February 3, 2004
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Top Ten Fundamentals
What are the fundamental concepts for living sensibly with alcohol?
First, the ABCs:
- Abstinence: In daily increments or long-term.
- Balance: Moderate life habits, including drinking and thinking about drinking.
- Consciousness: Awareness, planning, and harm reduction.
Bose’s Top Ten Concepts:
- Alcohol: Barely a spirit, not a demon.
- Problem: Drinking? Solution: Drink less.
- Charting and reducing harm: A place to start.
- Stage the change: Skip boot camp, don’t wait for New Years.
- Skillpower beats willpower.
- Denial happens, but ambivalence is the issue, and motivation is the answer.
- Abstinence: An essential discipline, not the only discipline.
- Chips are good, but blips are normal, and the trend trumps both.
- Harm reduction: Small steps matter.
- Good alcohol care is good medical care.
An Intriguing Journey, Not a Destination.
It is tempting to look for blacks and whites — obvious problems and pure, permanent solutions — but living sensibly with alcohol tends to be a journey. It has much more to do with living fully while appreciating our crazy, quirky lives than it does with the specific role played by drinking or any other single issue.
Experiences with alcohol often shift from one season of life to the next. Choices that made sense and brought us joy (or hardship) in an old season give way to reshaped personal truths, new choices, and fresh joy (as well as challenges) in the new season.
Good answers, and good health, come from being fully engaged in living sensibly, living well.
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