Thursday, January 3, 2008

Day 1 Sobering Up

This blog is just for me. I am using a made-up name and I am not telling anyone about the blog or my official plan to quit drinking. Right now my goal is not to drink for one whole month. If I can make it through a month I hope to extend my goal bit by bit. But for now I am just going to take it day by day and try not to drink any alcohol between now and February 1. Since I turned 18 I have never ever gone more than a few weeks without at least one drink so this is a big step for me.

I hope I am not an alcoholic but I probably am. Both sides of my family are filled with addicts of all kinds. Over the past 10 years I have gone from a size 6 to a 16 mainly because of my drinking which also seems to drive my poor eating habits. When I don't drink I tend to eat healthier and work out more consistently. 10 years ago I started grad school at night while working full time, then, a few years later, I got married, moved to another state and took a high stress job and through all of it I started to drink a little more every year. My husband is fantastic. He loves great wine and good food and between the two of us we have developed some bad habits in terms of the food and wine. I don't drink because I am sad or unhappy although I sometimes think that at times I drink when I am bored.

I am not going to tell my husband that I am trying to give up alcohol only because I find that whenever I make a big declaration like, "I am on a diet" or "I am giving up Oreos" I get self conscious about whether or not others are watching me and judging my progress. I also tend to crave whatever it is I am giving up more than if I had just kept my mouth shut. So, my goal is between me and my blog.

Over the next 30 days I hope to drink no alcohol, work out every day, and eat healthier. If I can avoid the booze I think the rest will happen naturally. Before I started drinking so much I tended to exercise every day and eat in moderation so maintaining a healthy weight was easy. I plan to document my progress and feelings each day and hopefully this will help give me some motivation to keep going.

2 comments:

Scott W said...

Regular drinkers never wonder if they are alcoholic, So if you are wondering, you probably are.

It is a truth that you do not have to do this alone. There are many men and women that would love to see you in the rooms of AA and would walk that long road right beside you.

We alcoholics are all on an equal playing field, having been knocked down by drink.

Good luck to you!

Bunny said...

THank you so much Scott!