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The Shame or Stigma Attached to Quitting Boozing – Why?

by | Stop Drinking Alcohol | 6 comments

Why is there such a shame and stigma attached to quitting drinking alcohol?

For me, it’s just is a sort of reverse hypocrisy that society puts on us, right?

To cover up their problems.

You know, this is a drug that people are taking regularly, that society is behind 100%, right?

Maybe not 100% – but is well way behind anyway – you know?

That we’re encouraged to do every celebration; every time we can in the evenings for entertainment, to enjoy with our meals, to go and have fun with, to party with.

All this kind of stuff you know?

We’re encouraged to drink alcohol.

And yet it is a drug that kills three and a half million people every day.

25% of all our young people that die – 25% of everyone that dies between 21 or 20 and 39 – die because of alcohol.

All those people that die!

Two hundred conditions are caused by alcohol.

So imagine how much this is costing the government.

Each and every one of our governments.

Two hundred different medical conditions, are caused by this.

You know when three and a half million people die every year – this is not just people dropping dead.

This is after they’ve gone through a lot of agony and disease.

A lot of hospitalisation, a lot of medication.

And then they die.

So, why is there a stigma to stopping doing this thing?

Why is there shame attached to stopping doing this thing?

Does it not seem absolutely ludicrous?

Anyone who quits drinking, is refusing to fund these massive corporations who are there, who are pumping out this stuff, purely to make money.

Purely to make, not a living, but to make a fucking fortune.

These companies make a fortune.

These companies are so strong that they direct governments.

That they direct legislation.

That they call for legislation to be put in or to be banned.

And it’s done, you know?

This is just, anyone who stops drinking is in effect taking a stand against that kind of thinking.

Against a society who that thinks it’s okay, to live like that.

Some of the arguments that I’ve heard when I quit drinking were:

“one won’t kill you.”

And you’re right. One won’t kill you.

One drop of whisky won’t kill you. One glass of wine, won’t kill you. One Beer won’t kill you.

But an accumulation will certainly kill you and that’s what is happening throughout this world.

An accumulation of people, drinking an accumulation of alcohol, over and over again.

One glass after another.

Another argument is – “well, life is there to be enjoyed”.

And yes, you’re right about that too.

And I tell you one thing.

I’m certainly enjoying my life now that I don’t drink anymore.

You know, when I was stuck in that delusion.

Believing that bullshit, that you could only enjoy yourself with a drink in your life.

When I was stuck believing that shite.

I thought I was enjoying myself.

But then once you get out of it.

You take the blue pill and you can’t go back.

Then you realise how much of life was passing you by.

How much of life you actually enjoyed, which was a very small part of this.

You know the guy might say to you, you might look at somebody when they’re in the midst of this right.

And they’re drinking it down and they’re going – “oh, man you don’t know what you’re missing. Yeah! Just one drink man. Have a few. Have a bit of a buzz, you know?

I say “yeah, I’m alright man”, you know.

And I guarantee you.

He’s not fucking having a buzz when he wakes up in his bed, two o’clock in the morning.

It’s dark, all the drug has worn off him and he’s on his own.

And he’s thinking, what the fuck is this.

Nobody can convince me now, that drinking is good

Drinking is enjoyable.

Because I’ve been there.

I’ve woken up at two o’clock in the morning.

Shitting myself – thinking – “what the fuck is going on?”

My body rejecting, everything with my body coming down off the alcohol.

And all I feel then is not entertainment, it’s not funny, it’s not happy, it’s pain and regret.

Sadness, more than anything.

Amazing, uh?

I feel sorry for people that are doing that now.

It’s just, unbelievable.

You know, there is a consequence to everything and there are big consequences to treating your body like a rubbish dump.

And I’m doing everything in my power now to prevent that happing to myself and to try and educate as many people as I can to stop doing that to themselves.

Because this is not where life is.

Life is enjoying life, because you have life

Not trying to hide, not thinking that you need a drug to get on in life.

You don’t need a drug to get on in life.

Life is there on its own merits.

Life is good on its own merits.

Nobody can convince me anymore that there is any value, any fun to be had while drinking alcohol, because after the alcohol has been drunk the consequences have to be paid for.

Two and three day fucking hangovers are not nice and they’re definitely not worth what you put your body through.

They’re definitely not worth that little bit of buzz you get from alcohol.

Anybody that says that to me now I say “fuck off! and come back to me when you’ve stopped deluding yourself.”

And that’s what I’ve got to say about people who think that there’s any shame or any stigma that should be attached to stopping drinking alcohol.

There is no shame.

There’s a shame in going through life, killing your body with a fucking toxin and thinking that it’s alright.

