the asparagus test

Sometimes it’s hard for us to know when something that used to be a harmless habit is sliding gradually into the area of becoming a real problem. This simple test from Caroline Knapp’s book Drinking, A Love Story, can help you decide if you need to take action and change a few things.

She tells the story of a chef friend of hers who discovered that she was alcoholic this way.

Every morning she’d get up and get ready for work, and one day she was in the shower doing your basic shower-related things, and the entire time she was thinking about the first drink she’d have that night. Would it be bourbon, or maybe some wine, or what about a beer…beer is good…do we have enough wine for tonight, or do I have to buy some more, because we don’t want to run out, GOD that would be terrible…and maybe beer, I should pick up some more beer, too, and…

and so on.

And suddenly she realized that this was how she spent her days. All day. Every day. And it had seemed so, so normal to her.

She thought “if I replace the alcohol names with “asparagus” instead, does it sound a bit crazy?”

Every morning she’d get up and get ready for work, and one day she was in the shower doing your basic shower-related things, and the entire time she was thinking about the first asparagus spear she’d have that night. Would it be white asparagus, or maybe some green asparagus, or what about peeled asparagus…peeled asparagus is good…do we have enough green asparagus for tonight, or do I have to buy some more, because we don’t want to run out, GOD that would be terrible…and maybe peeled asparagus, I should pick up some more peeled asparagus, too, and…

Yes, it sounds a bit crazy. This is your red flag, your indication that it’s probably high time you did something about that seemingly-harmless little habit. That is, of course, the first step of an important journey, and this blog and others can help you find out resources that will support you in your quest.

If you have a habit, be it chemical, physical, mental or digital, take the asparagus test and see how the change in perspective makes you feel and think about the issue. As always, if you blog it do keep a thought for your privacy when you post.

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