Hello Vegalicious Ones and Happy Halloween,
How does alcoholism and being a meat eater relate? Well, I have been mulling this idea over for a couple of weeks now and this morning, at 5 am after feeding the dog and cat, I just couldn’t go back to bed because of this post…so here are my thoughts on the topic. This is a post that I will be returning to work on because I’m sure I’ll get more insights over the next few days and weeks.
How many times have you heard a meat eater say, “I just could not go vegetarian or vegan because I love “my meat”? vs. the alcoholic who says, “I can’t give up drinking because it relaxes me after work, makes me feel __________ “(fill in the blank) or whatever. If you’re a vegan reading this, you’ve more than likely heard this excuse quite a few times.
The meat-eating addict typically asks, “What’s wrong with eating meat?” vs. the alcoholic saying, “What’s wrong with drinking? Everyone does it! I don’t drink that much. I only drink occasionally…”Ahem! Yea right, you show up red nosed and smelling like alcohol to your VIP job one too many times…and now you’ve lost your job once again, but you complain and tell others that it’s “Their fault …because they are losers!” You also complain that your friends and family are not there for you when you call and beg for money, which would be akin to dumping money into a black hole! Meat eaters say things very similar, like “I don’t eat that much meat or I only eat chicken!” Meanwhile, 56 BILLION farmed animals are killed each year by humans. Tell me again, how you’re not eating that much meat and not addicted, please!
Alcoholics get very defensive about their drinking habits, but so does meat eaters about their eating habits and calf suckling habits. During this cold season, woe those of you who try to say something to a sick coworker…even if it is with the best of intent…and you tell that person to stay away from yogurt or drinking cows milk because it is known to worsen congestion and encourages mucus/phlegm production. Well, you might just be in for someone’s full-on rageful outburst! (I’m speaking from experience, so don’t go there…It’s not worth it! Let them suffer and keep your mouth shut! Mine flew open…in one instance… but trust me, I wish I hadn’t! I wanted to help, but it was taken the wrong way.) Then you come to realize as with the alcoholic friend(s) that…
…you can’t save them! Alcoholics have to reach rock bottom before they want to change. No one can make an alcoholic stop drinking! That’s a fact! I have one friend who is a recovering alcoholic and we’ve had long conversations about another friend with a serious problem. The advice he gave me was to eventually walk away from my friend, which I’ve sadly had to do. Abusive behavior, whether in my personal life or at work, will not be tolerated…especially when you’re just trying to help someone get better! However, they do not see it as such! They see it as an attack! And when you think about it, meat eaters react the same exact way! I truly believe that most meat eaters have to reach their first heart attack, get cancer or develop diabetes before they start looking for other answers and realize that there’s plenty of other delicious, healthier options to eat and drink out there!
Vegans talk about getting their blinders removed to the truth about factory farming, animal abuse/rights, and meat consumption. Alcoholics talk about similar things, like the photo above so beautifully illustrates – wearing a bag over one’s head and being ruled by alcohol before reaching “rock bottom” and knowing that they must change before they literally kill themselves. Meat eaters, on the other hand, are ruled by flesh-eating and often combine it with alcohol!
One has to ask oneself, “Can I go a day without eating meat? A day without drinking alcohol?” How about two days? If the answer is “No” then there’s definitely addiction going on!
One day, I realized what a terrible, gross and absurd thing eating meat was…to eat someone else’s flesh! YUCK! Stop and think about that for a moment!…….You’re not a meat-eating zombie nor a cannibal, right!? Let’s hope not! Yea, I know zombies don’t exist, but one can imagine…and besides, we were not designed for it. Nor were we designed to smoke cigarettes nor drink enormous amounts of alcohol. Common sense would tell you that it is bad for your health…and with so much information out there on the dangers of it – one would assume that most people would “get it”!
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently declared that hot dogs, bacon, and processed meats are carcinogenic! But will that stop most people from eating it? I seriously doubt it because addiction, whether it is to alcohol or meat, will rule until the individual encounters such a life-altering blow that leaves them with no other options than to stop!
What excuses have you heard? What excuses, for still consuming animal products or drinking alcohol, do you have? Are you ready to change that or do you have to reach rock bottom or encounter the words by a physician such as, “You have to stop now or you will end up dead!” This has been told both to a friends mother and to another close friend of mine. One because of diet and the other due to alcoholism! What will it take for you or a loved one to change?
- Chained to alcohol…or meat?
