Feeling normal

It’s good to wake up each morning and not feel exhausted. This for me has probably been the number 1 benefit of taking a break from boozing.
The time has been so useful to think about the various drinking associations that I have and which ones is want to leave behind!

The idea of drinking is always better than the reality of drinking. Flights with booze leave you really dehydrated. A couple of drinks in the evening can have you up in the night for a pee. One or two can often turn in to several and a wasted morning or day follows.

So feeling normal means avoiding these problems that come with drinking.

I will stick to water and other soft drinks for now!

Still going

It’s been a while since my last blog!
I have been travelling extensively for work so haven’t got round to blogging!

I think I am around 40 days sober. Getting an excellent nights sleep most nights and am enjoying waking up feeling pretty good.

I’ve also had a few good nights out where others have been drinking and it hasn’t been a problem. I think trying to moderate for me is harder than just avoiding it completely!

Anyway this is just a keeping in touch blog, I will try harder to blog more!

Onwards and upwards

2 weeks in!

So I’m now over 2 weeks in to my 90 day challenge, however I have decided to take up the 100 day challenge instead as suggested by Belle on a hangover free life.
Its been a really valuable challenge experience so far, I am sleeping really well, even though I have a baby who still likes to wake in the night sometimes! Also I am definitely concentrating better at work, getting more done and saving some money. So they are the possitives.

Also I’m not really missing it, I think I miss moderate drinking, so 1 or 2 beers, but I’m not missing occasions where I am drinking too much.

anyway the baby has just woken up and I’m babysitting this evening so TTFN

Thoughts a week in

So I thought I would post another blog to document my thoughts on abstinence. It’s been 8 days since my last drink and I think the main difference that I have noticed is that I am sleeping really well and have managed to cope with a 12 hour flight from Hong Kong without suffering from jet lag too badly.

I’ve been reading several abstinence blogs such as the sober journalist. I also read almost alcoholic which talks about a huge grey area between a normal drinker and an alcoholic which I think so many of us fall in to. 

another thought I have had is about regional differences, in the UK, hazardous drinking is the acceptable norm in many circles whereas in America these drinkers would probably be considered raging alcoholics. 

Anyway, I’m quite enjoying the no drinking at the moment and I think that the 90 days are going to be a positive experience with the end result being a much better relationship with alcohol. 

Ttfn

 

Drinks Reception

So it’s been less than a week since the start of 90 days off and each day I’ve been feeling more and more alert, although I would say I am still quite worn out from last weeks holiday and my body is trying to catch up on sleep. 

I am overseas with work at the moment and I normally find on these trips that I will be drinking most evenings at dinner and often afterwards with colleagues. Avoiding alcohol has certainly meant that I have been less keen to engage socially with others as I know that this normally means a glass of wine. This is a shame though as the social side of my job is one of the best things about it and in all honesty this trip has been quite lonely. 

I have always found it very difficult to say no to having a beer with someone. I think part of it is me wanting to be friendly, so much so that saying yes is almost a knee jerk reaction! 

“You’ll stay for another one, won’t you?” thats quite a hard question to say No to isn’t it? 

Anyway tonight I went along to a drinks reception I was asked along to! it had been a long day at work so I could understand why so many people were gasping for a beer or wine! plus a free bar always helps, doesn’t it? I have to be honest I did find myself a little edgy and drank my orange juice quickly and moved on to the next one! I guess part of me was used to holding a glass in those situations much like the smoker is used to holding his cigarette. 

Anyway I was glad I went and socialised for a bit, I’m sure it will get easier as I get used to sticking to soft drinks. 

What’s next on the agenda? 

Introducing a bit more exercise back in to my life, it would be good to get down the squash court again as it’s been a while and also get back on my bike. I am a bit sick of looking at my double chin. 

Hitting rock bottom

When people say I’m quitting drinking, often the association is that they have reached a crossroads where they feel they have no other choice. Perhaps they have had an ultimatum from their partner or they have to stop because of deteriorating health.

I think that often drinkers often say to themselves ‘wouldn’t it be nice to have a break from alcohol, well, maybe after next Friday’s drinks with the boys, or, I can’t Not drink at Mike’s wedding’

I was thinking about this last year when I volunteered to drive to a wedding so my wife and friends could have some drinks, it was then that it dawned on me, there is always a reason to drink but we isn’t it sad that we feel we can’t have a good time without it?

I have decided to take 90 days off for the following reasons.

1. I have slowly realised that the UK has an abnormal obsession with booze, most of us drink but I am interested to know what is life in the UK like for the non drinkers?

2.  I have become quite fat over the years, and I am finding some of my clothes a tight squeeze

3. I am keen to improve my performance at work so I could be considered for promotion

4. I have just spent time in a community where drinking has taken over the lives of many of the inhabitants and it has made me think about my own drinking

5. Money is going to be tight in my house for a few months as my wife is out of work, cutting out a luxury like alcohol will save us some cash

I will share my thoughts on this blog of how it goes and I hope you find it interesting.