Giving it up

I have been experimenting with weeding out habits. I went for a month without coffee a while back and I slept much better and my mood was more even. Coffee slowly crept back in and is on the chopping block again. I also stopped drinking alcohol, its been a couple of months, now. Im not a problematic chronic alcoholic, I'm actually a fun episodic drinker. The trouble is that the occasional episodes are debilitating afterwards, causing lethargy and what I call comfort eating. If you do that once a week then the calories and time use setbacks add up. I also have a tendency to get overly nice and generous to a point of making decisions to give raises, invite distracting guests and, earlier in my life, cock eyed (no pun intended) romantic choices. I decided that I could use that time and control of my life more than I needed that luscious, complex, rusty lobe of red wine in my graceful clasping and sophisticated hand. As you can see I have been pondering the role of alcohol plays in rewarding ourselves and my notion of it being glamorous and stylish. I don't want to be one of those non drinking zealots, or have a dogmatic approach, either. I have to find new rewards for myself after that long day or to celebrate that great breakthrough. At first I was sensitive to alcohol around me, in movies, on billboards, hearing the neighbors always emptiing the bottles into the recycle bin. Somehow though now, I'm not as bothered that half the world still drinks. I wake up fresh as a daisy and there are no onion ring sessions with Sunday brunch anymore(sorry to my friends who have that as the favorite activity, and you know who you are) or gooey Carbonara to ease the ugg.

One nice bonus is the money one saves if you remove that bottle or two of wine or those beers from the weekly shopping cart. This is particularly important when you are raising a family on two student allowances. If you don't buy the wine, you can splurge on those other indulgences like the "grab me now" thrift surprise at the "op shop" (New Zealand's word for second hand store-opportunity shop) Yesterday I found a NEW pair of my favorite Tasmanian boots (200 bucks in NYC or Vancouver) for 8.00. I felt like angels were involved, since my pair are starting to have a "farmhand" look. Eight dollars, that's just one bottle of the cheapie New Zealand Sauvignon blanc.

It seems to be working out well, so far. We'll see how it goes when I work at a gourmet deli and wine shop next week.