It Feels Good Not to Drink

My family knows how to drink. There's no hiding that. This is especially the case on my father's side. When we get together for a holiday or just a random weekend, one can expect there will be some alcohol consumption. I even admit to consuming a bit of it between the months of October and December of 2010, as I went to two Halloween parties, visited family for Thanksgiving and again for Christmas. But, New Year's Eve of 2010 was the last night I had an alcoholic beverage and I have to say, it feels pretty good.

I'm not saying I had a problem. I don't. I may go out drinking a couple straight weekends (one night per), but I can also go 3-4 months or so without having a drink. But, not having drank anything for the past month or so, not only has it saved me some money, it's also saved me some time. I don't have to worry about feeling groggy in the morning after a night of drinking, possibly hung over, needed to chug water all day to hydrate myself, etc. My body feels clean and my mind feels clean. I've been able to write more, have been more content and more optimistic. Now, I'm not saying I'll never drink again, because let's face it, my 30th birthday is the 28th of this month. I have to imagine I may have a few drinks that night or that weekend, as I'm not sure which day it falls. Ah, a Monday. So, yes, perhaps on the 25th or 26th I will have some drinks, after close to two months without consuming of any.

This was the same case at the onset of my health problems in late May of 2009. I realized if I drank anything, it only worsened my symptoms, so I stopped, for about 4 months. After the symptoms decreased slightly in intensity, I tried again and the alcohol didn't seem to have the same negative effects as they did at the condition's inception. But, even during those four months when my condition was at its peak, it still felt good not to drink. There's less worry, for me anyway. I don't have to worry about transportation because I or another I'm with is intoxicated. I don't have to worry about feeling hung over on any day. I don't have to worry about saying or doing something I wouldn't normally do because of alcohol. I don't have to worry about setting aside a certain amount of money to spend on night's out at the bar.

I know there will be times when I go out with family to bars or perhaps I feel like kicking back and relaxing with one drink, but in any case, every now and again, it feels great to abstain from drinking any alcohol and who knows, perhaps I'll give it up for good one day. The way I feel right now, I think it is a good possibility and I'm perfectly fine with that.