Friday Notes #100 — Taking a Pause From Alcohol Drinking

Here’s another personal story. It’s about drinking habits and my desire to have better control over it. In December, I decided that I would put a pause on my alcohol consumption habits after the holidays after returning from vacation. I did. For the second time in recent years, I decided to put this old habit on pause and see how it went. I wanted to know if I could live without drinking. Yes, I can.

Since my return to work on January 8th, I didn’t have alcohol at all. I wanted to reduce my alcohol consumption dramatically. Drinking alcohol is not a healthy habit, even in tiny quantities. My goal was to stop drinking during the weekdays or weekends if it wasn’t a special occasion. During peak times, I could drink 2-3 glasses of wine on Friday, the same on Saturdays and sometimes even Sundays. Add a vodka martini on top of it all on Fridays after work.

I used to drink for (too) many reasons: while preparing food near the end of the week, after work on Friday night, during the weekend, with each meal. But, in reality, drinking is also a way to relax or cope (albeit in a bad way) with stressful days.

Alcoholic people are often looking for drinking opportunities. Since January 8th, I have tried to skip social events where I knew people would be drinking. It’s quite the opposite of an alcoholic, I guess. It’s funny to see that It’s when you want to stop drinking that you realize how pervasive alcohol drinking is. Alcohol is everywhere: in social events, TV, and movies.

This weekend, I’m going to see some very good friends of mine. We have similar drinking habits. We all do enjoy great wines with food. One of my friends is organizing a wine-tasting contest. It means tasting a few wines (four or five) to see if we can recognize them. For this weekend, I’ll happily join the crowd and play the social game. Still, I should feel proud of myself. I’m ok with this and accept to relax some of my rules. But, when I return from the weekend, you might guess, I’ll resume my break from drinking alcohol until the next exceptional occasion.

A side note: my late mother probably flirted with alcoholism at certain times. Many researchers point to a possible genetic component in increased chances of becoming an alcoholic.

Friday Notes #99 — Bye Bye Mom

Thoughts about the passing of my dear mother.

Numeric Citizen IntrospectionJF Martin

Thanks for reading. Wow, already at edition #100! 😀