• If you were to undertake a survey on individuals, you would find that a majority drink to get rid of an underlying problem or something that gives them stress. An external force that inflicts pain.
• As advertised, the sober life may not seem all that interesting due to the many challenges we all face on a daily basis, name it; toxic environments, overloaded work, financial issues left, right and center etc.
Image: Photos for class
It's brown, it's colourless, it comes in different colours but the effects of the content in every bottle are quite different.
These effects vary from person to person and this is all based on the reason why each individual decides to partake in the new sport called drinking.
Ultimately if you were to undertake a survey on the individuals, you would find that a majority drink to get rid of an underlying problem or something that gives them stress. An external force that inflicts pain.
There are some that seemingly take away the pain, some that numb the pain, and then there are those that make it feel like you have been placed in a sensory deprivation chamber; you know like the feeling of no gravity, no sense of smell, touch or sight?
The hearing is there but to a minimal extent. Overall the lasting effect is what most people struggle to sacrifice for a more sober life.
As advertised, the sober life may not seem all that interesting due to the many challenges we all face on a daily basis, name it; toxic environments, overloaded work, financial issues left, right and center etc.
The result of this is overbearing stresses and mental blocks that may lead to even more than just depression and other underlying stress related health issues.
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Because of this, people seek a way to 'relieve' the stress and one of the most common ways people choose to do this stress relief is dabbling in a little drink.
Now don't get me wrong, alcohol is not all that destructive. In fact even in the Bible, Jesus advised that a little wine is necessary every once and a while.
The problem comes in overdoing it even biologically the body does well with a little alcohol - wine to be precise - as it aids in the digestion process and many other blood thinning properties (for people with blood vessel clotting problems).
But just like everything in life, there is a limit to everything we consume as humans. Ever heard of the phrase 'too much of anything can be poisonous'?
I don't want to sit here and outline the result of over drinking because I'm sure a lot of us have had one or two or more odd defying instances where things would have gone horribly wrong due to over consumption of this ethanol based beverage, not to mention all the things that did go wrong.
Nobody seeks to have a bad experience after a little pint, but because of the challenges we all go through, we feel like it is important to stretch the limits upon which our livers can synthesize the drink.
But did you know that you can solve everyday issues, or even deeper problems without the need to get intoxicated or being in an altered state? I learned that seeing eye to eye can be fixed with a heart to heart, if all the relevant parties are willing to listen
Of course in cases where the individual is drinking to seek fun or seek a sense of belonging by partaking because their friends are drinking, then for these two I would say FIND YOURSELF.
Sheryl*, has struggled with the bottle for a very long time and she says she can't even begin to explain how it got so bad.
"I honestly can't tell you when I started drinking heavy. Maybe I saw the signs before but preferred to ignore them or I was really into just drinking for fun. But I found myself in a bad place," Sheryl explained.
She said it got so bad to a point she would drink a bottle a day.
"It started with a few shots, a bottle of beer and before I knew it, I was drinking a bottle a day. It was really bad."
Sheryl says it all came to light one day and she decided to start a journey to recovery.
"One morning I decided to tell my family about what I was going through and I was very much surprised with how they took the news. But the highlight of the day was when I had a sit down with my dad.
"We had a deep conversation and he vowed to be by my side as I start my road to recovery and I must say he has never let me go even after going eight months without drinking," Sheryl said.
One of the greatest joys in life is being able to accept yourself and accept your circumstances in life.
It doesn't matter the hand you've been dealt, when life gives you lemons...you know the rest. Glass half full kind of mentality.
This simple basis of thinking is what can help a lot of people put down the bottle.
How you may ask? Well, if you're drinking from peer pressure, then maybe you need to check your peers. Make the necessary change.
If you drink because you seek fun then my advice would be to look for fun in adrenaline fueled activities such as bungee jumping, mountain climbing, zip lining, paintballing, go karting, rock climbing, deep sea diving, wild life exploring and the list is endless. You'd be surprised what your body can do.
There are soo many ways to find fun in this world without seeking it from the bottom of a bottle.
For those that are trying to numb some sort of pain or get rid of certain stresses involved in their life, it is quite as simple as changing the environment you are surrounded by.
It is considered very difficult to change your surroundings or uproot your life, but in some cases the hardest step to take are the most uplifting or stress relieving ones that we could ever meet in life.
Image: Photos for class
Stress is relieved for a longer period than with that of the two hours or so that alcohol affords, which is then exited into a toilet a few moments later.
All this may be easier said or done, but at the end of the day, each individual must be the one to take the steps required to change life for the better.
This simple statement is the main reason why struggles of letting go of the bottle exist.
Everybody seeks an escape, a way to envision the life that fantasies are made of.
In reality, if you can dream it, you can achieve it. One must be resilient and hopeful enough to see the journey to the end instead of seeking shortcuts and shrewd deals to try and improve their life.
And then because the lack of the expectations being met, small onset depression creeps in, and that may be the deep seated reason why people seek comfort, friendship, a relationship, whatever it may be; through the bottom of the bottle.