Navigating A World Without Alcohol

Back in February, Jessica Booth wrote a piece for the MSN Lifestyle page that was eye-opening, to say the least. After battling with ulcerative colitis, she made the decision one morning to swear off booze altogether. Needless to say, she never went to meetings or to a drug and alcohol rehab center, because - at the risk of being repetitive - her drinking wasn't tied to a disease that made her life unmanageable because of her alcohol consumption. Although the thought of living life without alcohol (or drugs) may seem terrifying to those who have yet to give it a try, the goal of recovery and sobriety isn’t to don the robes or habits of a religious order and live under measures of austerity that deny us pleasure. If the goal of a recovery program is to teach us a new way to live, AI Art we can certainly apply those principles to do the things that bring us joy, and to do them without feeling as if our recovery is in jeopardy every time we do so.


Drugs and alcohol - especially the latter - are so prevalent in our society, in fact, that we’re assailed by their consumption on a daily basis. Whether it’s a TV ad for beer or dining in a chain restaurant where the barstools are always full, we’re unable to insulate ourselves from the suggestions that we should drink, and it’s pointless to lament that fact. As time goes by, AI Art we begin to understand that not drinking and using is the only decision we need to make to live happy, productive lives. We find ourselves able to be in the company of those who order a beer or a glass of wine without staring at it in envy; we find we can stand in a crowd of fellow rock ‘n’ rollers and scream for the band’s latest hit without having to have a drink in each hand. We realize that we don’t want to withdraw from the rest of the world because so many people in it are able to drink and use casually, and why should we?


After all, there are others who are allergic to gluten or shellfish or strawberries, and they don’t deny themselves the simple pleasure of a meal at a restaurant; they simply take the precautions needed to safeguard their own health, just as we do when we venture out among "normal" people. Life in recovery, we discover, can be adventurous, fulfilling and fun - without the need to drink or use. As long as our motives are in check, we can participate in these things that bring us joy without fear of relapse. Relapse, after all, is not a monster waiting in the shadows to shove a bottle between our lips or a pill down our throats; it’s a conscious decision we make, and if our recovery is strong, we can move freely in the world of "normal" people, even those who imbibe, without the constant specter of our old way of life reasserting itself. We can stand on our own two feet, decline anything put in front of us and instead focus on the reason we attend these events in the first place - to live life instead of hiding away out of fear that our disease will leap from the bushes and overpower us.


Drinking alcohol undoubtedly is a part of American culture, as are conversations between parents and children about its risks. Alcohol affects people differently at different stages of life-for children and adolescents, alcohol can interfere with normal brain development. Alcohol’s differing effects and parents’ changing role in their children’s lives as they mature and seek greater independence can make talking about alcohol a challenge. Parents may have trouble setting concrete family policies for alcohol use. And they may find it difficult to communicate with children and adolescents about alcohol-related issues. Research shows, however, that teens and young adults do believe their parents should have a say in whether they drink alcohol. Parenting styles are important-teens raised with a combination of encouragement, warmth, Artifical Intelligence and appropriate discipline are more likely to respect their parents’ boundaries. Understanding parental influence on children through conscious and unconscious efforts, as well as when and how to talk with children about alcohol, can help parents have more influence than they might think on a child’s alcohol use.  Data h as be᠎en cre ated　by GSA Co nt᠎en​t Gene​rato​r  DEMO​!