மது அருந்துவதை நிறுத்தனுமா?
அதிகமாக மது அருந்துகிறீர்களா? குடியை விட ஆசை, ஆனால் முடியாமல் போகிறதா? அப்படினெனில் இதை தொடர்ந்து படியுங்கள். தற்போது குடி என்பது ஒரு ஃபேஷனாகிவிட்டது. மாணவர்கள், அலுவலக வேலையில் உள்ளவர்கள், தொழிலாளிகள் என பலரும் இதை அருந்துகிறார்கள். அதனுடைய பின்விளைவுகளை அறியாது, தானும் கெட்டு, தன் குடும்பத்தையும் நடுத்தெருவுக்கே கொண்டு வந்து விடுகிறார்கள். குடியால் அழிந்த குடும்பங்கள் எத்தனையோ உள்ளன. இதற்கு வீதிக்கு வீதி அமைந்திருக்கும் பார்களும் காரணமாகும். குடியை விட்டு விடலாம் என்று மனவுறுதியோடு இருப்பவர்கள் கூட, சரியில்லாத நட்பினால் மீண்டும் மீண்டும் குடியில் தள்ளப்படுகின்றனர்.
தற்போது இந்த குடியால் ஒட்டுமொத்த சமுதாயமே சீரழிந்து கொண்டிருக்கிறது. குடி போதையால் கொலை, கொள்ளை, கற்பழிப்பு போன்றவை சர்வ சாதாரணமாகிவிட்டது. நாடு ஒரு பேரழிவான பாதைக்கு சென்று கொண்டிருக்கிறது. ஆண்கள் மட்டுமே குடிக்கு அடிமைப்பட்டு கிடந்த நிலை மாறி, பெண்களும் தற்போது இதற்கு அடிமையாகிவிட்டனர். குடியால் பல ஆண்களுக்கு விந்தணுக்களின் எண்ணிக்கை மிகக்குறைவாக இருப்பதாகவும், இதனால் காலப்போக்கில், உயிர்களின் உற்பத்தி குறைந்து கொண்டே சென்று, ஒரு கட்டத்தில் உயிர்கள் பிறப்பதே நின்றுவிடும் என்று ஆய்வு ஒன்று அதிர்ச்சித் தகவலை அளித்துள்ளது. இவ்வளவு பேரழிவை தரும் குடியிலிருந்து விடுபட விரும்பினால், உங்களுக்காக இதோ சில குறிப்புகள்...
மனநல ஆலோசகரை அணுகுதல்
குடியால் ஏற்பட்ட உளவியல் மாற்றம் மற்றும் உணர்ச்சிவசப்படும் நிலைகளைப் போக்க ஒரு நல்ல மனநல ஆலோசகரை அணுகுங்கள். அவர்களது ஆலோசனைகளை பின்பற்றவும்.
தேதியை குறித்துக் கொள்ளுதல்
குடியை விட சில முக்கிய தேதியை தேர்ந்தெடுக்கவும். இன்றிலிருந்து குடிக்கமாட்டேன் என்று சபதமிடுங்கள். பெரும் குடிகாரராக இருந்தால் படிப்படியாக குறைக்கும் முயற்சிகளில் ஈடுபடவும்.
மது பாட்டில்களை தூக்கி எறிதல்
குடி தொடர்புடைய அனைத்து விதமான கேன்கள், பாட்டில்கள் போன்றவற்றை தூக்கி எறியவும். விருந்தினர்கள் வந்தால் தேவைப்படுமே என்று நினைக்க வேண்டாம். அதற்கு பதில் அவர்களுக்கு தேநீர், காபி அல்லது பழச்சாறுகள் போன்றவற்றைத் தரலாம்.
கொஞ்சம் கொஞ்சமாக விடுதல்
குடியை ஒரே நாளில் விட்டு விட முடியாது. முதலில் சிறிது சிறிதாக விட முயற்சி செய்யுங்கள். அதிகமான குடி காரணமாக பராலிசிஸ், தலைவலி, வாந்தி வருவதாக கற்பனை செய்யுங்கள். பின் இந்த பயமே குடிக்கும் எண்ணத்தை தடுக்கும்.
உணவு மூலம் தவிர்த்தல்
குடிக்கும் முன் ஏதாவது உணவு அருந்துங்கள். அதனால் குடிப்பதில் உள்ள நாட்டம் குறையும். அப்படியே மீறிக் குடித்தாலும் கொஞ்சமாகத் தான் குடிக்க முடியும்.
வைட்டமின் பி மாத்திரைகள்
குடிக்கும் போது வைட்டமின் பி மாத்திரைகளை எடுத்துக் கொள்ளுங்கள். உடல் திறனை பாதிக்கும் மதுவின் தொடர் விளைவுகளை இந்த தையாமின் மாத்திரைகள் தடுக்கும். வைட்டமின் பி எனப்படும் தையாமின் குறைபாடு, கடுமையான மனநல பாதிப்புகளை ஏற்படுத்தும்.
