I know I’m not supposed to judge.  I know it’s not cool to preach about the benefits of not drinking anymore.  I know not everyone has issues with drinking. But must call it like I see it, so many people have issues with drinking.

 

 

Lets get real.  I have so many friends, family, co-workers that are struggling with booze.  It’s so much more obvious for me, now being on the other side.  It’s actually kind of crazy to see.  I’m surprised that it’s not a bigger topic.  Here are some examples.

 

Go into any bar and check out the locals.  If they frequent the place that’s a first sign.  Then look at their body language, their eyes, and their health.  Typically I see over weight guys, slumped over a drink, being loud.  Or the opposite. The lean, malnourished looking person sitting alone and quiet.  It’s sad.  But those are just the obvious.

 

Dive in further and I see others that drink nightly.  Maybe only a few beers or glasses of wine, but its weighing on them.  Often quite literally.  Creating health problems.   It’s their vice to unwind and without it could cause anxiety, stress or irritability.  That’s probably not good.

 

Or what about the parties, or functions where I see so many drinking then regularly drive home.  I’d say about half are responsible about their intake.  The other half freestyle it and hope they are only mildly buzzed.  Questionable tactics.  I know I was there for many years.  Not drunk, not sober.  In the middle, hoping I wasn’t too far over the line.  It’s gnarly.  Especially as they drive their cars home.  I wonder if there has ever been a test of how many drive home from a bar drunk.  I’d bet most are over the legal limit.

 

I see others suffering.  Maxed out. Little things blow up into big things. They drink but only on the weekends as they tell me on a Tuesday night with a glass of wine at dinner.  They make rules.  They break those rules.  They constantly try and manage their drinking opportunities.  Letting go on weekends, to feel and look like shit on Sat and Sun mornings.  They look aged.  They are emotionally conflicted.  You can see their internal struggle.

 

Then the more obscure. I have friends that live in paradise. A perfect setting, wonderful couple, life would seem to be a dream.  Yet, guess what.  That paradise is turning into a living hell.  They are straight up dealing with the permanent holiday life.  Drinking daily, arguing nightly.  It’s ruining their marriage and it all starts with the booze.  I try to help explain that and they agree, but don’t change and the struggle escalates. So sad.

 

I’ve mentioned before. But as I continue on my path of being alcohol free I have lots of friends comment on how cool that is. Then later come back to ask me how I did it. Or they want to try but can’t.  Typically saying things like wow, man that’s so cool, I don’t think I can do that.  Ding ding. Thanks but that’s a sign that you might have a problem.

 

Recently I’ve made friends with some other non-drinkers.  Some that quit.  Some that never started.  It’s an interesting bond as we speak to the benefits.  While also discussing the culture of drinking.  How it controls so many lives.  Weekend BBQs all about drinking.  Night out for dinner, a sports game, happy hour, a date, a work event, something to celebrate, something to drown sorrows, drinking is literally everywhere.

 

Throw in the fact that it’s designed to make you addicted.  To have more, to crave more, to drink more.  Its one of the most successful drugs.  Just enough to get you going, then more, more and more.  Its toxic.  It wrecks your body, your liver, your mind.  It ruins relationships, causes drama and so much more.

 

It’s sad to see that so many of my friends are struggling with this problem.  It’s sad to see a society that is crazed by this toxin.  I’m surprised it’s not more spoken of. That so many people are struggling yet the ones that take action towards their drinking issues are often portrayed as the ones with a “problem”.

 

I hope we change this trend. I actually think it is changing. Similar to how we changed the smoking culture in the last few decades.  I hope binge drinking will become recognized as lame.   I hope healthier AF drinking options come into play.

 

And more so, I hope my friends and others see the trouble drinking is causing them.  That we have an epidemic of sorts in our culture.  So many with drinking problems yet  so many that don’t even know they do (or maybe they do, but afraid to acknowledge it).