I have not created a thread in a while and just wanted to share my thoughts with you.
When I first started here just over 8 months ago I was welcomed with kind words and supportive messages. I really did not know what to expect and to be honest I had very little confidence in my will power. I remember looking at K9's (I think she was the first to welcome me to this site) day count and feeling like an ant looking at the top of a mountain.
Days eventually started to add up. So I went from 1/250th, 1/100th, 1/10 and now 1/2 of her day count. It is quite empowering to think of your progress in terms of fractions.
Noticeable changes that I would like to mention :
1) I no longer feel obliged to answer this question - "why do you not drink?". This was a greatly feared question for me at the start and I bet people noticed my unease.
2) I developed a new routine for Friday and Saturday nights. I think this is quite important. One of the main reasons why I drunk on those days was because I did not know what else to do. I know that it is a problem for many. Eventually you will find a new routine, trust me!
3) Weekends now feel like a mini vacation. Whereas before I used to dread Mondays and felt absolutely shattered after a weekend.
4) I enjoy my meals now. I used to rush through majority of my meals to get to drinking. Now I can go to a restaurant and really savour my food.
5) I have new friends. There are people that do not accept my new lifestyle and feel that their fun was being under attack. I never judge or criticise others for drinking but there is a stigma attached to sober people. This is fine, because when you give up booze, you start to notice how crude, annoying and dangerous drunk company is.
I hope you share your thoughts, observations and new habits that you have since giving up drinking.
Allan
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