As of April 2nd 2019, it’s official.
1000 (1K) days free of alcohol.
How do I feel? Fantastic. Not in a “throw a party” way. But in a thoughtful, reflective, appreciative way. I’ve rambled about the positive sides of not including alcohol in my life. But now I’ve seen it and lived it for a good while. And the more I look at, the more I realize how trans-formative it’s been.
As I look back, I realize how much more of my life I’ve reclaimed to be productive.
In my pre-1K history, I would go through several ‘sick’ episodes a year, about every month an ‘illness’ or ‘gut’ problem would last two or three days. The kind of thing that would put me out of sorts, ruin a weekend and hold me back from feeling or performing my best. During my 1K days, I can only think of two brief episodes in the past year where I’ve had any episode. And by ‘brief’ I mean two days or less.
The further domino affect to this new found health, is that my overall normal wellness and vitality became much better. Probably because my body was able to self correct. I picked up running again. In spring of 2018, I finished one year of one 5k race a month. Now the new project is a one year progression from a 5k (already completed), a 10K, a half marathon (both already committed) with a target of a marathon in spring of 2020.
Even better is my mood. I am much more calm with others. I am also a lot less likely to bottle things up. In the past I had used bottles of alcohol to bottle up feelings of frustration and anger. Now I am much more capable of having a meaningful conversation with others without it devolving into a match of anger, insults or victimization.
Instead of planning around the evening pour, I’m going bowling or installing a kitchen back splash or working on some other ‘project du jeur’ that interests me and fills my life and relationships with meaning.
Instead of planning around the morning recovery, I now plan the morning run route or the supporting exercises. How far will I go? What’s my target pace? Will I see fish jump in the channel as I run by? Which muscle groups do I need to strengthen?
I’m also better able to be there with friends and family instead of struggling to get out the door and socialize. Which is so much easier when you are not fighting through the fog of hangover’s, dehydration, headaches and frequent maladies when drinking.
Do I occasionally consider a beer? Sure, for less than a minute. I enjoy the memory of drinking, but turn aside when I realize the downside before really completing the thought. That might happen once every couple months or so.
I’m happier without and grateful for the past 1000 days. IWNDWYT.
21 Buzzards 