Why do we drink?

[mycall]

Supposing you were asked to explain to a bunch of aliens why you drank alcohol

Imagine you had to 'sell' alcohol to a group of abstainers

What would you say?

[Kradle123]

Why do we drink?

Wonderful excercise, MyCall!

I would ask the aliens to imagine themselves lying down on the grownd and then allowing a body length sheet of plywood to be placed gently over their prone selves. Comfy?

Then I would ask them to allow people, any people, strangers, friends or family to place medium to large stones up and down the plywood sheet until there fragile bodies were covered, only their head poking up and out.
Now ask yourself...do you feel comfy....or do you feel crushed. My guess is crushed especially as more and more stones accumulate along your plywood shroud...so to speak. Must be getting hard to breath underneath all those rocks...

Now imagine a magic elixir, a liquid antidote which will lift stone after stone after stone from your now aching and crushed body.. You can actually feel yourself breathing again; your body gets lighter; your incredibly grateful that someone gave you this wonderful medicine, this magic potion...its just..magic.
But like all medicine it will probably not taste to good at first. However when you have experienced the profound relief from the crushing stones, it seems a tiny price to pay. And after awhile, you actually enjoy the taste and of course,the benefits...you can even mix and match your antidote as you get more experienced in its use. You can trade stone stories with your friends. You can get instant stone and rock removal no matter how many stones pile up on your plywood. Have a particularly large stone lying on top of your lungs? Just drink a slightly larger measure and voila! That stone seems to vanish in a blink...
My Heavens, what's not to love! :h

That's really all I could tell them because if I went on to explain that eventually the medicine doesn't work anymore and they will still be lying here underneath all those stones rotting and aching and probably eventually being crushed to death...well, think it would be a very hard sell...
:l

[mycall]

Why do we drink?

What an amazing answer!! You almost re-sold it to me, until I read your final sentence!

I think I would say that once you'd got over the foul taste of the liquid, you could look forward to hours of feeling zoned out - completely detatched from your environment.

You would over consume all manner of food (that you don't need) because your 'off' button no longer works.

You would be able to text / tweet / fb message all kinds of drivvle to people you will have to face the next day (once the effects of the liquid had worn off)

You'd be able to avoid answering your phone - because you wouldn't want the caller to know you're inebriated at 7pm

You would find yourself waking up at 3 in the morning wondering how you got to bed, and whether you remembered to remove clothes, shoes, turn out the lights, lock the door etc

And best of all, you would enable yourself to feel as though you are a weak, pathetic, spineless loser with no self-control

Don't think I'dcut it in sales

[YouKayBee]

Why do we drink?

This elixir will make you think you can climb mountains, give you the courage to get the woman of your dreams, feeling tired at the end of the day - here's a boost that will take your tiredness and aches away.

[available]

Why do we drink?

Alcohol makes you feel invincible, smart, sexy, happy, talkative, intelligent. The more you drink the more life seems hard, the sadder you feel, the unworthiness, the unhappiness, the why am i drinking. I am drinking to feel happy but its not working. The more you drink the unhappier you feel. The next day you will feel like shit, have the shakes, a rotten headache, pains, sore gums, ugly until you have another glass and then you start to feel wonderful again and happy and thus the cycle begins again.

I dont think I could sell AL to aliens either.

[199days]

Why do we drink?

Brainwashing from an early age is why I drank.

Sell it to abstainers , cannot think of anything positive to market it with, sorry

[mycall]

Why do we drink?

I read Jason Vale's book 'The easy way to kick drinking' or something like that. For every reason we say we can't quit drinking - he has a response. I agree to a point, but think we can talk ourselves into believing we are somehow gaining benefit from consuming

For example, one of the ways I kid myself that I need alcohol is to say it helps me relax. I have a rough situation going on atm, with husband dealing with end stage prostate cancer. Although I know alcohol will always make me feel worse later/tomorrow/in the long term - I can't seem to shake the idea that it gives me some temporary relief from a crappy situation.

Well. I suppose if you can call becoming so numb and senseless that my brain stops functioning, then I guess this is correct. I DO get some time out - but have a very, very hefty price to pay.

Why do I continue to trick myself with this evil 'Fool's gold' when I know it gives me nothing really?

Like I say, sales is probably not my forte

[available]

Why do we drink?

