If you think that this is another one of my confessions following the last few articles, you might be surprised. Yes, I am going to speak about drinking of alcohol and when it all started to make sense. However, it won’t be the story about getting sober after a night of drinking…

What I want to ponder about today with you is the following. The reasons for drinking of alcohol may seem to vary between individuals. Often having some form of alcoholic drink is seen as a nice touch to a well prepared meal.  Then there are occasions, like celebrations of any kind, where alcohol plays its celebrity status. And the last but not least of the groups of alcohol drinking occasions are those days and moments when people are just drinking for the sake of getting drunk.

So what about alcohol is so elusively attractive? I would like to share with you my discovery on alcohol drinking.

It’s not the fact, that it tastes good (which in most cases it DOESN’T, until one gets used to it, or drunk enough). It’s not even the fact, that it’s the drink of choice when socializing with others and we are often influenced by other peers to a drink.

The attractiveness of alcohol is simple.

It is the power of this etheric substance that brings our mind out of the controlling role and takes us away from our day to day issues. Most people, when they drink alcohol (perhaps a bit more than a half of a glass) start to feel like their troubles start to wash away; they become more confident in their expression and speech; their behavior starts to be more open and expressive.

Now, I will say that all of the above characteristics are not typical behavior for the person. They will show, however, their true personality traits revealed. The good, the bad, the ugly. All of it at once, sometimes.

When did alcohol start to make sense?

To answer that I will choose my own way of putting it. Alcohol made sense, because it is the ‘shortcut’, respectively a ‘quick fix’ to the feelings that people are yearning for. The feelings of joy; connection to something greater than themselves; acceptance of who they are; being in the moment; not having to worry about a single thing. The essence of alcohol drinking is to numb the controlling, nagging, always present conscious mind!

So saying all of the above, as a non-alcohol beverages drinker, I would like to offer an alternative to alcohol drinking. Can you relate to the above words and find alcohol relaxing? Then I would recommend you to try some form of relaxation, that doesn’t involve damage to your brain cells and slow destruction of your organs.

One of my suggested options to alcohol could be to try some non-alcoholic fermented drinks, for example Kombucha. That would be first step that would allow you to still enjoy the acquired taste of something tart and fizzy, without the side effects of alcohol consumption.

The next step would be to look at your thought patterns, in a way of self-discovery (read up on CBT if you like) and finding the reason behind the need to drink. And then find some relaxing music (that doesn’t make you emotionally charged), simple meditation or just plain rain drops or bird sounds to keep your mind occupied in a better way than drinking of alcohol.

And the last tip I would give you. If you feel pressure from your peers to have a drink as a social gesture, please find other friends. If that is not possible, be the friend that brings in a few bottles of Kombucha and offer it to others as an alternative to alcohol (perhaps not even saying that it’s non-alcoholic if you prefer).

Sober and joyous life.