Taking beer as an example, the first couple of days were hard, but last night, day 12, was pretty easy. I'm not going completely cold turkey, but I'm not getting much of a buzz any more when I do drink and most days I skip it completely. I've yet to find myself regretting it.
I don't know about you, but you could set a watch by my temptations. At about 4:45 PM, I'm usually craving a beer. If I take a pass, by 6:00 PM, the craving is gone. I never find myself wanting to start drinking at 7 or 8. By then, I'm enjoying whatever it is my wife and I are doing that night. Beer was always the transition from the work day to the evening at home. It turns out that transition happens on its own without any help from me.
Whatever comes of this prayer and fasting and whether or not I keep up with my abstinence for the rest of my life, the act of changing my behaviors has been very educational. It's probably a good idea to switch things up dramatically in your habits once in a while just to see what happens.
This might be one of the weirdest videos I've ever seen. How many intoxicants did it take to come up with this one? I love it! Appropriate music and you can never go wrong with Scooby Doo.
7 comments:
That's remarkably similar to what I was thinking when I read your earlier post: none of the vices you listed actually sounded all that much fun. In fact, in general it seems to me that most of the "popular" vices either aren't very much fun from the start, or only really appeal in moderation and just get kind of repulsive when one overdoes them.
So, do most people really enjoy their vices much, or are they just more like pernicious habits?
B-b-b-but beer is good for you!
^ No one has to "develop a taste for" chocolate.
Tim, I think it's the contest between pleasure and happiness. Pleasure, as Matthew Kelly says, lasts only as long as the event which creates it. Happiness lasts long afterwards. Both are feel good, but I think you would find that most sins fall in the "pleasure done improperly" category. As for enjoying your vices, what this little experiment has taught me is that you certainly think you do, while you're in their grips. Once that's been broken, you may find they're not as wonderful as you thought.
ligneus, I'm still a craft beer fan, but once or twice a week is a lot better than ever single night and two beers is better than four no matter what.
KT, Yes I go along with that. Related, I used to go to a regular dinner party, about ten people, most [maybe all?] would have 'seconds', I didn't, it's difficult to explain how you think when you've eaten, it spoils it to take more. Then I noticed Iabel the hostess would put extra on my plate to start with! I didn't mind, it's still not the same as finishing what's on the plate and then taking more.
PS. Our Isabel died last week, 2 months short of 96.
I used to wish there really was a thing such as the "synthahol" from Star Trek. I actually like the TASTE of various alcoholic beverages (such as a nice IPA, or a good single malt scotch. Or even a Manhattan...) but I really do NOT like the effects of alcohol.
Actually, I still wish we had Star Trek's "synthahol"...
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