A False Conception by Paramhansa Yoganand

Paramhansa Yogananda

The angry man, the sexual man, the greedy man forgets his own position, and his relations with society, and commits great blunders that ruin his life and the lives of others. Many of these mental alcoholics think that if they give expression to their psychological habits, they will feel somewhat relieved. But the self-indulgent habit of giving in to harmful impulses is extremely pernicious, for it is by repetition of such evil expressions that a person becomes a chronic mental alcoholic, making a fool of himself anytime and anywhere. (Anjuli)

If children are exposed to an evil environment while their minds are in a plastic state, they will develop wrong habits that, unchecked, may lead to chronic mental alcoholism. Parents who notice sudden change in a child – perhaps a calm natured boy suddenly turns into a repeatedly angry boy – should immediately take care of this. The causes of his frustrations should be determined and removed, and new avenues for constructive use of his energies sought.

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Those who habitually display any of the foregoing traits are mental alcoholics. They recklessly ride down the Niagara Falls of continuous bad habits, smashing their happiness to pieces as they helplessly but willingly indulge in uncontrolled expression of their worst traits. It is not good to remonstrate with mental alcoholics who frequently display violent moods of disgust and boredom with the world. Their attitude is a result of their continuous repetition of wrong habits. They should be treated as psychological patients suffering from chronic mental diseases.