220 thoughts on “Hiding Behind my Beer Can!”

1. It is true how certain things change us and sugar is literally in most things we consume. If we really read the labels properly, it’s hidden and very addictive too and it is these things that our body become dependent on and withdraw when we attempt to remove it out of our bodies. It is no different to the stimulants we rely on too.

   So who are we when we remove these things out of our lives? Do we ever get to know that person, or the fact that if we do then that reflection is too much for another? Then the jealousy and comparison comes through as they cannot withstand that reflection. And yet Tony you have clearly stated it is ‘MY CHOICE’ and no one else’s and you make that for yourself through free will, and that is ok to continue too for it is also the others to make their choice too. No judgment or criticism – your choice or my choice, same same, live how and what feels true for you.

2. The beautiful gift that Serge Benhayon brings is that he never tells you what to do but supports you to feel your body so that you know to make the choice yourself and hence be empowered in the process. Personally, I can say I would much rather learn the ‘how’ than have someone do things for me as the former offer us growth.

   1. I agree Henrietta, Serge Benhayon never imposes he only presents the truth. Its how we deal with that reflection is the key and that is a choice too. The choice? We react or we respond, simple.

3. So simple – each choice we make impacts our body. Our body.

4. Mick, I love your hilarious analogy of limiting cordial intake for kids whilst adults binge drink on alcohol. This is a classic scenario where we find ourselves telling others to do as we say but not as we do. And meanwhile what role model are we really presenting to them?

5. Its interesting that we choose to put poison into our body, and pay in more way than one for this, ‘But did you also know that the body actually treats this type of sugar as a poison to the point where we get sick if we have too much (that would be the hangover) or even really sick if we have way too much… (and that would be the vomiting). ‘

6. We have a choice, but no one is going to make that choice for us, they can only remind us we have a choice. It is very wise to accept that we have always been making choices whether being aware or not, and will continue to do so, and start making choices based on that.

7. Lolly-water, sugar, alcohol, syrups, most fruits and even over indulgence in carbs which eventually turn into glucose in our body have all been felt by me as a racy-ness and a distraction from being connected to my essence! So maybe these substance should all be re-tested by the TGA to see if there is a safe limit when we have enough people who live without these mind distractions, so we can get a True test result?

8. I have found it a real blessing to repeatedly see my responsibility for what’s going on in my life, and also how blame, victimhood and apathy leave me stagnating in the same repetitive emotions, unhealthy behaviours, and cycles. Responsibility is very self empowering.

9. It can sting when we realise that there isn’t anyone to blame for our lives. Yet underneath the sting is the empowerment that says we can choose to change our lives.

   1. So well said Leigh – it can certainly sting when we realise that we cannot blame anyone for our choices, and that we have to sit with the consequences. And so true that despite this hurt, it is a beautiful way to truly grow and change our lives. Thank you for this reminder!

10. That is true Elizabeth, hiding is what we have role modelled in life as well, hiding under stimulants, lots of doing and lots of complication. All that has become so normal, but taking responsibility we can be the change we want to see in our lives and that offers a different reflection to those around us.

11. Yes I love what you are sharing here, we see alcohol as the evil and wonder how children come to want it younger and younger, yet we have fostered the relationship with coping mechanisms and stimulants from young. This blog can start a much-needed conversation.

12. Fitting in publicly is the best way to hide. No one bothers (with) you.

13. Great article Mick thanks you for sharing, it seems to be that when we are confronted by a serious illness we are brought face to face with our own choices, so often we then go into blame until we come across someone who shows us the truth of our choices and how to change our lives, Serge Benhayon is one such person who presents the simple truth to us, that the life we have is the sum total of our choices.

14. When you point out what we don’t allow kids but adults do in full, it really highlights the craziness of it all. How preciously we can treat a new born and then slowly but surely that care disintegrates. And quite often we can blame the world around us for hardening us up, being too difficult so support these poor life choices. But it is not the world, it is always OUR choice how we respond to what is around us. And as you say – “Isn’t it a bugger when there is no one else to blame but You?” 🙂 Jokes aside, it is actually so liberating to realise that it is actually up to us.

15. Same for me to come from what seemed a no ending space of pure self-abuse to then participate in a hands on healing course Sacred Esoteric Healing Level 1 was a life changer. I remember leaving the course with my sister and her remarking how much Light was being reflected in my eyes. Every healing course you walk away going “Wow, that was life changing!”.

16. There are countless things we can hide behind to avoid being just you in the world.

    1. Great point Eduardo – any excuse is sometimes valid to not shine in the world and so we make choices that dull us rather than risk the reactions of others or simply the empowerment that comes from loving oneself up. Choices choices choices.

17. What a great story, and I love how it resolves all around ‘me’, bu then in the true sense of the responsibility we have.

18. “Isn’t it a bugger when there is no one else to blame but You?” – totally. check. check. check. As the older I get, the more I realise that I am the common denominator in many situations, so it becomes harder to point the finger – and really thank God for that!

    1. Yes, to that, and I love the upfront honesty and playfulness you go through life with, Sarah. Very refreshing and super inspiring.

       1. Here to serve 🙂

    2. Life has gotten a whole lot simpler now the moments spent whinging and blaming have reduced if not gone completely.

19. The life we live is due to our own decisions, the only way to live a different life is to make different choices, it is interesting how blame shame and guilt keep us away from taking full responsibility which if accepted would change our life greatly.

20. Thanks Mick, I agree it’s all down to what we choose, however it wasn’t until I came across Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine that I realised I had a responsibility to myself and others and that through changing our choices there is indeed a pot of gold to be found.

21. “ ME ” is an amazing pot of gold to discover. I keep being surprised, however, that it is not just gold, rather all kinds of precious gems as well.

22. Eventually we all come to the realisation that we are completely responsible for how our life unfolds and therefore there is no one to blame but ourselves for any of our woes.

23. Your words – “There is no right or wrong – just me making choices for me … What do you do when nobody is to blame and everything is about your choices? SIMPLE – make different choices!” So simple and powerful. This is how we can be a student of our own life.

