohol consumption, I can see why it is such high demand, with all the stresses and tensions of life being extreme and pushing many to the point where something to take the edge off is the only thing making life bearable anymore. The deeper point to ponder is how or why to we have an entire society set up to fail, in every true sense of measurement?
This is very interesting Doug. Also, I wonder if people have busier lives and not meeting up with friends to go for a drink. The no drink driving policy may also be a contributing factor too.
We have a high rate of alcohol consumption in our society and this is a reflection that people are simply not coping with life. So, the question is, what is it about life that we are not coping with? Life should be a joy but so many of us are not living this for many reasons.
Important to look beyond drinking as an accepted norm as to why we feel the need to do it and then justify it in the denial that alcohol is poison. Something very deep is running collectively under the skin that we need to get honest about.
‘There will come a time when the harm caused by alcohol will no longer be sustainable.’ As the people running the UK’s NHS are talking about the medical profession asking people more directly to address their lifestyle causing health issues I think we’re going to have to admit alcohol isn’t the fun, or pleasent way of dealing with life. Added to that the crime related incidents fuelled by alcohol. This time will come perhaps sooner rather than later.
Agreed Karin, what if we were already at that time or what if we didn’t need to go to the extremes of waiting until that time? That said what occurred for me was not trying to stop drinking alcohol but the more care I took for how I was living the less I liked how I felt when i drank and the more productive I felt in life, the less I wanted to waste even an hour not feeling on top of things.
I too got to the point where it took the poison of alcohol and the effects of not just the poison but the absolute draining of our life force to not be ok anymore. It was something I knew I didn’t like all a long, even when I watched my folks it became super clear how it is super harmful. To get to that point of hating it and not wanting that for myself was the best day of my life, well one of many since that point of returning to self-love and respect for who I am.
The scary thing about alcohol is the way how normal it has become. People know it is not good for them, still they champion it.
Perhaps the issue is not alcohol itself but our choice and reasons for drinking it and what it does to us when we do so. Alcohol wiped on a wound or used for cleaning can be a good thing.
The fact that alcohol can be used as a cleaning agent or disinfectant says a lot about its potency and what it must be doing to the body if consumed.
Agreed Nicola, ethanol is merely a substance – as always we choose how to use it.
Great point Nicola, I just realised that I actually hate the energy that drives people to drink alcohol and not the alcohol itself.
One of the issues is that even societies where alcohol is forbidden or strongly discouraged – people just switch to different drugs.
Mormons are not even allowed to have caffeine. They drink sugary concoctions that go straight to your brain, they are so strong.
Yeah true Christoph, there are many cases where drug abuse increases dramatically when alcohol is forbidden. And if not, then you can see the repression of people and the emotional abuse that runs riot as opposed to substance abuse.
Good question Alison and I would hazard a guess that it’s not so much the alcohol per say that people enjoy but the ‘reprieve’ that it appears to provide in the tension that people feel as a result of the choices that they are making. Make different choices and the tension disappears and when the tension disappears, so does the desire to drink alcohol.
Being someone who has experienced what it is like being caught up in the culture of drinking alcohol I can also state my hate for alcohol and the denaturing effect it has on us. Nothing great ever comes from alcohol consumption and in fact it opens the gateway for evil to enter and abuse to follow as is reflected through the abusive behaviour we witness time and time again and the disintegration of families and relationships due to presence of alcohol. To have legalised a drug that we poison ourselves with and a culture that glamourises it, raises the question what are we missing so much that we need and seek to abuse ourselves and each other in this way?
Indeed Anon when you site these facts about alcohol, it seems so crass that this poison could be laced into an act glorified as holy communion, surely this serves to embed alcohol consumption deep into societies accepted norms.
It’s a super valid point this. Brilliantly said. And what message does that send to young people as well….”if they do it in church, then surely it is OK”. Yet another angle of abuse of the truth.
We have come to accept poison as normal, and think ourselves better if we live with less than the average. But we should be stopping to ask why are we even thinking of harming ourselves in the first place?
Brilliant question Joseph, I reckon not many people are aware that they are harming themselves and the key is awareness which then leads to the questioning and realisations.
