Alcohol = Poison
 

I was doing some thinking...

It is absolutely amazing how inaccurate society's perception of alcohol is. Society dresses it up nicely, packages it to be pretty looking and dilutes the alcohol with plenty of water, sugar and various other flavorings.

But when you really think about...when you REALLY think about it. Alcohol is a poison. Ethanol is it's chemical name. It is a poison. I have been trying to get in good shape and gain muscle plus lose fat...alcohol is empty calories, it raises estrogen and lowers testosterone, it decreases human growth hormone, it dehydrates, it messes up the electrolytes, it messes with appetite, it depletes the body of vitamins and it makes you do stupid things. It's not good fitness or health. When you wake up in the morning as pale as a ghost with a raging headache and bloodshot eyes...you've just been poisoned. The throwing up is another clue...your body is trying to get rid of a poison. You can die from alcohol in a long term fashion by organ damage, heart disease, stroke and pancreas problems. You can die short term if you OD on it or if you are very addicted physically and suddenly stop...not to mention that numerous accidents it causes.

Ever tasted vodka? It BURNs...tastes horrible. That's only 40% alcohol...try Everclear...burns even more. There is a reason it burns and that is because it is damaging tissue...much like an acid. Do you want acid flowing in your blood and in your brain? Alcohol is not anything that we should be putting in our bodies.

They say alcohol is a drug. That's being too nice. Alcohol is a poison. If one was to drink acetone or paint thinner or gasoline...I guess you could call these drugs because the user would become intoxicated and would experience a sort of high. I put alcohol in the same category as paint thinner.

Even for people who are non-alcoholics, is alcohol ever a smart decision? To pay too much money for a drink and then (often) drive on one or two drinks? Is regular human being ever going to regret avoiding alcohol?

We all need to be happy. We need to enjoy our indulges and relax every now and again...putting poison in your body is not the answer. And why did we ever think it was the answer?

No I have yet to see a beer commercial with someone getting 15 years for Felony DUI. I have yet to see one with some bloated alcoholic throwing up blood, some guy signing his divorce papers, or some drunk chick passed out in her own vomit.

So, what is your plan for your future use of said poison?

Alcohol is a poison, therefore my plan is to never drink alcohol again.

I know now that moderation doesn't work for me (tried it a bunch of times)...it never has, it never will and that if I attempt to moderate, I will continue to get drunk over and over again and will always have this monkey on my back and I will never grow in to a happy, healthy, well adjusted rational adult. I know that if I moderate, I will never quit smoking (only smoke when I drink)...I never smoke when I am sober and I can't help myself when I am drunk. The smoking will stop automatically if I avoid the booze...I have never smoked while sober (except 1 cigarette 6 years ago).

Drinking alcohol, even to excess, is an ancient human ritual. It is celebrated in our culture and introduced to us from the earliest moments of consciousness. We have heros and role models who are drunks. It totally makes since to me that alcohol can continually lay waste to a wide swath of humanity. I consider myself to be smart enough but it took me almost three decades to figure it out and now I'm 4 months into quitting for good. I'm lucky.

That is some very good progress, Colton. It might escape most people, but your wording seems to still leave a little bit of wiggle room, though. Planning to never drink again is not quite the same thing as deciding never to drink again. So, for your consideration...

• Are you going to drink again in this lifetime, or are you not? (YES/NO)
  
  Think: "I will never drink again."
• If 'NO', are you going to change your mind? (YES/NO)
  
  Think: "I will never drink again, and I will never change my mind."

Pay close attention to your thoughts and feelings as you ponder these questions.

good stuff in there Colton. I'd suggest that, for many if not most ppl, alcohol isn't so much a poison as a recreational drug that they're able to get some benefits from without going overboard like an alcoholic would/does.

I see lots of ppl who can enjoy a couple drinks. It helps lower their inhibitions, it relaxes them (as 1 or 2 will for most anyone) and they.........miraculously......just stop right there. For me though, drinking felt SO good to just stop right when the magic was starting seemed downright insane. Once i'd start I'd ALWAYS think, "gee, 2 was good....just think how great 4 will be.......then 6.........then 8.......etc." My reaction to drinking may seem pretty "normal" around here but SR has a high concentration of alkies - lol.

While I don't see alcohol as POISON in a general sense......I do see it as poison FOR ME. :)

miraculously......just stop right there

I disagree , I was once one of those that could stop there, I really do believe everyone who drinks alcohol is addicted just at different stages.

What I want to know is how the heck is it that ethanol can be metabolized and used as energy for the human body while all other types of alcohols are highly toxic. A shot of methanol will leave you blind then kill you. It's the weirdest thing.

Very well put! I couldn't agree more. Of course I didn't realize all of that when I was doing it. I knew it wasn't good for me but I figured the less I knew the more I could continue drinking. I'm on my seventh day without drinking. Having this information will help me to my eighth day and beyond.
Scott

Just stop right there. :)

This word — "addiction" — is thrown around very casually these days, but there is a difference between dependence and addiction. Someone can be dependent, but if they have zero desire to quit, they are not addicted. For a long time, I was certainly dependent on alcohol, but I had no interest whatsoever in giving it up. I found drinking very rewarding, and I was intent on keeping it up until I died. I even looked forward to retirement so I could drink with impunity.

I'm not sure when exactly the change occurred, but it was only when I wasn't so sure anymore that I wanted to keep it up, but kept doing it anyway, that I crossed over into addiction. Addiction only exists in the context of ambivalence, and unless someone tells you that they don't like being dependent, it is incorrect to say that they are addicted. I would also add that not everyone is dependent, either.

My gripe is when it is suggested that alcohol is not a drug. E.g.

Surely it should be alcohol and other drugs.

If you have not read it already, I think you would find Allen Carr's book on alcohol very interesting as he addresses these points. You can buy it on Amazon and it is called Allen Carr's Easy Way to Control Alcohol/Stop Drinking (the title depends on whether or not you buy the British or US version; they're essentially the same though).

I agree with you DarkDays. Anyone can be become an alcoholic given that they drink enough of it.

I agree too; that's part of the Allen Carr ethos too (see post above).

If you think about it, you could take 20 random people who had never used opiates, feed them massive doses for a few weeks and you'd most likely end up with 20 opiate addicts. Why is it that we look at alcohol, which is also a highly addictive substance in a different light? Makes no sense to me, use enough for long enough and anyone will get addicted.

Very enlightening thank you ! :)

alcohol is also highly flammable.

Just me speaking about me, but.... I personally have nothing against alcohol. Alcohol has never treated me unjustly. Beer commercials and different advertisements never really enticed me to drink alcohol. I liked alcohol. I liked it alot. If I drank alcohol again, I'm sure I'd like it again, even more.

I abused alcohol. I believe that some odd body and/or mental chemistry within me had a peculiar reaction when I introduced alcohol into my system. The majority of people can drink alcohol with little to no problems. If I wasn't a recovering alcoholic, I'm positive that I would drink alcohol. If it didn't have this perverse effect on me why would I not? Especially if I liked it?

Point is that I can not drink alcohol successfully, i.e. I can not drink alcohol and be successful in my life. When I try, I lose control. I have a choice today...don't drink alcohol. Alcohol was never good to me, nor bad. Alcohol allowed me to feel a certain way that I liked initially, then that feeling changed to the polar opposite. But that was my reaction to placing alcohol in my body. Alcohol is an inert object and I can't give it "power" in my head by thinking of it as good/bad, powerful/weak. It simply is. Today I know what effect the introduction of alcohol into my sytem will produce, therefore I choose not to drink.

Tremendous post Colton.

Indeed it was. Hey Chris I like your avatar!