24. It feels like a ‘bugger’ when there is no one else to blame – but the resultant responsibility is less of a bugger and more of a true sense of empowerment. The world of blame is like a great fog that lacks any clarity – but when it comes to accepting responsibility, the fog starts to clear away and we start to see things more clearly.

25. Great point here about kids and cordial and one we can all relate to. However the problem is that we have yet to fully make the connection between sugar and changes in our behaviour when it comes to adults and children, from what I have witnessed at parties and social events. We seem to revolve all our gatherings and events around sugar and then wonder why children or adults lose it or we feel awful the next day. A subject definitely that needs more honest discussion.

26. More and more things are starting to come out about the harm sugar does to us and just how much sugar ends up in our diet and thats without adding alcohol. I know there is more to the article then this but there is a few points I didn’t know about alcohol and hang overs and so my awareness has changed there and also over how a hang over comes about. One thing is for sure I wouldn’t do to my children what I use to do to myself with alcohol and from where I stand now it makes no sense to drink it.

27. As you have clearly shared Mick, it is empowering, OK maybe a little confronting at first but ultimately empowering, to realise that we are the ones responsible for the quality of life we are living, the state of well-being we are experiencing all through the choices we make. In developing a loving relationship with our bodies, we discover a quality within that is quite exquisite – our being. We soon become very aware of how the choices we make affect us, and begin to naturally choose more wisely what will truly support us to live who we are with vitality and feel amazing beyond compare.

    1. Yes and to realise that our pattern of blaming someone else just has to stop because the only person it is hurting is ourselves! If we make a start by simply considering how smart the choices we are making are and then considering how long we have been making them for, then we may find the reason we started making those decisions in the first place and find we actually would choose differently now – perhaps even choosing something that doesn’t add an impact on the body.

28. When we make the choice to be true to who we are then we no longer seek alcohol and other ways of hiding.

29. It makes sense really, that alcohol is simply adult red cordial. This totally asks us to stop and maybe deeply ponder just what we force upon others when our behaviour is affected by copious amounts of sugar.

30. Great example of how ridiculous alcohol is. When one is ready to truthfully look at what they are doing to their body, one comes to the fact that it is us choosing the abuse, we are left with the fact we are the ones to stop the abuse.

31. Its interesting to observe how many props we hide behind. A glass of wine, a beer can, our children, partners, the list goes on. When we start to ask ourselves why, that is the start of a pathway that can lead to true healing. Lovely how you found ‘yourself’ at the end of that rainbow.

32. When we finally decide to take charge and make changes to the way we live, its very liberating. It would be good if we could lead by example when it came to telling our kids what to do. I know I have not always done that as a parent. When we walk our talk, it’s the most powerful message.

33. A great article that exposes the the way adults behave, with no real consideration on what it is doing to another.
    Very powerful if one decides to be responsible with how they do what they do.

34. This is well known, ‘alcohol, which as many of us would know, is basically fermented sugar. But did you also know that the body actually treats this type of sugar as a poison to the point where we get sick if we have too much (that would be the hangover) or even really sick if we have way too much… (and that would be the vomiting)’, so why with ill health escalating out of control do people continue to ingest this poison, and often in very large amounts?

35. I for years was hiding too. Fitting in was what I did best because that was all to do. I protected myself this way so me and my sensitivity would not be attacked. Everyone was like this, until I met sensitivity of Serge Benhayon and his sons Michael and Curtis. I finally found someone to relate to and I could be myself and not attempt to numb myself with alcohol or drugs. I was able to drop these addictions straight away and for good where in the past I struggled week to week.

36. I recall when I used to go out drinking I would come home and gorge on sugary food as well like a crazed woman – it’s like once I had opened that door there was no end to the amount of sugar I could continue to ingest and harm my body with.

37. Thanks Mick. I never really understood why I wasn’t allowed red cordial as a kid, I was never able to see any difference in my behaviour before and after but my parents sure did. When we are affected by alcohol it’s the same – it’s only when we are sober and surrounded by people that are drunk that we can see how ridiculous being drunk really is.

38. As you so clearly say Mick, there is one one person responsible for me and that is most definitely and absolutely Me.

39. Thanks Mick, from coming out from behind your beer can and making such a great contribution for the world!

40. I love that we can be the pot of gold we can find at the end of a rainbow if we choose to make different choices … and that everyday can be a rainbow worth appreciating rather than a struggle we attempt to avoid with unhealthy distractions.

41. We can search high and low for others to blame for our predicaments and discomforts but ultimately the onus for all our woes is always on ourselves. What a huge wake up call it is to realise this.

42. It is really the question of ‘do I want to make my existence bearable’ or do I aim to make my life sense-full and in service for all? No truly intelligent person would drink the poison which is alcohol if the intent is the latter – so, what is our intent in life? To make it better and comfortable or do we face the choices we made, the harm of it and bring a change here? Like Serge Benhayon I do not tell anybody what to do or not – but I reflect the truth of what is going on and the choices we make. As I was one of those who have drunk a lot in the past and now drink no alcohol at all for years without missing anything, in fact I am enriched with more of me, expanding me and my relationships, experiencing love in a deeper and more intimate way, I can say: I was in an illusion of life, not taking responsibility and trying to hide in comfort. But it does not work. In fact we have to drink more, strive for more money, need more and more and more… but even when we reach ‘it’ – we end up missing something still.
    I did not ‘give up’ on drinking alcohol – I enriched my life with me, accepting, honoring and appreciating my sensitive and feeling body, appreciating my relationships and meeting others to develop together – I do not need alcohol anymore and do not miss it at all. On my way I did find other substances and behaviours which I used to hide and then I did, and do, choose a way of living that supports me in accepting my old choices and be able to make new ones.
    When I studied in University I learned that people are not behaving in the way they think, which was a surprise to me. But now I see that we have to change our movements, the way we live first and then comes the wisdom with it.
    Alcohol does not support this way, like many things in this world, even when it is called ‘normal’ to use it because ‘everyone does it’. But what if all the mess we are in these days is because of what we have accepted as normal and now we are trapped in a way of living that is fact like existing in a jail, with us being the prisoner and guard at the same time.
    What helped me enormously was and is to see the responsibility I carry not just for me but for everyone I meet, my community and all. Like I should not drive when I am not fully myself (drunk) does reflect that we carry this responsibility. But we narrow it down to driving, the road and traffic – whereas it is in every second and every relationship of life.

