Reference: The Happiness Rundown
2-2. Do not take alcohol to excess
People who take alcohol are not alert. It impairs their ability to react even when it seems to them they are more alert because of it. Alcohol has some medicinal value. It can be grossly overestimated. Don’t let anyone who has been drinking drive you in a car or fly you in a plane. Drinking can take lives in more ways than one. A little liquor goes a long way; don’t let too much of it wind up in unhappiness or death. Deter people from excessive drinking.
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Exercise
0. Make sure you have completed the exercise section at Happiness: Precept 2-1. Study the precept above.
1. Check the responses to the following questions for false data (see false data steps at Happiness: Prologue).
(a) “Have you been told or taught that it was OK to take alcohol to excess?”
(b) “Do you have any rules or ideas contrary to not taking alcohol to excess?”
(c) “Have you been led to believe that you should take alcohol to excess?”
(d) “Do you know of anything that conflicts with not taking alcohol to excess?”
(e) “Do you have any false data about taking alcohol?”
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2. Go over each of the following questions repetitively, until there are no more answers:
(a) “How have others transgressed against the precept: ‘Do not take alcohol to excess’?”
(b) “How have you transgressed against the precept: ‘Do not take alcohol to excess’?”
Do a quick review to see if you did not miss any answers on this step. You should be feeling good about this step.
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3. See if the following question definitely brings up some name you know of:
“Is there any specific person in your past who really transgressed against the precept: ‘Do not take alcohol to excess’?”
If no name comes up then go to step 4. if a name has come up, then continue with step 3 as follows:
“Can you recall an exact moment when you observed ___(name)___ transgressing this precept?”
If there is a realization, go to step 4. Otherwise, continue contemplating as follows, until there is some realization.
“Is there any time when you wanted to be like ___(name)___ ?”
“Is there any time when you decided that taking alcohol to excess was a good thing?”
“Did you ever do anything bad to ___(name)___ ? (Get all possible answers)
“Are there any differences between ___(name)___ and yourself?”
“Are there any similarities between ___(name)___ and yourself?”
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4. Handle any anomalies that come up on the following question by looking at the anomaly more closely.
”Do you have any reservations about not taking alcohol to excess?”
If the anomaly does not resolve then review the precept as well as all the exercise steps above to see if anything was missed. Then do step 4 again. When there is no anomaly go to step 5.
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5. Contemplate on the following question.
“Do you have any reservations about getting someone else not to take alcohol to excess?”
If any reservation comes up, then consider the following:
“How would that be a problem?”
Get answers to this question until there are no reservations.
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Wrap up Precept 2
0. Review Precept 2.
1. Contemplate over the following question.
“Is there any conflict between being temperate and any other ideas you have encountered?”
Handle any conflict with false data steps.
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2. Go over each of the following questions repetitively, until there are no more answers:
“Have you thought of any other transgressions of others against the precept: ‘Be temperate’?”
“Have you thought of any other transgressions of your own against the precept: ‘Be temperate’?”
“During these sessions have you thought of any withhold?”
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3. Consider this question:
“Do you have any feeling that you wouldn’t be yourself if you followed the precept: ‘Be temperate’?”
If this is not the case, go to the Step 4. Otherwise, ask yourself,
“Can you recall any person who felt the way you do about the precept: ‘Be temperate’?”
If no name comes up then go to step 4. if a name has come up, then continue with step 3 as follows:
“Can you recall an exact moment when you observed ___(name)___ transgressing this precept?”
If there is a realization, go to step 4. Otherwise, continue contemplating as follows, until there is some realization.
“Is there any time when you wanted to be like ___(name)___ ?”
“Is there any time when you decided that not being temperate was a good thing?”
“Did you ever do anything bad to ___(name)___ ? (Get all possible answers)
“Are there any differences between ___(name)___ and yourself?”
“Are there any similarities between ___(name)___ and yourself?”
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4. Check over the following questions. and handle any anomalies that come up.
“Do you have any other considerations about being temperate?”
“Do you have any other considerations about others being temperate?”
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