Thursday, September 23, 2010

Day 6

So today is Day 6 without having an alcoholic beverage.  Not a difficult feat, not a rare feat, not even much a feat worth mentioning.  I tend to drink in streaks - I'll imbibe almost every night for days or weeks on end, then go an equal amount of time without touching a drop.  Typically I drink (and, frankly, over-indulge) for as long as there's a bottle in the house.  When it's gone, I don't bother to replace it until I feel a particular urge to do so - which can be triggered by stress or sadness or just by the realization that, hey, it's been a while since I've had a drink, that sounds good.  Then I buy some more, and away we go. 

My drinking habits are quite boring, actually.  I don't go to bars or nightclubs, I don't throw or attend drunken orgies, I don't even like to drink around other people, particularly.  Give me a comfortable chair and a few hours to relax in the privacy of my own home, and it's my party.  The wildest thing I'll do is make random Facebook comments or eat cookie dough, or both (be still my heart).  No wonder I go cold turkey for periods of time - I'm a terrifically poor example of a drunk.

So anyway, this has been Day 6 of the not-drinking part of what I call the Circle of Vodka.  And no, I don't usually track the days like this.  I don't have a calendar with Sober Me days neatly circled and and Intemperate Me days sort of shakily scribbled on.  Although that would make an amusing visual.  It might also prove that my self-perception of when I do and don't drink, and how much, is way off.  And we certainly don't want that, do we? No, I don't.

But for a limited time, starting right now - just this once - I'm going to count the Sober Me days.  Just for grins.  And instead of seeing how long it takes the urge to strike for one or six of my beloved vodka-and-diets, I'm going to pick a number and simply not drink for that many days. Just to see what happens.  And of course I'll blog about what does happen.  I may find out some really interesting things; for instance, do I eat more or less when I'm not drinking? Do I write more or less, or exercise, or follow any of my passions to a greater of lesser extent when I'm not punctuating each day with a generous measure of alcohol?  Do I suffer a slow and inexorable decline into psychosis (or at least neurosis) under a self-imposed exile from inebriation? Would that make for some morbidly entertaining blog entries at my own expense?

The entire scenario is rich with possibilities, and so it is for the sake of knowledge, art, and exhibitionism that I declare myself one-fifth of the way through the 30 Days Without a Drop challenge.  Hey, that was easy.  Join me in 24 days when I announce that I'm halfway through the 60 Days Without a Drop challenge.  And be sure to follow along in between to see whether I fall off the wagon - or perhaps whether the wagon crashes, burns, sinks in a swamp, and erupts in a fiery explosion with me trapped inside screaming.

On to Day 7!

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