43. Thank you Mick for so honestly sharing your experience, of coming to the point of realising that where we are is a result of our choices and only we can change our lives by choosing differently.

44. “During our talks together I got to understand what MY choices were doing to MY body – the harm that I was doing to myself.” This insight for me is the best medicine ever Mick and on top of it – it costs nothing.

45. Mick, great blog. I love how you break down exactly what alcohol is. I’d never considered it like this before that it’s sugar on top of sugar and as you say we would not let our kids do that, and yet somehow it’s fine for the big ‘kids’ to do so. We avoid this knowledge about alcohol being pure sugar because we don’t want to look at and address why we’re so exhausted, or dis-satisified with ourselves and our lives that we have to ‘drown our sorrows’ so to speak. Until sometimes our bodies say enough and then we have a choice and we can, as you’ve done, choose to heal or continue as we are. It’s always up to us.

46. Its really great how you point out that the fact we vomit after alcohol tells us it is a poison to our body.

47. So so simple yet so life changing powerful. Giving up alcohol is a massive step towards self empowerment and reclaiming our health and the life we truly deserve! Thank you Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine for inspiring us to feel how it’s possible to regain self control and self care.

48. I love what you say here Mick about no right or wrong… only choices.
    Gosh if we all took this type of responsibility for ourselves then the way we connect to each other would be very different indeed.

49. There is more and more debate about sugar worldwide now thankfully, the harm it does becoming more and more exposed. Love your common sense unmasking of sugar and alcohol here Mick.

50. A revealing connection to giving children sugary cordials and setting them up to move onto sugar based alcohol later in life.

51. Well said Mick, it all does come down to our choices, there is no one to blame, not even ourselves, and when we realise this, there is a pull for us to take responsibility for all our choices.

52. Yes, it’s the beginning of a whole new you – if you choose it – once you realise that you’re responsible for all the choices that have brought you to this point – you, and you alone.

53. Choosing you versus choosing to hide you behind the beer can. We all benefit when you choose you. Thank you Mick.

54. All of our choices have consequences and all we make them all. No-one ever makes us choose anything, although we like to think they do. But if we are into blaming then its us who does not want to take responsibility. Hard to feel, but it’s the only way forward.

55. Mick, thank you. I had no idea about the sugar in alchohol… Loved this point – “I learnt through him there is no right or wrong – just me making choices for me.” One choice leads to one thing, another choice leads to another.

    1. It’s a real double whammy of sugar. Sugar is the thing that makes something alcoholic then we add more sugar to make it taste better. Sugar is not the innocent that has been made out to be. The question here though is why do we need it, considering the devastating effects it has on our body?

       1. It is also because of the sugar content that people can often put on a lot of weight if they drink a lot. Not to mention all the other health issues caused because of the excessive sugar.

       2. wow. I had no idea about the part sugar plays in alcohol…so true, Sugar and sweet really shouldn’t go together cause it is anything but sweet to our bodies 😉 why do we need it? and what are we getting from it?

       3. Great questions to ask ourselves, “why do we need it and what are we getting from it” – If we really began to ask ourselves these questions, then we would see the truth of what these substances are doing to our bodies. But while we are simply enjoying something for its taste and relief we won’t see it.

       4. So true Jennifer, until we stop relying on the substance and ‘enjoying it’, we wont even start asking the questions or seeing/wanting a different way.

       5. Is it because we need sugar to numb feeling what is really going on in our life and in our world? Sugar is a huge comfort addictive most of us crave. Definitely not so innocent when we look at what it does to our body, our behaviour and our mood.

56. Great blog, and it reminded me of when I used to drink and how I would nearly always end up vomiting. A clear sign that my body could not tolerate it. My body does feel so good these days now that I don’t abuse it in that way.

    1. It’s interesting Rosie how we deem that to be a good time, I know I certainly did. I recall heading to work one day vomiting on the way to work (I was catching public transport, throwing up in garbage bins). How crazy and the worst of it was I was heading to work to look after people who were sick. I did not do my job properly to say the least!

       1. I am sure many can relate as many have done it…. but why… and at what expense to our body. I am so glad that these days its not part of my life at all. I don’t miss it, I don’t long for it or crave it. Its a thing of the past.

57. Beautiful what you share Mick, with your great sense of humour too! This is an important message for men in particular, but also women more and more. I love the Mick, in full view, no need to hide behind any beer can yey!

58. Thank You Mick this is worl lecture and should be read at any school just everywhere it is so honest, so true and so power-full.

59. “What do you do when nobody is to blame and everything is about your choices?
    SIMPLE – make different choices! So – I did.” Yes, so simple – thanks for sharing Mick. Taking responsibility for our actions and making new choices – makes such sense.

60. Thanks for sharing Mick

61. Thank you Mick, we would not allow our children to drink neat cordial, yet we are not responsible enough to offer ourselves the same kind of responsibility, when it comes to alcohol.

62. Thank you Mick, pure alchemy!

63. I love how your whole life changed after attending a Universal Medicine Workshop, you put a stop to hiding behind your beer can and then embraced the real ‘you’ – a choice that rewards you everyday.

64. There is nothing more revealing than being the sober driver and seeing what happens to our friends which is just a reflection of ourselves when we are doing the drinking.

65. Well chosen Mick, not that you need me or anyone else to tell you that. Brilliant what you have shared and how simple it actually is to come out of hiding and live a life of love.

    1. How simple. Yes true Giselle. A little bit to change at the start as the momentum carries with you, but simple none the less.

66. A blog written that speaks to millions Mick, thank you. Since you wrote this, a new website has opened up, giving even more support to anyone looking to change their ways. Take a look at: http://www.unimedliving.com/the-livingness/what-is-the-livingness/what-is-the-livingness.html

67. When you can blame no one else but YOU. Right in time for me to read.. Thank you for this great simple, honest blog Mick!

