Hey all,
As you may, or may not remember, I gave up alcohol for the month of January. If you don’t remember, or are new to the blog, here’s a brief review:
Honestly, the challenge started out so great. Mark and I found ourselves exercising more, trying new things, like juicing or non-alcoholic beverages, as well as noticing at different social settings how alcohol wasn’t needed.
I don’t know about anyone else, but I started drinking around the age of 14. Throughout high school and University, drinking was the social norm.
As I get older, I’m not interested in getting drunk on a daily basis. At social events, I find I’m in a new area of my life. I’ve spent so many years where drinking was the norm, that it just seems natural to have a glass of wine, or a couple of beers, when out and about. This challenge was really good for showing me that I don’t need to drink at social settings to have a good time.
What I didn’t like about the challenge, is the fact that I knew I couldn’t have a drink. I’ve heard there are two types of people- moderate people, or all or nothing. A moderate person is a person who can enjoy that 1 piece of chocolate and then stop. If you tell the moderate person that they can’t have any chocolate, then all they will be able to think about is chocolate. An all or nothing person, is exactly how it sounds, a person who if given chocolate will eat everything in sight. If you tell that person they cannot have any chocolate, then they are fine with having none.
I am a moderation person. As soon as I tell myself I can’t have something, I want it. As soon as I can have it again, the craving goes away.
Therefore, all month long, all I wanted was wine.
I specifically avoided certain social situations so that I wouldn’t be tempted to not follow through on my intentions of no alcohol.
My end thoughts of the month are that I’m glad I did it, but I would not do it again. I enjoy an occasional glass of wine after a rough day of work, or a martini on the weekend.
For those that participated, what did you think? What’s one thing you could never give up for a month?
My husband and I have also given up alcohol a few times over the years and while it has its advantages, I do like a glass of wine. As I have gotten older I can limit myself to one or two after work whereas in my teens and early twenties it was get drunk or nothing. We mostly try to limit ourselves to the weekends, but there are times during the week that a few drinks sneak in. Congratulations on making it, I know how hard it can be.
Yes- I was definitely in that boat of “get drunk or nothing” for a few years! I think that’s Mark’s and my new plan- not drink during the week and just enjoy during the weekend. We’ll see how it pans out though. Thanks for the congrats!