Giving up the Booze
Posted by James on Friday Jul 3, 2009 Under What Jimmys been up to
Yes, you read it right. I’m actually stopping drinking. I’m really going to close that chapter in my life and get on with the future. I can’t tell you how much money and brain cells I’ve wasted on the subject.
Why? Well there’s been a few incidents of sorts and frankly and I’ve been very lucky indeed. There’s only a certain amount of time you can carry on being so lucky. As some of you may know I lost my younger brother a few years ago to a drinking related incident. My parents are amazed this didn’t stop me altogether. Well I always used to counter that argument with, “well he was just very unlucky” and “that’ll never happen to me.” Well I’ve done a few things recently that make me think that it’s only a matter of time.
“Why don’t you just cut down?!” Yeah I’ve tried that. I envy those people, we shall call them “normies, that can go to the pub and have 2 beers and say “that’s enough for me, goodnight all”. Are these people born of a different planet? What is their secret? Am I staring in the Truman show and these people are just actors? Ok that last one was a bit nut. But here’s the problem, once I start, I want another one. Maybe it’s my british 90′s yob mentality coming out. I drink like there no tomorrow and every 6 months or so there’s a moment where the lizard brain kicks in and I’m “that guy” at the party.
“Ahh, but you’re in Can-a-dar, they hardly drink anything over there. Any one of us Brits would be in the same boat if compared to them.” Well I hear this all the time and I’ve been telling it myself for the time I’ve been here. Truth is most of my mates back home ARE in the same boat and will quite prossible have something bad happen if they don’t stop. Well I’d like to lead by example and show it is possible.
It’s sill early days and I expect it will be very hard. I’m writing this on a my first Friday night off the sauce. Friday was always my drinking night. This Friday is kind of a special day as I had the day off, but is the first Friday just the same. We have free beer at work on a Friday too so being away from that is probably a blessing. The missus is having a girly night tonight, so I had to get out fo the house. This presented a bit of dilmea… all my mates were out drinking. What the bloody hell am I to do?! Well it was a gorgeous day, so I grabbed my bike and headed for the park. Turns out there’s lots of people doing stuff other than getting off their faces on a Friday evening. Roller-blading (of course it’s Vancouver), cycling, sitting out on the beach playing vollyball. You name it.
Like a very good mate of mine said to me once… “You have to change your life style”… and that I will.
July 4th, 2009 at 1:28 am
Jimbo,
I take my hat off to you mate. I think this decision is definitely one that you won’t regret. I can relate to the very good friend of yours, as I feel that this kind of lifestyle change is really important. I’m not a big drinker myself. Sure I hit it hard at University, but I haven’t been off my tits for a very long time. And I don’t miss it either!
I think with every day that you don’t hit the piss you’ll feel better for it. There is way more to life than getting tanked on a Friday night. During the time when I was doing the same, I found myself totally wasting a large portion of the weekend in bed due to hangovers. That’s really not a great way to spend your free time! It’s much better to get out there and live a little while you’re not stuck at the office.
I know we chatted about this a little while ago when you came to visit us here in Oz (man, has it really been that long already?! 2 years nearly!), and I think I said something similar. There is so much more to do and to experience. You miss out the chance to get stuck in every time you’re blotto and can’t spend the day anywhere else other than driving the porcelain bus.
Get out there and live the dream my friend
You’re in a fab part of the world, and it’s there for the taking.
I wish you the best of luck. I’ll be here to cheer you on
Cheers
OJ