Concentrate

This is yet another clever con trick. Any form of concentration takes mental and physical focus. If you have an aggravation, like feeling the physical effects of coming off a drug or experiencing mental dependency on drink, then you will not be able to concentrate as well as you would without these aggravations. If somebody is suffering from the DTs they feel as though they cannot concentrate without a drink. The fact is, the only reason they cannot concentrate is because of the drink. In order to concentrate on anything at all you must first get rid of anything that is aggravating you. A heroin addict cannot concentrate properly without their drug. When they take the drug they are calmer and more relaxed and so better able to concentrate, but is there one non-heroin addict in the world who believes that heroin helps people concentrate? When I was on the wagon for three months I couldn’t concentrate properly at any social gathering. Even though the physical aggravation had gone, I still had the permanent mental aggravation of wanting to drink.

Some people have built up such immunity and tolerance to the drug that the withdrawal effects have become normal and they believe this is how they are meant to feel. The chemical reaction automatically sends a signal to the brain and the thought ‘I want a drink’ occurs. While they retain that thought, they will not be able to concentrate properly until they get what they want. Part of

their focus has now been taken up with an urge caused by a subtle chemical reaction in the body. As soon as they fix themselves a drink they will be better able to concentrate. The funny thing is that, as soon as they take a sip, they will crack on with whatever they need to focus on, yet the drink has had no time to take effect whatsoever. It’s psychosomatic. If the alcohol did take effect, they would definitely not be able to concentrate on anything. You need total concentration and focus to pass a driving test so why not have a drink before the test? Because it changes your judgement, slows your reactions and causes mental and physical aggravation. Do you think that Andy Murray would concentrate better on his game if he had a drink before a big match? Would children focus better on their homework if they fixed themselves a little ‘Scotty’ (Scotch) before they began? A brain surgeon really needs a steady hand and full concentration to do the job – alcohol to the rescue once more! What an amazing drug alcohol is, it does everything. Sorry, it appears to do everything and that is the con.

The only reason why drinkers are better able to concentrate at certain times when they do have a drink is because they are either ending a physical low (caused by the drug) or they have satisfied their psychological dependency on the drug. The truth is that they are only ending an aggravation. When you eliminate any aggravation you are better able to concentrate than you were but you shouldn’t have had the aggravation in the first place. Think about it logically. How can a depressant

that destroys brain cells, numbs your senses (including sight which is a valuable aid to focusing), slows down your reactions and stupefies you, help you concentrate? It can’t. It is yet another con.

‘But Jason, if you have nothing to do, at least alcohol helps to relieve …’