Veganism and Sobriety

[Rob Posi]

whether or not you went vegan for health reasons (i certainly did not), it quickly becomes part of your lifestyle. over the past 4 years of my veganism i've found myself increasingly worried about the health benefits of what i'm putting in my body, as well as it just being animal free.

my question is then, do you see an importance in being sober? and if so/not how do you view this in relation to your veganism?

i have lots of "vegan" friends that smoke cigarettes, and that definitely isn't vegan... but they don't have a problem with it.

i also have vegan friends who drink and do various drugs, harming their bodies. to me this seems hypocritical, and i was interested in others thoughts.

[Risker]

Just depends why you're vegan, I'm not vegan at all for my own benefit and therefore don't mind drinking/smoking/anything else I want to do that may damage my body.

[horselesspaul]

i have lots of "vegan" friends that smoke cigarettes, and that definitely isn't vegan... but they don't have a problem with it.

Why would smoking cigarettes not be vegan?

[sandra]

I'm the same as Risker................I am not vegan because of health reasons, so for me veganism and sobriety are two different issues.

[auntierozzi]

Most brands (cigarettes) have been tested on animals probably still are.

[horselesspaul]

I am vegan for health reasons. Just not my own health..

[horselesspaul]

Most brands (cigarettes) have been tested on animals probably still are.

Almost everything is or has been at one time or another. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LD50

I haven't smoked tobacco for 20 years, 16 of them as a vegan, by the way.

[auntierozzi]

That's true Horseless. How did you manage to kick the habit?

[horselesspaul]

That's true Horseless. How did you manage to kick the habit?

Rather stupidly giving up all the triggers (tea, coffee, pubs, parties etc) for a couple of months and replacing tobacco with vast amounts of neat weed.
Not big, not clever. However, you won't find me walking 10 miles to an all night garage to buy ciggies any time so it's all good.

[Rob Posi]

Why would smoking cigarettes not be vegan?

i live in "Camel City" which is home to the majority of the popular cigarette brands and it is a very open and well known fact, around here at least, that all the local factories do on sight animal testing

[horselesspaul]

Unfortunately, by that reasoning, dentistry is ruled out for us along with most foodstuffs and medicines which were generally tested on animals at one time or another.
Cigarettes are vegan but their being tested on animals isn't. Perhaps it's the continuation of these tests which make it more abhorrent to us?
Just my Devil's Avocado 2p, by the way.

peas,

Paul.

[Charlotte]

I used to be vegan straightedge but now i'm just vegan. The issues seemed separtate to me, I'm vegan for moral/ethical reasons. Was straightedge as a protest against a culture in which people rely on alcohol and other drugs. I stil feel this actually, just drink occasionally now (don't smoke or use drugs other than the medication I have to take)

[Heartsease]

i also have vegan friends who drink and do various drugs, harming their bodies. to me this seems hypocritical, and i was interested in others thoughts.

To me veganism is about compassion. This means I have to firstly love and nurture myself or I am not trully compassionate. I try to treat myself ( and others) the way I would want others to treat me.

When I first became vegetarian, however, it was about guilt. I felt awful being responsible for hurting animals. I was about 12. I had'nt realised I was overlooking myself. Not that I was smoking or drinking, mind you!

I love quotes! ----->
The truth about intimate relationships is that they can never be better than our relationships with ourselves ~ James Hollis

[harpy]

Another possible objection to cigarettes from a vegan point of view is that there is a lot of animal research being done into smoking-related illnesses such as lung cancer. If people didn't smoke the incidence of these diseases would presumably decline and then the research programmes would reduce as well. (Mind you they'd probably find something else to research so I'm not sure how far you can argue that one.)

And if you developed a smoking-related disease then you'd probably end up using animal-tested treatments. Yes the same is true of all diseases but arguably if you're a vegan it follows that you would want to avoid actions that increase your chance of getting ill and needing animal-tested drugs etc.

I suppose a similar objection might apply to heavy drinking at a level that is likely to make you ill, but not really to moderate drinking I wouldn't have thought.

I can't say I follow this idea through properly myself because although I don't smoke or drink heavily there other things I could do to avoid getting ill, like taking more exercise for example <makes resolution>.

[horselesspaul]

Yes the same is true of all diseases but arguably if you're a vegan it follows that you would want to avoid actions that increase your chance of getting ill and needing animal-tested drugs etc.

Very much how I feel about it.

[Lorrs]

my question is then, do you see an importance in being sober? and if so/not how do you view this in relation to your veganism?

I don't see an importance in being sober so much as I see an importance in drinking responsibly. Living in the west of Scotland, the majority of social activity for many people revolves around drinking and being drunk and I view this to be a terribly unhealthy attitude towards alcohol. I think it is possible to enjoy alcohol responsibly without getting utterly wasted and it's something I usually try to do. I will sometimes get drunk but it's a rare occurance and I always know when to stop and go onto water, unlike many of my friends.

With regard to veganism, so long as the alcohol I'm drinking is vegan then it's all good. I will say that veganism has made me increasingly aware of health related matters and this awareness aids me in my resolve to drink responsibly.

As for smoking, veganism was one of the main things that helped me give up. It took a while for me to do it but it was still something I felt guilty about due to being vegan and it not being very vegan or healthy. Reading a list of additives known to be in cigarettes really put me off. Everything from beeswax to honey to milk and loads of other possible additives. See this link

[MarkAnthony]

I've been sober since January now. I don't really see it as a necessary extension of veganism. However, like others in this thread I am certainly troubled by the culture of drinking and getting wasted that seems to be prevalent in modern western societies. I wouldn't describe myself as sXe, and I think that one day I may well go back to drinking, but only in moderation.

Has anyone else who's quit drinking or significantly cut it down noticed that people who are drunk are utterly intolerable when you're sober? This is something else that concerns me. What on earth was I like?!

[VanillaBean]

whether or not you went vegan for health reasons (i certainly did not), it quickly becomes part of your lifestyle. over the past 4 years of my veganism i've found myself increasingly worried about the health benefits of what i'm putting in my body, as well as it just being animal free.

Hey Rob Posi. That's exactly how I feel. I became vegan for ethical reasons but did a life and health overhaul at the same time. I stopped drinking, smoking etc. I found it hard because I was only 18 or 19 and that's when friends were going a little crazy with it all and I felt like even more of an outsider as a result. However, I am now extremely careful about anything I put on or in my body and I like that. I'm taking care of myself and saving the animals and the environment. What's better than that??? I also think that as you get older and life is less about the party and more about the living that you get to be less of an outsider for your choices.

[cobweb]

I became Vegan for the simple reason that I no longer wished to be a part of animals' suffering. I still smoked and drank a lot of alcohol because I wasn't keen on human animals and had scant regard for my own health.

However, as others have pointed out, I think one becomes very much more aware of health issues through Veganism. Also, I no longer want to be part of the Mass Moronism in this society where people seem to be under the impression that they can smoke, drink, whatever, and someone else will pick up the peices .

Also all these bad and unnecessary habits do certainly lead to further animal suffering and environmental damage .

Unfortunately I'm far from perfect as I still drink far too much tea and sometimes I do eat unnecessary amounts of cornflake cakes . I'm proud to be 100&#37; sober whilst doing so, though .