68. Love the blog Mick and how you bring this back to one simple thing at the end – CHOICE! We always have a choice in every moment, and the truth is we often don’t want to consider this because we don’t want to take responsibility for our choices… and yet not taking responsibility for our choices often keeps us trapped in a cycle of blame and abuse of our bodies. As you say – we always have a choice to make a different choice!

    1. Taking responsibility for our choices is the most loving thing we can do. Not necessarily easy but necessary if we want to make true change.

69. Wow yes the demon sugar, not to mention the alcohol! We all need to know we do actually have a choice, we don’t need to harm ourselves in this way, and just because everybody else is doing it doesn’t make it ok. There is another way and we each have the opportunity to choose this in any moment.

70. We can hide behind a beer can, behind eating lollies, or behind the more hideous ones like being really successful and busy all the time, the list goes on. The question is, what are we hiding? Our little flaws? No, I’d say our power.

    1. …and we avoid to feel the pain it caused and causes when we stepped away from the power and love we actually are.

    2. Hmm, maybe, just maybe Felix ! We all have our ‘go to’ something to keep away from that, and in our comfort place.

71. Really awesome Mick. Great point about the sugar in alchohol, so much poison in one little glass ! It’s weird how we won’t let our kids have too much sugar but when it comes to ourselves we couldn’t give a hoot more or less.

72. Thank you, Mick – I love how you present this subject in such a seriously and ridiculously funny way, and with the oh-so-obvious common sense facts.

73. Thankyou Mick, I just love how you likened kids behaviour after ingesting sugar in its variety of forms with adults behaviour after they drink alcohol. Your analogy is just awesome and oh so true.

    1. PS. Finding yourself at the end of a rainbow is by far superior to any amount of gold!

       1. Thanks Suse. I have found that as adults we treat kids with the “do as I say – not as I do” mentality and this is so easily exposed when using sugar and alcohol consumption.

    2. Good point out Suse. We wouldn’t feed our kids alchohol, yet sugar is okay …

74. Thanks Mick i love the way you illustrate just how crazy we are with our justifications for drinking alcohol and then worrying about how much sugar our children consume?! What a good way to distract us from taking responsibility for our own choices, never mind the fact that we are trying to control them and yet we are out of control. Alcohol was no longer working for me but after attending my first Universal Medicine presentation it was simple to choose to no longer consume it and this has given me the gift of getting to know me without the ‘protective shield’ I used to hide behind. A beautiful unfolding journey.

    1. Hi Helen. So glad you enjoyed. I also gave up alcohol many years ago and that is something I have never regretted.

75. Hi Mick, it does seem crazy that when the body is talking to us through our health and we know that we are struggling, we still choose not to listen, We can’t get up in the morning, constant physical pain, symptoms of exhaustion, cravings, headaches etc – still pursuing the comfort of what we are ingesting and even increasing this to counteract the increasing distress of the body. Serge Benhayon’s Presentation’s speak to us honestly, always lovingly and what is shared is felt at a very deep level. It is known already deep within, often as the old voice of wisdom that speaks to us. There comes a time where we realise that these choices of complete and utter disregard for ourselves has to end. As you said – What do you do when nobody is to blame and everything is about your choices? Great Blog, thank you.

76. Alcohol and sugar and the horrible unsustainable way it is grown with chemical fertilizers, and the run off from all these plantations along the east coast of Australia that pollutes the Ocean from Northern New South Wales to Cooktown not forgetting all the other countries where it is grown. And what is it grown for, for profit. Profit for the biggest legal drug dealers in the world who prey on our children knowing that a childhood of eating the drug sugar makes a very good customer for the real profit maker alcohol. Alcohol is the direct cause of so many of our health problems today.

77. Wow, that’s a lot of sugar in alcohol, it’s interesting to look at it like that as I only really consider the negative effects of the alcohol content but that is just one aspect of the cocktail of harm.

78. Thank you Mick for your honesty in sharing how you found your pot of gold. It is all about choices, and the power in them, to change our lives.

79. Thank you Mick for such an honest sharing! Drinking sugar in any shape (fermented or otherwise) is pretty devastating for the body. Immediately it truly alters us. Long terms effects are also pretty negative. Many people love the alteration though as, through sugar, they create a state of being that is deeply familiar but which also affect their health. I know what I am talking about too. In my home, there was no drinking water, only Coca Cola. As a result of its intake, my teeth suffered quite a bit. Freeing ourselves from it is a wonderful choice and a wonderful gift for the body (and being). Choices are the key.

    1. I grew up on sugary drinks also. It has proven to be difficult at times to stay away from the sugar but as time passes it has become easier.

80. A poignant statement – there is no one else to blame but ourselves for the mess we get ourselves into. Life is what we make it, and its all about our choices.

81. I like the way that it shows how childish and irresponsible drinking alcohol is. Relating it to the many conversations I have had with my kids about eating too much sugar shows me how hypocritical I can be, and back in the day I remember using that phrase “I was a dribbling mess”. How could that possibly have been helping me?

    1. I hear you Simon.

82. Great blog Mick. It comes back to the choices we make and making choices that are loving and honoring of our body.

83. What a great question you raised in your powerful blog Mick:” What do you do when nobody is to blame and everything is about your choices?” More reflection is not needed . . . let us all “suck this egg” – if I can say it like this.

84. Love your last line Mick – finding ourselves is definitely a pot of gold at the end of our rainbow and an invaluable treasure.

85. Simple, honest, straightforward expression that tells it like it is, love it!

    1. I couldn´t express it better*

86. Thanks Mick, enjoyed reading this blog, I like the analogy of the cordial and the beer, had a bit of a laugh of how true this is.
    It is also inspiring the way you chose to change your way of living and finally found the pot of gold – you.

    1. Hi Francisco. It was fun to write and I even have a bit of a giggle myself when I read it myself.

87. What a great point of realisation you have shared Mick, that when we are sitting with blaming everyone else for our problems or for things not going the way we want, we don’t realise that the way we are is actually the problem. Being aware that we are responsible for the choices we make has changed everything in my life, in an immensely positive way. Thank you for sharing and I loved how you have claimed – ‘finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow… “ ME ”.’ – super inspiring.