We need to understand the energetic consequences of alcohol. When I was a student I used to go to pubs with my friends, and while they drank alcohol I would have orange juice or water. The next day I would feel like I had had a drink regardless as I would get affected by having been in the pub. Since I didn’t want not to socialise this was a consequence I simply accepted. I am not sure the world is ready yet to hear that when we drink alcohol or are near people who have or are, then we also get energetically affected by their choices.
Yes, it is a really strange feeling to have a hangover purely by going with colleagues or friends to a pub without drinking alcohol, but it is quite real. It can be avoided but it can also easily happen.
I chose to be teetotal as a teenager and young adult in my twenties, but in that time, I distinctly remember having 2 experiences when I was at a party and nightclub of feeling drunk. It was really strange. I enjoyed the partying being with friends who were drinking, and on both occasions, I felt all the sensations of being drunk and fell over, there wasn’t even any stumble. One of them I was on a chair and it tipped backwards and the other I was standing upright and fell over on my back. I had no medical condition, no inner ear imbalances, felt well and healthy… but I did feel inebriated… definitely. I remember clearly both times wondering how on earth I could be feeling drunk with not having touched a drop. If energy is not linked to this what other explanation is there? I’d love to know.
What you share is undoubtedly the absolute truth of alcohol. What it more so highlights however is the ginormous unspoken dis-ease that plagued society which has become so normalised we write it off as normal part of human life without questioning whether such a dis-ease within ourselves is actually normal or much less healthy.
My body never liked alcohol but it was part of our social life. Many friends thought I was weird when I gave up drinking alcohol but my body said a big thank you and now it is so normal nobody thinks I’m weird any more.
Remembering how I used to feel when I drank, I now deeply treasure the fact that my life is alcohol free and appreciate myself for making this choice.
I have had the same. The body can speak loudly!
Yes our bodies will always communicate with us over our less wise choices – the question is are we listening? Giving up alcohol is a good start but unless we are ready to honour our bodies we run the risk of finding an alternative way to abuse them.
I too hate alcohol and the impact that it has had on my life and those of so many others. Seeing someone you love change into a monster when they are drunk is scary and knowing that getting their next drink is more important to them than anything else brought home to me just how much damage this poisonous substance can inflict on so many households around the world which is reflected in the statistics that you quote.
I have never really drunk alcohol and have always disliked intensely the stench of it, both figuratively and literally. As a teenager when my friends started getting drunk I’d call it a night and go home. As a teenager also I used to work behind a function bar at Christmas and simply couldn’t relate to the clients who got so drunk they could barely talk, spiked each other’s drinks or who got really obnoxious and loud. As an older adult I avoided town centres on Friday and Saturday nights at pub closing like the plague, given how unsafe I felt at this time. To me alcohol has always been a poison to the body and to society and until we find the self love that can see the truth of this then this abuse will continue.
I really appreciate and am so glad I no longer drink alcohol. I could feel the damage this was doing to my body when I was drinking but could never stop. Sometimes I would wake up in the morning and my body would feel completely battered after having a night out. It is a poison to the body, full stop. I think we must be the only species on earth that drink poison for the ‘fun’ of it!!!! Yet we are supposed to be the most intelligent species on the planet … erm maybe not ?
There is much to be said and done to denormalise the acceptance of alcohol in our everyday lives. We have become so desensitised to the negative impacts of alcohol, that we do not address the issue right in front of our eyes.
My relationship with alcohol ended abruptly. When I recognized the poison that it was, It left me and I didn’t chase it back. I didn’t even consider that I had given up drinking alcohol. I agree with everything you present here, but I can also easily imagine how me 15 years ago as a heavy drinker would react to this article – agreeing with everything you say up to a point, but going ‘But I am handling it well’ and even getting angry about your hate for the substance because of your love for humanity – arguing that love was something that would let me do whatever I liked, so leave me alone, it’s none of your business. Even when our body is telling us loud and clear, without a clear reference point of another way, it is really hard to wake up from a slumber of our chosen normal, and bring a dose of honesty to see things for what they are, and start making choices from that place, instead of the normal we have long been subscribing to.
