41 Days, 7 Occasions, 0 Proof.
Navigating situations, circumstances, and events soberly.
Today I complete my 41st day sans alcohol. The last 41 days have included:
- A birthday
- An exam to get a certification
- An international flight
- A day in Paris
- A company dinner
- A weekend in London
- A company sponsored wine tasting
I could say it was challenging but growth tends to lean on the uncomfortable side in addition to being revealing. So I think I’d rather lean in on that word. It was revealing. Here is what I learned:
The birthday I wanted to drink to ease my pain about the loss of my father.
I didn’t have my own birthday ever. It was our birthday, Me and daddy’s. But then 3 years ago my dad died. Then it became no day at all. The last two years I’ve spent the actual day in surprise sadness followed by a lot of wine or tequila or both. But not this year.
This year I was acutely aware that sadness was the driving force behind my inclination to drink. And oddly enough it was this awareness itself that was the motivation to not drink. Almost as if I ruined it for myself by knowing that there was a reason…