Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Do You Drown Your Sorrows in Alcohol...?

Once – a shipmate was feeling miserable because his girlfriend had dumped him.

“Come on  have a drink – it will make you feel better...” someone said.

When another officer was passed over for promotion and was feeling dejected – he was given the same advice: “Have a drink – it will help raise your spirits...” 

A course-mate was in a bad mood after an altercation with his boss. 

He was given the same advice: “Come on  have a drink – it will cheer you up...” 

If you are feeling depressed – or – you are in a bad mood – or you are feeling stressed out – some well-wishers will advise you to drown your sorrows in alcohol.  

Is this a wise thing to do...? 

Is alcohol the panacea – a cure-all” – for all emotional ills...? 

Is alcohol the stress management elixir...? 

Does alcohol help you escape from your problems...?

I remember a saying:

Intoxication isnt an escape  it just pushes problems further away 

If you think that drowning your sorrows in alcohol is a good idea – here is some “food for thought  an article I had written many years ago in my series on “The Art of Drinking Alcohol...


BOOZE WISDOM
NEVER DRINK WHEN YOU “NEED” A DRINK
Golden Rule of Drinking Alcohol
By
VIKRAM KARVE

The Navy taught me many things. 

One of the things I learnt in the Navy was how to drink alcohol. 

Yes – I am a veteran “drunkard” 

(Sadly – I gave up alcohol 15 years ago) 

However – I have rich domain experience in the field – which I must share for the benefit of budding alcoholics.  

So – let me delve into my “Alcoholic Archives – and  share with you – some of my “Boozy Wisdom – from my select writings on How to Drink Alcohol”...

Cheers – Enjoy !!! 

NEVER DRINK WHEN YOU “NEED” A DRINK


People who drink to drown their sorrow should be told that sorrow knows how to swim

~ Ann Landers
 

One evening 
 a friend of mine landed up at my place  and he said, “I have had a really terrible day at work. I need a drink.”

“I will get you a cup of tea,” I said.

“Tea…?” he exclaimed astounded, “haven’t you got some whiskey or something? I told you I am feeling terrible – everything went wrong today – I desperately need a drink…”

“I know you are dying for a drink – you are craving, yearning, thirsting for that “soothing” sip of alcohol. That is why you must not drink now. You must never drink when you need a drink,” I said.    

My friend pleaded  but I did not budge.

I gave him a cup of tea  which he drank with great reluctance.

Then  he walked off in a huff  calling me all sorts of names – he said that I was a miser  a “good for nothing” friend – an “unofficerlike” officer  but I knew I that had done the right thing.

Yes – I had done the right thing – I did not give him a drink when he needed a drink.

Because – that is my first golden rule of drinking alcohol – or – if you like – let’s call it Booze Wisdom...

DON’T DRINK WHEN YOU “NEED A DRINK
 
Yes  dont drink when you desperately want to have a drink. 
 
Do not touch a drop of alcohol when your mind or body craves for alcohol.

Sounds funny isn’t it...?

Let me try to elucidate.

Never drink when you need a drink.

Do not drink when you are feeling any negative emotion like despondency, sadness, anger, irritation, envy, unhappiness, frustration, emotional pain, bad moods, down in the dumps feeling, or any negative vibes.

Never touch the bottle when you are in negative mood – otherwise  the bottle will “unbottle” you.

Remember –  if you drink alcohol in these circumstance the bottle will “unbottle” your dormant repressed inner feelings  and  release your pent up negative emotions – and  make you feel even more miserable  and  spoil the mood of all those around you.

Let me tell you something I have observed in real life.

If you want to know the true character of a man  just get him drunk  and  what is hidden inside him will come out  and his true inner self will be revealed.

(Maybe – the same applies to women as well – but I did not have the opportunity to observe women getting drunk – so I cannot vouch for it)

Alcohol opens you up

That’s what alcohol does  isn’t it...?

Alcohol reduces inhibitions  makes you more talkative, more expansive and more expressive  loosens you up  and helps release, bring out and amplify your inner emotions, talents, passions, sentiments.

That is why some persons become more creative after imbibing a drink or two  since alcohol unleashes your inhibitions  and releases the music, the poetry, the creativity hidden within you. 
 
If you are happy inside  after a few drinks you will start physically expressing your happiness – maybe in a boisterous manner  and outwardly  by laughing, cheer and bonhomie. 

Alcohol will dissolve your inhibitions – you will become more expressive, talkative and friendly.
 
Once you drink when you are in high spirits  you may even articulate your secret unexpressed love – you become amorous and romantic  you try to realize your hidden desires – and you will reveal without compunctions  all your inner secrets – which otherwise you would never disclose when sober.  

But  the converse is also true.

By reducing inhibitions  alcohol may bring out the worst in you  by facilitating the release of pent up negative emotions like anger, envy, dejection, despondency, frustration  and these unleashed amplified negative emotions may result in undesirable, unpleasant and even disastrous consequences.

Have you noticed how some people get violent, argumentative, rude or even melancholic, moody, sullen, depressed, unsociable, unpleasant after a few drinks...?

Dear Reader  in my opinion  the best thing is to be a teetotaller – and avoid drinking alcohol altogether.

But  if you must have a drink please do make sure that you are feeling positive vibes and are peaceful and happy inside  and  never drink when you desperately “need” that drink

Yes  Do Not Drink Alcohol when you are feeling depressed or low or angry or have negative emotions.

Remember this Golden Rule:

If you must drink alcohol  always drink when you are happy – you must enjoy your drinking when you are in good cheer and full of positive vibes

So – this is my first golden rule of drinking alcohol: 

NEVER DRINK WHEN YOU NEED A DRINK 

If you must drink alcohol  remember the corollary to the above dictum:

It is okay to have a drink when you don’t need that drink

But – Don’t Drink when you “Need a Drink.

Cheers ... !!! 

VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
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© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:
1. This is based on my personal experience. It may or may not work for you. So please do due diligence before trying out this technique.
2. All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:
No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved)

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