So, despite being away on travels across the USA, I am trying to maintain some momentum with my blogging. Problems arise such as spare time, wifi access and articles or scenarios that interest me enough to write about them. And then I found this… http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/tony-blair/7974820/Tony-Blair-A-Journey-PMs-drinking-habit.html
It appears to quote the book “Journey” by the previous Prime Minister of the United Kingdom – Tony Blair, as saying he likes a drink or two, especially when stressed. And since he was stressed a lot during his time as Prime Minister, he was also drinking rather a lot.
To be fair to Tony, he has never struck me as someone with an addictive personality, so when I read the article where he refers to his recreational drinking as a means to facilitate relaxation, I saw that he was coming from a genuine place of self-preservation, especially once he made the choice that this practice of drinking to relax was in fact escapism from the work load he could or should be doing instead.
He was drinking to give himself a break from the pressure of so much work on his plate. Just like the average person on a Friday or Saturday night – drinking to allow themselves to let some steam out, and refresh themselves from the week past and for the week ahead.
This practice of acknowledging the therapeutic value of altering his mood through chemicals in order to get some time out from his mood altering behaviour of excessive working, although appearing to be counter productive, is actually enlightened and displays an awareness to be envied.
I find myself respecting Tony for allowing himself to drink, and believing him when he says that he thought he was in control.
But the most endearing thing about his drinking is it seems he knew it was a drug, and he seems to have managed to “use” his drinking patterns to his own advantage and just about “beat the system”.
I don’t mean to say that I respect his effort to use a drug sensibly, or that I admire his ability to control his drinking, but it does remind me of my sister – a straight forward person with no addictive tendencies at all, with the clear cut ability to enjoy a drink at the right time, at the right place, with just the right level of intoxification.
Please contact me if you think I could help you or a loved one with addiction help, giving up alcohol or alcohol intervention
