Sinful Pleasures

Becky enjoys a glass or two of wine - and some really sinful food - and considering the lengths that anti-smokers have gone to in order to prevent people from enjoying a smoke, she considers it’s only a matter of time before health fanatics attempt to apply the ‘successes’ of their anti-tobacco measures to other sinful pleasures.

“Already the WHO (World Health Organization) has guidelines on alcohol and food controls – check them out on the Net,” says Becky, “and health departments are just waiting for the right time to apply them.”

“Just like smokers were targeted on the basis of health hazards whether they smoked 1 cigarette a day or 100, it is going to make no difference whether we drink a glass of wine a day or a bottle or two, or eat sinful food once in a while or every day,” says Becky. “They are going to insist that every sip we take of alcohol, and every bite we take of junk food, is going to kill us – or make us so ill that we will become a burden on the health budget – and we are going to be made to feel incredibly guilty for sinning against ourselves and our society.”

“Oh, and don’t forget the children,” sighs Becky. “Already, pregnant women are warned against drinking and poor diets – soon they will be told in no uncertain terms that they must NOT drink or eat junk food when pregnant.”

“We are going to have to put up with horrible labels on alcohol and sinful food – just like smokers do,” laughs Becky. “I am already familiar with some really gruesome labels on cigarettes, so it won’t bother me much, but I think it is going to make some people really freak out seeing a picture of a cirrhotic liver on their favorite bottle of wine, or a fatty liver on their favorite junk food.”

“And, of top of that insult, we will have sin taxes – just like the ones smokers pay,” says Becky. “These taxes, we will be told, are to pay for the burden we will become on the health system because of our sins – but really these sin funds will be used to pay the salaries of the sin controllers and their advertising buddies who will be forever creating more and more gruesome advertisements to make us feel guilty (but all they do, really, is make us reach for the bottle or some comfort food even more – and they know that, that’s why they do it, because they don’t want us to stop sinning, they just want our money).”

“Actually, the worse thing about declaring something sinful or harmful to our health is the social stigma we have to bear from all of those perfect people out there who neither drink, smoke or eat junk food,” explains Becky. “Just like smokers before them, drinkers and junk food eaters will be refused the possibility of fostering and adopting children; their sin will be used against them in determining child custody in divorce; their employment prospects can be ruined; and their housing security may be threatened – which will affect older drinkers and junk food eaters pretty badly.”

“And then there is the moralistic medical profession to contend with, especially in hospital settings where you cannot possibly sneak in a bottle of fortified wine or some comfort food,” laughs Becky. “And, if you refuse to quit drinking or eating sin foods you may even be denied medical treatment whether or not you are an alcoholic or obese.”

“If you have a mental health disorder on top of your sinful habits then you will be in deep trouble because the doctors are within their rights to restrain you physically and/or chemically if you want a drink or something special to eat which they deem is ‘bad’ for your health.”

“Perhaps the worst stigma of all, though, is having your social life ruined by your sinful habit,” explains Becky. “Not many people think that having to go outside in all weathers for a smoke is so bad, or being faced by no-smoking signs when you do go outside for a smoke, but when someone tells you that you cannot drink in an establishment where children are present, or eat sinful food around them, because you would be setting a bad example, I think you get the drift of what I am telling you about the brave new world ahead.”

“If you insist on your right to drink and eat as you please, then prepare yourself for some heavy sin taxes and labels with strong wording such as drinking/eating this product kills, is addictive, causes brain/liver/stomach damage, harms your fetus, etc – all with accompanying gruesome pictures to make it absolutely sure you get the message!”