A study involving nearly 10,000 young people in the UK found that the proportion of 16 to 24-year-olds who say they never drink alcohol rose from 18% in 2005 to 29% in 2015. (1). Over time and with increasing awareness more young people will associate alcohol with its harmful effects and steer away from it, rather than be enticed by peers and grossly misleading and irresponsible marketing.
You have said here that many people feel they cannot celebrate a big milestone without drinking alcohol, and I agree and would say that in addition to this, many people who I know also feel that they cannot end the day with out drinking alcohol. And while we must be careful not to judge, because everyone has the free will to do as they please, it is at least worth raising the conversation, as you have done, about what the real affects of alcohol are.
When I was ready to give up alcohol, I became aware of the obscene way it permeated all aspects of life. It’s everywhere, social and celebratory occasions, in the home, supermarkets and stores, greetings cards now overtly sell alcohol and increasingly toiletries for women and children are named after wines and spirits. Another disturbing trend, ‘child friendly’ pubs where parents routinely take children (and babies) to pubs evenings and weekends.
It is not that long ago a home treatment for children that were teething was to dab some alcohol on their gums knowing it would numb the area. And, we still consumed it knowing what it does to our bodies! What about the assumption that it was something that would naturally be in every home?
When we see and truly allow ourselves to open our eyes to the real devastation of alcohol abuse we can perhaps understand why it is not only a chemical poison but one of the greatest factors in domestic violence the world over.
I grew up in an alcohol free home, as my family were practising Methodists. But as a teenager, this foundation did not hold, and I joined others, drank alcohol and got drunk as a norm. These and my student years were the worst phases for me and can understand how young people get sucked into drinking this dreadful poison. In my thirties, forties and fifties, alcohol was less important and easy for me to stop completely, once I understood how harmful it was.
“Let’s be absolutely honest: we all know deep down that alcohol is harming us and harming our societies.” Yes I agree and therefore I love what you have shared in your awesome blog. It is a fact that alcohol is a poison and fortunately it it our own choice to love our body so much to not poison it.
There are many things in the world that we would be much better off without, all abuse of any kind. There is a reason why we go for any substances that alters our body. I feel it’s important for us to be exposed to the truth of the harm caused but also look at why we choose it or else one poison is replaced by another. Thank you anonymous for sharing the devastating statistics of this poison.
I have to agree with you here on the horrible effect alcohol has on society and people everywhere. With the comment on Yeshua, there is a story of him turning water into wine and other parts of the bible that wine is mentioned. I don’t think that translates into how we could / should live today, but it might explain while people who follow the teachings might drink it.
Why we have created a substance that potentially causes such harm is worth considering… and it is not only alcohol but other drugs foods also. It is not only a matter of simply removing these from our lives but truly having a deeper look at why and what true purpose they are serving?
‘Is it not time that we de-normalised the drinking of alcohol?’ I’d say yes and we are way overdue for this. Everything is pointing to the fact that alcohol is a poison, it causes so much damage to lives but the truth is, if we take away alcohol, I reckon our ill behaviours and choices will simply be shifted to something else. Perhaps we need to look at why we as a society need alcohol and consume it to such an extent when we know it is harmful, so what is really going on?
Such a great article anonymous and when you put all the reasons why alcohol damages our society into the one article, it really does highlight how hideous a substance it is and how crazy it is that we glamorise and hold it up as being a wonderful part of life. As you say, we use it to celebrate and mark pretty much every occasion, without acknowledging that it is undermining us and life even amidst the celebrating. Alcohol is a brute force in diminishing the potential of us as individuals and us as a society, it’s an uncouth bully even when it’s dressed up as champagne.
Our alcohol consumption is a direct reflection of our pain.
A sobering pondering for humanity.
This is a great sharing on how we poison ourselves with beer, spirits and wine. The most pertinent question though to ask is ‘why?’. Why do we choose to harm ourselves in the first place? To explore this is to truly let the genie out of the bottle on the human malaise.
