Kevin Bemel ·
3 Reasons You Should Not Abstain
Have you been following the news about sugar lately? Even the health press has declared it as bad as smoking. Many people I know are swearing it off.
Indulge me for a moment. This means no:
- Ice cream
- Chocolate
- Cake
- Cookies
- Wine
- Liquor
Besides toothpaste, have I missed anything?
These are the obvious foods. Sugar is an ingredient in many others. Aside from the health benefits of wine and chocolate, I find a great deal of emotional satisfaction from having a dish of fantastically creamy ice cream or a nicely chilled martini.
Abstain or Indulge?
Undoubtedly it's the case that many people eat too much sugar. However, unless you have a serious health condition that warrants it, you shouldn't abstain. Consider its adverse effects:
- Indulgence and abstention are the same. They both indicate a person has insufficient self-control. If you abstain from cookies because when you eat one you eat the whole bag you're avoiding the trigger not demonstrating willpower. Self-control means you decide how many cookies you'll eat despite your urge to do otherwise.
- Abstention is rarely a long-term solution. Alcoholics can attest to the difficulty of renouncing liquor. According to the Harvard Mental Health Letter 50% relapse into drinking. Most often abstention works only after a serious accident or the onset of health problems.
- Abstention creates stress. When you abstain as the cure for overindulgence you are constantly under the pressure of suppressing your desire. Backsliding often leads to self-condemnation. In the end, you have traded the stress caused by a negative behavior with a different stress source.
The better response is to:
Use your aspiration to a healthier life as the catalyst for greater self-discipline.
Running 45 to 50 minutes burns the 600 calories contained in half of a pint container of Haagen Dazs. Use the ice cream as a reward for stepping up your exercise program.
Instead of buying a regular bag of Oreo cookies, get the 100-calorie packs. Commit to eating just one package per day.
Make a ritual of drinking a glass of wine, perhaps with your spouse or a friend with whom you can be mutually accountable.
With all of the delights in this life, why restrict yourself? As I wrote several months ago, moderation is the key. While lack of restraint is destructive, abstinence is not the answer.
In which situations do you think abstention is the only choice?
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