Bourbon

As some of you know, I like beer.

I like whiskey, too. Especially bourbon which, I’m convinced, comes from Heaven despite most of the bottles saying Kentucky. However, despite my fondness for both, I’ve had a not a drop of either in 79 days.

I see no reason why we shouldn’t drink alcohol, but I see a lot of reasons why we should maintain control of our consumption. As much as I’d rather not admit it, by the end of last year, I’d reached a point where I no longer felt in control.

It’s not that I was getting drunk all the time but, rather, that when I tallied my consumption for a week, it was just too much alcohol to be healthy. A drink after work with friends, a neat whiskey to relax when I got home, a beer with supper, and a second whiskey before bed adds up.

That second whiskey before bed is what troubled me. A ritual that I picked up somewhere along the way, I’d look forward to it each day when I’d pour a glass and climb into bed with a book.

But last year, as I rediscovered the pleasure of fitness, I found myself not wanting to drink alcohol as much in the evenings because I wouldn’t feel 100% the next morning.

The beer with dinner was easy to cut out, but I couldn’t shake the pre-bedtime whiskey. I can’t tell you how many times, in the months leading to this experiment, that I’d pour the bourbon into the glass while thinking about how I didn’t really want it.

Then, since I poured it, I’d drink it - sometimes in one swallow like a shot just to get it down - so that I could turn out the lights.

I know that sounds crazy, and it felt that way, hence the abstinence experiment.

I’d planned it for 30 days, but when I cross that line, I thought, “why not keep going?” Then 60 came and went. As I approach 90, I find myself in an odd predicament.

On the one hand, I’m kind of over it. I’ve proved to myself what I wanted to prove, namely that I can quit drinking alcohol any time I want and for as long as I want. I had developed a habit that no longer served me, and like any other habit, I could break it if that’s what I wanted to do.

Within just a couple of weeks, I no longer felt the tug of the routine that had been bothering me.

On the other hand, I’m at 79 days, and I know the power of a streak. The second hardest thing to do is to get started on the first day of something new. The hardest thing to do is show up again for the second day. After that, it gets way easier.

So, despite not having any real trouble cutting alcohol out of my diet, I can’t help but give second thoughts to whether or not I want to break the streak!

I’m competitive by nature, even with myself, and although I’ve accomplished the objective, there’s part of me that says, “keep going” even though I don’t much feel the need.

For now, I think I’ll keep the streak alive. Whatever the reason, I feel compelled at this point to hit the 90-day mark.

After that, it's fair game.

But I know me.

I imagine when I get to 90, I’ll feel a need to make it to 120.