Wow, it feels good to put that in a title instead of just saying it.
I don’t consider myself an alcoholic. I don’t drink daily nor do I typically drink an excessive amount at one time. In fact, there have been plenty of times already that I have taken breaks from drinking.
Typically, I give myself loose goals and just commit myself to short time-frames. To start the year, my commitment was no drinks for 3 months with the exception of “special events.”
The issue with that period of time was that there were plenty of events that presented themselves and I definitely took advantage of those days.
This time, my commitment is long-term.
This time, there will be zero exceptions!
So, why? Why am I so committed to cutting drinking when the consumption of alcohol is something that is so embedded into society.
I mean, look around you. Alcohol is EVERYWHERE.
Even grocery stores in some states are adding bars so that you can grab a beer or glass of wine to walk around with while shopping.
Well, first off, I just want to feel good.
When I take my short breaks from alcohol, the way I feel is the biggest part of my life that I feel impacted. Now, maybe it works this way for some people but for me, I’m not someone who takes time away and is like, “WOW, I feel so good! Being sober just makes me feel amazing!”
No, it does not work that way at all.
Instead, when I am taking those breaks I simply notice the negative effects of the alcohol when I have those special events I mentioned pop up.
Whenever I make an exception for a day or two, I think to myself afterward, “this isn’t even worth it.”
This isn’t a surprise as alcohol is a depressant.
When you consume alcohol, it harms your body in so many negative ways.
- If you drink in excess, you may get sick
- The day after often consists of a headache/hangover
- It slows your digestion system
- It slows your body’s ability to burn fat
- Your muscle growth is reduced
- It can even cause major health concerns like addiction, liver disease, cancer and heart disease
Along with how you feel physically, alcohol doesn’t have the best effect on your mind either. It makes you sloppy and causes you to not remember things. Sometimes you’ll even blackout.
Personally, I want to remember every moment of my life.
I’ve been to events that I’ve spend a solid chunk of money on just to have my memory of the whole event be blurry and missing important moments. I’ll look at photos and just think, “well, it looked like I had fun at least.”
I don’t want that anymore.
You know what else helps your mind?
Having less stress from your finances.
Alcohol is by no means cheap and you can save plenty of money by cutting it out of your life. I have a somewhat boujee taste of alcohol so just a 6-pack of beer is running me $12-14 each.
Dining out is really where I feel it though. If my wife and I are having drinks with dinner, that can add $30-50+ to a single meal minimum. Throw in fine dining and that amount increases exponentially.
Over a year’s time, the amount spent on alcohol can easy get into the 4-figures for a single person.
What would you do with an extra $1000 in your pocket?
With all these negative’s related to the consumption of alcohol, it’s crazy that stopping drinking is something that requires strength and perseverance.
Like I already mentioned, alcohol is everywhere around us. It is imbedded in culture and when you are of drinking age, it is just expected of you to participate.
Think of when you go meet with friends or go to visit someone’s house. After you hug and say your hellos, the first thing often said is “want a drink?” Even if you say no, there’s a solid chance that you are going to be asked a few more times throughout the occasion.
I’ve even seen people thrown off by the denial of drinks. They’ll actually ask you if everything is okay because CLEARLY something is wrong if you don’t want to get a buzz!
Think of it this way.
85% of American adults consume alcohol to some degree. That means not drinking puts you in the minority. It’s no wonder that it is so difficult for many to quit.
Out of all these reasons for quitting though, the primary reason I am going sober is to be a good influence.
I have 2 young children looking up to me and I want to be the best possible father to them.
I look back at my childhood.
First off, when I was growing up I could not wait to be able to drink. You could even say that it was a goal of mine.
My friends and I were always trying to steal alcohol from parents and talk about how excited we were for the day that we were allowed to partake. We would joke around about chugging beers and doing keg stands.
And when we were teenagers, we went ahead and did all that!
That’s where another factor came into play.
I remember the looks of disappointed my little sister gave me when she knew I was drinking. When I drank, I could see that it completely destroyed the image she had of me. The utter disappointment would burn a hole in my heart.
If my kids ever look at me that way, I will feel like I completely failed them as a parent.
These are all reasons why I am quitting drinking. The list of benefits by going sober far exceeds what I listed and I hope you can find your own.
Stand out and be part of the 15%.
You want to stand out and be a leader? This is one way in which you can do that.
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