Me: “I Don’t Drink Because…” - Him: “Just Don’t Think About It.”

“Just don’t think about it” is the biggest thief of our time and human experience.

Thanks Unsplash for this one.

I recently got into a conversation (as recent as yesterday) with someone who questioned my alcohol-free and “first, do no harm” approach to living.

I was minding my own business (well, mostly) and deeply engrossed in a conversation with someone seeking out tips for sober living when he interjected in a rather rude fashion.

It’s cool — I took no real offense. I blame the beer he was sucking back on all night, and we all know how that can trash our inhibitions (no hard feelings there). He had never met me before and had no idea about my past or career path (in his defence).

On asking me about my sobriety and “hippy” (his words, not mine) approach to life, he asked me, “What’s the point?” I answered him level-headedly, which is never what people want when being so confrontational.

I told him that I have dedicated myself to thinking about what I do before I do it, and because of that, I have become mindful of how my actions affect me and those around me.

To which he said the dreaded words, “Just don’t think about it!”

I must have sat there with mouth gaping for a few minutes, and he is sure to have thought…