Does Drunk=Wasted?

If you’re a reader who wants to get to the meat of the matter without wading through the added words it may require for me to dissect my abstract observations and mystical mind wanderings in order to arrive at my conclusion, I’m going to answer that question. After all, I have spent the last 30 months pondering the subject and I’m interested for the answer as well. My answer is no.

“I have come to the conclusion that drunk does not equal wasted.” -LA Holmberg

So there you have it! It would appear that this life coach and fitness trainer just gave the thumbs up on drinking. If that’s what you were looking to hear today, may your continued journey be prosperous and bright as you go on your way. And for those of you who sense there’s more you need to know? You’re right, so we’ll continue.

When it comes to choosing to accept or refuse what the universe is offering up to you for your personal consumption, there is no wrong. Yes, you heard me right. This is your journey. You can’t get it wrong. If a message is intended for you, you will arrive at it when you are meant to. A message will reveal itself to you as many times and in as many forms as is required for you to receive it. Miss it the first time and it will find another method to show itself. This message will be individual to you and therefore is meant for your interpretation only, which again, will be individual to you.

Regarding your training program and physical fitness, can you drink alcohol and still be fit? Can you drink to the point of drunkenness- which for some of us means nearly immediately after those first few sips, making drinking and drunk practically interchangeable, leaving an excruciatingly small space for any leeway- frequently or infrequently and consider yourself in good shape? Technically, externally, yes. You can probably think of several people who model this. I was once one of them. If you have the discipline and drive, you can still get drunk on Friday night and soldier through your workout on Saturday morning. You can also eat sugar, smoke, and drink soda if you choose to do so and manage to stay “fit”. The question of how much and for how long is individual (as with everything!) to each person and will also depend on their personal interpretation of what constitutes fitness. We each have free will. We can do whatever we want! But wait… with the gift of free will comes the responsibility of accepting accountability for our actions. And while you may be able to maintain at least a semblance of fitness while engaging in known unhealthy behaviors, it’s always a gamble. You won’t know at which point one or all of them might catch up to you. But then again, they might not! That’s why it’s a gamble, which is why when it comes to what’s best for you, your body, and your life, nobody else is qualified to know YOUR answers regardless of how educated, intelligent and/or worldly they are. They can inform you scientifically through knowledge of the body as a whole. They can also inform you statistically through research and collected data on the masses. But they can’t see your future and they’ll never have access to the direct line of communication that runs between you and your body. Only YOU have that. And while I can enthusiastically assure you that I have experienced numerous health and fitness benefits due to abstaining from alcohol that have far exceeded my expectations, I have no desire to sway you one way or the other. About anything. That’s for you and only you to arrive at in your own way and time. For that reason I’m not one of those coaches who will clean your cupboards, toss out your coca-cola and nutty bars and “punish” you with extra minutes on the treadmill. I don’t believe in asking anybody to give up anything. While I can give educated fitness guidance and scientifically backed healthful suggestions, you and your body are in charge of you and your body. You know more than you think you do, but until you trust in what your body is trying to communicate to you, you will continue to believe that the source of your answers comes from something/someone outside of yourself, and that is where you begin to be led astray. Drunk does not = wasted. We become wasted when fear of our capacity for greatness causes us to hide behind anything which dulls and deadens our magnificence. And what could possibly be more wasteful than that?