The 30 Day Challenge - Final Thoughts

As I mentioned before, I ended the 30 Day Challenge at 27 days.  I have to admit, I was pretty disappointed in myself for choosing to end it early.  I mean, I felt like I failed.  At the same time, it was really hard going as long as I did without having a single drop of alcohol.  I had friends that couldn't believe how I stuck hard to the plan through certain nights out where I would've been drinking.  It was nice to have their support and hear that they were proud of me. 

Here are some final observations:

• Depriving yourself of something that you love for no reason at all is downright torture.
• I lost 2 pounds.  Woo hoo!
• My average restaurant check was way down when I chose to dine alone.  When I went out with friends I still ended up splitting the bill equally just out of convenience.  Besides, I'm sure there has been times where my friends have paid for a bourbon or two of mine.  What goes around comes around.
• My monthly credit card bill was actually higher than usual.  This can be attributed to using not drinking as a justification to spend money elsewhere.  Flight to the Bahamas to see my cousin from Arizona for a few days?  Sure, I'm not spending on alcohol!  New shoes that I don't need?  Sure, I'm saving by not drinking! 
• I got a few more things done on the weekends than I normally do.  I still need to get back into playing golf.  I miss that a lot but paddleboarding has taken it's place as a weekend activity, most likely because it's free for me.  Getting more active is something else I need to do and will likely be a 30 Day Challenge in the near future.
• I was a tad spicy while I was on off the booze.  Little things annoyed me more than they usually would and I would be quick to point them out.  It probably was because I was on edge from sticking to my challenge even when I knew I could quit at any time.
• I gained a lot of perspective.  As much as I enjoy having a bourbon when I come home from work, it's really not something I have to do every day.  And on the days that I do partake in an after work drink, it's ok if it stops at just one and I head home.  The night after I made my triumphant return to drinking I came home and drank club soda instead of having a bourbon.
• Speaking of my return to bourbon...  I think karma punished me for ending a few days early.  I went up to West Palm Beach for my cousin's "Gentlemen's Night" where we ate like kings, enjoyed some bourbons and cigars, and then headed out for a night on the town.  We got back to my buddy's house late at night and were lounging outside talking and all ended up falling asleep outside.  My hands and face were exposed to any mosquito or bug that wanted to chow down and apparently I taste pretty fucking good because I woke up the next day with about 15 bug bites on my face and hands.  Just today they are finally starting to go away.  Next time I'll finish the 30 days!

In the end, I was proud of myself for learning that I could go without alcohol if I had to.  I survived live sporting events, playoff games at bars, Memorial Day Weekend, and a couple of road trips without drinking.  These are all occasions where I usually have a couple pops.  I gave up something that I love and learned that it's also something I respect.  I'm not a drinker because I enjoy getting smashed.  I enjoy spirits, or really bourbon.  I enjoy the history behind it being discovered, the process by which it is made, the various roles it has played throughout history, the flavors it contains and the fact that it is the only spirit classified as a distinct product of the United States of America.  I enjoy talking about bourbon with others, as evidenced last night when I dropped serious knowledge while enjoying a happy hour bourbon at Michael's Genuine. 

I liked the 30 Day Challenge idea though and it's not to say that I won't quit alcohol again for 30 days some other time.  Uh, wait a minute...  I probably won't do that again but maybe I'll quit during the week or something.  I've already moved onto a new 30 Day Challenge - no fried food for the month of June.  I thought it would be real easy but damn is it hard!  Nowhere near as hard as quitting my love of bourbon though.

The 30 Day Challenge - Thoughts After 24 Days

Wow.  It's hard to believe I've gone 24 straight days without one drop of alcohol.  I've stayed true the entire time, never once sneaking a drink while alone at home or on the road.  It's not like there hasn't been any temptation.  Sitting on the couch with Dad watching TV one late Saturday afternoon as he sipped a bourbon was tough but I managed.  Being out in social situations where other people were drinking was tough but I held a firm grip on my iced tea or club soda or that first O'Doul's.  Congratulating my cousin and his wife on having their first child and not being able to sip a celebratory bourbon with him while having a cigar was downright torture.  But I stuck to the plan.  Here are some observations since my last update:

