Do the things you love hurt you, or help you?
This is a question everyone needs to ask themselves at some point. Sometimes the things we love the most don’t return the favor.
Take alcohol for example. I’ve been sober for 122 days due to a stomach issue, and it’s been eye-opening, to say the least. It’s led me to a point of reflection, and to really ask myself – why do I drink?
I’ve figured it out, in three words:
It’s a shortcut.
Alcohol is for when you want everything immediately. Connection, laughter, fun, relaxation, kindness, romance. We all use it in this way, and there’s nothing wrong with that if your relationship with alcohol is reciprocal.
For many though, the relationship is one-sided. Alcohol takes more than it gives.
Unfortunately, this is true for most shortcuts. Shortcuts almost always come back to bite you in the ass.
One of my biggest personal challenges has always been overcoming boredom. In my early twenties, I looked to substances like tobacco and alcohol to bring some excitement into my life. In quiet moments in my car or in my dorm room, I’d turn to stimulus for help. This shortcut came back to bite me hard.
It’s at the point where our shortcut’s become the destination that we really start to get worried. When you’re no longer drinking to build connections and are actively avoiding people in order to drink, the shortcut has officially turned sour. I found the same thing happening with tobacco. It quickly became something I needed, that I would avoid other people in order to do, as opposed to a way to kill boredom. Sneaking off to use tobacco meant that the shortcut had won. It had become the destination.
Fortunately for me though, I’ve battled my way out of a bad situation. As of yesterday, I’m officially one-year tobacco-free. I made the decision to quit after seeing bad things happen to people I care about and realizing that my shortcut had become the destination. It’s honestly the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and I’m proud to say I’m no longer taking any shortcuts in my life.
When it comes to drinking, I’m not giving it up forever. When I’m healthy again, I’ll definitely enjoy a beer or a whiskey.
One thing is for sure though – I’m not going to use alcohol as a shortcut anymore. In the long term, shortcuts lead to too many bad things. If there’s one thing I’ve proven to myself, it’s that I can have fun and love my life without copious amounts of alcohol every weekend. There are a lot of benefits that come from being sober, and I intend to keep enjoying those benefits.
No more shortcuts.