August is over half over, so my self imposed “no drinking and running/biking/exercising to get back on track” edict is nearly over, so I thought I’d check in.
I miss drinking. I am so boring sober. My jokes fall flat. My witty cynicism is locked somewhere behind an anonymous bar waiting to be opened and poured out. I sleep better and longer, and I’ve lost some weight. It’s awful. Just awful.
On the bright side, I do sleep better and longer, and I’ve lost some weight, so I have that going for me. I have been cooking A LOT more and I’ve gotten a lot of reading done. I’m clear headed and ready to face the day much earlier.
Currently I am vacillating between not ever drinking again, or doing a high-dive off the wagon into a pool filled with sweet, sweet, intoxicating elixirs. Who knows what will happen, I have have 13 days left to make that decision.
These past 19 days have been enlightening (and boring). Only a few days (between day 7 and day 10) have been rough, so that’s nice. I’ve learned to take things slower. I’ve learned to do things because I want to do them. I’ve learned to appreciate the little things. Sitting outside on the porch sipping my morning coffee, soaking in the beautiful start of the day is a new ritual I’ve started and it really makes the whole day fall into place.
Of course, having incredibly supportive friends through this month has been nice too. Running, biking, and cooking with you all has easily been the highlight of the month. I don’t want to lose that.
WARNING: The Following section gets REAL.
What defines a drinking problem? Does writing a blog about not drinking qualify as a drinking problem? How much is too much? Can you only have 2-3 drinks in a night, or is it all or nothing? Let me know your thoughts!
Mythical 5th Position 
I stopped drinking for a while in graduate school. I don’t know if I had a drinking problem. I don’t think most people in my life would have said I had a drinking problem. I don’t think I would have been diagnosed as an alcoholic. I think at certain levels, it’s a very personal call to make. I wanted to see what I was like as a person without drinking socially, which was mostly what I did then, and that was really useful. For me, it was enough to realize that I could be just fine without alcohol and that I have the power to moderate.
I laughed very hard at this post. I am also boring and sober…..for over 6 years. I was kicked out of a country because of my drinking….that probably constitutes a problem.