🍺=😔

Giving up drinking started as a need, now after 5 years its preferred

About 5 years ago I had a health issue that required me to take steroid tablets, this, of course, came with a strict rule of no booze whilst undertaking this cycle in an attempt I suppose to rule out as many external factors and also I just don't think steroid tablets and alcohol would go well.

The steroid medication stint would last 3 months and during that, I had to abstain from drinking, in the beginning, it was HARD, I mean really hard, mainly being known as the guy who is always good for a few 🍺's. Just about anytime was a good time for a drink in my world and I was generally the last to leave any party. Did I have a drinking problem?............ I would say no, as I didn't drink during the week but come the weekend, there were few who could keep up 🙃, so I was the classic binge drinker it seems on reflection. By definition, it seems I had a drinking problem.

Back to not being allowed to drink for 3 months, I stuck it out and pushed on, the 3 months came and I just thought it’s been 3 months so 4 won’t be hard, 4 came and then a year and so on. Since then (about 5 years ago now), I have not had any alcohol and to be honest, it’s been pretty good + recommended if you are thinking about giving booze the flick. To list some of the benefits that stand out, the biggest is the MASSIVE amount of money I save, due to not drinking. A big weekend could run into the 000's of dollars without much effort, but besides the money, waking up after being out with friends in a clear state of mind is wonderful and its often the time I do my best work, coupled with never having to rely on cabs or buses, having the ability to ferry my wife and friends to and from events is a win for all and the list goes on.

But there are downsides. The biggest one is to prepare for your friend circle to shrink and shirk quickly. If you are serious and not drinking, and mean not even one (more on this later) it’s gonna happen and I am also certain you will be surprised by the names it involves. To me this was one of the biggest shocks, having played Rugby with teams of people over my 15-year playing career and spending more time with these guys than anyone else it was odd to slowly drift out of the parties, events and whatnot, purely due to not drinking. Now let me be clear I don't hold it against anyone nor am I bitter or upset in any way, it is just an output of not drinking, not drinking means you often are quieter, more reserved perhaps less of the party animal you were and all those things played beautifully into a persona as the guy people want to be around if you want to have a good time out.

As this happened, you end up with more time on your hands which depending on your self-discipline can be the thing that breaks you or becomes the supercharger, I used this additional time to improve myself, further adding the advantages of being a teetotaler. My single biggest habit as I started to read and read a lot.

Coming back to not even one thing, well this in my opinion is more of a personal decision, for me, I just said no more, not even one. Why?, well I know myself well enough, that if I walk to close the edge there is a chance I will jump off, so just saying no thank-you, as it is the safer option for me personally. If you are stronger than I am go for it have one or two whenever you like.

The questions, many questions, particularly as the others slide down the slippery cliff with MR Jack Daniels and his mates. The first one from anyone who does not know you is, "Why don't you drink?" No, I don't have any crazy story as you are aware from the above, which seems to sometimes disappoint, it is like a lot of people are wanting the epic event where you went on 10 car police chase and ending up on a state-funded holiday, but in my case, boringly nothing happened. I do answer now and then with "Do you know the story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde?" and leave them wondering. The next sure question is "How do you do it?", its self-discipline, that's it! There is no hypnosis, no chants, no affirmations just discipline. Make the decision and stick with it, end of the story. The next thing that makes me laugh is the promises, I would be on a white sandy beach, with palm trees if I got paid by everyone who has promised me they are going to give up drinking, right after tonight 🙃 , why do people feel like they have to promise me, I still can’t work out, nor do I really mind if they drink or not. But nonetheless, it comes a lot.

The biggest shock to me is how fickle the world is. At present, I work in a construction business and it’s a "man’s man" industry. I can only imagine what minorities and women must go through if I as a 6ft 2' man who can handle himself with confidence get remarks like "I don't work with people who don't drink" or "I don't trust people who don't drink". Simply fix, and ignore them, that's the greatest thing about business, you can choose who you get in bed with.

In a short summary, if you are on the fence, do it, join the teetotalers.