[addyta.org]

for the record, i don't like beer, but this korean rasberry wine is doing my head in. i keep saying, ok, that's it, no more, then of course my hand mysteriously reaches for it and places it in my shopping basket without my control.

i concur with everybody's points, pro, con, spiritual, not spiritual. my grandmother used to make blackberry wine from the blackberries we picked as kids. it was a happy time. i'm sort of reliving an innocent time when i drink that rasberry wine.

i went on a macrobiotic diet once. i never felt better, lighter than air, floating, clear, clean, all those good things. then another time i did yoga and got all this energy. the trouble was, i didn't know what to do with all the energy. so, doing these physical things didn't really do the trick, at this point i realize that it's my own integrity with me that is important.

i was attracted to this thread by the title, going with the flow. i like that phrase , it was used a lot back in them hippie days. i keep coming across it in today's readings. going downstream is another way to express it.

[leareliovag]

i have finally adjusted to a somewhat vegan healthy lifestyle now, and i want to stay as pure as possible with not using any harmful products, recycling and composting etc....but with one problem/exception....

beer....lol.

i really wanted this out of my life forever, but last night i realized i can't be "pure in body" just yet.

i go to karaoke a lot, and have met a lot of people there, who allways need help and a listening ear etc.... the problem is, i look and act like such a goody goody compared to other people (in a totally non judgmental, happy-go-lucky way of course) that they never seem to feel comfortable if they are all drinking and i am not, so i will have a beer or two (or 4) whenever i go there, so others feel more comfortable.

i said on my birthday i wasn't going to have any more beer, but then last night i went to karaoke, and everyone there was sooooo sad, and sooooo stressed, and me and my friend were the complete opposite, happy and bubbly, and people would wave but not come over, so i ordered a beer and they all flocked over and one after another had these huge venting sessions.

i truly feel they all needed it, as they couldn't help each other when they were all in the same state. my friend felt the same....there was sooo much sorrow and heartache when we showed up, and we even stopped a few fights and helped each side make up a bit, and feel better etc.

so should i just go with the flow in this situation, for the sake of all those lonley heartbroken ones and put my self interests aside for now, since mabey beer isn't too unhealthy? i only drink coors-light, but it is the only pre-made food that i have in my life, and i want to have nothing left in my lifestyle that comes out of a package, bottle, box, or factory of any kind anymore.....am i jumping ahead in my thinking, or should i hold myself back a little bit more for a little while longer for the sake of other people in need?

i have poured many a beer down the bathroon sink and filled it with water when no-one was looking, but still you can't get away with drinking none of it all the time because people buy you a drink and want you to cheers and then drink etc.....am i being too strick? should i just go with the flow a bit longer?

any suggestions and advise, from any angle are very welcome.

[IACJdKfU]

good goddess. let's have a spiritual beer mell. i just don't think it is beneficial to put yourself down for having a beer or two. if you are talking about one of two cases in a sitting, that is a different story.

drinking beer is not good for you is what i am feeling from your post. so let me ask you something, if i may. if not, then just ignore my probing.

can you absolutely know that a beer is not good for you?

give me your answer and we will continue... providing you would like to inquire into the notion (as energy in motion) that beer is not good for you.

a simple yes or no will do. when you get into any "buts" you start to worship the great god yeah-but.

[Nikkytas]

very good post, i too have this problem and have come to the conclusion that having one to 3 beers is the best solution for me because if i abstain i just get really bad vibes and people freak out and if i say to myself that i am not giong to have any beer i usually buckle and end up geting drunk. i dont know if beer is that bad for you but i am sure my vibrations would be higher without it. i have found that you can really only go a certian amount above others around you before they "burn you at the stake" so to speak. for me it is a work in progress still havent figured it out. weddings and bachelor parties are the worst red ray, and orange ray really come out in these situations. i guess its a good catylast for growth and understanding. one thing i have learned is that [drug] is a big no no especially mixed with alchohol takes my energy system about a week to come back to normal operation.

[leareliovag]

good goddess. let's have a spiritual beer mell. i just don't think it is beneficial to put yourself down for having a beer or two. if you are talking about one of two cases in a sitting, that is a different story....

yeah, i am not hard on others about it so i guess i need to lighten up and "go with the flow", lol.....it would take me a month to drink 2 cases, lol.....


thank you both for the input....guess i am a bit silly sometimes.


a level headed perspective sometimes can really make me giggle at myself.

[Paiblyelaxy]

well beer is a food, there was a time when people made beer to keep the extra grain from spoiling so beer isn't bad!

but, yukk coors, alot of racist baggage attached to that company unfortunatly, but probably alot of major companies supported apartied and racist political things etc, heck, debeers invented apartheid didn't they? diamonds aren't really that rare you know, they are just so tightly controlled you think they are.

anyway, beer good, local micro-brew better, your own brew -best!

