(Minghui.org) I started drinking when I was in elementary school. I remember vividly finishing an entire bottle of 60-proof with my uncle at that time. [Editors' note: There is no legal drinking age limit in China.] Alcohol topped my list of priorities even after I got married--my family could not compete with my drinking.
My dependance on alcohol intensified while I was in the military, and it only got worse after I retired from the military and became a TV reporter.
My binge drinking not only wreaked havoc on my health, but also almost broke up my marriage. In despair, I turned to Falun Gong as a means to help me kick the habit.
An alcoholic for almost 30 years, I quit drinking in just three months after I started to practice Falun Gong, and I have never looked back. I was totally amazed and made up my mind to stay the course and cultivate.
Thanks to Falun Gong, I have become a better, healthier, and more productive person over the years. This is my story.
Complications of Heavy Drinking
The problems really started when I was in the military. One time when I was drunk, I fell off a bicycle and knocked out one of my front teeth.
It got worse after I took an enviable job as a television reporter. Given the nature of the job, my social activities increased greatly, and so did my drinking. I drank every day, sometimes two or three times a day.
I soon became a notorious alcoholic among my colleagues. I was often too drunk to take quality pictures, even though I had an expensive camera. One anchorwoman once commented after we finished filming for New Year: “He is a Major General when it comes to drinking.”
Drinking started to seriously affect my health. On one occasion, I filmed a documentary about coal mining. I drank with a few of the mine secretaries in the morning and had beer with the promotions department employees during lunch. Right after that, I felt tightness in my chest, I was short of breath, and I felt like I was having a heart attack. I was rushed to a local hospital.
On another occasion, I traveled abroad with my boss as his translator and photographer. Naturally, we drank together. But I did not feel I had had enough, so I went out alone to have some more and completely forgot to charge up the camera for the next day.
I felt sick and hurt all over the next day after I got drunk. I swore to quit, but it lasted no more than two days. My wife even chastised someone who drank with me for making me so drunk. My drinking problem was the cause of intense family discord and almost broke up my marriage.
Kicking the Habit in Three Months by Practicing Falun Gong
When I was in despair, I heard that practicing Falun Gong helps people quit drinking. After reading the book Zhuan Falun, I was enlightened by the profound principles in the book and gradually started to understand the meaning of life. I also realized how harmful drinking was and decided to quit.
Quitting drinking is easier said than done. I had really bought in to the notion that alcohol is a must in social settings. Before I was enlightened by what Master said in Lecture 9 of Zhuan Falun, I didn't know how to deal with people in social groups without alcohol.
Master said:
“When it’s difficult to endure, you can endure it. When it’s impossible to do, you can do it.” (Lecture 9, Zhuan Falun)
Once I decided to quit drinking, I was tested time and again. On one occasion, the head of the cafeteria at work offered me a drink in front of colleagues. I firmly told him that I no longer drank. My colleagues were surprised, but they never encouraged me to drink after that. But I failed a test on another occasion.
Anyone who works for a television station always tries to produce an award-winning program, and I was no exception. I chose to make a film about year-round wetland protection, which was a global issue at the time. When I took pictures in the fall of 1994, a female chief of a local promotions department insisted that I accept the drink she offered. So that I could finish my work without a hitch and also to keep her from losing face, I reluctantly accepted--and fell off the wagon.
I was guilt-ridden afterward. To avoid getting into the same embarrassing situation, I gave up the project and left town. But the pain of having broken my word stayed with me for more than three months. I have never had a drink since.
I was tested again in May 1995. My company assigned me and an anchorperson to participate in a national activity reporting on coastal cities. At the welcome banquet, I did not accept a drink offered by the head of the local promotions department. I told him that I did not drink because I was a Falun Gong practitioner. He was surprised because, in his mind, every reporter drank, so he kept offering. He asked the Tourism Bureau people that accompanied us to film to arrange a dinner party before we departed.
This was our first experience doing something like this. Since most coastal cities had been reported on already, we chose an island and focused on the lifestyles of the natives. This island was the headquarters of the Northern Navy. Luckily, the residents were very talkative and provided us with a great deal of valuable material. We finished our 15-minute film in just a day and a half. It won third prize and was later shown on the “China Style” program.
At the farewell banquet, the head of the promotions department tried again to persuade me to drink, but I held firm. Looking defeated, he said that he had failed, because no one yet had ever refused when he had offered a drink. I sincerely said to him, “You did not fail. We are still friends.”
I finally quit drinking three months into my practice of Falun Gong, and I have stayed sober ever since.
Becoming a Better, Healthier, and More Productive Person
Master taught us-
“Since every one of you is cultivating Zhen-Shan-Ren, you should be a good person in every circumstance.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Canada 1999”)
After I started to practice Falun Gong, I did the exercises before work and studied the Fa after work. I was careful to behave according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to be a good person and improve my xinxing.
After I began to cultivate, I really changed. First off, I became more responsible to my family. My family and some of my relatives noticed and started to practice Falun Gong, too. My wife's migraines, heart problem, indigestion, and gynecological diseases disappeared after she began to practice. She has changed completely. She also stopped drinking and is no longer selfish, stingy, or irritable. My family became very harmonious.
In the past, I had to stop and rest if I had to carry anything more than 25 pounds. Now I can carry a 60-pound bag of rice straight up the stairs to the seventh floor. I used to sleep at least seven hours and still felt tired. Now, I only need to sleep four or five hours and still feel energetic after a hard day's work.
I work hard at my job and often do things beyond my duties. Unlike other reporters, I do not ask for money or gifts from people I interview. I no longer take things that do not belong to me. For an example, my supervisor gave me 200 yuan to cover the cost for telephone calls I made with my cell phone on a business trip. He was surprised that I only accepted 50 yuan.
I also became more productive. I was the only person carrying the camera and tripod on several excursions. I cherished the opportunities and wanted to take good pictures for possible future use.
The fact that I quit drinking changed my colleagues' opinion of me. One female department chief who did not like my drinking became very supportive. After the persecution of Falun Gong began in 1999, she was accused of being a Falun Gong sympathizer because she did not denounce me in a criticism meeting.
Category: Improving Oneself
