As the pubs open up, (note that’s the pubs, not therapists, healing centres et al, but don’t get me started) it won’t come as any surprise to read that around a quarter of people drank at least four times a week during lockdown, that up from 14 per cent according to a study by Maynoth University in Ireland reported in the Daily Mail
They point out quite rightly that excess alcohol is bad for immunity and therefore can leave people more prone to infection, they also mention that alcohol is a depressant so invariably leads to more mental health issues as people turn to it to cope with their stress and anxiety.
What was most bizarre was that in the same newspaper the Daily Mail came an article stating that a glass drinking alcohol (in moderation) could stave boost brain power and slow up mental decline, this was based on a study or older people from a Georgia University.
What’s my personal opinion on this? Its total BS!!
This is exactly the kind of article that would have kept me in the alcohol trap, I would have read the headline, scanned the piece and thought…’Great I will carry on drinking’, Of course I’d conveniently miss out the word ‘moderate’ and I can assure you my consumption was doing me no good whatsoever
This kind of study and reporting appeals to those who drink, too much. Anyone who has a comfortable ‘off switch’ won’t even notice an article like this, any more than I would notice a piece that said ‘Eating kiwi fruit will help you with your concentration’ I eat them occasionally but I certainly won’t be eating them daily, I don’t have to panic about whether I have had too many kiwi fruits, it’s not a ‘thing’
But a huge number of people drink more than they want to, they wake as I used to at 3am HATING themselves, they know its causing and exasperating anxiety, stress, not to mention messing with their health (lets not sugar coat it, alcohol is linked to 200 different illnesses and 7 different cancers – at least!) their relationships, their work, their motivation, and on and on..
Alcohol is everywhere, its normalised, legal and ‘expected’ It’s the only drug you need to apologise for not taking. To try and spin it as ‘good for you’ necessary for good health’ is marketing brilliance, but its BS, as the fabulous Catherine Gray, author of The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober once said,
Drinking alcohol to get the benefit of the resveratrol is like eating a burger for the gherkin’
On my TEDx talk Sobriety Rocks – Who Knew! I asked you to ask yourself this question:
‘Would my life be better physically and emotionally without alcohol?’
If deep down you know the answer is HELL YES! Don’t follow the herd to the pub, fretting over ID and how long you can stay, think about how amazing your life will be when you are free from that trap. Get some fabulous alcohol free drinks and a journal and imagine a life where you have overcome the alcohol obstacle.
Its possible. Its so worth it. Every day in The Sober Club people reach milestones and are happy than they have ever been. No-one regrets ditching the booze!
Make 2020 your best year ever, the year you become free from the alcohol trap – Now there is a legacy.! Get your free ebook;
How to Get and Stay sober during after lockdown
Check out The Sober Club for inspiration and accountability and amazing resources for living your best life sans the booze
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