Why did you quit drinking? – @robin_ahn
Alcohol was great for reducing inhibitions so I could be more comfortable, for instance, on a date. There’s no question that is a positive on alcohol. But then, as I continued drinking within my dating process I realized that bad things were happening. Very bad things. Here are some of the negatives:
SICK. I was getting sick more often. Including the flu.
I was getting less sleep. Probably for two reasons: Drinking alcohol happens at night so that’s one strike against sleep. Also, alcohol has lots of sugar so I’d fall asleep and then pop awake at 3 in the morning and wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep. Even one glass of wine does that to me.
I was gaining weight. For my entire life I was my college weight. And suddenly… I was 15 pounds more! This was after a three month period of drinking every night. I had a gut! So I had to stop.
I was becoming a love addict. I wouldn’t always understand the emotional cues of the people around me, a skill I always thought I was good at. I think alcohol was making me put attributes on people that they didn’t have but that I wanted them to have. One addiction leads to another. And “love” is a painful addiction to have.
So I stopped. And that cleared the way for many good things to happen in my life.
These days I find that I can simulate the effect of alcohol by slightly slurring my words when I need those reduced inhibitions. That hypnotizes my body into thinking it is drinking. I mention this in “11 Unusual Ways to Be a Better Public Speaker” http://bit.ly/jFlvrL.