I will celebrate my 60th birthday in December and for about 25 of those 60 years, I have been a daily drinker. Sometimes two glasses of wine a night, sometimes the whole bottle. I am professionally successful, respected, accomplished. I work out and I'm healthy, but 4 months ago, I put a hard stop to the habit of daily drinking in front of the TV every night. In all that time, I have had 3 glasses of wine, on three separate occasions that were weeks apart. I changed my habits. Now, I come home from work, eat supper immediately, then take a long walk with the dog, then clean the kitchen and then I read, do some paperwork from the office, have tea and two cookies while I watch my "series du jour" on netflix. Then I do yoga, meditate and go to bed.
I do regret all the wine-soaked nights I wasted and all the mornings I dragged myself around with dehydration and hangovers. I wonder how much better my life could be today if I had not been a functioning alcoholic. I think about all the nuances I must have missed in meetings, chances I lost to help a friend or family member because I didn't recognize the opportunity through my foggy daze. What a waste!
Today, though, I wake up clear headed and enthusiastic. Now, I see the opportunities and it is a bit daunting! So much to do! I will not waste the next 25 yrs. What made me change? I finally realized that if my life could be as good as It was with a drinking problem, It could be FANTASTIC without one!
I do regret all the wine-soaked nights I wasted and all the mornings I dragged myself around with dehydration and hangovers. I wonder how much better my life could be today if I had not been a functioning alcoholic. I think about all the nuances I must have missed in meetings, chances I lost to help a friend or family member because I didn't recognize the opportunity through my foggy daze. What a waste!
Today, though, I wake up clear headed and enthusiastic. Now, I see the opportunities and it is a bit daunting! So much to do! I will not waste the next 25 yrs. What made me change? I finally realized that if my life could be as good as It was with a drinking problem, It could be FANTASTIC without one!
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