Sobriety can take time, and April 1st marked 100 days since I stopped drinking alcohol. I started thinking about the many good things – and a couple of not-so-good things – that have happened to me since then.
See, you didn’t expect me to list the not-so-good things, now did you? Sobriety isn’t all peaches and cream, you know! Please note: this article was originally written in 2004, when my sobriety adventure began.
On the bright side, I have noticed a remarkable difference in how I feel without alcohol in my body. First, I no longer have daily headaches or nightly stomach aches. And my overall energy level is not only much higher, but it is much more consistent throughout the day.
I also feel that I am thinking MUCH more clearly – and that my thoughts are stronger and crisper. In other words, I’m simply thinking much more deeply now that alcohol isn’t messing around with my brain chemistry. In addition, I am eating a MUCH healthier diet, and I feel stronger, younger, and more in control of my daily life and my future than ever before.
Things are also very positive on the financial side. I’m on pace to at least DOUBLE my income this year, because my sobriety has allowed me to work much more efficiently at my home business. Or, to put it another way, I no longer have hangovers getting in the way of my making money! Also, I am saving a LOT of money by not wasting it on alcohol. This has allowed me to reduce a great deal of debt in other areas of my life.
So, to sum up the positives: my overall health is MUCH improved, and I definitely feel better in my body and my mind than I have in at least 20 years. I am making more money, saving more money … and I HAVE a lot more money than I used to. And that, needless to say, makes me very, very happy.
Sobriety Isn’t Always Easy
But, as I said, there are a couple of not-so-good things in the past 100 days. The first is my weight: I am presently about 30 pounds overweight, and I must confess that I truly believed that I would EASILY lose that amount in 3 months of not drinking. But, it hasn’t happened, though I did lose about 7 pounds within the fist 7 weeks – just nothing since then.
But, to be honest, I haven’t really been exercising as much as I should have been. Perhaps I was using the “not drinking alcohol” as a crutch to not exercise. I’ve since rededicated myself to that important area of my life, so I am quite positive that the next year will finally see me lose that 30 pounds of flab.
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