Letter to editor: 6 months on

A letter in today’s Centralian Advocate:

It has been about 6 months since I quit alcohol. As a young adult my main reason was to send the right message to others in my generation.
I can confidently say that my challenge has been well worth it. I never drank regularly, a weekend wind-down was always on the cards, but as more than 4 standard drinks on any single occasion is considered a health risk I was in the camp of many in the odd occasion of over-consumption. Quitting alcohol meant that I could talk about it more and its place in our community.
If alcohol is consumed responsibly then this can be a good thing, it can be a good way to wind down and socialise.
Alcohol becomes a problem when relationships are harmed; when the amount of money spent dips too much into disposable income; when violence or abuse no matter how benign is dished out; when it is seen as an out to whatever personal or social problems persist. For some people the response to any of these experiences is to have another drink.
The problem self-generates. For some, alcohol is a pitiless addiction. For too many in my generation and younger alcohol and its misuse is a social contagion. We egg each other on and poke fun at the hapless incidents.

Abstaining from alcohol is not a solution for everybody. I set myself this challenge to see what it was like. Because alcohol was a weekly ritual it was difficult at first. My mind relied on its calming effects after a long week and mentally I had to adjust. Because I am a busy person it was easier for me to quash boredom without it (having boredom and no purpose is a big issue for many in Alice Springs).
Exercise helped me, as did a healthy addiction to coffee. What I realised from quitting is that there is so much to life and its abundance that other interests can easily replace alcohol, so long as a kind of semi-dependency caused by years of use is overcome. Without the after-effects my mind and body is better without it.
To others in my generation I hope these messages resonate.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Marechal Rondon

Image
Recently I read The River of Doubt about President Theodore Roosevelt’s journey on an unmapped river in South America, also called the Roosevelt-Rondon Scientific Expedition . A friend lent me the book. It is a fascinating account and coming from the desert the detailed explanations of the river, the amazon environment and its adaptive nature was intriguing given the stark contrast to my own environment. My friend who lent it to me said that Marechal Rondon , the Brazilian Military Officer who led the journey with Roosevelt, was a remarkable figure so prominent in the history of South America. In that region his name is recognised extensively. The book gives account after account of Rondon’s philosophy and approach towards the indigenous peoples; how he refused to support confrontation despite being in the face of danger and hostility; how his practice was to leave food and goods as gifts; how his discipline and honour and strong sense of nationalism was highly regarded. My frie
Read more

Seeking nature as self-care and as a marker for self-care planning

Image
This week I visited Kakadu National Park.  It was a reset, a marker for a personal and self-care plan aimed at redirecting some habits that don’t serve me towards ones that do.  I needed to get away.  I needed time by myself to reflect and adjust.  New environments and senses and places away from home can uplift.  An uplift can carry the momentum needed to maintain focus.  My greatest source of accountability is myself.  I needed time by myself.   Sometimes people travel without making plans.   Some people go overseas with this approach – book a one-way ticket and arrive at the destination and go from there.   This time last year, and in the wet season, I went to Kakadu with my children.   The wet season is known to have fewer tourists, but we are all encouraged to visit because the experience is so different to other seasons.   Last year our first stop was the BowaliVisitor Centre and although many of the parts were closed due to COVID, there was a person to assist us with advice o
Read more

Journaling about being 'in the moment'

Image
Energised by a conversation online and an inspirational person who showcases abstinence of alcohol through her posts, I set out this weekend to engage in an experience, journal it, and try my best to 'be in the moment'.  This blogpost is my journal entry.   Mentally I've been on this path before, but for a much longer period (and wrote about it here and here ).  Reflecting back, I never journaled the more detailed and individualised experiences.  If 'being in the moment' is a practice of deep and personal connection and reflection, I didn't leave a written mark.  During a time of no alcohol and in a place where the culture is rife with alcohol there was no 'on-paper' reflections of moments.  And if sobriety is assisted by an active and lived experience without the mind being influenced and altered by a substance, I didn't describe and transcribe it.  Long ago, and 6 months after quitting, I wrote  that 'what I realised from quitting is that ther
Read more