Taking a Break From Alcohol…

…is not like taking a break from a relationship. When someone tells you they “want to take a break” from a relationship it means they want to break up but they’re scared to tell you. When someone says they are “taking a break from alcohol” it means just that – they are not drinking for a short while to take stock of their drinking patterns and behavior.

Since the new year, I have had a number of people tell me they are not going to drink for the next 30 days. I did a little research about what one should expect if one takes a break from alcohol (and it got me thinking about WHY IN THE WORLD WE DRINK IN THE FIRST PLACE…).

First man takes a drink, than the drink takes a drink, and then the drink takes the man. —(Gratuitous) Chinese Proverb

IF YOU TAKE A BREAK FROM  ALCOHOL YOU WILL:

• Sleep better;
• Lose weight;
• Pee less;
• Feel better in the morning;
• Improve your liver function;
• Decrease your tolerance to alcohol;
• Save money;
• Lower your risk of serious diseases;
• Hurt yourself less around the house;
• Decrease your face-time with the police;
• Reduce your risk of drowning;
• Improve your interpersonal relationships (as in stop having those drunken, sloppy fights with your spouse where you sling F-bombs like corned beef hash…)
• And so on…

Good luck grasshoppers. And please let me know how it goes…

In answer to your questions – I drink gassy water with a spot of juice in a wine glass; Yes, I still get cravings; I just say, “No thanks. I’m an alcoholic,” but you’re NOT so say, “No thanks. I’m taking a break.”; Yes I feel a lot better physically and I feel 100% in the morning – every morning; That’s an inappropriate question…