Improving my relationship with alcohol

I had been sensing this for perhaps the last two years or so, but I’m at the point where I’m looking to revisit my relationship with alcohol. At 33, going on 34, my body simply cannot handle drinking the way I do anymore.

I’ve made a lot of changes already in my drinking over the years. I seldom drink on weekdays unless there’s a special occasion. When I do drink, I don’t really “go out” to the bars like I used to in my 20s. I’m almost always in bed by 11-midnight except for special occasions.

Despite the fact that my nights are getting shorter, my the hangovers are still getting worse. The hangovers alone are simply just not worth it anymore. Feeling slightly off on a Saturday or Sunday can be enough to upend the day. Not to mention the impact of sleep can often bleed to Mondays for me.

Perhaps more importantly, I’ve felt that my habits have turned to drinking for the sake of drinking versus to be social. I’ve found myself over the last few months focusing on my drinks versus enjoying the time and place with the people around me. I don’t believe it is destructive yet - I am not blacking out and waking up in ditches or anything, but regardless, this is the trend that scares me the most.

Perhaps that is the first sign of a budding drinking problem or maybe it’s just a period of my life. Regardless, I have no desire to let it play out and I plan on taking some steps to improve my relationship with alcohol.

First, I’ve downloaded the Reframe app. I love the idea of using education to reframe the way I think about alcohol and drinks. I plan on doing 15 minutes a day here daily to help reframe my mind about alcohol.

I’ve also decided to do a sober month until I leave for Mexico City in mid February with Sophia. I don’t really love the idea of dry January as it feels more like a temporary fix like a crash diet, but truthfully, I need a break to see the impact on my life without drinking.

This month will give me time to get back and caught up on sleep and focused on work. I plan on doing a lot of activities I love like snowboarding and golfing. And did I mention, I plan on sleeping. I want to prove to myself that my life can be just as rewarding and social without alcohol as I know it can be.

I do plan on resuming drinking sometime in February, but I hope to have a much better mindset about the drinks. My goals and intentions may change, but I hope that when I do decide to resume drinking, I’ll have a much healthier relationship with alcohol. One in which my focus in social environments is the people around me, not the drink.