Drink

I have just completed 31 days of not an alcoholic beverage touching my lips.

Its a big thing now, this "Dry January".  I haven't done it for charity.  I have done it for me and my liver.

I drank my own body weight six times over at Christmas and felt sluggish and weighty when it was all done and decided that in January I was going dry.

I have managed it without hint of an issue and unless you have a drink problem this should be the case, shouldn't it?  I mean the charity aspect of "Dry January"  - paying for someone not to drink isn't a challenge in itself, is it?  Its not something that we should be motivating someone to do daily by paying them.  It's not  something unusual or daring or amazing. So as a charity deal,  I disagree (even if it is for a worthy cause) ....

So, 31 days later I feel better for it. 

I love waking up every weekend clear headed and fresh to start the day.    I sleep full unbroken nights and I feel better for that too.  Who wouldn't?

I even gave up going out with my workies due to not wanting to drink.  And I love an occasional knees up with the workies.    I know that I wouldn't be able to go out and not drink.   I don't know if that makes unusual but who wants to throw shapes on the dance floor stone cold sober...?  Not my thing I am afraid...  And I cannot tolerate drunk people when I am sober!

My birthday came and went and not a drink did I touch.  I usually have a celebratory drink on my birthday even if it is more of a "drowning my sorrows" drink as I hurtle towards the big 4 - 0...

The biggest difference I have noticed is on the bank balance.  I wanted to notice a difference to my dry January,  so I put the weekly drinking budget into a savings account.   Jurgen is decorating the hall, stairs and landing and I need new carpet.  So, the weekly deposit into the savings means I can now go out and buy a carpet. 

How bad is that?  I drink the equivalent of a carpet a month? 

That's quite scary.

I could re-carpet my whole house in 6 months of not drinking.  That puts a whole different spin on my weekend drinking.

I found there's a misconception in my head that if you have had a stressful week then a nice cold glass of lager on a Friday night will make it all go away.  Not really the case because you have to return to your stressful job on Monday and then you have to make it all go away on the Friday night and the cycle starts.....  I have coped much better with my stressful job by waking up weekends feeling great.

I have also lost over half a stone in weight..  So this not drinking malarkey is win/win all round...

I am off out tonight to a 70's themed "do".  An extended family party in Essex that I am really looking forward to.  So, whilst wearing my Farrah Fawcett wig I am going to partake in a drink.  It would be rude not to.

But drinking at home when I could buy a carpet?   Probably not.
 
I think the benefits of not drinking far outweigh the benefits of drinking.   And for now my goal is to re-carpet my house in 6 months...