We certainly follow them when driving;  we cannot drive against the traffic.  We cannot  exceed the speed limit (not too much anyway).  We cannot run a red light.  I know all of us do sometime and we may even get away with it for a while but we end up sooner or later in grief, like in jail or worse, in an accident, or with a lost license.  

In the same sense, do we need some rules and guidelines to follow in our own lives? We certainly do!  I do not mean strict  rigid programs set in cement.

The ancient Greek Athenians had it right with one broad guideline:  “Every thing in good measure.”  Not to be outdone, the Greek Spartans who liked to talk less used to say “Nothing in excess.”   Here we say, “Please use a sense of proportion.”  

There you have it!  You cannot eat daily lots of greasy food for long.  You end up fat , diabetic, tired, cobwebby or with a stroke.  Again we are made to be active and face  challenges.  So walk a few minutes every day, get into an active hobby; and by all means, eat good food slowly  to enjoy it but for heaven shake eat a little less.  And watching TV for hours is as deadly as eating pounds of fat back.  And worse once set in our habits, it is tough to change. In the same way happily when you set with good habits it is easy to maintain them.  All my close friends who smoked died years ago long before their time, all  dead from lung cancer. 

Us Doctors as we are busy  treating  troubles we hardly have time for warning, instructing and advising.  So we end up giving statins to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure medicines all with often severe side effects.  In a way we help our patients  to keep up with their bad habits.  It does not make sense!

So think to slowly change tack.  Do not do it fast, it will fail.  But start. The life you will protect and enjoy will be your own.

And finally a little note about “recreational” drugs.  The  Brain of ours for each one of us IS US!   All other parts of our body are tools in order for us to move around and do  things.  BUT MY BRAIN IS ME and it is a very delicate organ!  I will not mess with it no way no how!