That we are willing to introduce into the body, a substance that is a known poison, is an indication of how far we have strayed from our essence, which is love. If we truly want to alleviate our suffering that has us reaching for alcohol in the first place, we must first come back to this love and allow the embodiment of it to inform our movements. Only then will we not seek to abuse the vessel (our body) that such love is enhoused within. Such abuse is not inflicted by alcohol alone but by the many and various substances (energetic vibrations) we consume such as foods, beliefs, emotions etc. that are unsupportive for our body and as such inhibit our expression of a love that lives within but is not being allowed out. This is easier said than done in the sense that this journey back into our hearts and all the wisdom, love and joy that resides within them can take many, many lives. However, that said it is a simple movement that is made in a single moment to realign with our true source of energy and not the one that leads us away from it. From here it is up to us how steady we hold with this alignment. It is a work in progress for us all.
Our world is better without alcohol. Yet we know that alcohol temporally reliefs us from feeling pain,uncomfortable, but at the end sums up in harm in our body and psyche (wellbeing). Hence, it would be far wiser to look at the truth of why we consume alcohol and why we seem to protect it, even though we know the effects of how it harms our body and wellbeing? Now, that would be a wise and loving choice.
Wonderful expression about the truth of what alcohol is and what affect it has on our world!
Our body only needs true nutrition and alcohol is not part of that so what part of us is craving alcohol is a good question to ask and will help us understand why we drink a substance that is registered as a poison.
Yes- the effects of alcohol are pretty grim –
We are fed the thought of it being relaxing or fun but really it destroys us
Hm ‘destroy’ is a great word. Alcohol wreaks havoc, in our bodies, in our families and in our communities.
When we make it about love of people, many ingrained ideals and beliefs are seen for the harm they generate and their hold on us starts to weaken.
I agree with what alcohol contributes to in our society but to me there is more here, for if alcohol did not exist I would bet my bottom dollar that there would be another substance, another emotion, another behaviour that would take its place. The more we blame the substance the less responsibility is put on ourselves for making the choice to drink, or whatever else the case may be. Alcohol may be involved in those statistics but at the end of the day it is a human being making that choice, and in the full knowing of the consequences too.
Super wise and an invitation to us all. No-one who drinks alcohol, literally no-one doesn’t know that it isn’t bad for them. Thus this self-destructive, self-abusive, self-denying escape is absolutely a conscious choice and so the power (responsibility) is entirely in our hands. Well said Michael.
When giving up drinking and all drugs before I turned 40 some 25 plus years ago my body went through a huge shift as it literally shook for 6 weeks. So when you understand the level of addiction that comes from abusive ways it is not until you get behind the energetic cause that true healing starts as it easy to find replacements until the addictiveness has been fully exposed energetically.
I have also been there done that, as you have described Greg. Quitting one addiction only to replace with another will never expose the root cause. Until the cause is addressed, the cycle of self-abuse doesn’t end.
I have many memories of alcohol that I would rather not have. I feel as though I am marked for life for being somebody I was not. It is one of the best things I have ever done was to give it up for good.. I think the best way to show others that alcohol is very harming is to reflect how amazing life is without it. I honestly could say there was no love in my life when I drank — just emotion — this is massive contrast and its worth knowing.
Many years ago I worked in the police force and saw the first hand effect of the damaging effects of alcohol. Even though I drank and sometimes to an extreme, I still hated the effect it had on the people I cared about. I was involved in some very dangerous and frightening situations because of alcohol. Now working as a nurse, my observations have been the same. I have seen the emergency department damaged and staff threatened and injured because of the effects of alcohol. Meanwhile we see research to say that alcohol has positive effects on the body to try and reduce what alcohol does to our body. Lets just be honest about alcohol being a poison and then people can make their own choices to use it knowing full well what they are doing.
The facts from the front-line. Thank you for sharing.
Alcohol consumption was normal part of life as I grew up, I did it early, and thought I was grown up…it is so abnormal to chose a poison and to normalise the abuse that comes from drinking. I also hate alcohol and it is out of my life and I love that.
That pressure from others to drink, to help them remain where they are can be squashed when we listen to our bodies. The more I connect to my essence the less force that pressure has over me to keep the status quo alive.
