Temperance
What is Temperance?
Temperance is:
Moderation
Self-restraint / self control
What is self-control?
Self-control is a set of behaviors
which:
Keeps your life in moderation, helping you
to avoid extremes in any direction.
Reflects your inner desire to grow up into a
mature, responsible adult.
Results in your life having a balance and
focus by helping you to cope with new
challenges in life as they come.
What are the negative
effects of not maintaining
self-control?
Suffer the negative impact of your out of
control behaviors such as alcoholism,
chemical dependency, overeating,
compulsive sex, addictive relationships,
compulsive shopping, gambling, smoking,
etc.
Become deeply depressed and despondent
over your weakness and inability to get
your life into "check'' or 'balance.''
How you can develop self-
control?
First: You first need to identify in what
areas of your life you need to gain more
self-control.
Life Checklist:
A. Personal life
___ (1) Balanced diet
___ (2) Unconditional love
___ (3) Self-esteem recovery
___ (4)Compulsive and/or
addictive behaviors such as:
Over-eating Smoking/Nicotine
Alcohol & drugs Relationships
Shopping Sugar
Cleaning Body image
Gambling Exercise
Sex Obsessive behavior
B. Work/school life
___ (1) Time management
___ (2) Stress management
___ (3) Workaholism
___ (4) Fear of success
___ (5) Assertiveness
C. Community life
____ (1) Need for support system
___ (2) Involvement with others
___ (3) Participation in clubs
___ (4) Recreation and leisure
___ (5) Organized religion
Second: Identify which emotions tend
to lead you to be more out of control with
these various areas.
Emotions which lead to being
out of control
Boredom Loneliness
Anger Fear
Guilt Excitability
Depression Comfort
Anxiety Happiness
Third: Identify what irrational beliefs
lead to increased loss of control in each of
these areas. (negative thoughts etc…)
Fourth: Identify new, rational, reality
based, healthy thinking which will lead to
your gaining control over these areas.
Some self-affirmations are:
I can succeed in containing my
compulsive/addictive behaviors.
I will make time for the work to develop my
self-control.
I am the one person in my life whom I can
control and change and I choose to do so.
Step 5: Identify positive actions or
behaviors which will assist you to develop
self-control in your life.
Such behaviors or actions are:
Time management, planning, and
scheduling.
A balanced diet.
Keeping a personal journal.
Sixth: Develop a plan of action for each
area which is out of control for you.
Seventh: Implement them one at a
time, taking one area at a time to get
under control.
1999-2007 James J. Messina, Ph.D. & Constance Messina, Ph.D.
Temperance
Abstinence: Any self-restraint or self-
denial from any indulgence of appetite,
esp. from the use of alcoholic drink.
Dictionary. COM Unabridged (v 1.1)
Why Abstain?
-- There are more than 40 million problem
drinkers in America.
-- Alcohol is the number one drug problem
among teenagers.
-- One in three American families suspects
that one or more family members have a
drinking problem.
-- Misuse of alcohol costs our nation $100
billion a year in quantifiable cost.
National Council on Alcoholism, Inc., 12 West 21st
Street, New York, NY Jun 30, 2006 | by Daniel L. Akin
Temperance and Health
Overeating-
Caffine/Coffee-
Smoking/Tobacco-Sugar-
Overspending/Finances
Obesity increases a person's risk of
illness and death due to:
Diabetes, stroke, heart disease,
hypertension, high cholesterol, and kidney
and gallbladder disease.
Obesity may increase the risk for some
types of cancer.
It is also a risk factor for the development
of osteoarthritis and sleep apnea.
Charlotte Grayson, MD 5/24/2006
Avoid the cultivation of artificial appetites.
Parents should remember that all artificial
stimulants lead directly to intemperance -
tea, coffee, tobacco, spices, ginger, and
indeed the whole family of innutritious
stimulants, lead directly to the formation
of intemperate habits.
Parents should remember that the least
stimulating kinds of diet, are best suited to
the formation of temperate habits in all
respects.
Charles Finney; The Oberlin Evangelist, vol. II, 1840, pp. 131
& 147
Caffeine
Caffeine is a mind-altering drug- possibly
the most popular drug in the world.
Caffeine directly stimulates the central
nervous system. It is absorbed rapidly
from the stomach and small intestines.
This in turn effects the rest of the body.
Symptoms of excessive caffeine:
Nervousness, headaches, restlessness,
insomnia, nervous tremors, anxiety, heart
palpitations, stomachaches, heartburn,
diarrhea, frequent urination and
depression.
A recent study also found that frequent
consumption of cola drinks by children
might impair brain and central nervous
system development.
Glenn Conjurske 2001.
Sugar
Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased
activity in children.
Sugar can lead to alcoholism.
Sugar contributes to obesity
Sugar can cause depression.
Nancy Appleton, Ph.D. 146 Reasons Why
Sugar Is Ruining Your Health
Smoking/Tobacco
Cigarette smoking a major cause of:
Lung disease, including emphysema and
chronic bronchitis
Cancer
Heart disease
Hormonal problems
Relationships/Finances
We fritter away our time by staring at the
TV, or aimlessly surfing the web.
We let our marriages fall flat by failing to
work at communication.
We eat too much, or drink too much and
buy too much.
We say whatever we feel at the moment
rather than bringing our thoughts and
words under the discipline of thoughtful
kindness and peaceable gentleness.
Without the gift and practice of self-
control we are at the mercy of our sinful
hearts, our potent drives, and our fickle
feelings. Without self-control we lose our
self.
Some of us have no financial plan by
which we bring self-control into our
finances.
If you don't control your money, your
money controls you. And if your money
controls you, you are the slave of a very
mean and dangerous master. Jesus calls it
the god Mammon.
Leonard J. Vander Zee
South Bend Christian Reformed Church 2000
The sin of intemperate eating- eating too
frequently, too much and of rich,
unwholesome food-destroys the healthy
action of the digestive organs, affects the
brain and perverts the judgment,
preventing natural, calm, healthy thinking
and acting.
Ellen G. White GC 398
Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say
rejoice.
Let your moderation be known unto all men.
The Lord is at hand.
Philippians 4:4 & 5