Sometimes I wonder if people who happens to be weak minded tend to get addicted to anything. Be it food or alcohol.
I drink vodka few times per year. Wine few times per month, specially with food (a glass). Beer maybe a few times during summer with friends.
People say I look 15 years younger. I think it’s because I drink alcohol rarely. Also don’t smoke.
I don't think "weak minded" would be the correct term, maybe "less conscious". I have recently been going further down the path to enlightenment. I have had some amazing opportunities to talk with people further down the path than myself, and I have had some amazing conversations and life reflecting experiences.
From what I can gather, consciousness is one of the most heavily studied subjects in the scientific community. It is our ultimate power, it is our connection to God, it is what separates humans from animals. That we can stop at any moment, reflect, become conscious of the present moment, and put our fears and struggles aside, is the most powerful thing a human can do. And some humans, for whatever reason, seem to be less able to do so. Others are much more able to do so. We can all practice and get better at it, if we choose to do so.
I never understood alcohol. I drank some in college, so I could loosen up, or not be so shy around others, especially women. In that way, it is a crutch, but it was a crutch I could use to learn how to socialize properly. Once I had it down, I weened myself off of it as soon as I could, and just went with the flow. Alcohol tastes nasty, it slows down your reactions and brain activity, it will make you feel sick the next day and wear down yoru immune system. Meditation and consciousness will bring you all the same benefits of alcohol without any of the negative side effects. As you get better at these two practices, it will bring you the same benefits in much larger droves. Alcohol will also damage the frontal cortex of the brain, causing you to become less able to be conscious, causing you to spiral further.
I pray for all of you fighting this battle. Know this much, it is a battle worth fighting, because life is so much more beautiful without a crutch to make you realize it.