Why is a wellness travel blog talking about the safety of alcohol? When I travelled in the past, I used to like having a drink on the plane. It was like a celebration… “Yay, I’m going somewhere.” Sounds great and good. But what if I’m actually doing myself a disservice by having a drink? My aim in writing this is to ask the question “Does alcohol serve me?”

Is alcohol really safe to drink in moderation? How true is that really?

Why is this psychoactive drug so prevalent in the world we live? Like a general anasthesia, it lowers people’s inhibitions, depresses the nervous system and damages tissue, yet it is perfectly legal and normal.

To me, this substance is a master of deception. It hides under its real name, “spirits“, which is why you see it often labeled as spirits. I used to drink it like it was the best calming fluid on earth. But it didn’t make me calm. Even though I looked entirely functional on the outside, I was losing my cool on the inside.

What is the origin of the word Alcohol?

According to etymonline.com “1540s (early 15c. as alcofol), “fine powder produced by sublimation,” from Medieval Latin alcohol“powdered ore of antimony,” from Arabic al-kuhul “kohl,” the fine metallic powder used to darken the eyelids, from kahala “to stain, paint.” The al- is the Arabic definite article, “the.” ”

“…the word alcohol was used for the first time to refer to what we know today as “pure alcohol”, the vapors that arise when distilling wine. This vapors were known as the “spirit” of the drink ( al-khol ).”5

“In alchemy, alcohol is used to extract the soul essence of an entity.“- Jason Christoff, writer and health enthusiast 4

Why is alcohol socially acceptable?

We’ve been passing it around for thousands of years like it is some form of liquid candy for adults. This may be closer to the truth, after all it does take a considerable amount of sugar to create alcohol.

In the movies and television we consume, alcohol is more often glamorized as a great time versus the depressive state that it really provides. As well, we have been mesmerized with advertisements which makes it look fun and exciting. We are conditioned to believe that it will give us a greater chance of being liked by our peers. The pressure to drink is especially big as a young person. (There’s a lot of good information here on this well researched document on Alcohol in the Media: Drinking Portrayals, Alcohol Advertising, and Alcohol Consumption Among Youth.) However, it can be felt in any social setting where there’s plenty of libations.

If that wasn’t enough, many advertisements on the web, television, magazines and billboards have subliminal messages, furthering our subconscious desire to want more. [Warning: The following video shows subliminal sex images in many things including alcohol.] We’ve been indoctrinated to believe that alcohol will increase our chances of having sex. I’ve heard some men call it “liquid panty remover”. The irony of this, is that over time, alcohol decreases libido.

Are there spiritual consequences to drinking alcohol?

“Although it is mass produced, mass promoted, legal, and ingested by a multitude of people all over the world, most people don’t ever consider or understand the spiritual consequences of drinking alcohol. ” – Zahrah Sita

From my own personal experiences with alcohol as both a witness and a user, the answer is “Yes”. I notice a distinct difference in a drinking persons “vibration”, versus a sober one. Having seen some of the worst and most violent behaviors from people drunk with alcohol, I can honestly say that it is NOT my friend.

Some questions to ask yourself…

Does alcohol serve me? Does it make me a better person? Does it make me healthier? Does alcohol make me smarter, more knowledgeable or kinder? Does alcohol bring my family together or does it tear it apart? Does it help any people or other families I know?

It’s asking the questions on the inside to decide if you feel there is a spiritual consequence. Only you know what is best for you.

Why would we knowingly drink a substance that causes harm to our bodies?

“The health risks associated with alcohol are massive. Our findings are consistent with other recent research, which found clear and convincing correlations between drinking and premature death, cancer and cardiovascular problems. Zero alcohol consumption minimizes the overall risk of health loss.” – Dr. Emmanuela Gakidou, senior author, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington

The quote above comes from an article from an article from Newsweek called “HOW MUCH ALCOHOL IS SAFE TO DRINK?: THERE IS NO HEALTHY AMOUNT, STUDY WARNS”.1

We know that alcohol effects the brain. However, it also affects every other organ in your body. Just as it adds fatty tissue to your liver, it also creates inflammation in other areas of the body. You can find out a lot more here as well.

There’ also the side of the weed killer known as “glyphosate”. This pesticide is a known carcinogen and found in the majority of beer and wine. You can watch a video on the dangers of this pesticide here.

For the most part, people do not knowingly cause harm to their bodies. As we get closer to 2020, there is an air of change regarding the value of alcohol and its effect on overall health. I am seeing more and more people wanting to talk about it, exchange ideas on whether its a good idea and perhaps taking time off for awhile. ”

I was on a recent Nomad Cruise and during this time I chose to stay away from alcohol. Believe me… this was a challenging task. Everyone was drinking and it was an all inclusive cruise. But somehow I knew I needed to be sober this time and I am glad of it.

Many celebrities and other personalities have come out about their own addictions. One in particular we lost not too long ago. Thankfully, he has left us with some humor and a stark reminder that we don’t have all the answers when it comes to alcohol and addiction or how much it may influence our decisions.