Mycall sorry to hear about your husband and yes I can fully understand why AL looks appealing but try and be strong, you are totally correct that it gives us satisfaction at the time but nothing but it does not give you self worth in the long run.

My thoughts are with you at this time

[mycall]

Why do we drink?

Thank you Available.

I really do know that booze makes things worse rather than better.

Can't believe I let myself think that there is any benefit in drinking at all. I'm a fairly intelligent woman who, in every other sense, takes good care of herself.

The reason I posted the question was to try to highlight to myself that there is NOTHING beneficial to be had by consuming alcohol. We all know the truth - but somehow can't just jack it in.

I was behind a woman in the newsagents yesterday, and she spent ?66 pounds on ten packs of cigs. My eyes popped out of my head (not being a smoker - didn't know they cost so much!) and I thought 'she must be mad to spend so much money on something so harmful'. Then I had to do a little double take when I remembered my weekly wine bill - what a hypocrite!

I think I should post on here more often - being strong is much easier when you do it with other people, I'm guessing

[Sunbeam]

Why do we drink?

My life is better without alcohol, that sums it up for me. I am happier, more productive, my health is better, I have better relationships. There is nothing to sell. I would close the door in that salesperson's face, it is a scam.

[satz123]

Why do we drink?

mycall;1551475 wrote: I read Jason Vale's book 'The easy way to kick drinking' or something like that. For every reason we say we can't quit drinking - he has a response. I agree to a point, but think we can talk ourselves into believing we are somehow gaining benefit from consuming

For example, one of the ways I kid myself that I need alcohol is to say it helps me relax. I have a rough situation going on atm, with husband dealing with end stage prostate cancer. Although I know alcohol will always make me feel worse later/tomorrow/in the long term - I can't seem to shake the idea that it gives me some temporary relief from a crappy situation.

Well. I suppose if you can call becoming so numb and senseless that my brain stops functioning, then I guess this is correct. I DO get some time out - but have a very, very hefty price to pay.

Why do I continue to trick myself with this evil 'Fool's gold' when I know it gives me nothing really?

Like I say, sales is probably not my forte

All of the above
Very honest answer MC

[available]

Why do we drink?

Well at the time it is great, i know that, not sure why it is great but i suppose because it has been a part of my life for so long, its like a friend but more like a worst enemy. Rationally my kids are great and AL is not. Its a habit also for me. I get home from work, feed the dogs and have a wine or bottle or two and wake up feeling atrocious. I dont miss that even if it is early days.

I smoke so between wine and smokes i was spending a fortune. My next effort is to give up the fags, i did that for five weeks so it also can be done.

If i feel like a wine now and cant distract myself I come and look and post on here, so much words of wisdom with everyone being or have been in the same situation. if i slip up I am not judged a failure but encouraged to think why i slipped up and to get back onto AF days. I find on here i am AF more than if i dont visit MWO. I have people who understand my struggles with getting through the day and such wonderful advice.

[satz123]

Why do we drink?

Sunbeam;1551503 wrote: My life is better without alcohol, that sums it up for me. I am happier, more productive, my health is better, I have better relationships. There is nothing to sell. I would close the door in that salesperson's face, it is a scam.

Let's turn it 'round Sun ?- how would you sell NOT drinking alcohol to someone?

[satz123]

Why do we drink?

available;1551507 wrote: Well at the time it is great, i know that, not sure why it is great but i suppose because it has been a part of my life for so long, its like a friend but more like a worst enemy. Rationally my kids are great and AL is not. Its a habit also for me. I get home from work, feed the dogs and have a wine or bottle or two and wake up feeling atrocious. I dont miss that even if it is early days.

.

That was me ! Substitute 'dogs' for 'husband'
Didn't think I could get out of that habit & be content.
Posting & reading on MWO daily taught me I could - and I have :yay:

[mycall]

Why do we drink?

satz123;1551510 wrote: Let's turn it 'round Sun ?- how would you sell NOT drinking alcohol to someone?

But that is my exact point - we have so many answers to the question 'Why should we not drink' but what about the voice that creeps up on us at some point during the day which persuades us that we should?
What is that voice telling us? How does it manage to see us scuttling down to the shop to get a bottle of wine, even though we swore off it when we woke up (well, for me that is - anyway)

Sorry - on a mission to try and understand my deluded, alcohol soaked brain