Teaching your children to do that.

There’s a shame and a stigma in that.

There’s a shame and a stigma, when we’ve got teachers in our Schools, Judges, Policemen, these are all people who are there to protect us, to heal us, to teach us and they’re all taking this drug.

And they can’t tell you any differently because they’d be hypocrites.

They can’t say to you, well you shouldn’t be taking this drug, if they’re taking it themselves.

When we’re surrounded by it, when there’s so much advertising, so many pubs around the place, so many places that are just chock-a-block with this stuff.

That’s the real place where the shame and the stigma should be.

But it’s not going to be there.

You know we are slowly getting into this with cigarette smoking.

You know there’s starting to be a shame and a stigma attached to smoking.

Because, not only are you causing harm to yourself, you’re causing harm to other people.

But there’s a lot of harm being caused to other people from drinking alcohol, from having alcohol in our society.

I’d say it’s not just the people who do it to themselves, it’s the violence that’s perpetrated onto other people.

It’s the lessons that we’re teaching our children – that it’s okay to drink alcohol.

To take this fucking drug. This killer drug.

Sorry if I am ranting on at this one. I’ll stop it there.

I’m just, the whole point of this video is that you – as a person who is quitting alcohol – should not feel any shame or stigma.

You should hold your head up high and go “this is my choice, this is my decision and I’m treating myself better.”

“I’m treating myself as you should be treating yourself.”

“I’m no longer – I refuse to put this alcohol, this toxin into my body anymore.”

“I refuse to play a part in this.”

“I refuse to play a part in a culture that is doing that, you know?”

Anyway – look – rant, rant, rant!

“I knew I was an alcoholic by the way I felt sober”

Until next time…
Take Care
Onwards and Upwards!

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6 Comments

  1. Ed Gala

    Good one. Well said. Ed

    Reply
  2. Geraldine

    Kevin,
    One of your best rants to date. Please keep up the good work. I just wish you could make a documentary series for TV.
    One day I hope that alcohol will be looked down on with the same distane as cigarettes.
    That is people who continue to drink will be in the minority.
    Thanks Kevin. You are doing so much good in the world.

    Reply
  3. Mick

    A great rant, passion is a good thing. Perhaps you should start a line in Anti alcohol T shirts ha ha

    Ideas;

    Upwards and onwards

    Keep the alcohol out your mouth

    T-Total and proud

    Pissed up people are so fucking boring

    I am just starting to feel comfortable telling people I don’t drink, I find it slightly annoying/insulting that people think I must be fighting a craving and try and get some pleasure out of tempting me with booze.

    I have tried to be polite and not say too much, but I am now 100% sure I will never drink or want an alcoholic drink again. This freedom is fantastic, beyond words, better than any drug. I am alcohol free and proud. That is my new mantra. After watching your video I think that will become my answer when I get the “what you don’t drink” My response will be I don’t do any type of drugs Alcohol free and proud, tapping a clench fist on my chest as I say “Alcohol free and proud”! Fuck em ha ha

    Reply
    • Kevin O'Hara

      Agreed. There are a lot of strange people out there Mick 🙂

      Reply
  4. Mukta

    Well-said and I couldn’t agree more. My husband and I quit drinking 11 and 12years ago, respectively. What a gift this has been! Goodbye to hangovers forever! We raise our daughters in an alcohol free environment and watch our well-adjusted, happy children grow alongside their less fortunate peers who are being raised by chronically intoxicated, irresponsible, unhealthy parents. What a shame! Meanwhile, we’re fairly ostracized in our community by these fellow parents due to our life-giving, healthy choice not to drink. What a farce! Really all that we’re being ostracized from is their unhealthy, vapid, destructive drinking culture. Meanwhile, we exercise, eat healthfully, perform our duties, and attend to our children with love, awareness and presence of mind. The security, peace and joy that our family experiences is it’s own reward. Not to mention that we look at least a decade younger than our alcohol guzzling peers. Alcohol is a cruel joke. We refuse to let our children be brainwashed into thinking that alcohol is ever “the answer” when it’s entirely the opposite. Thank you for your mission to get this message across – Right On!

    Reply
  5. Don

    Loved the video on stigma.
    My wife takes a glass of wine once and awhile so we have drinking friends.
    They don’t give me that hard of a time because I’ve been off it for 35 years.
    But there’s still that bs stigma.
    I really don’t enjoy drinking functions.
    New friends asked us to go out for dinner, they don’t know I don’t drink. I’m petrified of the non drinker image.
    Are they going to think, man this guy must have a problem, what’s his story. Scary feeling.
    Anyway enough ranting.
    Keep up the good work
    Marketman

    Reply

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