I totally agree Anonymous and the question arises as to what will make people and society change, there is so much investment in the alcohol trade and its consequences? What made you stop? For me it was when a person, who is now a dear friend, ‘met’ me for just being me with total love with no agenda and in doing so reflected back to me that I was ‘alright’ as I was and that I, too, could love myself. By doing so I came to realise that the emptiness I felt inside myself did not need to be, in fact it was not true, and that I no longer needed alcohol to dull and suppress that feeling. What a joy it is to be alcohol free.
Yes it is a great joy to be free from the choice to harm ourselves. So long as we want to harm ourselves we will find a way – if we didn’t have alcohol we would find another substance or outlet.
I realized recently how I judge people that drink alcohol and how my reaction and judgment doesn’t support to show a different choice. I hate it not being able to connect to another after they have had a drink. Like the ‘real’ person has left and something else takes it places. Observing and understanding why people drink alcohol has given me the opportunity to speak differently to people about drinking alcohol, which doesn’t mean that I don’t see the poison it is and the harm it does.
I remember thinking I was super cool and classy when I was drunk until I went to a party where I was the designated driver and was the only sober one!… then I really got to see that there was nothing classy or cool about alcohol really and as far as I can see it does nothing to improve anyone’s character or behaviour.
Same here Andrew, I was always the designated driver as I wasn’t that bothered about drinking alcohol. Like you I got to see what we are really like when we are drunk and it’s not a pretty sight. In fact, I used to get quite bored with my friends when they were inebriated.
Thank you for sharing the real truth about alcohol, so much of this I relate to, have done and agree is what happens. So why do we have something that causes so much harm as socially acceptable? I know I used to drink to escape the frustration and unsettlement I felt in my body, what if we as a society focused on not the escape but dealing with the root issue of why we feel like we need to escape. Perhaps only when we all discuss the real truth of things like alcohol and the many other ways I know I would goto to escape that we can move on from it.
Yes, the list of things that are wrong with alcohol is many and the collateral damage it causes. Could the reason it is a legally supported method of numbing one’s self, because in 2017 the global alcoholic beverages market was $1224 billion, then add a tax on top.
Alcohol played centre stage in our house growing up and there was conflict and misery as a result. The sad thing is we then grow up and do the same things and see it as normal. I for one will welcome the day when we all know that alcohol is harming every aspect of our lives.
I remember the times when I was in Hotelschool and we oddly do wine tastings and how we spoke about all the flavours we found in them. These days, after not drinking for more then 10 years – simply because the way I would feel after just one glas was not worth it anymore to me – when I smell alcohol the stench reveals immediately what it is and it is hard to imagine I once had poetic things to say about it. It shows how we wilfully adjust what our body senses based on what we want, and so when we want the numbing and escape of alcohol we can make ourselves experience it as a wonderful thing. How powerful are we!
After reading this blog, I checked out some of the research on alcohol related abuse. The statistics are rising alarmingly. The Professional Association for Social Work and Social Workers (BASW) quotes that –
“Alcohol harm is experienced not only by drinkers but by those around them including families, friends, colleagues and strangers. There is a strong relationship between alcohol and domestic abuse, violence and sexual assault”.
As with everything moderate it only makes the hair less visible but the effect is always there both physically and energetically. We champion moderation as we feel it allows us to get away with aubsive behaviour but what must be realised that the excess can only be there because the moderation is accepted.
Growing up I would often hear my parents or their friends saying ‘have one for the road’. This would be shocking to hear nowadays – with the don’t drink and drive messages. Observing how characters change when consuming alcohol feels very strange when one isn’t drinking oneself. An alternative ego seems to emerge and people do very silly, sometimes dangerous things.
It is fascinating when we look at how commonly accepted and normal alcohol is as a part of many people’s lives. However, it was not always the case and I feel will not always be the case as people are waking up to see the ill effects it has. But then we have to look at how people are drinking and what they get from it. Because otherwise all that happens is we stop using one thing, congratulate ourselves only to find us choosing another form of numbing or distraction to deal with what life throws at us. If we addressed the way we were living in the 1st place that led to the need and desire for alcohol then we would not find a substitute for it – otherwise nothing changes only the look of our actions will.
