Almost there....

It's January 29th, which means today is day 29 of not drinking.  I must say the challenge for this month has been rather easy.  There really has only been a few moments where a drink would've been ideal.  I think what I'll take away from this month the most is to really think about whether or not I want that drink when I'm out... because truth for me is that I never really need it.  It's also been nice saving money while out to eat and not to mention I choose restaurants that are in the two star category when I'm not drinking.  Although it will be nice to go out to a nicer restaurant next month.  One other thing I noticed was the only time I really had to make a conscious choice not to drink was when I was out with others that were drinking.... AND maybe when I broke my wrist.

What I've noticed

okay.... so it's been 11 days no with no alcohol.  In all honesty it's felt fairly easy to not drink.  There have only been a few exceptions to that..where I had a slight cringe - like in the airport when I found out my flight was delayed for over four hours (I mean doesn't that make anyone want to drink!)....  or when I  recently went out of town to visit a friend that's been grieving and she wanted to drink and instead I had to say I'm not drinking... I think I ordered 5 waters.... which made me really happy when the bill came!

thoughts so far:
I like how much money I'm saving
It's only in the moment I've felt bummed about passing on alcohol (wanting a glass of wine)
After dinner I'm happy about my decision not to drink
There is an element of social pressure that I just naturally drink when others are without thinking if I really want to or not.
Alcohol is expensive
I like not being woken up by wine in the middle of the night
Fine...I'm missing a glass of wine... okay....maybe two...

January::::

It's time to begin the experiment of the forming and breaking of habits. January is the month of no alcoholic beverages. Now the truth is I wouldn't say that alcohol has to be considered a bad habit and nor am I trying to start a debate on drinking or not drinking. In fact I wouldn't even say alcohol is a habit of mine. I mean I like to have a glass... or two of wine..okay okay sometimes three with a friend.  There's also the fun nights out or meeting a friend for a drink... So why the reason for taking out alcohol???.... well simply put alcohol has affected those I deeply care about in not so positive ways....AND I'm under the belief that it's healthy to look at what we put into our bodies and the effects they have on us... With that said, I wanted to take this month to examine the role that alcohol plays in my life. I'm curious as to what will come up for me.... What emotions will I feel when I'm out with a few friends and they are drinking and I choose to drink water?? Has any part of having a glass of wine when I'm out at a nice dinner simply become routine?? How has it affected my energy level and emotions? Will I miss it??? And not to mention I wonder how much money I will save by not drinking??

There are many more questions I have... but mostly I'm just curious to see what comes up for me.