• While I appreciate the concern when friends feel bad when they drink around me, it gets a tad annoying.  I'm undergoing this challenge for me, not you, so do whatever you want.  If I didn't think I could handle it I wouldn't go out in the first place.
• I've noticed I'm a little more short with people.  I'm not sure if that's the absence of alcohol or just me or maybe both.  I think when I have a drink I'm a little more relaxed and subdued and little annoying things that people say or do are easier to ignore.
• I had a great night out with friends in West Palm Beach, doing dinner and then catching some live music at a bar.  Live music definitely helps one forget about not drinking alcohol and this band was great.
• Lots of people are impressed that I've made it this far and I've really appreciated their support and positive comments.
• The #1 most annoying question that I've really had enough of hearing: "So, you're gonna get wasted the day you're able to drink again, right?"  No, I'm not.
• Not drinking has been pretty depressing at times.  Not because I miss the alcohol, or the buzz, or the flavor but because of the social impacts.  Sitting at a bar drinking a bourbon is something that I really enjoy.  Sitting at the bar drinking iced tea or club soda just isn't the same.  I find I'm asking myself, "What the hell am I doing here?  I could be doing this at home."  I feel like I don't belong there and then I go home.  Maybe all that sounds silly to people and I can understand that I guess.  It probably is silly.  At the same time, it's a hobby, a pastime, an interest that I'm denying myself of for really no reason at all besides mere curiosity.  That sucks.

I will give full disclosure on one final item of importance.  I will be ending my challenge, or at least taking a timeout from it for one day, on Saturday.  That will be day 28.  Why end it early?  My cousin is having a formal get together for his newborn baby girl to hang with the guys and there will be a bourbon tasting.  I don't get to see my cousin often and I passed on toasting his new child my last visit so I will be participating on Saturday.  After 28 days at that point, another 2 days ain't really gonna make a whole helluvalotta difference anyways.  That's not to say that I will have a drink on Sunday or Monday.  Maybe I won't?  That's something I'll be discussing in the next post at the conclusion of this journey.  Until then, the no-alcohol beat goes on...

The 30 Day Challenge - Halfway Home!!

Yesterday was my 17th consecutive day without a drop of alcohol!!  I'm halfway to my goal of 30 days!!  It definitely hasn't been easy.  In fact, yesterday was my first really tough day at work where I really would've loved to relax while sipping a bourbon when I got home.  Right now things are really busy at work and I have a ton of stuff to do and keep getting distracted or nagged by little things that prevent me from making any real progress on the bigger things I need to get done.  It's really just annoying but all those little annoying things led to a mini-meltdown of sorts haha.  Now that I'm over the halfway mark, I'm a little comforted by the fact that this is almost over.  My life hasn't really changed much.  Here are some new observations:

• I still feel full all the time.  I doesn't matter if I eat a little or a lot.  I feel full and bloated or something.  Maybe alcohol was helping to break down the food and aid in digestion?
• Energy is slightly up and I've gotten a little more accomplished on the weekends thanks to getting an earlier start on my day.
• Pooping is down considerably which could explain the full feeling all the time.  I just haven't been regular.  I'm thinking that while I'm on this no-alcohol kick I might do a little cleanse to clean me out.  I know you will sleep better now knowing this.
• In the past 6 days since my last update, people have applied a little more peer pressure or suggestions that this challenge is a bad idea and that I should just have a bourbon.  It's been tempting but I've held strong.
• I've become somewhat more irritable and at times can't figure out why.  I think maybe I'm just stressed from having to force myself to NOT do something that I love to do?  Maybe I feel exiled from my regular social life because I'm not going out as much or for as long?  I don't know.
• I met a friend at a bar for the Heat game on Sunday and almost took a sip of her beer because I was thirsty when I arrived at the bar and I wasn't thinking for a second.  It was like I was a robot that had been reverted back to its original programming.  Luckily I caught myself before making that mistake.
• I did a weigh-in on Day 16...  I've lost one pound.  Conclusion - drinking has little to no effect on weight loss over the period of 16 days.  That was frustrating to learn, if only because it gave me another reason to quit on this challenge.  I told that reason to go F itself shortly after though so it's cool.  Nothing is stopping me from getting to Day 30 at this point.