I have been at celebrations where, despite the people knowing I don’t drink alcohol, the pressure to ‘have one sip’ to celebrate an occasion was quite intense. One occasion was compounded because I don’t eat gluten or dairy so also refused the bagel and cream cheese – which is apparently de rigeur after a circumcision. Why cant we just accept that people make their choices?
We don’t like to accept the reflection of people making self-loving choices if we are making harmful choices and not being honest about them as that exposes us.
Would you give a baby alcohol? That question alone exposes the harm alcohol does. What’s more no baby needs alcohol as in most cases we are born knowing and expressing from our essence. We should be investing everything we have into finding out why and how we stay from the riches we are born with.
Alcohol was one of those milestones we waited for because it was something you could not do legally till a certain age. But we all know what we do if something is repressed and not allowed. Once we cross that invisible line, we are lost into an activity that is encouraged. But it takes will and practice to override the body’s natural reaction to something that has no benefit or purpose. I can say, I got on the bus of socially accepted drinking to the point it became a part of my rhythm. 15 years ago, I had developed a rare-ish medical condition that sometimes is related to alcohol consumption and to isolate the cause I was asked to abstain from drinking for six months. At the end of this period I returned to the Doctor and asked if I had noticed any improvement, and I replied Yes, I had saved a shed full of money but, the condition has not changed. In the end, the cause was accidental solvent poisoning from work. I have not needed to drink again. It’s not till you stop and allow your body to rebalance its self, do you notice its voice you have suppressed for many years.
I also don’t drink now and love this. I go out but don’t stay out late – which I love, so the next day I am not tired. I also love not having hang overs and instead enjoy my days and feel well.
What really comes across is how we have normalised something that is so harmful to us and it shows how our behaviour affects those around us.
Anonymous, amazing article, thank you. The statistics are shocking for alcohol related crimes; ‘It is estimated that about 80-90% of crime occurs under the influence of alcohol and drugs.’
I don’t enjoy and no longer consume alcohol because of how awful it makes me feel the next day.
‘I work in a prison once a week and many prisoners tell me that the reason they are in prison is because of alcohol.’ This is huge! The whole drinking in moderation thing doesn’t work because as we know that we always want more. It’s a bit like eating a chocolate; you convince yourself that you will have just one and before you know it the whole box has gone. As a society, we haven’t been ready to really look at, and accept the damage alcohol does. When you break it down in the cold, sober light of day, as you have anonymous, the truth of it is clear to see.
Anonymous, I hate alcohol too. I can’t stand the smell or taste of it and thankfully my body did not tolerate alcohol at all. I tried alcohol a handful of times as an attempt to fit in with my friends but my body gave me clear signs that alcohol is highly toxic and the best thing I did was listen to its messages.
Brilliant article, exposing how harmful alcohol is to our body, to our society and beyond. The question you asked, ‘But… would you give a baby even a ‘moderate’ amount of alcohol?’ is so honest. The answer would be an outright ‘no’ for many people because deep down we do know that alcohol is toxic to our body. So it makes me wonder, why would we want to poison our body?
‘A future without alcohol is coming…’ and you have made it really clear about the impact this will have. Speaking to young people at work there are a significant number who are choosing not to drink alcohol, saying they don’t like it or would rather spend their money on other things. Maybe we are starting to de-normalise alcohol consumption and articles like these support bringing this conversation and consideration to the fore.
I also love living an alcohol free life and I really don’t enjoy attending parties or weddings where there is alcohol for after a while when it starts to take effect on people it really isn’t that nice to be around, this is something growing up I would have never expected myself to say because I was caught up in a culture that did champion it. Less people now are drinking alcohol than ever before and this is a trend that needs to increase so we can get a handle on alcohol related diseases which will at least help relieve some of the burden on health systems around the world.
Alcohol may be socially acceptable, with most drinkers considering that without it they can’t have a ‘good time’ but what about the consequences, many of which you have listed Anonymous. For me, as well, the consequences are too serious to ignore and damaging the fabric of society, a society that, in general, has its head buried deeply in the sand, not wanting to acknowledge the harm that alcohol is doing to both young and old; after all it is a poison so why would we want to poison ourselves simply to have a good time?