மனநிலையை உணர்தல்
உண்மையிலேயே குடிப்பதை நிறுத்த விரும்பினால், உங்கள் தவறுகளை ஒப்புக் கொள்ளவும். கடந்த கால மோசமான நிலைமைகளை அறிந்து கொள்ளவும். தங்கள் பிரச்சனைகளை பரந்த மனதுடன் ஒப்புக் கொள்ளும் நடைமுறையை தொடங்கும் போது, குடியிலிருந்து மீண்டு, வாழ்க்கையில் வெற்றி பெறலாம்.
குடியை தூண்டும் நண்பர்களை தவிர்த்தல்
குடிக்கத் தூண்டும் மனிதர்களுடன் தொடர்பை உடனடியாக நிறுத்தவும். பாருக்கு போவதை நிறுத்த வேண்டும். மேலும் குடும்பத்தினரிடம் மற்றும் நண்பர்களிடம், குடிப்பதை நிறுத்த விரும்புவதாகக் கூறி, அவர்களது தார்மீக உதவியைப் பெறவும்.
தண்ணீர் குடித்தல்
சுத்தமான தூய தண்ணீரின் அற்புதத்தை உணருங்கள். குறைந்தது 5 குவளை தண்ணீர் குடிக்க பழக்கப்படுத்திக் கொள்ளவும். உணவில்லாமல் பல வாரங்கள் இருக்கலாம். ஆனால் தண்ணீர் இல்லாமல் இரண்டு நாட்கள் கூட இருக்க முடியாது. நிறைய தண்ணீர் குடித்தால், மது அருந்தும் ஆசை குறையும்.
How to Quit Drinking Alcohol
"There are better things in life than alcohol, but alcohol makes up for not having them."
– Terry Pratchett
My maternal grandparents were both alcoholics. It's for this reason that I can't remember my grandpa's funeral: I was only four. This is also why my grandma has meticulously avoided alcohol for over 20 years. If there's anything to the rumours about alcoholism being influenced by heredity, I'm probably tagged.
My own consumption patterns change. Sometimes I'll go through periods of several months having three or four drinks, three to five times a week. Sometimes I'll restrict my consumption to social occasions. For about five months starting last December, in my quest to master the art of talking to strangers, my social life became two full-time jobs. I was constantly going out to social events, clubs, bars, museum parties, and everything in between. Despite temptation, I rarely drank.
Last month, I quit drinking alcohol again. I'd like to tell you that it was a struggle. I'd like to pretend that it's almost impossible to stay sober at a social occasion where everyone else is burping bubbles. I'd like to imagine myself as more determined and disciplined than all the rest, and that's what pulled me through.
But the truth is that I'm ruthlessly normal. And if you want to end your relationship with alcohol, right here, right now, It's Not That Hard.
I'm guessing that most people who choose to quit drinking are not alcoholics. My intent is to offer here an action plan that anyone can apply, whether you're nursing an addiction or just want to enjoy the benefits of uninterrupted sobriety.
Why Stop Drinking?
The long-term effects of bad habits are rarely sufficient to motivate people to change their lives. The near-term benefits of giving up alcohol are much more useful and interesting anyway. Here are the changes I experienced:
Productive socializing. Talking to strangers is a great way to build character, but its benefits are greatly reduced when you're drunk. The alcohol represses much of the social anxiety, which inhibits lasting change. But the only thing more terrifyingly fun than getting drunk and meeting a bunch of new people is staying sober and meeting a bunch of new people.
Avoid the McPilgrimage. Clearly, there's a conspiracy between the fast food industry and the liquor industry. Free will collapses under the weight of insobriety and convenience. With enough alcohol in your system, even the most wretched burger joint becomes an irresistible sanctuary.
Reclaim lost time. Let's say you have a few drinks around the house, three times a week, and that light touch of drunkenness costs you three hours of productive thinking each time. Within one year, you'll have shaved about one full month off your life. That's a lot of lost CPU time that could have been put towards reading a book, writing a speech, playing a sport, or even starting a business. And this doesn't even count the time lost waiting for your brain to resolidify the morning after a night on the town.
Get rich quickly. You don't have to party that hard to spend $100-$150/week or more on alcohol and related expenses. If you quit drinking today, you could reasonably expect to convert that choice into a bankroll for backpacking around the world in about six months.
Become an early riser. I'm currently readjusting my sleep schedule to wake up at 5:30 AM, seven days a week. Alcohol, and the lifestyle that often accompanies it, work against this process. Alcohol makes me feel tired when I want to feel energetic and awake. Ironically, it also increases wakefulness during sleep.
You can probably think of other instantly gratifying benefits to life beyond the bottle. The important thing is to actually have a reason that is important enough to you.
Make It Priority Number One
Giving up alcohol is one of the easiest and hardest changes you can make in your life.
It's easy once you've established the right rules, configured your environment to support you, and set up useful boundaries of pain and pleasure to help direct you towards your goal. The hard parts are the social implications and fighting off the One Man Army that is your ego, with its barrage of self-limiting beliefs and drink requests.
Giving up alcohol must be made priority number one in your life. A partial commitment is a commitment to failure. Even if you already don't drink that often, it will be tempting to break your own rules when your friends call you up and invite you out. You've got to be willing to prioritize this decision in every situation where it's relevant, even when that means Just Saying No to pub night.
