The awful aspect of the statue with people originally sitting on his shoulders and whispering in his ears reminded me of the voices in your head you get when you are trying to reform and quit alcohol. That awful voice that says don't quit now but wait until after the wedding, or your birthday or the party at the weekend, or that suggests you have one last glass. It's also the voice that tells you that you CAN manage your drinking and so only need to moderate and not quit completely. The voice that hints that drinking is actually good for you and that quotes all that crap you read in the paper about one glass of wine helping you to live longer.
If you are getting those voices, try and imagine you being this statue (less the scruffy beard I hope), and those voices actually being unhelpful souls you are having to carry with you wherever you go and that are leeching off your life blood.
Cast them off and don't listen. The voice is your subconscious trying to hang on to the effect it gets from the chemicals induced by alcohol and that it doesn't need but has come too used to. It is the habit playing with your mind. Look in the mirror and try and imagine those creatures on your shoulders. Do you really want to give them a free ride? No wonder Dionysus looks so bloody miserable!