I have a note I keep in my car, just in case I am hit with a craving if I'm out and about... say, if "happy hour" suddenly sounds like the best way to end my day at work. Or if I'm out for food and see folks gathered 'round tables littered with empty pint and wine glasses, laughing, and suddenly my carry-out order and quiet apartment are no longer appealing. Or if I find myself behind that guy at the supermarket who has a couple of craft beer six packs in his cart, and I wonder what party he is going to--is there a game on? Are they cooking out? Will there be a campfire?
When I arrive at that "choice point" that every craving brings, my note reminds me to consider: will this action take me towards my goals, or away? Am I willing to sacrifice long-term happiness and health for the short-term relief of drinking, of giving into that craving?
I read this note, and (usually) remember just how short that relief is, and just how long the consequences from choosing that relief can be. Have been. Are.
That relief from those first few sips actually is mere seconds. One. Two. Three.
Fleeting.
Those consequences? They are the stuff of regret. Shame. Guilt. Some of them have lasted years. Some of them are irredeemable. None of them are fleeting.
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