Do you belive that good self control can lengthen your life?

I'm a person that has no self control, well very little to go on and someone sent me this link as a joke

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self_control

Because in order to curb my spending, cure my alcoholism temporarily and help me control those ever elusive extra 10lbs every woman has...I was contemplating giving up drink untill Xmas!

Every single person laughed at me then I laughed at myself, even knowing I can go mental over the holidays still I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it

And I read this and I realised my mother had told me this story before leading me to believe she suspected I was an impulsive child

http://www.ronaldgross.com/Marshmallow.html

I'm using drink as the proverbial marshmallow

But what would you do??

And do you believe exercising self control over the temptations in your life could lengthen it?

Adam

Well if you ever get an urge to step out in front of the 42B, self control would probably lengthen your life.

Mossy Monk

yes, self control will probably lengthen your life

kizzyr

Yes I do think good self control will lengthen your life.
Not having a go but how come so many people find it difficult to stop drinking for a week / month / however long they decide to try for

Dragan

kizzyr wrote:

Yes I do think good self control will lengthen your life.
Not having a go but how come so many people find it difficult to stop drinking for a week / month / however long they decide to try for

Because the majority of people have **** all willpower. Simple really.

Adam

kizzyr wrote:

Yes I do think good self control will lengthen your life.
Not having a go but how come so many people find it difficult to stop drinking for a week / month / however long they decide to try for

Because they have a problem.

Pighead

Pigheads disappointed your post didn't contain any cinematic reviews this time. Do me a favour and edit it to tell me what happens at the end of Casino Royale. Thanks cupcakes.

The dish ran away with the spoon

boneless

Self control will not lengthen your life... days will just seem longer...

kizzyr

Dragan wrote:

Because the majority of people have **** all willpower. Simple really.

That is true

Because they have a problem.

Yes Mirror this is also true and many people won't admit it to themselves.
I'm not anti-drinking at all but personally I'm not overly bothered by it and do dislike the way we, as a nation, always do it to excess and it seems to be the only way we know how to socialise. I used to work on Merrion Square and for the month of December in the morning I had to negotiate my way through the (usually frozen) piles of vomit all due to the "social" behaviour.

Mrs_Doyle

Well, I haven't a clue if it will lengthen your life, but it will certainly help you to live a more simple and straight forward life.
As soon as I read the first few lines of The marshmallow test, I thought to myself:

"Ooooh, I would probably just pick at the Marshmallow, nibbling at bits and then placing the Marshmallow in a way that hides the missing pieces... that way I would still get a taste of it, and I would also get a 2nd Marshmallow when the guy comes back in and sees the original one is still there".

That kinda got me thinking, because I have always lived my life that way.

I was bold in school. just bold enough to have fun, but never bold enough to get into serious trouble.
In work, I come in late now and then, and go home early every now and then. Just enough to make me enjoy working life that bit more, but never enough to get a bad reputation.
Sometimes I flirt a little, but I don't cheat. So I get the buzz, without destroying a trust or relationship.

So far, this 'best of both worlds' approach has worked for me, and I hope that it will continue to work.. ... but I am fairly sure that I know when I can, and can't, push the boundaries.

Adam

kizzyr wrote:

That is true


Yes Mirror this is also true and many people won't admit it to themselves.
I'm not anti-drinking at all but personally I'm not overly bothered by it and do dislike the way we, as a nation, always do it to excess and it seems to be the only way we know how to socialise. I used to work on Merrion Square and for the month of December in the morning I had to negotiate my way through the (usually frozen) piles of vomit all due to the "social" behaviour.

Tell me about it. I'm not anti-drinking either, I'll enjoy a drink whenever I get a chance, which is once a week if I'm lucky! But I did used to drink more frequently and at one point decided to give up, and did so for 6 months. And the only reason I started again was because the 6 months assured me that it wasn't a problem for me in any way. And I could stop just as quikly again.

