Enslaved

Chapter 152

A person enslaved to their urges is not free—whether they are a plumber or the president.  - Holiday

This is an apparent truth especially in a world where 200,000 people a year in the USA are killing themselves, intentionally or unintentionally, with opioids. Millions more are headed that direction. Your position, wealth, gender, skin color, vocation nor age makes a bit of difference when you are addicted to anything. Your urges that are not fully controlled, will control you instead. No matter what is driving these urges, good or bad, will lessen the impact this has on your freedom to choose.

This applies pretty much across the board I think. There is much being written for example, on the sober curious movement. Aimed at those who are exhausted from the impact that their too frequent drinking sessions are having on their lives, they are deciding en mass to experiment with staying sober or alcohol free all the time. I myself have not had a drink in 190 days, which has been great in almost every single way . . . but I am still astonished at the pull to drink again in certain situations, has on me.

We were just out for a late dinner with my daughter and son-in-law at a local pub two nights ago, and it was horrible, how badly I wanted to order a beer and have a drink. Its the idea of drinking that has so much pull. While I have pulled a 6 month stint at not drinking anything alcoholic, I haven’t yet discovered the next level of success - not having those urges at all.