    1. Thanks Carola. It feels like you’ve found your own pot of gold.

88. Thanks Mary for your honesty also. If I had ignored the constellation that brought me to Serge Benhayon many years ago I would shudder to think where I might be today.

89. A most inspiring blog Mick written from your personal experience with a lovely humour and detachment about alcohol and its shocking impact on the body and our lives.
    Attending my very first presentation by Serge Benhayon, Universal Medicine in 2008 brought me far to face with a deep hidden hurt and how I used alcohol to have a ‘sense of belonging’ with a peer group – all it ever did was leave me feeling more separated and alone after the few severe hangovers I had experienced. From that date forth, alcohol became a thing of the past, it was not even a difficult challenge to stop drinking – the impact of the words from Serge Benhayon about the harm alcohol causes was actually FELT deeply in my body.
    A choice which has led to many other self healing choices leading to a wellbeing and joy never experienced before.
    Thank you Mick for your sharing with such honesty.

    1. Thanks for your comment Stephanie. I can still remember the day I decided to stop drinking. It was about 11 to 12 years ago and I could feel without any doubt it was time to stop so I just stopped. A truly great moment.

    2. Thanks Stephanie I can relate to drinking to have a ‘sense of belonging’ which is such an illusion because it is impossible to truly connect with others when under the influence so it only reinforces feelings of isolation. Taking responsibility for the harm I had done to my own body through alcohol has also led me to a deeper sense of health and wellbeing that continues to expand.

90. Thanks Mick – I love this article. Very honest and down to earth in how you’ve shared. I feel many of us can relate to having been there with the alcohol; I can relate to much that you’ve expressed here. I used it myself for years to numb and therefore avoid feeling the deep anguish I was in…Once we’re really honest about why we drink it – then things can start to shift and change…

    1. Hi Rachel. Honesty is always the best. I was sitting on the couch one night and I could feel it so strong that this no longer worked for me. All the alcohol in the house went and I never went back.

91. Yep paint it as it is Mick because it is simply crazy to think that we can get away with any kind of abuse to our body without it having an impact on it. We are after all, the sum total of our choices and our body simply reflects the type of choices we have made. To love or not love.

    1. So true about our choices. When I started writing this blog it really became apparent how crazy the culture behind alcohol is and the many harms it is doing.

       1. Yes and what is also insidious is that we endorse this type of culture and behaviour as being okay in our society. What I have been noticing is the rate of crime, violence and domestic abuse rising in uncontrollable levels from alcohol, that something will have to give sooner or later. We can’t afford to go on in denial of what is actually taking place in our communities.

92. Absolutely gorgeous article. So true and simple. I cannot even think of any other way once I was reading this article. Alcohol is just not it! And it harms big time too.. It’s true! Our own choices – we make them – we are RESPONSIBLE for them – we have got no one to blame! Not always so pleasant to feel, but I would rather be honest than living a lie in illusion and denial of the truth. Thank you for this fresh and real revelation.

    1. Thanks Danna. Every time I come back to this blog and read the beautiful comments left, I am always inspired to be more responsible in every moment I can so that I get to show honesty without illusion for all to see.

93. I love this Mick, it makes me giggle too because it is so easy to blame everyone else for our woes. In fact we have choices left right and centre that we don’t even notice anymore. I love the analogy with kids and sugar. SO true, I was just reading about the affects of sugar on rats brains and their inability to think clearly so science is proving it to be true but…do we really want to listen? Serge Benhayon has been presenting for over 12 years now, I am not sure he is saying anything different from the very first day…it all comes down to our choices…and one of them is to listen or not listen. If you don’t like what you are hearing don’t listen and walk away, if it makes sense…then act on it in your own life. A simple choice!

    1. So true. There is nothing here we don’t know but it is that choice to listen or not to the body. Yes a simple choice.

94. Craziness indeed Mick, I agree. I love the red cordial (‘turned up’) analogy – yes, alcoholic drinks are mostly full of sugar, and then the substance of alcohol itself, which kills human tissue, is toxic to our bodies, and all the rest… And we have this to ‘relax’ or ‘wind down’? Really?? and a big Ouch…
    I say this with no judgement on people who do drink, for I used to be able to put a few (quite a few) away myself, until my body also ‘force-slowed’ my drinking down, and eventually I kicked the last of it when I came to the work of Universal Medicine, and well, started to feel so great in my body (from various choices I made, and the profound differences I found from attending healing courses and sessions with Universal Medicine trained practitioners) – that I simply could no longer ingest a substance that would leave me feeling so awful.

95. An awesome blog Mick thank you. I love how you made the damaging effects of alcohol so clear through the analogy you used with children drinking and eating lots of sugar.

96. I love how clearly you show the power of ‘making choices’. Empowering to read, thank you.

97. Mick I love the way that you tell it like it is and the simplicity and clarity with which you write is glorious. I, like you, have spent so much time talking s**t off my face convinced that what I was saying had meaning and depth! Convinced that the relationships I was having with other people who were also off their chops were meaningful! I ignored the fact that I couldn’t say meaningful things to these people when I was straight and not under the influence. What I love about being with others from Universal Medicine is that we can express how we feel to each other without needing anything to alter our mood!

    1. I would add to that in saying that often its sharing something that is incredibly simple and down to earth that can be the most profound, and the best time to be feeling that is when you are completely yourself (and not a gibbering wreck).

98. Mick, this is a very awesome blog. I love the cordial/alcohol analogy that exposes the age-old falsity we seem to follow when parenting which is: ‘do as I say, not as I do’. Where is the responsibility, inspiration and reflection in that?! I love it that your ‘pot of gold’ was simply YOU and not the shine of the brew in your hands and also your little pearl of wisdom that made me laugh: “Isn’t it a bugger when there is no one else to blame but You?” So true – the choice is always in our hands. Equal parts infuriating and liberating (depending on which part we are listening to!) Thank you.

