Not Drinking - An Update

So, in the past week and a half, since I started "not drinking", I have had - 1 beer, 2 sips of wine, 2 sips of Dark n' Stormy.

I think that I've realized that this whole "not drinking" thing is a little intense, and maybe I have all these conflicting feelings about it because I don't feel like it's necessary? Like, as in, I'm not an alcoholic, so why should I stop?

Granted, one of the beers was at Jennifer Coolidge, because I felt more awkward not drinking.

But the sips were relaxing at Sean's house, and while I'm somewhat concerned that I "needed" a drink, or at least to just taste one or two sips of said beer, I'm also happy that it was just that - a sip or two. I'm not perfect, and I don't feel like it's necessary to hold myself to this weird standard of not drinking. So, I'd like to not drink this weekend. We'll see how it goes.

HOWEVER: these two weeks of not drinking have resulted in.... 120 pounds. Almost my damn high school weight. Little to no belly pudge. And a MUCH better feeling, in general.

Sometimes Sean's drinking worries me. The whole needs-to-have-booze every single night? It's weird.

I worry sometimes that Sean thinks "being set in his ways" means "not willing to try". That could be problematic.

No More Booze!

So I've challenged myself to not drink for the next 31 days. Or, by now, 26 days. That's a tall order, from someone who loves nothing more than a stemless wine glass filled with Sauvignon. But I've realized that I'm not so good about moderation, if I exercise any at all, and this realization has fueled the understanding that I just gotta quit cold turkey.

Surprisingly though (and perhaps this is only cause it's Day 3), I've found it easier than I thought. Removing the option altogether, instead of dithering and saying "Oh I'll try to cut back maybe I guess" has really just made things cut and dry for me. And bringing lots of people onboard, people who I would generally be drinking with (like Sean or Mum, or the galpals) has been very helpful because I've asked them all to support me and not encourage me to slip up.

It's going to be an experiment. I want to see how it affects my body. I want to see how I respond to it - I'm intrigued, really. No more hangovers? No more UTI's? Will my skin clear up? Will my belly pudge disappear?

But more importantly, I've never really quit anything before, and I want to know that I can. So here we go. Countdown - 26 days.