A funny thing happened to me too over the last six days...  I went to dinner at Joey's in Wynwood on Saturday night, Day 14, with a friend and some other people she knew.  Dinner was disappointing and I learned to stick with pizza and pasta at that place.  We wrap up dinner and everyone decides to go to a bar for a drink.  I opt to head home because I'm tired and off the booze so I've really got no motivation to stay out.  I begin walking to my car which was about a block away.  It's about 11pm.  A woman is walking in front of me with whom I presume are her two little girls.  It's late so I'm not surprised when she pulls them closer to her side when she sees me, a stranger, walking behind.  Just before I catch up to them at the street corner, I scuff the bottom of my shoe on a crack in the sidewalk.  I get to the corner and the woman says to me, "You gonna make it to the car?"  "Huh?", I reply, having somewhat of an idea what she said and why but pretty shocked to be hearing it.  She repeats herself, "You been drinking a whole bunch, huh?  You gonna make it to the car?"  I am a tad angered by this but it's late and she's walking with her two daughters in a not-so-great neighborhood so I tell myself she is probably just being protective of them.  I look her dead in the eyes and politely say, "Lady, I haven't had a sip of alcohol in 14 days.  I just finished some dinner with my friends and will be getting on my way now.  You have a nice night."  She apologized, smiled, and wished me well. 

I still thought it was pretty messed up that the woman would make an assumption like that but I guess I understood.  At least it made for a funny story to tell.  The strange part is that has never happened to me on a night where I've been drinking.  The situation reminded me again of that feeling I got when I was driving home late at night for the first time on a night where I hadn't been drinking at all.  The paranoia of getting pulled over was still there even though I knew there was not one drop of alcohol in my system, of being hassled because an officer might assume I'd been drinking simply because of what hour it was.  I guess we are all capable of being stereotyped or profiled regardless of the situation. 

Today is Day 18.  At midnight tonight I will have 12 days to go and 3 of them will be Memorial Day Weekend.  I'm almost there, so close I can taste that Day 31 bourbon...

The 30 Day Challenge - The Next 6 Days

Well, I've made it through 12 days!  I've been perfect through 12 and haven't succumbed to any urge to have a sip of alcohol.  It hasn't been easy the whole time though.  As a matter of fact, the journey has been the complete opposite of what I thought it would be.  I thought that the first week would be the toughest since I would have to get out of my routine of having a drink when I got home from work or went out for dinner.  It really wasn't.  I thought that as the days went by that not drinking would get easier.  It hasn't.  It's gotten harder.

I've been on the road for a week now.  I had to work a trade show and then hit the road driving from Boston to Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, Lockport, and Buffalo, New York.  Here are some observations over the past 6 days:

• Even though I'm not drinking, I still manage to meet interesting people at the bar when I go out to dinner and engage in hilarious conversations with them.
• Driving home at midnight completely sober is really strange.  The whole time I'm thinking, "I really don't feel much different than I do after a few drinks.  What if I get pulled over for some reason?  Will the officer think I've been drinking?"  It's pretty comical that the paranoia is still there.
• People have been real supportive of my quest.  I really haven't faced much peer pressure. 
• At the same time, when people learn that I'm not drinking it seems to cue up a response of, "Oh yeah, I've done that before." Most of the times I don't know whether to believe them or if it's just something they say to feel better about themselves.
• I had my first O'Doul's last night!  It really wasn't that bad but I couldn't have more than two.  Only reason I had one was because I stopped at a friend's charity event and she was working so I was on my own and there were no seats at the bar.  I didn't know what to do with myself hahaha.  I saw someone drinking an O'Doul's and figured I'd give it a shot. 
• O'Doul's is great when you want the flavor of beer without the alcohol and don't feel like waiting until the next morning for the beer farts to kick in.  
• I've noticed that I like something sweet after dinner now.  Maybe a cookie or an ice cream.  I never used to do that and instead had a bourbon.  I like the old way better as it doesn't make me feel even more full and helps digest.
• Club soda with a little lime or lemon is actually pretty good even though it doesn't really quench my thirst much.

So, I'm now 40% of the way through my 30 day challenge!  I have to admit, last night I was having doubts on whether or not I could make it all the way to the end.  I miss bourbon so much it hurts.  I sat at the bar having dinner looking at the bottles of Maker's Mark and Knob Creek behind the bar and it was hard.  I pictured myself giving up at some point along the way, right around Memorial Day.  You know what though?  I won't give up or give in.  I got willpower like that.  Plus, I would rather suffer through not drinking for 30 days than listen to people talk shit to me about how I couldn't do it.  Today is day 13 - 18 days left and I am free to have a bourbon again!