99. I love the simplicity of your blog, Mick, it makes so much good sense, all that sugar, realising it is our choices that have ended us up where we are, the opportunity to change the choices, and the pot of gold!

100. I never realized the connection before, Kids buzzing on red cordial and adults on their own sugar driven trip. I remember my first beer I did not like the taste but I wanted the camaraderie of being with the other men, so I ignored what my body was telling me.
     In the town where I grew up drinking is a deeply ingrained part of the culture. The more you could drink the more of a man you were. Throughout those wasted years I saw and participated in the worst sugar and alcohol fueled behavior for those of us that partook. Even just one glass will begin the abuse of yourself and others.

     1. I agree Bernard, it is amazing what a difference one glass makes. I once spent an evening talking with a person. He sipped a single glass of wine throughout and I had water. Everything was fine until he took that last swig – and suddenly – and there is no other way of putting it – he started talking rubbish. I didn’t say anything but he noticed the change and it got a little awkward but what really surprised me was the difference that last little bit in the glass made.

        1. Agreed Christoph. After I had given up drinking alcohol I was invited to several get togethers with close friends. As the drinking started and continued it became difficult very quickly to hold a conversation with anyone. They would start talking gibberish and the more drinks the harder it became to understand or follow their conversations. It was only after I stopped drinking that I could see what effect it was having on my friends.

101. I love the way you make the observation about sugar/alcohol fuelled behaviour – couldn’t be any simpler.

     1. Yes it’s simple. Sugar is sugar no mater how it is consumed. As an adult we wouldn’t go out to a party and have 10 glasses of cordial but if our child is at a party we often limit this to 1 or 2 cups.

102. I love the way you’ve written about this Mick. You’ve talked about alcohol in a way that is so totally detached – which can only come from someone who has not the slightest attachment to or need for any substance that affects your valued pot of gold.

     1. So true Rosanna. I gave up alcohol about 12 years ago and no longer feel any need in myself to have it.

103. Thanks Mick for sharing this story – I hid behind a Gin and Tonic glass. It’s been 10 years since I had a drink of alcohol now – Wow that is so amazing! I am so grateful that it was presented to me in such a way through Universal Medicine that I realised I had a choice. It seems so crazy that I didn’t even stop to think about whether or not to drink. It was just a ‘rite of passage’, I couldn’t wait to turn 18 and start to drink legally, literally, because I certainly didn’t wait until 18 to drink! I had never thought about actually how much sugar we actually consume when we drink alcohol – it is staggering really.

104. Great comparison between the sugary fixes we give kids and alcohol, a grown up sugary fix that has slightly more serious side effects. I’ve never been told not to drink alcohol but got to a point where I no longer wanted to poison my body. We have so much control of the choices we can make and giving up alcohol was a very powerful one for me.

105. I loved reading this Mick, and yes, you are the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It really does come down to taking responsibility and making the necessary changes.

106. Hey Mick, I loved reading your article and enjoyed your candid honesty. I relate to everything you say about alcohol and like you, love my life since making different choices.

107. I have been hiding for most of my life behind a glass of alcohol, thinking this was normal, socially accepted and something which is part of life. How I loved, or more honest, needed my daily glass of wine at some point! When I learned that everything is a choice and the importance of taking care of myself, I decided to stop drinking for one month. That one month is now nearly 4 years on and boy oh boy, how I love myself for making this choice!

108. The power of being responsible for ourselves,with no one to blame, and the power to make different choices is offered clearly and delightfully here. Thank you Mick

109. Mick what a great blog ..
     ‘To make it even worse, and being due to my own stupidity at that time, little did I realise that I was fast becoming one of those world problems’
     This makes sense to me, in that …. if I do not chose to be responsible for our own wellbeing then I am contributing to this world epidemic…
     I have been a part of the problem and I now choose to be a part of the change, and this feels amazing ✨✨

110. Beautiful blog Mick. Loved your simple direct honesty especially in describing how concerned we are as parents for the level of sugar intake that our children are exposed to, so often without a second thought as to what we are doing to ourselves. Bringing responsibility back to ourselves to make the choices that support our bodies and not harm it has been for me a life changer. Clearing my body of sinus and Asthma and also now having a body that can feel my love inside of it. Too beautiful for words. My choice to adjust the way I was living has made this possible.

111. Great blog and fun to read! Yes we hide behind so many things and sweet talk around just to not admit how self harming we live, calling it normal. There is this one specific ingredient of life we don’t want to look at, thats called responsibility. We claim it from our children and we complain if they don’t have it, but we are so good in avoiding it too. How different would the world be if everyone would assume responsibility for their choices! For sure we wouldn’t have such big problems with our young as they would learn from early age that we are responsible for our choices and that we are accountable for them!

112. Thanks Mick. Simple choices. Seldom do we see their repercussions beyond the present moment.

113. I love this, and the way you have described what alcohol is – no hiding from how ridiculous it is! And the same goes for how we can choose to abuse our bodies – no hiding from that either – there is no one to blame but we we can take responsibility for ourselves. Which also points out how ridiculous it is when our health is falling apart. Beautiful blog, thanks Mick.

114. This is great Mick, I love your analogy between childrens drinks and alcoholic drinks. When we take responsibility and monitor what our children have and yet we are not taking the same responsibility for ourselves. What type of role models are we demonstrating to our children? By choosing to change, take responsibility and by making nurturing loving choices to support yourself Mick you are now a wonderful role model to children and all people you know.

115. I love how you tell it as it is Mick and highlight the fact that we wouldn’t want our children to be behaving in this way yet as adults we think it is OK.

116. Yes, we are responsible for all our choices and there is no-one to blame. A great reminder – thank you.

117. What a joy to read Mick. Matter of fact, down to earth, truth. I love it. What you say blows drinking alcohol out of the water – it’s crazy (and makes people say and do crazy things).

