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Comment by bluefirebrand | Hacker News Reader

Why is abstinence "not living" but drinking is?

I'm not really anti drug or alcohol, but I am absolutely anti "substance use is the only way to truly live", even in moderation

I spent my twenties drinking moderately, and I barely drink at all in my 30s. I don't miss it even a bit and I'm way more alive now than I was then.

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I interpreted the comment as a general statement about risk, not about alcohol specifically. Always trying to reduce your risk from bad things to zero is not a great way to live.

Lots of things will increase your risk of cancer, like preserved meats, sitting in car traffic, and sunlight.

Whether you drink is probably irrelevant to why you feel more alive. Life experience opens up a ton of opportunities.

I guess if you enjoy drinking, and would miss it in its absence, then you can call it "not living"

I dunno, that seems simplistic imo

I was diagnosed as celiac only a year ago. Many of my favorite meals and desserts contain gluten because I didn't know I was celiac. I can't have those things anymore. I do miss them, but I don't think I'm "not living" now that I have to avoid them

I'm just living differently and much more carefully about what I eat

You can spend your life avoiding grain, sugar, and alcohol... or you can actually live a real life /s

Because the mindset behind the modern, health conscious version of abstinence does not stop at alcohol. It tells you to monitor and optimize every single parameter of your health, avoid any substance that may or may not damage your body, just so you can maybe live five more years - five more years spent doing what exactly?

It's a paranoid way of living and frankly people are likely doing more harm to their health by being so anxious about ingesting one nanogram of carcinogens than the carcinogens themselves.

as a recovering alcoholic I am so tired of people saying that abstinence is not living. Like... you can't enjoy life sober? And what am I suppose to do with a statement like that? Seems very unaware thing to shout into the ether (my uncle invented the ethernet)

Yeah. I've never been an alcoholic myself, but my aunt was for many years and she has the most full life of anyone I know

Happy for you that you were able to kick the addiction, all the best for you. You can definitely enjoy life sober

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