Today, I’m starting a huge change in my life: I’m going to stop drinking, at least in non-social situations, but maybe altogether.
For some background, I am what you’d call a “problem drinker”. It started over a decade ago, when I drank for fun. But, over the years, I’ve increased the frequency of drinking from a couple times a week to pretty much every day. When I got a job that I REALLY hated, the drinking became daily, with maybe one day every 3 months when I would *not* drink!
As you can imagine, when all you do is drink every single night, all night, you don’t get much done whether it’s working on hobbies, looking for new jobs, or much of anything. Not to mention the probable weight gain from drinking and then sometimes getting the munchies!
So, for several years, I’d leave that dreaded job and head home, often hitting the liquor store right around the corner from my house to pick-up a couple 24 oz. cans of a 10.1% malt liquor called Pit Bull. It’s cheap ($1.25 each) and it’s strong, which appeals to the cheap-ass living in my wallet.
I started at one can per night, but before long, two per night was normal, and sometimes three. For some reason, unlike hard booze, drinking PB makes me fall asleep on the couch with the TV running, so nearly every night I’d drink them, this would happen and I’d not remember any of the shows I watched, I’d wake-up a few hours later on the couch, and I’d wearily climb the stairs and throw myself into bed for the rest of the night.
Throughout the night, I’d constantly wake-up, slam a few huge gulps of water, and go back to sleep. Then, in the morning, I’d have the “man, I shouldn’t drink that much” thoughts and I’d tell myself not to drink that next day.
Nope… around noon at work the next day, I’d begin hungering and looking forward to getting off work so I could drink…
I guess that’s probably one variation of the definition of alcoholism, but I’m not sure. I never drank at work, nor would I drink in the morning on the weekends or anything. My main issue is that once I start drinking when at home, I don’t stop until I go to bed.
Anyway, I decided to give a serious effort to changing. I discovered a program called the 30 Day Sobriety Solution and I did the day one exercise and audio. Even though I was constantly considering it’d be OK to pour a glass of wine while listening to it, the positive attitude got me pumped-up and I ended-up not drinking at all.
Day #1 of not drinking: success!
Keep at it Mike! You can do it my friend!