I am not one to make New Year’s resolutions. I think I’m fine just the way I am, thank you very much. That said, I suppose I did “resolve” to give up my daily (and I do mean daily) consumption of wine and beer. I mean wine or beer … er, actually I guess wine and/or beer is technically more accurate. Anyway, I am at the mid-way point. That’s right; I am not making a life-long change—just thirty days on this wagon ride.
During week one, I gathered a few pros and cons about the experiment. Chief among them, that one mustn’t assume weight loss benefits if one replaces alcohol with sugar and carbs in other forms. Crap. The other major benefits include a better night’s sleep and more productive time in the evening. The Kardashian’s are not bearable without some sort of sedation, so I read a book, work on my writing. On the whole, week one was easier than I thought it would be and I was quite proud of myself.
The next seven days were a different story though. A glass (or three) of wine at the end of any day of my work week would have been totally understandable. Twelve hour days, lots of drama and instant messages from colleagues featuring beer mug and martini icons tested my resolve. Fortunately, it was something like twelve degrees outside and the only alcohol in my house is a bottle of Cointreau used for Christmas baking. This, a clear indication to me that indeed I do not have an actual drinking problem. As much as I would have enjoyed the company of one Mr. Kendall Jackson, I wasn’t going to go out looking for him in the bitter cold.
The next big challenge was the weekend. I had totally forgotten about the NFL playoffs. How does one sit in a room with nachos, chicken wings, and beer-guzzling friends and drink diet ginger ale? The answer: double up on the wings and drink hot cocoa (with a half bag of mini-marshmallows).
So what have I learned at the mid-point of my thirty-day sobriety? (Yes, I know January has thirty-one days, but give me a break!) With alcohol, as with anything else I suppose, there is a potential Venn diagram of addiction, habit, and enjoyment—each thing separate, but at risk of overlapping. I am beginning to clarify where my daily drink was mere habit (guzzled, frosty, dry-hopped thirst quenchers) versus mindful, feet-up, laughing with friends (or at the Kardashians) enjoyment.
I am not going to lie. I am looking forward to the end of my self-imposed prohibition. By the way, did you know that the observance of “Repeal Day” (the end of prohibition in America) is written into the U.S. Constitution? (I read it on the Internet, so I’m pretty sure it’s true). My repeal day is February 1 and I already have a glass of wine and gossip date booked with a girlfriend. What I’m hoping though, is that from that point on I can stay more in the enjoyment category with an-almost daily drink instead of resuming bad habits.
Cheers!
