Whenever I get the occasional urge for wine (will they ever stop?), I try to take a step back and remind myself of all the reasons why I stopped drinking alcohol in the first place.
As time goes by there is a danger that I might start looking at wine with rose-tinted glasses and forget how bad it really was, a little bit like being in a relationship with someone really awful, then you break up and a few months later you start wondering what it would be like to be back with them and thinking only about the good things, big mistake!
So, just to be clear, here are 10 things I don’t miss about drinking alcohol, every one is a reason to never drink the stuff again!
- I don’t miss not sleeping properly, I have never experienced sleep like I have since I quit drinking alcohol, it really is incredible.
- I don’t miss having shaking hands during the daytime (or any other time for that matter).
- I don’t miss being grumpy, snappy and unreasonable (particularly with my son) while I wait for wine o’clock.
- I don’t miss driving on the school run wondering if I might be over the drink-drive limit.
- I don’t miss having a purple tongue in the mornings that I can’t get rid off, my breath must have stunk.
- I don’t miss not remembering what we watched on the TV the evening before and having to ask my wife ‘what happened in the end?’.
- I don’t miss the constant dull and fuzzy head that a bottle (or more) of wine every evening gives you the next day.
- I don’t miss thinking about wine all the time, have I got enough? Should I go and get some more? What if it runs out? Is it 7pm yet?
- I don’t miss falling up the stairs when I have (even) more wine than usual (mainly weekends) and looking in the mirror and realising that I really am very drunk.
- I don’t miss feeling miserable and anxious, not having energy or feeling alive and refreshed.
I could make this list way longer, but I am sticking to 10 things I don’t miss for now, just as a re-focus and reminder to myself of all the wonderful benefits that come from stopping drinking.
One of the best things about being an alcoholic alcohol dependent high functioning adult, is that the worse your habit has become, the more you feel the benefits when you stop. It really is incredible and I would urge anyone at the start of their sober-journey to push on past the first day and the challenging first week and start to see the changes in themselves.
It really is worth it, there is no sacrifce, only wonderful things on the other side – you just have to trust yourself that you can get there.
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