The Pros & Cons of it all
Living Sober
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 555
The Pros & Cons of it all
I wanted to share something that I was asked to do when I attended a court mandated DUI offender’s class. We were required to make a pros & cons list about the consumption of alcohol. I thought it was interesting to compare the two columns.
Here’s mine.
Pros of not drinking:
-Better general health.
-Better body weight.
-Healthier overall appearance.
-More energy.
-Clearer skin.
-Deeper sleep.
-Healthier diet.
-Much more optimistic about things.
-No more shakes.
-No more feeling ****** when I awake.
-No more trying to conceal my breath.
-No more blood shot eyes.
-No risk of DUIs or other alcohol related offenses. (Can drive whenever I want.)
-No more useless fights with the wife over nothing.
-No more embarrassing incidents that I could not recall.
-No more excuses why I could not attend an event.
-No more running late because I had to ‘tuning up’ before I left.
-No more sneaking gulps.
-No more money wasted (on booze)
-No more time wasted (in bars)
-NO MORE PRETENDING
Cons of not drinking:
-Much less of a social life.
-Miss the Margs at our favorite Mexican joint.
-Miss meeting up with some of my friends “for a beer.”
The point is, if you create your own list and compare the results for yourself, it becomes pretty obvious how the benefits of being a non-drinker outweighs any benefits of being a drinker. Although there are things that I miss, those seem to pale when compared to what’s been gained.
Here’s mine.
Pros of not drinking:
-Better general health.
-Better body weight.
-Healthier overall appearance.
-More energy.
-Clearer skin.
-Deeper sleep.
-Healthier diet.
-Much more optimistic about things.
-No more shakes.
-No more feeling ****** when I awake.
-No more trying to conceal my breath.
-No more blood shot eyes.
-No risk of DUIs or other alcohol related offenses. (Can drive whenever I want.)
-No more useless fights with the wife over nothing.
-No more embarrassing incidents that I could not recall.
-No more excuses why I could not attend an event.
-No more running late because I had to ‘tuning up’ before I left.
-No more sneaking gulps.
-No more money wasted (on booze)
-No more time wasted (in bars)
-NO MORE PRETENDING
Cons of not drinking:
-Much less of a social life.
-Miss the Margs at our favorite Mexican joint.
-Miss meeting up with some of my friends “for a beer.”
The point is, if you create your own list and compare the results for yourself, it becomes pretty obvious how the benefits of being a non-drinker outweighs any benefits of being a drinker. Although there are things that I miss, those seem to pale when compared to what’s been gained.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ireland
Posts: 25,826
Very conclusive, for me though it was the "thought" of going for a beer or drinks with friends that I missed, the reality was quite different when I would wake up with a blinding hangover the next day!!
Great post!!
Great post!!
Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Philadelphia, USA
Posts: 245
Great lists, thanks for posting!
Seems like the items in the pros column could be recreated in different ways - socializing at new places, having a non-alcoholic margarita, etc; but the things in the cons column are much harder to replace.
Seems like the items in the pros column could be recreated in different ways - socializing at new places, having a non-alcoholic margarita, etc; but the things in the cons column are much harder to replace.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Philadelphia, USA
Posts: 245
Originally Posted by DoubleFelix 
Great lists, thanks for posting!
Seems like the items in the pros column could be recreated in different ways - socializing at new places, having a non-alcoholic margarita, etc; but the things in the cons column are much harder to replace.
Seems like the items in the pros column could be recreated in different ways - socializing at new places, having a non-alcoholic margarita, etc; but the things in the cons column are much harder to replace.
Living Sober
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 555
Whoops, definitely meant that the other way around!!
Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: California
Posts: 2,693
Great list. "Meeting friends for a beer" was on my list of worries as well. I couldn't picture my life without ever having another (beer) happy hour to kick back a few. If I had always kept it at a few it wouldn't have been a problem. I'd always have three at happy hour (to keep me just under the driving limit) and then stop on the way home and buy a six-pack of 16 ounce beers and drink those when I got home. But, that wasn't always enough to get me drunk enough to pass out when I wanted so I'd buy two more expensive 20 ounce craft beers and usually drink one after the six 16 ouncers. If I stuck with the six 16's I'd have a headache and feel like crud the next day. If I had just one of the 20 ouncers I'd and the six 16's then I would feel like **** the next day. If I had all eight beers after happy hour I'd feel like I was going to have a heart attack the next day. Man, and always stressing about trying not to drink the two extras and then breaking my word and drinking them anyways. What a **** fest.
Ah, the joys of happy hour with the ten more beers when I got home. It makes me want to puke just thinking about it.
It was no longer a "happy hour" but a warm up to the regular nightly binge. It's so much easier not to have to worry about that anymore.
Ah, the joys of happy hour with the ten more beers when I got home. It makes me want to puke just thinking about it.
It was no longer a "happy hour" but a warm up to the regular nightly binge. It's so much easier not to have to worry about that anymore.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: UK
Posts: 100
Originally Posted by Lusher
I wanted to share something that I was asked to do when I attended a court mandated DUI offender’s class. We were required to make a pros & cons list about the consumption of alcohol. I thought it was interesting to compare the two columns.
Here’s mine.
Pros of not drinking:
-Better general health.
-Better body weight.
-Healthier overall appearance.
-More energy.
-Clearer skin.
-Deeper sleep.
-Healthier diet.
-Much more optimistic about things.
-No more shakes.
-No more feeling ****** when I awake.
-No more trying to conceal my breath.
-No more blood shot eyes.
-No risk of DUIs or other alcohol related offenses. (Can drive whenever I want.)
-No more useless fights with the wife over nothing.
-No more embarrassing incidents that I could not recall.
-No more excuses why I could not attend an event.
-No more running late because I had to ‘tuning up’ before I left.
-No more sneaking gulps.
-No more money wasted (on booze)
-No more time wasted (in bars)
-NO MORE PRETENDING
Cons of not drinking:
-Much less of a social life.
-Miss the Margs at our favorite Mexican joint.
-Miss meeting up with some of my friends “for a beer.”
The point is, if you create your own list and compare the results for yourself, it becomes pretty obvious how the benefits of being a non-drinker outweighs any benefits of being a drinker. Although there are things that I miss, those seem to pale when compared to what’s been gained.
Here’s mine.
Pros of not drinking:
-Better general health.
-Better body weight.
-Healthier overall appearance.
-More energy.
-Clearer skin.
-Deeper sleep.
-Healthier diet.
-Much more optimistic about things.
-No more shakes.
-No more feeling ****** when I awake.
-No more trying to conceal my breath.
-No more blood shot eyes.
-No risk of DUIs or other alcohol related offenses. (Can drive whenever I want.)
-No more useless fights with the wife over nothing.
-No more embarrassing incidents that I could not recall.
-No more excuses why I could not attend an event.
-No more running late because I had to ‘tuning up’ before I left.
-No more sneaking gulps.
-No more money wasted (on booze)
-No more time wasted (in bars)
-NO MORE PRETENDING
Cons of not drinking:
-Much less of a social life.
-Miss the Margs at our favorite Mexican joint.
-Miss meeting up with some of my friends “for a beer.”
The point is, if you create your own list and compare the results for yourself, it becomes pretty obvious how the benefits of being a non-drinker outweighs any benefits of being a drinker. Although there are things that I miss, those seem to pale when compared to what’s been gained.
Out of all this, No more Pretending really hits home = It's no more Pretending to be someone your not and being false. It's like being free from a self made cage.
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