Thoughts on Alcohol and Empathy
I don't drink alchohol often. I don't like beer, and I don't drink wine with my lunch. I may or may not drink at parties, depending on my mood, whether I'm driving or not, etc., except I don't go to parties very often. I do drink when life transitions become too much (endings of long-term relationships, deaths in the family, etc.). Usually, it's one drink at the end of a really rough day, or 2-3 drinks every 3-4 months.
It would be fair to say I use alcohol as a tool for coping with life, but that I don't abuse or overuse it. But alcohol is a drug, and I've tried to figure out how it affects me, why I need it, and whether I can replace it with a better behavior pattern.
I think that at the heart of my occasional need for alcohol there's my hyper-sensitivity to my environment. Some may describe this as "empathy", though I'm not sure about the accuracy of the term. I don't "empathize" with the feelings/messages/sensations I recieve. I usually just want them to go away.
Generally, I deal with my "sensitivity" with breath exercises, grounding, centering, alignment, massive shielding, etc. Also, I try to take good care of my body and my physical needs. I actually have a list of "coping tools" to remind me what works (healthy food, drinking plenty of water, fresh air, fair dosages of sunlight, daily exercising, meditation, distancing myself from stressful situations, journaling, music, gaming, etc.). These tools help me to reduce "noise" to such a level that I can lead a sane life.
Sometimes, however, a "reduced noise level" is not enough. When I go through significant emotional changes, I need an almost absolute peace and quiet, so I can sit down and process stuff. Others' actions and feelings become too much. Noise (even chewing sounds, laughter, phones ringing or music from the radio) can become unbearable. The more I need my peace and quiet, the less likely I am to get it. I become irritated, restless, easily annoyed, even trapped (can't escapte The Noise).
That's when drinking alcohol comes in. I've googled a bit, and found this: When alcohol reaches the brain, it immediately has a depressant effect. Drinkers may describe the change as relaxing. What they actually experience are physical changes such as loss of sensation and a decrease in sharpness of vision, hearing, and other senses.
I wonder, though, is it really a bad thing? Sometimes, honestly, I want my senses to not be so sharp. Sometimes, their sharpness compromises my emotional health. There is, of course, the slippery slope argument of abuse and addiction, which I can't really ignore. But when used sensibly, consciously, and in moderation, can't ethanol be used as an "extreme-last-minute-measure" for hyper-sensitive magical practitioners?
I've always felt that alcohol evens me in extreme emotional situations. When I drink (in moderation, only one or maybe two drinks), my sensitivity to "extrernal noises" decreases. The irritation disapppears. I can feel like myself again, separate from whatever other people are transmitting. I can be emotionally-leveled again.
What really bothers me is probably that I've always believed that capable practitioners of magic should be able to alter consciousness without the use of drugs. Doesn't drinking (instead of altering my shields, for example, or making Kala 10 times a day...) really make me an incompetent witch?
It would be fair to say I use alcohol as a tool for coping with life, but that I don't abuse or overuse it. But alcohol is a drug, and I've tried to figure out how it affects me, why I need it, and whether I can replace it with a better behavior pattern.
I think that at the heart of my occasional need for alcohol there's my hyper-sensitivity to my environment. Some may describe this as "empathy", though I'm not sure about the accuracy of the term. I don't "empathize" with the feelings/messages/sensations I recieve. I usually just want them to go away.
Generally, I deal with my "sensitivity" with breath exercises, grounding, centering, alignment, massive shielding, etc. Also, I try to take good care of my body and my physical needs. I actually have a list of "coping tools" to remind me what works (healthy food, drinking plenty of water, fresh air, fair dosages of sunlight, daily exercising, meditation, distancing myself from stressful situations, journaling, music, gaming, etc.). These tools help me to reduce "noise" to such a level that I can lead a sane life.
Sometimes, however, a "reduced noise level" is not enough. When I go through significant emotional changes, I need an almost absolute peace and quiet, so I can sit down and process stuff. Others' actions and feelings become too much. Noise (even chewing sounds, laughter, phones ringing or music from the radio) can become unbearable. The more I need my peace and quiet, the less likely I am to get it. I become irritated, restless, easily annoyed, even trapped (can't escapte The Noise).
That's when drinking alcohol comes in. I've googled a bit, and found this: When alcohol reaches the brain, it immediately has a depressant effect. Drinkers may describe the change as relaxing. What they actually experience are physical changes such as loss of sensation and a decrease in sharpness of vision, hearing, and other senses.
I wonder, though, is it really a bad thing? Sometimes, honestly, I want my senses to not be so sharp. Sometimes, their sharpness compromises my emotional health. There is, of course, the slippery slope argument of abuse and addiction, which I can't really ignore. But when used sensibly, consciously, and in moderation, can't ethanol be used as an "extreme-last-minute-measure" for hyper-sensitive magical practitioners?
I've always felt that alcohol evens me in extreme emotional situations. When I drink (in moderation, only one or maybe two drinks), my sensitivity to "extrernal noises" decreases. The irritation disapppears. I can feel like myself again, separate from whatever other people are transmitting. I can be emotionally-leveled again.
What really bothers me is probably that I've always believed that capable practitioners of magic should be able to alter consciousness without the use of drugs. Doesn't drinking (instead of altering my shields, for example, or making Kala 10 times a day...) really make me an incompetent witch?