The Fault Lies in Excess, Not in the Gift
In the same poem, water makes the case that drinking in measure is permitted and that only excess does harm.
Later in the debate, water pleads its case with a sober point. The evil inclination, it says, was created for a purpose, and no person is free of sin. Drinking in measure is allowed, and those who ruin themselves are the ones who drink without limit. Wine, in turn, accuses water of being like a sea that is never full, always taking and never satisfied. Between them they show that neither wine nor water is the problem. The trouble comes from measure lost. Rav Eliyahu does not give a verdict in his own voice. Both sides call upon the elders to judge between them, leaving each listener to ask where his own line lies and to hold his appetites with a steady hand.
Source: Vikuach Yayin im Mayim (Amsterdam, 1757 edition, with commentary); middle and closing stanzas
Choose one pleasure in your day that tends to run past what is good for you, such as food, screens, shopping or sleep. Decide on a clear limit for today and say it aloud before you begin, so that you can keep it without a struggle. If you reach the limit, stop and enjoy what you had. If you overshoot, do not scold yourself, simply start again at the next meal or the next hour.