Who is this article for?
Heavy drinkers who want to cut down on their drinking.
How
By becoming more aware of how drunkenness looks, especially from when you're sober. Also by getting photo or video evidence of the affects of alcohol on you.
Why
Because drunkenness looks much worse when you see it sober than when you're drinking
Drunkenness doesn’t seem so bad when you’re drunk. It’s just part of life and perhaps everything is funnier and more acceptable when you’re drunk. I was repeatedly drunk for 25 years of my life but it wasn’t until I was sober that I realise how bad drunkenness can make you look.
I remember on one of my first nights out as a moderate drinker, seeing people’s eyes red up, hearing their speech slow down and finding their fumbling speech more annoying as they became more repetitive. I was surprised at how ‘destructive’ drinking could be. Since then I’ve seen it on numerous occasions and when people get very drunk, it really doesn’t look good. But when I was drinking heavily, I simply didn’t see these things in the same way.
Here are some videos from YouTube on drunk people. I hope you’re sober!
These videos are not for laughing at, though I admit I did laugh out loud a few times. These videos are a lesson. If you wake-up and can’t remember what happened the night before, have hangovers often and regularly get drunk. You’ve probably done something similar many times over. When you’re drunk though, it just seems like a laugh! It’s only when you’re sober that you realise how badly people might be perceiving you.
Possible Method to increase your motivation to drink less.
Research has found that ‘Before’ (and after) photos work better for people on diets or trying to gain muscle than just written diaries or goals. Researchers believe that a photograph is more graphic and makes the problem look worse than if it was just in writing.
I believe that photographs and videos could work just as well for people who get drunk often. The ideal times would be when the person is very drunk or hung-over as these are the times that alcohol has its biggest impact but the drinker is least aware of the affect. Video would be great as you’ll be able to see how alcohol affects your movement and speech.
Ideally, the photos and videos should be seen daily and especially when you start drinking.
This is just an idea. It’s not proven but I can remember waking up without knowing what happened the night before and being drunk on a regular bases, but I didn’t fully realise how bad my behaviour was or whether I just made excuses. Also my sober self didn’t have the direct evidence on the effects of alcohol on me, perhaps photos and videos can provide that evidence.
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
Quick update
Mostly Successful
I haven’t posted for more than three month but being a ‘moderate drinker’ has largely been successful.
Going Backwards
I went backwards a couple of times. I got drunk a couple of times over the Christmas period but in general I drank much less than I normally did at Christmas.
The biggest step backwards was in January, when I went to Taiwan for two weeks. I used to live in Taiwan and it was great catching up with everyone. Unfortunately, I drank like my old-self, perhaps with a tiny bit more restraint. I got really drunk a couple of times and I was sick the after day on one of those occasions.
Still, it was self-contained to those two weeks in January. Since coming back, I'm back to being a moderate drinker. Stopping after one or two glasses of wine and I’m currently not drinking for the whole of March.
What went wrong in Taiwan?
I was going out a lot and drinking in very social situations. In Taiwan, a lot of the time, I was drinking whilst eating, but drinking a lot. There was a big variety in places and also in people I was drinking with. The main thing that went wrong was that I wasn’t saying ‘no’ to a drink. Another thing, I didn’t take a bottle of water with me, when I went out.
What I need to work on.
I definitely need to say ‘NO’ more often and perhaps have a rule to always start off with a soft drink.
In Europe, to get used to drinking 'non-alcoholic’ beer. One of the problems I have with this is that it’s usually the same price as ‘beer’. I need to get over this and see that a ‘non-alcoholic’ beer is a way of being with the ‘crowd’ and being healthy.
What I’m doing now.
Currently, I’m taking a month off from drinking for the whole of March. Whilst, I don’t think ‘abstaining’ helps much with being a moderate drinker, there is one thing that you must do in social situations and that is say ‘No’. Last weekend and this weekend, I get the chance to say ‘no’ to a drink.
I haven’t posted for more than three month but being a ‘moderate drinker’ has largely been successful.
Going Backwards
I went backwards a couple of times. I got drunk a couple of times over the Christmas period but in general I drank much less than I normally did at Christmas.
The biggest step backwards was in January, when I went to Taiwan for two weeks. I used to live in Taiwan and it was great catching up with everyone. Unfortunately, I drank like my old-self, perhaps with a tiny bit more restraint. I got really drunk a couple of times and I was sick the after day on one of those occasions.
Still, it was self-contained to those two weeks in January. Since coming back, I'm back to being a moderate drinker. Stopping after one or two glasses of wine and I’m currently not drinking for the whole of March.
What went wrong in Taiwan?
I was going out a lot and drinking in very social situations. In Taiwan, a lot of the time, I was drinking whilst eating, but drinking a lot. There was a big variety in places and also in people I was drinking with. The main thing that went wrong was that I wasn’t saying ‘no’ to a drink. Another thing, I didn’t take a bottle of water with me, when I went out.
What I need to work on.
I definitely need to say ‘NO’ more often and perhaps have a rule to always start off with a soft drink.
In Europe, to get used to drinking 'non-alcoholic’ beer. One of the problems I have with this is that it’s usually the same price as ‘beer’. I need to get over this and see that a ‘non-alcoholic’ beer is a way of being with the ‘crowd’ and being healthy.
What I’m doing now.
Currently, I’m taking a month off from drinking for the whole of March. Whilst, I don’t think ‘abstaining’ helps much with being a moderate drinker, there is one thing that you must do in social situations and that is say ‘No’. Last weekend and this weekend, I get the chance to say ‘no’ to a drink.
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