Ruu_Old

It can definitely make your life a bit more simple like Mrs_Doyle mentioned. I have not need to use my self control because well I haven't needed to. People do need to realise they should be in control of their own future and destiny, not other people. Example,
"I'm dieing for a drink but meant to be off it"
"Ah come down to da pub for one, can't hurt"
It is just looking for others to help you out and give you the fix you need, people like that are no good for you.

connundrum

Dragan wrote:

Because the majority of people have **** all willpower. Simple really.

This I agree with..

Mirror wrote:

Because they have a problem.

This I don't agree with..

The majority of people lie to themselves IMO (me included), but it is a white lie. I often say things like I'd like to take up a sport/start a couse/give up the drink. But I say it in an offhand manner - the same as a lot of people.

If I really wanted to give up drink then I would give up drink, I would find the will power and I'd do it. Because I haven't done it yet doesn't mean that I have a problem - it simply means that I haven't wanted to give it up that much! Same for the other things, if I really wanted to start a new sport/course then I'd make time for it and do it.

I agree that self control may let you lead a cleaner, healthier, longer life. I reckon I haven't pushed my self control ability thus far because I haven't needed to/wanted to ie. If I have to save for something then I'd rather go out and make more money instead of cutting back on my spending.

I don't think I'm unhappy in the way that I am now, and when I decide that I'm not happy I'll shake it up

kizzyr

Mirror wrote:

Tell me about it. I'm not anti-drinking either, I'll enjoy a drink whenever I get a chance, which is once a week if I'm lucky! But I did used to drink more frequently and at one point decided to give up, and did so for 6 months. And the only reason I started again was because the 6 months assured me that it wasn't a problem for me in any way. And I could stop just as quikly again.

In my third year at university I decided to not drink at all that year. The reactions I got from people were so funny and over all it made them very uncomfortable and uneasy which really bothered me. This was my decision I wasn't stopping them from drinking, far from it, but I could have had leprosy and they'd have been less upset.

Adam

Ok I worded that badly connundrum, because I'm in complete agreement with you! What I meant is they have a general problem, as a person, i.e. they suck!

Will power is enough to conquer anything if you really want to I believe! If you're brain can tell you you "need" alcohol, it can also tell you you don't, I don't see where the confusion lies in that!

Mrs_Doyle

A relation of mine, only 19yrs old, has absolutely no self control.

They are destroying their own life.
They drink them-self into oblivion, regularly.
They don't care about anything in life, their future, their family, their day to day well being.
They merely exist and bow to every single ounce of peer pressure and temptation that presents itself to them.

Regardless of the amount of support that is on offer to them, they just can't seem to apply the minimum amount of self control that is necessary for a person to live any kind of stable life.

Red Hand

I guess this thread is orientated towards alcohol/junk food/squandering of funds as examples of things that one woulkd like to have self-control over.

What about lovin'? Should that be in moderation too, or will excess shorten your life-span?

Do monks and priests live longer than the general population?:)

Beetlebum

'The road to excess leads to the palace of wisdom' - William Blake

Jim Morrision was said to have lived his life on the premise of the above quote.
Alot can be said for that, he was an artist and a poet who never did anything in moderation. He was a hero and a hedonist who lived a long and prosperous life.....oh hang on...no wait...he died in a bathtub aged 27....

Hmmm....maybe he should have subscribed to the whole self control thing....

CathyMoran

My grandmother had self control, she did have a small whiskey every day though and she lived to 100, she was an amazing lady.

constitutionus

coolsmileygirl wrote:

I'm a person that has no self control, well very little to go on and someone sent me this link as a joke

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self_control

Because in order to curb my spending, cure my alcoholism temporarily and help me control those ever elusive extra 10lbs every woman has...I was contemplating giving up drink untill Xmas!

Every single person laughed at me then I laughed at myself, even knowing I can go mental over the holidays still I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it

And I read this and I realised my mother had told me this story before leading me to believe she suspected I was an impulsive child

http://www.ronaldgross.com/Marshmallow.html

I'm using drink as the proverbial marshmallow

But what would you do??

