Hi Virtute!
Congrats on your ability to withstand the temptation and choose water instead! Today marks my two months without a drink:). I can really relate when it comes to the social gatherings, the last party my friends were having I showed up with a coffee, (my friends were trying to take it away and give me a beer). When I finished my coffee I opened up one of the three cans of sparkling water that I brought. I couldn’t believe how many of my friends kept offering me beer instead of my water. I had to keep telling each new person that asked “would you like a beer instead of that” that I was good with just water.
Over these past two months I’ve done a lot of self reflecting.....why am I always on edge, is it the alcohol or is there something else going on. Why do I have to stop drinking all together when others can just have one or two and stop, can I be one of those ppl? And the list went on. These past two months has allowed me to take alcohol out of the equation which has been sooo valuable! It’s been a real eye opener to say the least! The biggest thing I have noticed is that it’s very well noticed if you refuse a drink or choose something with no alcohol. I found with all my friends, (the hard core drinkers and the occasional drinkers) it was faily easy to come up with a reason and they respected it and as time has gone by I have been more open with my reasons. (I don’t tell ppl how much of a jerk I could be or that I was drinking a HELL of a lot more then they even knew! I just tell them that I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting and figured if I wanted to live longer I better start with taking better care of myself. So I tell them it’s started with a bet with myself, “I can’t go a week without one...next a month, next two months, next, till the new year...(we will see what the next goal is once I reach the next one:).
My advice to you, come up with some easy reasons like I drove here so I’m not drinking. (Not even one just in case) I’m challenging myself....I’m on a new diet (the Keto diet is actually what I’m on and it doesn’t allow alcohol due to the carbs). Great excuse:).
Another big lesson I have learned through this short yet very exciting journey is that lots of ppl have problems with alcohol and it effects ALOT more ppl then we even know about!
So small obtainable goals are the best way to succeed! If your goals are to far away or to unrealistic you might be setting yourself up for failure so make them obtainable:)
Good luck with your journey!!