     1. Thank you Mick and Sandra, I agree, life and alcohol, which is just another sugar, do not mix and are the absolute polar opposites. Also the kids on the red sugar drinks also hit the “crazy’ button and how can we justify this absurdity? Could it be we are fooled into thinking sugar is good for us? Maybe if we allow a series of time-lapse interviews with children and adults with before and after scenarios, people will wake up? There are also many students of the Livingness who are also living in a true wisdom of their bodies, by listening to their bodies, these students who are not addicted to sugars of any description, could this be a way forward? Maybe there could be studied of both at the same time? Nothing to lost in this type of trial and a lot to be gained, especially when we live in a society that is becoming more ill every day and the students of the Livingness as presented by Serge Benhayon are becoming healthier by the minute.

118. A great honest and down to earth account of what alcohol actually is. When put the way you have, it makes me say ‘who would want to touch it?’
     I know what it’s like to hide behind a drink, I did it for years as a teenager, but this only masked what I didn’t want to feel in my body. I could see the adverse affects of alcohol and stopped in my early 20’s only to take up something else in its place.
     I now know that without the drugs and stimulants, I get to feel the real Me. So my question is, why don’t people want to feel who they truly are?

119. Mick, this is a great and inspiring story. Even though you make it humorous it’s clear that it’s also a very important matter, realizing that everything is one’s own choice and that choices can be changed. Have you noticed how many people photographed at events, posted on social media and in family albums, are holding a beer can or glass of wine? I never paid it much heed, until the high incidence of it began to ring bells. I felt that, as you say, they are indeed hiding behind their alcohol, using a socially acceptable ‘shield’ to hold at bay the vulnerability that would come from getting close to people without any ‘defences’. There are many shields we hide behind: kids, pets, sports, uniforms, being celeb fans, anything….. And why do we feel the need for the shields, I wonder? How about if, realizing we are all in the same boat in one way or other, we all put down our shields together? Now what an awesome party THAT would be!

     1. Hi Dianne. I love what you said about the “socially acceptable shield”. Its so true we use many things in life as shields to get by and I would certainly Love to be at that party. How much fun.

120. Mick, thank Heaven that you pulled yourself up to look for that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and found it was you, and thank Heaven for YOU!

121. Thanks Mick. Serge Benhayon has this unique way of stating simple truths, which hit a chord within and then start to unfold within oneself as the truth. It is wonderful to be open to feeling in so many blogs, this way people are sharing their truth and inspiring others likewise.

122. Great analogy Mick about alcohol and cordial. So funny when you think about it – parents worrying about how much cordial or juice kids have drunk at a party so that they are not too rowdy later and disturb the hangover!

     1. So true. As adults we wouldn’t go to a party and drink 6+ cups of cordial, but in my past I had drunk 6+ cups of alcohol.

123. Mick, your story of additives and neglect is one I was most adept at also undertaking. Thanks for sharing – I too had beer goggles and could not see the wood for the trees. A couple of years into Universal Medicine and I’m still discovering how my different choices affect me, my well-being and energy that returns. As Serge Benhayon says – “De Nile is not just a river”!

124. It is interesting the double standards we live with. We tell the kids to reduce their sugar intake because of what it does to them yet we as adults seem to think it is fine to drink copious amounts of sugar infused alcohol and imagine it has no affect on us. It just does not make sense..

125. Great blog Mick. All that sugar, craziness and vomiting and then simply another choice that can be made — to simply be YOU.

126. Loved reading this Mick, especially your kids, lollies, cordial analogies! I used alcohol to ‘connect’ to other people but now it is so obvious that there was absolutely no connection in my relationships when alcohol was present. When the party was over I had to deal with the damage done to my relationships and my body and it was not pretty. I love living life without the need or desire to drink alcohol now.

127. When I was drunk, I too Mick, I thought, at the time, I was having an in depth meaningful conversation with another drunk person. The next day I could not remember what we had talked about and when I could, more often then not we were not even talking about the same subject we were just off on our own tangents, both full of bulls…t neither one of us listening to the other, solving the worlds problems indeed !!!!!

128. The sugar example makes a lot of sense! and so does the fact that if I chose it, I can not choose it again by that same ability to choose. And if there is something felt that I do want to feel, I can choose to repeat that feeling.

129. Mick this was utter joy to read just as much as it has been for you by the sounds of it. It really is that simple, we have the power to make different choices that can either support and nurture us or harm us. We have the key.

130. Thank you for your great article – and even though I notice it was submitted at the end of 2012 the story about the insidious affect that alcohol has on our humanity never alters – and also another thing that never alters is the fact that we have to accept that the responsibility of our choices is our own, and there’s nought to point the finger at nor blame anybody else.
     From the presentations at Universal Medicine and from Serge Benhayon I found in the early stages of re-discovering who I truly was that this was indeed a slightly bitter (not sugar sweet) pill to have to swallow but that indeed was the truth.

131. Great blog Mick direct and to the point, I don’t drink alcohol anymore but if I did after reading your blog I would definitely be questioning if that is something I would want to continue doing. If alcohol had a label on it saying, “warning you are drinking a poison” people would be more likely to stop and question what they are putting into their body.

132. Great that you found ‘YOU’, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow – but more so, great for everyone that comes into contact with you in your life. You truly are gold and the life you are now choosing to live is proof of that.

133. Mick, it was so joyful to read your blog. Your analogy between alcohol and cordial is gold and so true. I had never thought of alcohol having that much sugar, which of course it does. Your humour that comes from being the ‘real you’ is a delight.

134. Why so much sugar? That is A LOT of sugar! Thank you Mick for nailing this issue so well.

135. There’s nothing like pointing out the hypocrisy of what we consider ok for adults but not ok for kids, to see the ridiculousness of how we live. Are we somehow less precious than our kids, less affected by poisons in our body? I don’t think so…

     1. So true Fiona. Parents are known to limit cordial and soft drink to their children because of the sugar content but do they apply the same principle to themselves when it comes to alcohol?

136. Great article Mick, as I’m sure most of us can relate to what you are sharing here and have made very similar choices in the past, but have now taken responsibility for ourselves (thanks to the inspiration of Serge Benhayon) and our choices, so are able to revel in our own delightful self, once again.

137. Ha ha – the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow … YOU!

138. Thanks Mick, I too have travelled a similar path and, but for the grace of God, would still be lost if I hadn’t met Serge Benhayon and learnt self-responsibility and self-loving choices.

