The subject: a no-alcohol bet for 2014.
The stakes: $100,000 or more.
Just a few days later Mercier wrote his first blog post of the year and, like so many bloggers, it focused on his personal goals for 2014.
Amongst the challenges he has set himself for the new year are to win three live tournaments, win another major title, start his own YouTube channel, write a book, start his own charity and help his brother and family purchase a new home.
Although Mercier didn’t set himself any specific health goals he does mention how difficult it will be to maintain the much healthier lifestyle that he has developed on his recent two-month break from poker.
“I will be trying to continue focusing on eating better, working out every day, and getting a reasonable amount of sleep nightly,” Mercier states.
But where is the no-alcohol goal in there?
Like Kevin Bacon Says, It's a No-Brainer
It doesn’t matter how much you hooch it up, any alcohol is a form of poison. I’m sure that you all think it tastes great, gives you a buzz, creates a feeling of warmth and fuzziness, lowers your inhibitions and helps you enjoy your social occasions more.
But it’s made out of the same shit you put into your car engine. Rotten food that when processed becomes ethanol.
It never ceases to amaze me how often people set goals to improve their health but continue to drink alcohol.
It’s a contradiction wider than the Grand Canyon.
When you drink alcohol you are poisoning your liver. This weakens the liver’s ability to function correctly and one of its tasks is to help reduce your levels of fat.
When you drink alcohol how is your eating schedule the day after? Do you sit down and eat a salad? Or do you reach for the phone and order your favorite take away?
Do you go to the gym and exercise or do you sit in front of the television set vomiting in a bucket?
Like Kevin Bacon says, "It’s a no brainer." If you want to set a goal to become healthier the first thing on your list must be to quit alcohol.
Why Stop at a Year?
So Mercier sets the bar at $100,000.
I spend my life helping people whose lives are ruined by alcohol. Not the brown paper bag types you see lying on street corners but everyday folk like you and me. Businessmen and women who cannot function without drinking 5-6 bottles of wine per week.
It annoys me to see a prop bet of this magnitude when people are sitting by their bed, with tears streaming down their faces, because they cannot kick this powerful drug. But if it stops Mercier from ever drinking again then I guess my annoyance will have to subside as it will probably mean he will live a longer life, and I like the kid so I wish him well.
But what’s the point? If he is going to stop for a year and then start again … really what is the point?
If that’s the case then I have to assume that the goal is purely for monetary gain. Which would be sad. But if Mercier is doing this to prolong his life and to show his body some love, then he cannot stop after a year.
This has to be "all-in" or "fold." The bet needs to be forever … not for a year.
There was a lot of debate over Mercier’s bracelet bets this summer and I have to admit it was a close-run thing. The odds between him winning or losing were tighter than a duck's arse.
This is not even close.
No Way to Manage on Willpower Alone
If Mercier has a drinking problem i.e. He drinks too much… then there is no way he will manage to refrain from drinking for a whole year if he decides to do this on willpower alone.
The only way Mercier can win his bet is by working with someone like me who teaches you to quit for good. You cannot control alcohol. It controls you.
Nobody truly understands this until they try and do what Mercier is intending to do. To try and quit over a prolonged period of time only to return to it at a later date is a form of torture. It will drive you nuts.
If Mercier doesn’t have a problem with drink then the bet makes no sense. Nobody should take it because he will achieve it easily as he doesn’t have a problem with it.
Remember, you don’t believe in any of this alcohol controls you crap … you are the one in control. You can give up drinking at anytime.
So try it. But not for monetary gain. Give the $100,000 to the people who are struggling on a daily basis because this evil drug is destroying their lives.
Do something good with the money instead of blowing it at the tables.
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