Sober January and Sober Wednesdays

I’m going to do sober January in 2012 .  I did this in 2009 and 2010 but that was in conjunction with a milkshake diet ( Cambridge diet ) and lost 1.5 stone in the process both times . For posterity I should add that all that weight is back on my ass now … sob)

However – I’m quite excited about doing Sober January next month as a personal development project rather than a weight loss thing ( don’t get me wrong – if I lose a few pounds then I won’t sniff at it but I’m very happy it’s a no alcohol thing for no other reason than developing my life without chemical influence skills !)

I’ve been a little reticent about mentioning too much about alcohol in this blog so far as I follow quite a few recovery blogs and it seems churlish to say that I’ve been in a place where I was definitely drinking too much and it was adversely affecting my life and it felt unmanageable but then to say I’ve now found I can drink within limits I am personally happy with.

Everything you read online seems to result in the opinion that if you think you have a problem with alcohol then you most likely have and it’s a progressive thing and that’s the end of that. I personally think there is a middle ground where you can self-medicate with alcohol at a point in your life but not have whatever genetic build up it is that means you can’t ever drink within “normal” limits. I am very conscious of keeping an eye on myself now as if I went back to my binge cycle of 2008 or my quarter bottle of spirits 5 times a week  habit of 2007 then I like to think I’d just abstain and give it up as a bad job . All that said – it never pays to get cocky does it ?

I digress however

In additional to sober January then since the start of December then I’ve also thrown Sober Wednesday into the pot as a hopefully permanent fixture

Sober Wednesday sounds like I drink like billy-o every other day of the week which isn’t the case. I usually don’t drink over the weekend at all and keep to 4-6 alcohol units the other days but having Wednesday as a no argument no alcohol day (no matter what social event might be on or however much I think "oooh hard day – lets have a drink") is proving to be something I enjoy and I think its here to stay. Its good practice to learn to say no to a drink in the pub etc.  I don’t want to be the person who no-one ever hears say ,  “I’ll have an orange juice please”

Bring on January I say !