If I could go in a time machine and visit myself as a boy, one of the things I would try to convince him about is that he should never have a single beer or shot of liquor. Alcohol has done me absolutely no favors in my life, it has not been my friend; in fact, there were multiple times it could have been involved in my death, in multiple different ways. But rather than get into those details I will just focus here on simplifying an important lesson learned about alcohol, namely that it is best left completely alone. I know that most people find it's fine in moderation, I know most people are not alcoholics, yet still I've come to the conclusion that it's something that is best left alone completely. I've found that, like fear, which is said to be "sometimes good," the truth is that were talking about something completely toxic (fear being a mental/emotional toxin), and toxins, as per their definition, are not beneficial.
Alcohol, like fear, is actually pushed on society as something that actually serves them, when in reality it does not (saying the world is run by the devil seems to be more and more just a statement of obvious fact as you grow older). Concerning men in particular, alcohol is usually portrayed by advertisers (and sung about by country and rap vocalists) as if it's very masculine for men to ingest it; the truth that I've found repeatedly is the complete opposite, it undermines a healthy and complete masculinity in that it:
a) is unhealthy (e.g., "beer belly" growth, disrupting digestive and mental balance, lowers sperm count, increases cancer risk).
b) makes a man less aware and competent, and therefore less able to do masculine things like handle various tasks proficiently, including things like driving of course, but also importantly pleasing a woman sexually, or protecting her, or protecting others nearby, or protecting himself. Alcohol makes you more stupid, vulnerable and impotent, and that's a triple non-manly whammy.
I hate how alcohol gives a sense of greater freedom and elation only to take both away from you even more the next day as you deal with physical discomforts (headaches, dehydration, gassiness) and mental negativity (increased anxiety and inability to think as intelligently).
I hate how alcohol, for both men and women, undermines a person's full potential. Obviously the approximately 20,000 yearly alcohol-related deaths in the USA undermines the potential of men and women, but beyond that terrible consequence, it repeatedly deceives people into believing that it will give them lasting relief from stress, that it will make their life easier; while the truth is ultimately the complete opposite, it tends to overall cause more stress and makes people's lives harder. Beyond obvious examples of actions done under the influence that can cause more stress (e.g., accidents that harm yourself or others, or going to jail because you got violent while drunk), alcohol overall undermines stress-relief because it undermines the very things needed to be done that actually do lessen stress and increase peace of mind in our life, namely living better, i.e., gaining wisdom and abilities and utilizing both to one's full potential. Alcohol lessens your memory, critical thinking and physical abilities; this goes against gaining, strengthening and utilizing wisdom and abilities (including fitness/strength/endurance) that aids one greatly in realizing their full potential and destiny.
I know a lot of people will find this post to promotion of complete abstinence, being a teetotaler, too extreme, thinking a couple beers or a glass of wine every now and then really isn't that bad (and "some studies say it's good for your health, so it's you're responsibility to drink!") but I find this to be just another case of aversion to moral absolutism, that isn't wise but is actually foolish; we (and the world we affect) really would be better off by leaving it alone completely, just like with fear, politics, and animal products.
I hate how alcohol, for both men and women, undermines a person's full potential. Obviously the approximately 20,000 yearly alcohol-related deaths in the USA undermines the potential of men and women, but beyond that terrible consequence, it repeatedly deceives people into believing that it will give them lasting relief from stress, that it will make their life easier; while the truth is ultimately the complete opposite, it tends to overall cause more stress and makes people's lives harder. Beyond obvious examples of actions done under the influence that can cause more stress (e.g., accidents that harm yourself or others, or going to jail because you got violent while drunk), alcohol overall undermines stress-relief because it undermines the very things needed to be done that actually do lessen stress and increase peace of mind in our life, namely living better, i.e., gaining wisdom and abilities and utilizing both to one's full potential. Alcohol lessens your memory, critical thinking and physical abilities; this goes against gaining, strengthening and utilizing wisdom and abilities (including fitness/strength/endurance) that aids one greatly in realizing their full potential and destiny.
I know a lot of people will find this post to promotion of complete abstinence, being a teetotaler, too extreme, thinking a couple beers or a glass of wine every now and then really isn't that bad (and "some studies say it's good for your health, so it's you're responsibility to drink!") but I find this to be just another case of aversion to moral absolutism, that isn't wise but is actually foolish; we (and the world we affect) really would be better off by leaving it alone completely, just like with fear, politics, and animal products.
If this seems unnecessarily too strict, consider that I'm basically just saying I've noticed poison has been bad for me, and I believe poison is bad for others too, in any amount. You don't need it to find peace, that comes instead from right relationship with God.