     1. Same here. Totally lost with a can of beer in my hand thinking I’m being clever and witty. Alcohol sure is a great way to lose sight of that rainbow that leads to the real you.

139. Thank you Mick for introducing the new YOU. Love your willingness to laugh at yourself about the choices that you made prior to meeting Serge Benhayon and the obvious love you now have for yourself.

140. Mick, I love your analogy of the cordial bottle – another example of ‘do what I say, not what I do’. But I really love how you took responsibility for your own choices which had lead to poor health & made different ones – super simple.

141. We are the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! Thank you Mick for your refreshing article!

142. What a fun way to express all this…Thanks Mick. I also loved what you said about finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow…me.

143. Awesome blog mick…I so loved the part about finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow…me. I enjoyed reading the fun way you expressed it all,

144. Mick what you are sharing makes complete sense even though I had never put cordial and alcohol in the same basket. And you are right it is about choice and our responsibility to make choices that support our bodies not harm it.

145. Mick I like your no nonsense way of writing. It reminded me of the fact that I would never drink cordial unless it was super watered down but would happily sit there with a rum and coke and wouldn’t just stop at one either. Putting it that way does make you stop and think about the amount of sugar and the fact that our bodies are not designed to consume copious amounts of it – if any.

146. Loved reading this blog and what you have exposed around alcohol Mick and how simply you made different choices that truly supported you to be more of you. And I love your quesion towards the end: What do you do when nobody is to blame and everything is about your choices?” A great question to have on billbords in staff rooms as a gentle reminder on the moment that you read it/found it, that whatever situation you find yourself in, you have created it and are part of it, and thus have the power to change it. Awesome.

147. Thanks everyone for your comments. It was lots of fun to write and that pot of gold just continues to grow.

148. What a great fun way of expressing about self responsibility and our willingness to truly see what our choices are doing to us.

149. Great analogy with the kid’s cordial. So often we say, ‘Do as I say not as I do’. As you have shared, Mick, that does not work but that when one ‘walks one’s talk’ life changes.

     1. So true Jonathan, it’s not until we feeeelll the difference in another that we are inspired to make a change.

150. Loved reading this, thank you Mick. Saying it straight but with great humour!

     1. I agree Fiona, Mick has expressed it extremely well, refreshingly so. And what a great pot of Gold you have found Mick – far more than any amount of money could ever buy.

151. This is a great read, a super fresh article and humorous exposé. I learnt and laughed a lot! brilliant expression, thank you Mike.

152. Hi Mick, I loved reading this – it was just so simple! Everything you’ve expressed made perfect sense to me and was spelled out magnificently.

153. ​All my choices are made by me, I feel the impact of them and learn from them, good and bad, some supportive and others not so supportive. I’ve also been down that route, Mick, and am now choosing differently.​

154. Hi Mick great article, but I disagree, I am sure that when I was drunk, I solved many word problems… I also invented heaps of things that I later saw on late night informercials… I also had many deeply insightful conversations… I just can’t remember the exact details… so don’t quiz me on the particulars : )

     1. Hi Rebecca. Love your response. Look I’m sure without doubt that I indeed re-invent the wheel on several occasions but also have problems remembering the outcome.

155. Terrific article Mick, thanks for sharing this. So easy to read and relate to. I found myself nodding alot. Great last line too, made me smile big 🙂

156. Delicious expression. Thank you Mick.

157. You jokingly say “Isn’t it a bugger when there is no one else to blame but You?”
     I seriously say “isn’t it wonderful when you discover that there is no one else to blame but ME” because that means I can change it.

158. Thanks Mick. I had never thought about the alcohol problem in our society as being such a sweet one! Nice point.

159. Love it! Great fun, thanks Mick.

160. Last year my youngest son had some mate over for a sleep over. They hung out the back around a mini campfire, cooked some hot dogs and had juice bottles on hand. As the night progressed I noticed them going back to the ice box for ‘juice’, they would get a bit more crazy but keep going back… it was like watching an adult BBQ. Very scary how subtly this consciousness slips in… thanks Mick for calling it out.

161. Great post Mick!

162. Thanks so much Mick – strong and straight – its a ” sit up and take notice ” that we create the bodies we end up with… when all the time our pot of gold is inside us waiting to be re-discovered.

163. I Love how you refer to yourself as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, this you definitely are…

     1. I love this too, it’s easy to see how there doesn’t have to be any hardness or blame on our past choices as when we get to know the ‘pot of gold’ that we are, we can see that we were simply making choices that didn’t support the gold within us to come out. And from my experience, how much beauty we really have always been when we choose what supports us.

164. Mick, you’ve managed to make it blatantly clear how ridiculous it is that people intentionally consume a drink that is a poison in many ways. I can totally relate, as I’m sure many others can, in that I used to indulge in the same behavior to bury my emotional issues and not deal with them, as it seemed too hard to face the fact that I was responsible for the whole mess, as you stated in this blog. After finding UniMed and changing all that, it almost seems like that was the life of a different person I don’t even recognize now.

165. What a great parallel of children and red cordial, Mick. Talk about a sugar high – and to realise alcohol does the same. OUCH!

     1. Too true Judy. I’d never thought about it this way and that fact that alcohol (aside from everything else it contains) is so loaded with sugar… We know what sugar often does to children and how we realise they become ‘hyped’ up and not themselves and that we can become frustrated with their behaviour as a result, so why is it that we are not making this same connection with alcohol and in fact often herald the behaviour that results from consumption.

166. Love what and how you have written can so relate to it Mick, thank you.

167. Lovely to see humour cutting so easily through this topic that is often so intense.

168. Damn good common sense article Mick. I don’t know where my common sense went for all those grog filled wasted years (and dollars) while repeating the words, “never again”. Eventually, after much procrastination, I made the choice to stop and my life changed for the better. But I can’t help asking myself, “What the hell was I thinking?”

169. So true, we tell our children not to do something, yet we don’t question the things we do to ourselves.

170. You nailed it Mick. Awesome blog that everyone can relate to. You are a pot of gold.

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