It's Not a Big Deal
Ever notice how some people act as though the end of their relationship is the end of the world? It's as if there's no point in living if they can't be with that person any longer. Yet other people come along and date that person who left them, eventually break up with them, and see it as hardly more than a blip on the radar.
You may feel that it's pretty easy to give up drinking. Or you may feel that it's an addiction with a stranglehold on your life. Either way, there is no inherent magnitude to this task. It's as big or as small as you make it.
No matter how much you want to tell yourself how hard it is, nobody's ever going to claim that learned helplessness was the secret to their success. The most effective way forward is to not only make quitting drinking a top priority, but to think, talk, and act like it can be done.
Become the Impartial Spectator
Whether you view it as a spiritual separation, or merely conceptual, we all have more than one self. There's the "Mmmmm…beeeer…" self, and the impartial spectator that can detach from and observe this desire.
Let the latter voice be your authority. You're allowed to want a drink as much as you're allowed to choose not to have one. There's tremendous power in observing your thoughts as a third party. The impartial spectator can feel the heat without getting burned.
When in doubt, let it be there. No matter how bad the storm seems, it will pass.
Commit to 30 Days
If you've never done it before, it can be hard to think of giving up drinking forever. It's discouraging to commit to permanent change, only to back out a few days or weeks into it. Some people will face social friction and lifestyle changes for which they're unprepared.
But life is a laboratory. It's an adventure that takes shape through hypothesis and experimentation, and most decisions can be reverted. When it comes to making big changes like this, live before you leap. Promise yourself that you will commit to this 100%, but only for 30 days, and see how it goes.
This is exactly what I did last month. I promised myself that November would be alcohol-free, and it was. Truth be told, I had a few drinks on day 31. But I broke the negative pattern that was creeping up on me and gained back the energy to spend on more important activities. And I've repeatedly proven to myself that I can give up alcohol whenever I feel like, whenever it seems like the right thing to do.
Dump Your Existing Stash
Any goal that's important to you is important enough to start on right now. My 30-day challenge to give up alcohol started at about 3:00 AM on a Saturday morning. I had just gotten back from a post-nightclub McPilgrimage with some friends. I had a great time. I met lots of people. I even ended up dating a girl I met that night.
But I was really annoyed by how much I'd poured into me that night, at succumbing to the resulting Big Mac temptation, and at how much I was going to regret the hangover. As soon as I got home, the challenge was on. I had one last beer in my fridge, which I ceremoniously poured down the kitchen sink.
If you're serious about doing this, get rid of your alcohol. If you've got $300 worth of spirits in your cabinet and you're not yet sure if you want to empty it all down the drain, only to change your mind in 30 days, then store it at a friend's place during your probation period. Preferably a friend that doesn't drink.
Advertise Your Decision
I told most of my friends about what I was doing. Not only only does this add accountability to your goal, it also drops the hint that if your friends are planning on going out and getting wasted, you're probably not interested.
Of course, you don't have to avoid social situations where you'll be the only one not drinking. I've gone out stone sober many times–even on my own–and met loads of people. Once you get used to social skydiving, you no longer need alcohol's permission to talk to strangers and have a good time. You can get to that place by either getting hammered out of your face, or by learning to just not care what other people think. Frankly, the latter is way more fun.
Fire Your Drinking Buddies
Alcohol may be so tightly integrated into your social life that it seems almost impossible to go an entire weekend without drinking. If the only thing you have in common with your friends is that you like the same lagers, you might want to consider finding new friends.
I've let go of people in my social circle before and I know it's not easy–but that doesn't make it unnecessary. This might be the hardest thing you do in choosing a life without alcohol. The key is to remember that friends are an abundant resource. Having a strong social circle is purely a function of the effort you invest into it. That includes choosing to associate only with people who are aligned with your purpose, while avoiding the energy vampires.
This is another benefit of a 30-day commitment. Instead of permanently downsizing your social life, you can choose to be busy only for the next few weeks. Observe how it affects you when you stop spending time with your beer buddies. Join a local user group for something you're interested in to bring yourself into contact with people with whom you share more than just a bar tab.
Bribe Yourself
I haven't used this specific technique for giving up alcohol, but I have used it with much success in bulldozing my way through a wall of social anxiety.
Associate massive pain to backing out. To create that pain, visit your nearest bank machine. Withdraw an amount of money that you'd feel uncomfortable losing. Give it to a friend you trust. Tell them that you get your money back if, and only if, you don't have a drop of alcohol until your 30 days are up. You'll be surprised at how even the most difficult tasks become doable when you associate massive pain to breaking your own rules. Money can be a great way to make it hurt. If you can think of an even better form of self-bribery, go for it.
The stronger you feel that alcohol is a part of your life, the more of these techniques you may want to apply. My most recent alcohol-free challenge didn't require bribery or letting go of any friends. But I did find it extremely useful to limit the challenge to 30 days, to give myself permission to live the lifestyle before leaping to a permanent decision.
I also think that making this a top priority is key, no matter what your current consumption habits. It's so easy to let yourself slip for just one night, and then feel guilty about breaching your own contract later on.
Thanks