“As an alcoholic, you will violate your standards quicker than you can lower them.” – Robin Williams

Changing Habits and Finding Alternatives to Alcohol

For me, you could say that alcohol is like an ex-boyfriend. Sometimes I miss him, but I prefer not to spend time with him anymore. Getting off of alcohol was a big wake up call to getting well and improving my health and wellbeing. When I was living in Sedona, Arizona in 2014, I got my first “call” so to speak from the mountains, God/Great Spirit. I remember sitting in my living room, going through a very dark time, when all of the sudden I got this light beam of energy, that called me to leave alcohol alone. The light beam came with a soft voice and told me that I could let it go with time, patience and using alternatives like Kombucha.

I had already been green juicing for about 3 years at this time. I felt it was a good message for conscious transformation and that I should listen. It wasn’t easy and it didn’t happen all at once, but eventually I ended up leaving it – only to have it once every 6 months to now not having at all.

We have to train our subconscious mind to believe that we no longer need it. However, in order to truly change, we have to change our habits that drive us to the desire to want it. At first, I replaced with juice and sparkling water and also Kombucha. This was the easiest part of not drinking.

A Calling to Plant Medicine

Later in 2016, I went on an Ayahuasca retreat to get even clearer on this subject. (Writers Note: Not everyone needs to experience Ayahuasca in order to feel well. It is only for those that feel called to it that should attend a ceremony. It is deep medicine.) Ayahuasca can have deep healing effects for people with addictions, depression and even those already in recovery, which is why I include plant medicine retreats on my website as it has been a big healing journey for me as well.

It was in one of the Ayahuasca ceremonies that I got to see the faces of greed, glutony, fear, consumption, deception, self-loathing and how we are manipulated via media and substances. It was here that I remembered that “love is the answer”.

Feeling that vibe today really helps me. It was a very deep time and I struggled with seeing those images and how they affect me and the rest of the world. However, I realized that time was up. The planet needs us to act for it NOW and ingesting poisons is not the answer to bettering ourselves or the planet. It begins with me.

Cutting Consumption or Quitting Alcohol Altogether, The Choice is Yours

“If everyone cut their consumption in half, we could save one million lives globally. If you drink on Fridays and Saturdays, perhaps only drink on one of those days.” – Max Griswold, of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation

For some, it is more important to take one step at a time and for others, stopping drinking means today, right now. Whichever the case may be, the choice is always yours. And if you feel that somehow you don’t have a choice, then please take inventory and ask yourself if you can do something right NOW to change your behavior. You can play a video like this one.

ADDITION APRIL 20, 2020

By the way, alcohol and coronavirus do not mix well

As it is a respiratory illness, alcohol causes disruption in the lungs.

“This is critical for airflow and gas exchange, and prevents the inhalation of airborne infectious particles laden with bacteria, fungi and viruses. Failure of this system results in recurrent bronchitis, pneumonia and airway deformity in the form of bronchiectasis (Noone et al., 2004). A growing body of evidence points to alcohol as an important modifier of mucociliary clearance, which is the first line of defense for the lungs.”7

Coronavirus has brought us to back to earth and has reminded us why we love our earth the way we do. It has allowed us to pause for deep reflection. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak about your truth!

And the heart

Alcohol intake in relation to non-fatal and fatal coronary heart disease and stroke: EPIC-CVD case-cohort study

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5972779/

Do yourself a favor….

Make Your Next Travel Experience A Health Wellness Vacation

Althought not everyone is going to stay 100% clean on a wellness vacation, it is advisable just to give yourself that detox experience. It’s a good option to cut down at the very least and give yourself the opportunity for a conscious travel experience.

If you are feeling #sobercurious (love that hashtag), please follow some of these influencers! They are wonderful ladies!

Kashmira Gander, August 23, 2018, https://www.newsweek.com/how-much-alcohol-safe-drink-there-no-healthy-amount-study-warns-1088272 Joel Achenbach, August 23, 2018, “Safest level of alcohol consumption is none, worldwide study shows”, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/safest-level-of-alcohol-consumption-is-none-worldwide-study-shows/2018/08/23/823a6bec-a62d-11e8-8fac-12e98c13528d_story.html August 23, 2018, https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)31310-2/fulltext March 27, 2017, “The Spiritual Consequences of Alcohol Consumption”https://thecostaricanews.com/spiritual-consequences-alcohol-consumption/ December 15, 2013, Khol and alcohol, http://andalusactual.blogspot.com/2013/12/khol-y-alcohol.html Jamie Lassa, Times Staff Reporter|November 4, 2015, Alcohol addiction has widespread effects, https://matctimes360.com/2003520/news/alcohol-addiction-has-widespread-effects/ Alcohol and Airways Function in Health and Disease https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2081157/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Suzanne Daley

Suzanne Daley is the owner of TaoWander LLC, wellness retreat promotion and marketing around the world since 2016. She is also an international distributor of Kangen Water. “Change your water, change your life!”