And do you believe exercising self control over the temptations in your life could lengthen it?

of course it would, its common sense . the real question is why would you want to?? your gonna die anyway luv so what way do you want it, sponge brain at 100 or heart failure whist riding your brains out. tis not the length of your life its the quality that matters:D

in case your wondering im going for the heart failure route

ScumLord

Why would you want to be old for longer. Live up the prime time then drop down dead before the artritis sets in.

Lothaar

I dunno, mirror. I think, in a lot of cases, it's less to do with willpower and more to do with not wanting to stop drinking. If I wanted to stop drinking altogether, I could commit to doing it. However, if I decided to go on the dry for a month on a whim I may crack after a couple of weeks if I'm out with some friends... because I simply don't want to not drink! I enjoy it, and I don't feel guilty about it, so it's very hard to force myself to do something I don't want to do.

Tar.Aldarion

Giving up drink until xmas will add ten years to your life, fact*.


*If you don't die of dehydration, which you will.

Black Swan

Jeremiah 16:1 wrote:

What about lovin'? Should that be in moderation too, or will excess shorten your life-span?

If with a lot of partners, it could shorten your lifespan, cause you could catch something nasty. If with one exclusive partner, you can't get enough! Releases dopamine into your system, which does the body good. And for those of you that want to lose a little weight, the average bedroom workout burns about 133 cals each time, so the more you do it, the better the weight loss!;)

constitutionus

Blue_Lagoon wrote:

If with a lot of partners, it could shorten your lifespan, cause you could catch something nasty. If with one exclusive partner, you can't get enough! Releases dopamine into your system, which does the body good. And for those of you that want to lose a little weight, the average bedroom workout burns about 133 cals each time, so the more you do it, the better the weight loss!;)

fully functional wedding tackle takes 15yrs off your life because of the strain it puts on your system. an odd fact the romans discovered when they realised the castratai lived longer than their peers. personally id rather hang onto my balls

kizzyr

constitutionus wrote:

fully functional wedding tackle takes 15yrs off your life because of the strain it puts on your system. an odd fact the romans discovered when they realised the castratai lived longer than their peers. personally id rather hang onto my balls

Yeah as a woman I can see why. Your choice is a) 15 years longer with the man in your life who sounds like a 7 year old or b) 15 years less but with someone whose whispered sweet nothings don't make you feel like a criminal.

cozmik

Self control is important but don't deny yourself that enjoyment you get from drink/socialising completely,especially at this time of year,it would probably lead to more stress than good for you.
In my experience a more gradual attitude change was the key to gaining some self-control,one little change led to another.

cozmik

Chakar

Well of course self control is important and its especially important for meeting deadlines.

If you like procrastinate a bit and then get the job done its grand once you get the job done.But if you procrastinate and don't get the job done then I think its important for the person to motivate themselves.You can develop it over time.

I personally always had good self control anyway.

Hail 2 Da Chimp

I believe self control on my part has already lenghtened several people's lives!

coffee_cake

kizzyr wrote:

Yes Mirror this is also true and many people won't admit it to themselves.
I'm not anti-drinking at all but personally I'm not overly bothered by it and do dislike the way we, as a nation, always do it to excess and it seems to be the only way we know how to socialise. I used to work on Merrion Square and for the month of December in the morning I had to negotiate my way through the (usually frozen) piles of vomit all due to the "social" behaviour.

Finally I'm not the only one on AH realising this...

I dunno, mirror. I think, in a lot of cases, it's less to do with willpower and more to do with not wanting to stop drinking. If I wanted to stop drinking altogether, I could commit to doing it. However, if I decided to go on the dry for a month on a whim I may crack after a couple of weeks if I'm out with some friends... because I simply don't want to not drink! I enjoy it, and I don't feel guilty about it, so it's very hard to force myself to do something I don't want to do.

What's even worse is people thinking that not drinking to excess has to mean not drinking at all...