All of these reasons that you list for hating alcohol are very relatable to all of us – which shows me how totally and utterly, and without any questioning, we have allowed this poison to dominate our lives to such an extreme degree.
A very needed conversation and your comment about giving alcohol to a baby is spot on. There is no question that alcohol – or should we call it ethanol so that there is no doubt – is a poison to the body. We all know this, we all feel it and our body tells us this over and over again. Thus we have to look at the why? How are we living that we accept and inflict this abuse and it doesn’t stand out as ab-normal?
We see people as horrid, wicked and ill intentioned, instead of realising it’s an ill energy not their true essence. Knowing this transforms our treatment of alcoholics and other addicts.
Great point Joseph and this is why I feel if we eliminate alcohol entirely this will not change the energy that runs us to consume alcohol in the first place. So, the way to heal this ill, self-abusive behaviour is to understand what drives us to commit such behaviours and what is the real cause for this and address it from there by understanding energy. If we all live with absolute love, honesty and truth by aligning to the energy of our divine origin, we would be able to eliminate easily things in life that do not support us, like alcohol, sugar, drugs etc.
I hate alcohol because I see beautiful and lovely women and men change in characters which they are not and do not represent any of their tender and delicate qualities anymore. At times it makes me feel sad too.
We have made drinking poison normal. How lost have we allowed ourselves to become?
No one becomes a nicer person after a drink.
I agree Nico van Haastrecht. Seeing young people under the influence of alcohol, especially in groups where the energy between them can escalate is quite shocking – its as if hardness comes in which can also manifest as pride or arrogance, over excitement, competition – of course it can also make people depressed, sad and lonely. When talking to some young people they admit that alcohol isn’t such a good idea but because everyone else does it they are not going to stop and then they start saying it’s not so bad. It seems to me they are just making it ok because they don’t, as yet, have what it takes to stop and they haven’t looked at what is actually happening under the influence of this toxic substance. Great article, thank you Anonymous.
I know what you mean Nico. But when we don’t feel and see that beauty and the delicate qualities in ourselves then we can make choices that don’t support us.
What you say is true Nico. It is sad that so many women and men, walk as empty vessels feeling they need to fill themselves with an outside and toxic substance oblivious to their own natural essence which is beautiful and lovely.
Do we ever question ourselves that while we all know that alcohol is not good for people and in truth is a poison for the body, why people are still choosing to use it no matter at its cost?
‘Everything in moderation’ is such a lie – does it mean that moderate abuse, a moderate dose of arsenic or snake venom, a moderate way of torture, moderate warfare and atomic bombs are all okay and sanctioned by virtue of the fact that they are moderate? And what is moderate? Something is either harming or healing – where is the healing in alcohol and war?
Well said Gabriele. This highlights the ridiculousness in moderations or a little bit of everything. Whilst this approach may seem harmless we need to stop and ask if this is true?
We cannot successfully eliminate alcohol unless we are willing to go to the root cause of why so many of us reach for this vice and really examine what it is we want to alleviate or escape from and why. In my experience, once this tension is dealt with the need to reach for a numbing device such as alcohol simply drops away. If it is not dealt with and we still manage to give up alcohol, we will just reach for another vice be that a particular food or a certain behaviour that provides the same ‘quelling’ effect of the alcohol. I agree that alcohol is a poison we as a society are by far better off without however we also need to have an understanding that it delivers to the body a certain vibration that we crave and until we deal with the nature of why we crave it so, the addiction will simply remain long after the substance is removed.
Very much agreed because we know the harm alcohol does, at least most of us do by now, and it does not make sense that we keep consuming it, just as it is with certain foods we know don’t offer any true nutrition to the body.
Thank you Anonymous, I have learnt something that I was unaware of regarding the symbolism of the Last Supper.
“the Last Supper, which symbolised the letting go of food and drink which does not honour and support our bodies.”
This is such a strong and beautiful article. I have felt the heavy effects of alcohol since I was incredibly young but I never thought I had a choice not to drink. I always just did what society classses as normal. And I wanted to be classed as normal most likely. Such a beautiful highlight to what is still accepted in society but how incredibly poisonious it is to the body.
We have made drinking poison normal. How lost have we allowed ourselves to become?