The 30 Day Challenge - The First 6 Days

Well, the first five days of my 30 Day Challenge are behind me.  It's been an interesting experience so far.  Here's some observations:

• I went back to having some tea at work.  I'm not sure if this is a result of not drinking alcohol or if it's just because one of my co-workers has a great french press that I just discovered for my loose leaf tea.  
• I'm peeing a lot more, probably because I'm drinking tea and when I go out to a bar to eat I drink water like crazy.  Water with lemon or iced tea.  Crazy stuff
• It is awkward sitting at a bar and not drinking alcohol but once I get into conversation it's not so bad
• In the absence of alcohol, when I eat I feel full really quick.  Last night I went to dinner with my family and some family friends.  We had apps and I was satisfied.  Didn't even need the pasta dish that I had after (which kinda sucked too)
• Not sure if this has anything to do with alcohol but I've been getting dry skin on my fingers lately, more than just the normal callouses from playing guitar.  Feels like when I go to Vegas or LA and my hands get all dry.  Weird...
• Sporting events just don't seem right without a beer in hand.  After a few minutes it wears off though
• I've had some of the lowest dinner bills ever thanks to no booze
• I still drag ass getting out of bed in the morning.  Sleep is about the same with me waking up every few hours but I feel like I'm having deeper sleep when I do conk out.
• Traveling without drinking booze is a little tough.  I like to have a few pops before I get on a plane to help me relax and sleep on the flight.  Being on the road this week for work will definitely be a test
• I might be saving money by not drinking but I'm spending more freely elsewhere with the mindset that I'm saving by not drinking.  I used to be awesome at saving money.  Now I suck at it.
• People are pretty surprised that I'm committed to not drinking.  Even my Dad said to me, "Have one bourbon if the Celtics win Game 5 and 2 if they lose!!".  I thanked him for his support haha.
• Even though I'm on the wagon, I'm still reading about bourbon every day and even purchased a few bottles for a tasting when I complete my challenge.  It just proves that I can be around alcohol and not have to drink it.

The first six days without alcohol haven't been that bad.  I mean, there have definitely been times where I've wanted to have a drink but it really hasn't been hard not having one.  A couple times I've questioned why I'm doing this in the first place and thought it was a dumb idea but I think that's just me thinking impatiently.  I'm already 20% of the way through this ordeal and then we will see the end results and any effect, if any, not drinking has had on my life.  In the end, it's a good practice for self discipline and it really can't hurt so I'm looking forward to the next few weeks and the new challenges and temptations that arise.

The 30 Day Challenge

I have a pretty simple lifestyle - go to work, pay my bills, eat and drink as best as I can, try to have as many good times as much as possible.  My daily routine usually involves an adult beverage at some point, typically of the bourbon variety but occasionally I'll have a beer.  Why?  Well, I guess it helps me unwind but really I just love bourbon.  I love the aroma, the taste, and the bite of it.  Unfortunately, one can sometimes turn into two, then two turns into three or four and...well you get it. 

I wouldn't say I have a problem with alcohol.  I don't "get drunk" on a daily basis.  In fact, most of the time I only have one or two.  Lately, however, I've been wondering if having a drink has a hold on me.  When I start thinking like that, it's time for a test.  That test is what I've dubbed the 30-day challenge.

For the next 30 days I will be off the booze!!  It's kinda like Lent but without all the religion and stuff.  I'm going to try to stick with my regular routine of eating out almost every night and trying to keep my lifestyle as consistent as usual just minus the booze.  I think it will have a positive effect.  I'm looking to track a number of things to see how not drinking effects me:

• Will I lose weight?  How much?
• How is my average restaurant check affected?
• How is my monthly credit card bill affected?
• Will my sleeping patterns be affected at all?
• Will I get off to an earlier start and get more accomplished on the weekends?
• Will I put in more time on this blog?

Wow, can't believe I didn't have a drink during that Heat/Celtics game!  What a doozy!  I made up for my lack of drinking with excessive tweeting.  I have a feeling it's going to be a long 30 days but I'm confident I can do it.  I got strong willpower and shit. It's now been 48 hours since I have had an alcoholic beverage.  Two days down - 28 to go!