Not drinking for 45 days straight seemed like an impossiblity at first. I have tried giving up alcohol a few times before and had only lasted through the second week.
This time I promised it was going to be different.... but I barely believed myself!
This seemingly insurmountable goal was met yesterday as Easter was upon us and it was very.... anti-climactic. In a good way.
Here are a few things I learned from being a sober Sally for Lent:
1. It wasn't that difficult.
It's not that hard to say no to drinking. At least, it wasn't as difficult this time. Perhaps it's because I'm 28 and the last time I tried I was 22. The first few days I had some heavy hitting invites to go drinking and it seemed tough saying no, but once I got used to saying no it got easier and easier.
Taking it a day at a time helped. "Just for today I won't drink" is a great way to keep going. Pretty sure that's also a tactic used by Alcoholics Anonymous and hey, it works.
2. Lent is a great excuse for anything.
Sometimes we need an excuse to not do something. When offered a drink I just said "no thanks," no big deal. If pressed on I would say "nah, I gotta do it for Lent."
3. The responses were great.
Some people reacted as if I was giving up a kidney to save a long lost relative...
"Gosh I don't think I'd be able to do that...you're so strong!"
Others were nice. They'd give an encouraging "oh good for you!" Or "wow that's awesome you're doing that..."
Or they were just confused: "Oh you gave up drinking for Lent..so like..you gave up just beer right? So you can still have whiskey right.....?"
4. It's a better excuse than "sorry, I'm an alcoholic!"
Not that I am, but saying you're giving up drinking for Lent is better than saying: "I'm sorry I don't want to partake because I feel like drinking alcoholoc beverages has had a negative impact on my health and my wallet and my career and my personal relationships..."
The most pressure I felt was at restaurants. If I was an alcoholic it would be the worst place to go! "What? Just water? It's happy hour right now why don't you get a 2 for 1 special? Or a pitcher of margarita for 1/2 off...we also have our bottomless mimosas for $7...."
Side note- I think there should be a rule against alcohol pressure at restaurants. I'm not sure what that rule would be or how it would be enforced, but servers, be wary, the person you're offering a drink to just may be an alcoholic!
5. I feel great.
45 days straight of zero hangovers. Zero wasted time and money "getting wasted." Not as many bad decisions...the list of positives goes on!
I highly recommend giving up drinking for Lent, or for Passover (is that a thing??) or for any excuse you give yourself. A friend of mine does "sober October" and seems to work great for him.
As I said as Easter came and went it was very ant-climactic. I didn't go booze crazy last night. Nor do I feel like drinking tonight...and I'm on vacation!
I haven't even had a drink yet.
Will I soon? Probably.
At least I now know I can do it; and if I can do it, you can too!
Wishing you the best in success,
Tremain
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