[Smalmslobby]

as i see it, there really is no right or wrong. i life is about experiances and learning. if you still want to experiance the illusion of beer, then so be it and enjoy yourself, as long as you do not impose on anyone elses free will. but, i may be wrong, feel like the question had to do with more of evolving spiritually and being able to resonate at our highest level of light/love. of course, the question does remain also ... what kind of energies were placed in making that beer? were they of love or was someone angry and had all these "negative" energies focused while making of the beer? i dont know ... maybe i am looking into it too much. i have much to learn myself.

[Smalmslobby]

ok, i didnt finish your story enitrely, wich i shoud have before posting earlier. >.< seems to me that you are helping other out, and i feel that is good. for me, personally, i really dont drink, so its easy for me to refuse. but, you can always say, i am qutting drinking beer, but if u would like to toast, then get me a water, or tea, or whatever else u would like to drink that the location you will be at serves. i dunno. i do know how some people get a little pushy ... especially friends. if you truely want to stop, and it is time, then you will. when will that happen? remains to be seen. i hope some of these rambleings help you out in any way. = )

[ZZtop]

i am right there with you on this. i am trying to figure out how to negotiate these type of situations as well. right now my focus is on the purity of my body because i find that when my body is pure i have more energy, my mind is clear, and i experience more joy and happiness. i find that beer sets me back on this. i am also trying to teach myself how to not rely on alcohol to "set me free" which i have done for so long. however, i still love to go out and have fun and it seems alcohol is everywhere.

i think you kind of made a sacrifice for your friends and that is a very nice thing. i think you are well on your way to achieving your goal of "no beer" and you will get there eventually.

have you ever tried faking it? like with a tonic and lime or cranberry and soda, or something like that? so that it looks like you are drinking but you are not. that works for me sometimes.

anyway, i know what you mean. it is tough. let me know if you come up with some sort of genius plan.

good luck,
foo

[Nikkytas]

i think alote of people enjoy making beer. in my opinion the whole experience sours when one drinks to get away from emotions and mabey that goes the same for not drinking to get away from emotions. that might not make any sense but oh well. i have also found that if i start moving away from my center while drinking things get sour fast if i stay centered and dont chose to seek the self outside of myself i do very well and can drink quite a bit without getting drunk. a case in point being at a certian bachelor party i drank alote of beer and mixed drinks and even straight whiskey. i even smoked a few cigars. as long as i kept myself centered i was fine and stayed up all night and was very lucid and never crashed. a few weeks later i went to a bar and an after party and got totally wrecked on probably half the alchohal i had consumed at the bachelor party. i believe this is due to my not paying attention to my emotions and tripping myself up by seeking energy from others this does more damage than the drink in my opinion. by losing my connection to my own energy and not staying centered in myself i lost alote off emotional energy and was really hungover the next morning and did aote of crap i shouldnt have. live and learn. i know it sounds stupid and i wouldnt advise it to others but if one really focuses on ones breath and stays centered while drinking it is really hard to get buzzed.

[leareliovag]

ohhhh, good points on the last 2 posts.... i think that may have been the underlying thing bothering me.....i think a solution popped in my head now though.

i didn't drink a drop for 8 years, and then drank for a year, and then not a drop for another 4 years, but.....i still went out and winged it without telling anyone, i allways ordered cranberry juice, so it looked like i was drinking a seabreeze, and no one was the wiser....i think i will try that one again, and if anyone offers me a drink i'll say no thanks i still have one....

i also think there is no good or bad on the beer thing, but the process behind may not be something that resonates with me after reading the above references...

thanks for helping me figure out what i was wondering about, and clearifying the question i was really trying to ask myself.

this board is the first one i have been on where i feel good vibes from every post all around, and there is a maturity, and honesty that is soooo refreshing, and such a great opportunity for me to be so open. thanks all.

[Nikkytas]

i have tried to fake it but my friends are very aware of these things. the worst is when someone orders a round of shots and expects you to be happy and take it even when i tell them i dont want to drink. i try to stay away from the bars as much as possible usually saying i have no money. it usually works until some big wedding or an old friend stops by. my best bet has been to nurse a beer for as long as possible. [hangover remedy removed].

[Nikkytas]

i had a wierd experience in high school when me and a friend decided to just drink water (both of us usually drank alote of beer in those days). we ended up having a blast and late at night the rest of the party decided to get into the whiskey cabinet and we ended up saving a girl from death as she had turned blue and everyone else was to wasted to take her to the emergency room. sometimes it is good to heed the call and be of service i guess. so, you are probably on the right track with your thinking you should continue social aspects. just dont get caught up in the games that are usually giong on in these situations and you should do fine whether you drink or not.

[rJohutozsfds]

melissa, you will be much more negatively affected by the guilt you have about the beer than by the beer itself! so whenever it crosses your mind, simply ask for a better solution for the highest good of everyone involved, and then release it without another thought.

i remember seth saying one time, that since they started the tv campaign for breast cancer, (get your monthly exam/self-exam!) more women have gotten breast cancer because it places your focus squarely on the culprit; breast cancer!

[leareliovag]

ahhhh. some more very good points to digest. again, thanks all. it is so nice to be able to have someone besides myself to talk about this stuff without being treated like a whack-oh, lol.

peace.