2 Months Gone

Well it has been about 2 months since I came back from the summer holiday and promised not to drink again. I have done it but it has been hard in some ways and satisfying in others. Here's how I did it. I decided back in April or May that I would do it and then started to think about how to do it. Cold Turkey or cut down? I cannot just cut down things, I have to give them up so option 1 was only ever going to´be the way to go. After my 40th birthday I nearly did it but didn't have the will power, got stressed at work and the next thing I knew i was up late playing Warcraft and having a bottle of lovely wine.

When I came back from holiday, I had had the chance to relax and really reflect on things, spend so much tome with the kids and relax. This was a perfect opportunity, which I wouldn't see again for a year, if I missed that window. When I came back, I stopped.

I don't believe that just stopping drinking would have worked for long. For me, if I have to give something up; I have to change my lifestyle. I was also overweight from my sedentary evenings, booze drinking and lack of exercise. Also, I was seriously lacking motivation at work and when you have your own business, this is the worst situation to be in. When you are behind with bills, you just cannot..cannot..go into a hole and hope something will turn up. (believe me). The only way to get out of trouble is to go out there and get more business.

So i attacked my lifestyle/drinking on 3 levels.

1) I stopped drinking completely. My advice here is not to do this in secret which is what I tried to do to start with because you always have that option to start again and no-one will be any the wiser. Tell your family/spouse and close friends.

2) I started running. Not so far at first but at least 3 times a week. Building up distance and time every week.

3) I revisited Stephen Coveys, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The best lessons here that I revisit all of the time are, 1) Be proactive, First things First and Begin with the End in mind. I also made the quadrant to see where I was devoting my time. I can't do the book justice here but i i highly recommend it. I got proactive in my work. I made a massive list of all the things I had been procrastinating about, people i should have called back and projects I should have started.

I have become incredibly busy at work in a positive way, almost too busy for one person.
I have lost 10 kilos. My BMI has gone from 28.6 down to 25.
I have stopped drinking permanently because the good outways the bad by 100 times.

There have been negatives.

It's difficult to be the same person you were before you stopped drinking. I mean on a personal level with your spouse. Booze makes you say more, relax more and maybe be kinder because booze make you nostalgic and loving in a kind of fuzzy drunk way.

I have missed booze. I have missed it when I need to relax after work and haven't had the chance to go for a run. Generally though, my sleep has got better and I can get to sleep more easily even if I am stressed.

I hope I can keep this up because it has given my the opportunity to be the person I want to be and not a shadow of that person.